PLS
Terms
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- Liberals
- Are those who say that government should do more to solve the country's problems (help the poor) and that government ought not support traditional values at the expense of less conventional ones.
- Conservatives
- those who think government should be sparing in its programs and who feel government should use it's powers to uphold traditional valuses.
- Libertarians
- those who are reluctant to use government either as a means of economic redistrubution or as a means of favoring particular social values.
- Populist
- are those who would use government for both the purpose of econimc redistribution and the purpose of guarding traditional values.
- Puplic opinion
- what people/population think about societies public affairs. Crucial to the idea of Democracy. Respond by putting into act certain policies
- To what extent does public opinion determine government action?
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Mass of the public don't know or understand government policy action, therefor we really don't have an opinion.
1. Since public opinion is so general, govern officials have a lot of leanway to decide about many issues.
2. Since public opinion doesn't contain much, most decisions are based on LOBBIESTS! - Publice Socialization
- the process through which people acquire their political opinions beliefs and values (aquired through childhood)
- Agents of Socialization
- influences on their political socialization. Ex. family, media, political leaders, church
- Key factors that influence political opinions
- Gender, Education, Income, Religion, Race, Region
- What is the most common way people participate in politics?
- Voting
- Who was eligible to vote at the time the United States was founded?
- Property owning white males
- What groups continue to be ineligible, at least in some states, to vote?
- People under 18, people who are imrisoned, on probation, mentally ill (if need gaurdian), non citizens.
- Why is voter turnout so low in the United states?
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1. Americans don't see it as crtical to vote, that their vote doesn't matter. Electoral college can vote for whomever.
2. Only two parties
3. Registration set up, you have to sign up to vote, many other countries the government will sign you up.
4. polls are not open as long, and are held on work days. - From what source do most americans get their political news?
- Television and News
- What is the most influental news source?
- Newspaper
- Agenda-Setting
- idea in selecting to what issues are on the public and political agenda. What editors and pulishers believe are important. Chosing stories over others because they are not dramatic.
- Framing
- Giving a story a certain view, framming or setting up. Gives a particular spin to a story (interpreation)
- Proportional representation
- a form of representation in which seats n th elegislature are allocated proportionally according to each political party's share of the popular vote. This system allows smaller parties to compete sucessfully for seats
- Realignment
-
parties in which a major issues has occurred which splits our country because the parties take different sides of the issue. Examples:
1. civil war and slavery-republican
2. great depression-democrats - Interest group
- groups taht try to influence government polices through lobbying
- lobbying
- strategy that involves persuading public officials (canidates) on your point of view.
- inside lobying
- trying to influence policy makers through a direct personal contact and communication. contacts, and te get into somebody's office. Tend to be led by somebody in congress *if you can't get into teh office, you can't get your views across*
- Outside lobbying
- an interest group seeks to use pulic pressure (media) as a means of influencing officials. Conributions to political campiagn offers, nothing opens door better then donations, whi is the key aspects and making sure that people know they are conributing from their vote.
- Political Action Committes (PAC's)
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the organization through which an interest group raises and distributes funds for election purposes. by law, funds must be raised through voluntary contributions.
1. federal government raises money for campigns. - 527 commitees
- create advertisment of any political party (switch boat veterans)
- citizen gruops
- groups that interest the broad organizations of citizens. Face number of challenges in getting word out, dispearced group of people
- free-rider problem
- specific to very large groups of peope that may have same interest in a certain policy, have have trouble orgainzing that policy
- Social movement
- collective effort to achieve political goals through protest actions.
- Protest
- Public displays of dicontent that try to draw attention of the general public and media. Purposely distrubt normal acts of community
- Groups that use protest
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minority groups: don't have the political power to lobby or camppaign, very strong about their issues(s). Poor groups that are unemployed, don't have th eresources to get voice out, media will come, free publicity.
1. they believe there is a low of people out there, that believe in what they do. - Why is protest effective?
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1. controvery creates headlines
2. not contaminated by political canidates and everyday politics
3. purposely putting themselves in areas of harm, so people would feel sympaty of them for the violence, trigers violent reactions - Why does US government only have 2 political parties?
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it is hard to bring in another party because democrats and republicans are so developed it is hard to get your voice out.
- the rules by which we elect congress they create insentives that there only be two parties. - Single memeber district
- each electoral district within the state, only sends one member to congress. "winner takes all system"
- Disadvantages of 2-party system
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1. choices are limited, interest arn't always properlly represntation
2. parties have to represent everything and everybody
3. people don't get interested in the parties when there isn't a party that represents their view of the world. - Advantages of 2-party system
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1. tend to get moderate parties, radical parties takes more effort.
2. makes a lot easier on a voter because there are only 2 to pick from.
3. if you have more parties sharing congress means the parties will have less seats, and it will very hard for the president to govern. - Why weak parties
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1. establishment of primary elections, each party selects a candidate to represent them in the general election.
2. the candidate can do whatever he would like with congress because the people elected him, not the electorals, - Advantages of weak parties
- new ideas and new people to enter into the system because of primary elections
- disatvantages of weak parties
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because mebers od congress don't have to follow lead, it's really hard to get them tin issue a controversial issue.
2 - Karl Roves strategy, and who did he appeal too?
- ATACK, ATACK, ATACK! Nontraditional christians.
- what made a protest sucessful?
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1. Core values
2. Tactical skills
3. political support
4. timming - What was the major objective of the weathermen?
- Want to be part of a revolution to make the government realize what they were doing in viet nam, and to stop the war and violence with viet Nam.
- What tactics did the weathermen use?
- Marches, ralley's, going down street breaking windows, bombs... bombed the capital