question

Ch. 12 Senator Harry Reid was a vulnerable candidate in the 2010 midterm elections because

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he helped Obama push through the stimulus and health care bills, both of which were unpopular in his home state.

question

Parties help to overcome the problem of _______ created by the Constitution.

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fragmented government

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All of the following statements concerning party identification in the electorate are true EXCEPT

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[ A.] Most people who are registered members of a party work actively for their party organization. B. Most voters who identify with a party identify with the same party as their parents. C. The percentage of the electorate identifying themselves as independents grew substantially in the 1970s and 1980s. D. Most people who identify with a party regularly vote for that party in elections. E. The percentage of voters identifying with the Democratic Party has dropped significantly from its high in the 1950s.

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The party _______ are the members of a political party who consistently vote for that party's candidates.

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base

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Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the responsible party model?

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A. Each party should present a coherent set of programs to the voters, consistent with its ideology and clearly different from those of the other party. B. The candidates for each party should pledge to support their party's platform and to implement their party's program if elected. C. Voters should make their choices based on which party's program most closely reflects their own ideas and hold the parties responsible for unkept promises by voting their members out of office. D. While governing, each party should exercise control over its elected officials to ensure that party officials are promoting and voting for its programs, thereby providing accountability to the voters. [ E.] Each party should make sure it has a candidate for each electoral district, even if the candidate is not a true representative of the party's ideals.

question

Since the 1960s,

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Republicans and Democrats have become more consistent with respect to their ideologies.

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The Democratic Party has become more liberal and the Republican Party more conservative because of the

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movement of conservative, southern Democrats to the Republican Party.

question

Parties appeal to moderate voters by all of the following EXCEPT

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[ A.] publically denouncing the more extreme wing of their own party. B. not publically endorsing positions they may like but know that moderates reject. C. emphasizing issues they know are popular with moderates. D. reframing issues in ways that are more palatable to voters. E. changing positions that have been rejected by moderates.

question

The party that usually gets the most votes is the party that

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best appeals to moderate voters.

question

The rank-and-file members who carry out the party's electioneering efforts are the

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party activists.

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The major source of money for party fundraisers comes from

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individual donors and political action committees.

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The statement that third parties are irrelevant in modern-day politics is

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less accurate than in the past due to the Tea Party victories of the 2010 midterm elections.

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Primary voters, party activists, and big-money donors

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tend to be more ideological and issue oriented than the voters in the general election.

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According to James Madison, political parties were

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a dangerous version of factions.

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All of the following statements concerning "party machines" are true EXCEPT

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A. Their goal was to take advantage of the expansion of voting right to all white men in the early nineteenth century. B. Their activities had the consequence of integrating masses of new immigrants into the political process. C. They were characterized by central control by a party leader or "boss." [ D.] They dominated party primary elections. E. They were exceptionally strong in urban areas.

question

The system in which successful party candidates reward supporters with jobs or favors is called

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patronage.

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In a(n) _______, registered party members rather than party bosses nominate party candidates.

answer

party primary

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The current party era is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT

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A. the massive migration of white southerners to the Republican Party. [ B.] a weakening in party identification among voters. C. a shift among African Americans from limited support of the Democratic Party to overwhelming support of that party. D. the emergence of third parties, such as the Tea Party movement and FreedomWorks. E. the emergence of the South as the most reliably Republican region of the country.

question

An election signaling the significant change in popular allegiance from one party to another is a ________ election.

answer

critical

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Realignment refers to a

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substantial and long-term shift in party allegiance by individuals and groups, usually resulting in a change in policy direction.

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In America's First Party Era,

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parties were primarily an elite phenomenon.

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The advent of mass communication has changed the role of the party organization in the general election from _____ to _____.

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organizing and mobilizing voters; providing services to candidates

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Southern Democrats, Catholic immigrants, blue-collar workers, and farmers made up

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the New Deal coalition.

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Electioneering refers to

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the process of getting a person elected to public office.

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The two main advantages of incumbents in elections are that they have name recognition and

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have previously assembled a winning coalition in their district.

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Ch. 13 Liberals who criticized President Obama's strategy for getting the health care bill passed say he _______ when he dealt with interest groups from the health insurance industry.

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"gave away the store" by not insisting on inclusion of the public option

question

At the time the health care bill was being debated in Congress, the insurance industry was in a tough position because

answer

if it stayed outside of the political process but was unable to stop health care reform, it risked being stuck with a policy it hated.

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Americans

answer

are much more likely to belong to interest groups than are citizens of other nations.

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Interest groups perform all of the following roles in politics EXCEPT

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A. representing their members' views to government. [ B.] electing members to public office. C. providing an avenue for citizen participation in politics. D. educating policymakers regarding issues important to the interest group. E. alerting the proper government authorities about the group's issue to get the issue on the political agenda.

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Interest groups are formed with the common goal of

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altering public policy.

question

Political action committees, or PACs, are

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the fundraising arm for interest groups.

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Political action committees were created as a result of

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interest group restrictions in the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974.

question

The likelihood that people with a shared interest will form a group is increased when each of the following occurs EXCEPT

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A. they perceive a threat to their shared interest. B. they have the resources to organize and become active. C. an interest group entrepreneur decides to organize or lead the group. D. they can provide the selective incentives to overcome any potential free rider problem. [ E.] the potential members are unemployed and have a great deal of time to engage in politics.

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Expressive benefits are:

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selective incentives that derive from the opportunity to express values and beliefs and to be committed to a greater cause.

