AP Gov Test 2 – Flashcards

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Amendment ratified in 1967, VP will become president in case of presidential disability with the assent of the principal officers of congress and the majority of the cabinet (18)
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25th Amendment
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what/how the public thinks about given issues, difficult to determine, federal government doesn't always listen. framers did not intend gov't to be fully responsive to this.
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public opinion
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process by which background traits influence one's political views - family, religion, gender, schooling, and information
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political socialization
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right to vote shall not be abridged on account of race
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15th amendment
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a constitutional amendment giving full rights of citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States, except for American Indians --> due process and equal protection under the law, meaning that civil liberties that had existed on the federal level had to be protected on the state level as well
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14th amendment
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abolishes slavery - servitude not allowed unless to punish crime, but doesn't extend citizenship to slaves, nor does it enfranchise them (right to vote)
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13th amendment
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this is guaranteed by article 1, section two - citizens have right to do this for the house of representatives. this is barred from individuals under 18 and convicted felons
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right to vote
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created by state legislatures, proctored by the states, tests designed to bar african-americans or minorities from being able to vote through an arbitrary system. these were made illegal by the voting right act of 1965
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literacy tests
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provision that said that if your father or grandfather or ancestors had voted before 1867, you would inherit the right to vote. this allowed white voters to be exempted from literacy tests. this was declared unconstitutional in 1915
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grandfather clause
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citizens paid a tax to register to vote, barring most former slaves from voting because of their impoverished state. these were abolished by the 24th amendment.
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poll tax
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kept blacks from voting through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation
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white primary
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enfranchises women, who had previously been kept from voting because a) people assumed families would vote the same way and b) sexism. this came about because of the huge role women played in wwii
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19th amendment
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gave 18+ the right to vote - people had objected to people being drafted before they could vote.
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26th amendment
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people could register to vote at the DMV
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motor voter law
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people who are registered to vote - don't have to register unless you move.
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registered voters
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1913, direct election of the populace. ended the role state legislatures had in choosing senators, since reformers felt the senate was too much of a millionaire's club, and wasn't held accountable to the people.
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17th amendment
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1960, about gerrymandering contained in alabama's 1957 local act 140. changes precedent set in colgrove. racial gerrymandering is unconstitutional
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golmillion v. lightfoot
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restructuring of the district boundaries of a town or municipality for political gain
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gerrymandering
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1962 in tennessee, federal government has the ability to intervene in a state's redistricting to ensure fairness because redistricting is not just a political question
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baker v. carr
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1964 in georgia, about voting rights -districts should be around the same population
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wesberry v. sanders
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1946, legislatures, not courts, have the final authority to draw electoral districts. overturned in golmillion
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colgrove v. green
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people who rarely vote and are not part of political organizations. these people make up 20-25% of the electorate
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inactives
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people who vote but don't do mutch else
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specialists
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individuals who are very educated and wealthy, are typically white and middle aged, and participate in all forms of government.
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complete activist
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individuals who are active on campaigns and vote
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campaigners
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individuals who are bipartisans, and participate in community affairs
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communalists
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people who are uninvolved in campaigns and voting but call local officials with issues that are often personal.
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parochial
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madison - factions are unavoidable due to divisions inherent in human nature. thus, government must be designed in such a way that the excesses of faction will be checked. the gov't of the us is best suited to do so because of the system of checks and balances and because of the large geography of the country.
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Federalist 10
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interest groups are controlled by a variety of constitutional provisions, including the separation of powers and checks and balances. moreover, groups are checked because of their inability to claim the total loyalty of their members. government cannot function without parties because without, it's extremely difficult to represent everyone.
