POLS 206American National GovernmentReview Sheet-Test 2This is a list of general topics you will need to know in order to do well on the second test. This test covers chapters 6 through 10 and includes the topics of public opinion, political parties, interest groups, mass media, campaigns and voting behavior. 1) What is public opinion?The distribution of the population’s beliefs about politics and policy issues2) What is reapportionment?The process of reallocating seats in the House of Rep. every 10 years based on the results of the census3) What is political ideology A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose(U.S. ideology: our nation is unified compared to others)4) What is political socialization?“The process through which an individual acquires [their] particular political organization.” Political orientation grows firmer with age5) What is political culture?Political culture is an overall set of values widely shared within a society6) What influences the results of public opinion polls?The wording of the questions/poll or whether the sample is a random representative sample or not7) Know the trends of party identification Party identification a citizen’s self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other. Since the 1970’s, there has been a rise in independent voters and a decrease in democrats- Democrat, Republican, Independent (figure 8.2)8) What is the “three-headed political giant”?1. Party in the electoratea. Largest part of the political giant2. Party as an organization (people working for the organization)a. Keeping it running to WIN elections3. Party in government (politicians who are active in government)a. Consists of elected officials that are party of the partyb. E.g. President or Congressc. People that are “carrying the flag into the political arena”d. They don’t always get along/agreeInterest groups ENDORSE candidates, political parties RUN candidates9) What is the family’s role in the process of political socialization?The political leanings of children often mirror their parents’ leaning; family has a monopoly on your time and emotional commitment10) What does rational choice theory say about political parties?It says that the political parties that select policies that are widely favored with succeed inthe election verses the other parties. - “Assumes the individuals act in their own best interest, weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives.”11) What is an interest group?An organization of people with shared policy goals entering the policy process at several points to try to achieve those goals; they pursue their goals in many arenas12) How are interest groups different from political parties? Political parties: fight election battles; are policy generalistsInterest groups: do not field candidates for office, but choose sides; pursue goals in many arenas and are policy specialists13) What is the free-rider problem?For a group, the problem of people not joining because they can benefit from the group’s activities without joining14) What is a collective good?Something of value that cannot be withheld from a group member (whether you’re in a potential or actual group) E.g. clean air15) What are the advantages of single-issue groups?Intensity (because they’re generally more emotional and can bring more intensity to the group)16) What are the strategies of interest groups?1. Lobbyinga. Are a source of informationb. Help politicians plan political strategies for legislationc. Help politicians plan political strategies for reelection campaignsd. Are a source of ideas and innovations2. Electioneeringa. Direct involvement in the election processi. Groups can help fund campaigns, provide testimony, and get members to work for candidates some form of PACsb. PAC: political funding vehicles created in 1974 campaign finance reforms, PACs are used by interest groups to donate money to candidatesi. Use to channel money to political candidatesii. PACs help pay the bill for increasing campaign costsiii. Most PAC money goes to incumbents3. Litigationa. If an interest group fails in one arena, the courts may be able to provide a remedyb. Interest groups can file amicus curiae briefs to influence a court’s decision (briefs submitted by a “friend of the court” to raise additional points of view and present information not contained in the briefs of the formal partiesc. Class Action lawsuits permit a small number of people to sue on behalf ofall other people similar situated (“if you or a loved one…”)4. Going Publica. Because public opinion makes its way to policymakers, groups try to:i. Cultivate a good public image to build a reservoir of goodwill with the publicii. Use marketing strategies to influence public opinion of the group and its issuesiii. Advertise to motivate and inform the public about an issue17) What is a media event?Events purposely staged for the media that nonetheless look spontaneous. They can be staged by almost anybody; we like negative stories (ex. car chases, Tiger Woods scandal)18) What effect does television have on politics?Television brought government and politics into peoples’ homes. In the Kennedy v. Nixon debate, Kennedy showed visual power on the television and ended up winning th election19) What is a political party?A “team of men [and women] seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election”20) What stories do journalists cover?They cover stories that will entertain the viewer. It tends to be bias towards the stories that will keep the interest of the people so you’ll continue to watch and they can sell moreadvertisements.21) How do the media affect individual vote choice?The media affects individual vote by covering certain stories more than others. They’ll tell you what to “think about” when it comes to voting and tell you what is important by how much coverage it gets22) What are open and closed primaries?Open: voters decide on Election Day whether they want to vote in the Democrat or Republican primaryClosed: only people who have registered with the party in advance can vote for that party’s candidates; want to make sure you’re a registered party voter before you can vote- Generally favored by the party organizations themselves because they encourage voters to officially declare a partisan preference when they register to vote23) What is the policy agenda?The issues that attract
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