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A common feature of all interest groups is that they

answer

are organized around shared interests among members.

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An interest group ______ is an effective leader who is likely to have organized an interest group and can effectively promote its interests.

answer

entrepreneur

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Many interest groups face the _______ when recruiting members who can gain the benefits of their activities whether or not they join.

answer

free rider problem

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Interest groups often provide selective incentives, which are

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benefits available only to group members.

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Selective incentives are necessary for some interest groups because

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collective benefits cannot be kept from those who do not join the group and the group needs paying members to join.

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The _______ is a business association that represents three million businesses that range from small mom-and-pop stores to large employers.

answer

Chamber of Commerce

question

Economic interest groups include all of the following EXCEPT

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[ A.] consumer groups. B. unions. C. professional associations. D. corporations. E. agricultural interest groups.

question

The ______ is the interest group that argued a number of key civil rights cases in court, including Brown v. Board of Education.

answer

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

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AARP is very large because

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AARP provides a wide variety of selective benefits for a small cost.

question

The Eagle Forum is an interest group that

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advocates a more traditional role for women in society.

question

______ are interest groups that try to influence government to produce collective goods or services that benefit the general public.

answer

Public interest groups

question

The text indicates that_____ are the type of interest group that is least likely to meet Madison's definition of "factions."

answer

public interest groups

question

Second Amendment groups lobby for or against

answer

gun control.

question

The "revolving door" exists because

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some of the most effective lobbyists are former government officials.

question

________ is a nonpartisan defender of individual rights against the encroachment of a powerful government.

answer

The American Civil Liberties Union

question

All of the following statements concerning direct lobbying are true EXCEPT

answer

A. Interest groups lobby Congress, in part, by providing testimony and expertise. [ B.] It is hard for interest groups to lobby the bureaucracy. C. The White House has a special office to foster good relations between the president and interest groups. D. Interest groups attempt to bolster their lobbying efforts by forming coalitions with other interest groups. E. Congress has attempted to regulate relationships between lobbyists and lawmakers many times.

question

Ch. 14 Elections perform all of the following functions EXCEPT

answer

A. selecting leaders. [ B.] decreasing political efficacy. C. informing the public. D. containing conflict. E. making political outcomes acceptable to the participants.

question

Citizens' feelings of effectiveness in political affairs is called

answer

political efficacy.

question

In recent presidential elections, voter turnout has been

answer

rising.

question

The primary impact of state voter registration laws has been to

answer

decrease turnout.

question

What method has increased voter registration?

answer

Motor Voter bills

question

Those who are LESS likely to vote tend to be

answer

poor rather than wealthy.

question

A party's effort to inform potential voters and persuade them to vote for that party is known as

answer

voter mobilization.

question

The single biggest factor accounting for how people decide to vote is

answer

party identification.

question

_______ voting occurs when people base their voting decisions on well-informed opinions and consideration of the future consequences of their votes.

answer

Prospective

question

_______ voting occurs when people use their judgment of the current political situation along with the past performance of the incumbents.

answer

Retrospective

question

Major-party presidential nominations are now determined primarily by

answer

convention delegates selected in party primaries, caucuses, and state conventions.

question

A party caucus is a meeting of

answer

local party members who choose delegates for the national convention.

question

Front-loading is the process of

answer

scheduling presidential primaries earlier in the primary season.

question

Politicians who are thinking about running for the presidency begin their run by

answer

testing the waters unofficially.

question

_______ determine(s) how delegates are distributed by the primaries.

answer

Party rules

question

Delegates to the national conventions are chosen

answer

in primary elections and caucuses.

question

Typically the three important tasks of the presidential convention are to pick the presidential candidate,

answer

select the vice presidential candidate, and write the party's platform.

question

Which of the following statements is NOT true about the choice of a vice presidential candidate?

answer

A. The choice has not seemed historically to have had significant electoral consequences. B. Presidential candidates weigh the choice carefully. C. The caliber of the decision about whom to choose as a vice presidential candidate can be viewed as an indication of the other appointments a presidential candidate might make. D. The choice of the vice presidential nominee is up to the presidential nominee. [ E.] Traditionally the vice presidential candidate is from the same region and wing of the party as the presidential candidate.

question

The term "convention bump" refers to

answer

the opinion poll spike that most candidates enjoy immediately after the convention.

question

When analyzing campaign advertisements, one should ask all of the following questions EXCEPT

answer

A. Who is running the ad? B. Are the accusations relevant to the campaign or office in question? C. Is the accusation or attack timely? D. Is the ad true? [ E.] How much did the ad cost?

question

The Constitution dictates that each state has

answer

one elector for each senator and representative.

question

Faithless electors, as defined by the text, are electors who

answer

vote their conscience rather than for the candidate they were pledged to support in the Electoral College.

question

All of the following statements concerning the Electoral College are true EXCEPT

answer

[ A.] The rules of the Electoral College give all the states importance in presidential elections. B. Critics argue that the Electoral College is undemocratic. C. Critics argue that a close election could be decided by a few faithless electors. D. It distorts candidates' campaign strategies. E. All the proposed alternatives have problems or at least serious criticisms.

question

According to the textbook, for candidates the goal of presidential campaigns is to

answer

mobilize their base and entice swing voters to vote for them.

question

Swing voters are

answer

people who have not made up their minds at the start of the campaign.

PoliSci Chapters 12, 13, 14 – Flashcards

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