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Party Government - E. E. Schattschneider
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british author, democratic government suports discussion that begins with political parties, proceeds to the electorate, and moves to the legislature and executive. political parties facilitate rational electoral choice and bridge the gap between people and government. plurality necessary for discussion, 2 party system limits discussion
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The Party Model of Government - Sir Ernest Barker
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from wattenberg - mobilize majorities, foster stability in government, attract political interest, override dangers of sectionalism, legitimize decisions of government, accrue political leadership, institutionalize, socialize, and channel conflict, provide symbols for ID/loyalty, play to need of human being part of a group, implement policy objectives, organize dissent, articulate political perspectives, maintain a popular majority
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functions/uses of political parties
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pattern of partisan attachments persist, majority of elections fall in this category. --> political continuity bc of the lack of serious upheavals and continuation of the major political party. these elections do not represent major changes in parties or the electorate - 1972, 1988
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maintaining election
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permanent realignments of the electorate representing basic changes in political attitudes. these can be predicted in state/midterm elections. ex: 1928 -> 1932 election, 1980
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critical elections
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temporary shifts within the electorate due to personality or other characteristics of a candidate. ex: eisenhower 1952 1956, 1992
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deviating elections
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return to normal voting patterns as a result of the demise of the temporary forces that caused the deviating election. ex: 1960 jfk
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reinstating elections
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held at the end of the summer for each major party, meeting of party delegates held every four years
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party convention
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member of a party who is sent to the convention, typically party pures/activists, selection processes differ by states
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party delegates
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democratic primaries, elected officials made delegates - 14% of delegates, so that there's more influence and control for elected officials/interests of party elites are represented
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superdelegates
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money raised by a party; Political Contributions earmarked for party-building expenses at the grass-roots level or for generic party advertising. Unlike money that goes to the campaign of a particular candidate, such party donations are not subject to contribution limits. For a time, such contributions were unlimited, until they were banned by the McCain-Feingold Act.
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soft money
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Political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed.
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hard money
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committees to raise money for congressional or senatorial committees
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congressional/senatorial campaign committees
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NON-CONSTITUTIONAL version, essentially preemptive strike, popularized by Bush in Iraq
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preemption doctrine
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The concept that federal law takes precedent over state or local law. The issue is decided by evaluating whether the federal government has 'occupied the field' of regulation; happening to go further than the fed does not mean state action is constitutional
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preemption doctrine
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idea that the democrats have more diverse delegates - more heterogenous, as opposed to the Republicans, because of differences in methods of selecting differences (favor minorities, diversity)
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american mosaic
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feeling of belonging to a group. ex: league of women voters
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solidary incentives
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patronage, more prevalent w/ political machines, 'perks - for immigrants, jobs, $, social welfare
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tangible incentives
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prompts to join because of principle above all else
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ideological incentives
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organization's ideals join with a political party, party supports the interest of your group. ex: UAW in detroit
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sponsorial incentive
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prompted to join because of your/a candidate's characteristics
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personal incentives
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1950, Report of the Committee on Political Parties - essay is pro political parties, believe they're necessary for the efficacy of government. argues a 2 party system should aggregate disparate political interests and present programmatic choices to the electorate (a platform). failure to do so creates a danger of overextending the presidency, making the president the sole voice of the party.
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Toward a More Responsible Two Party System
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method of electing the President, makes it difficult for third parties to catch hold (are often incorporated into the two major parties), states decided on a plurality/winner-take-all system (some proportional states)
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electoral college
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voters who are very involved and more vocal, typically party delegates/people who vote in primaries, making the incumbent move further right/left to win the nomination again
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activists
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voters who ID with party but are not as extreme as activists. represent the bulk of the party and tend to vote in the general election, bringing the race's platforms/view/ideas closer to the center
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rank and file
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principled, issues-oriented delegates who are often young activists
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new delegates
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first phase of an election, candidates run against others in their party to receive the party's nomination. because mostly more extreme voters turn out for this, the candidate must appeal to these voters to win nomination, potentially causing problems in the next phase.
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primary
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second phase of an election, the candidates of the two parties run against one another in an election that the electorate votes on. activists, rank-and-file, and independents turn out for this, meaning that positions candidates take in this phase of the race are more centrist than positions taken in primaries
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general election
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issues on which the public is ivided and candidates have opposing views on the issue itself. ex - abortion
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position issue
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issues on which there is a common view about whether action on a topic is good or bad - differences come in methods for solving/handling the issue or how strongly a party stands on an issue. ex - economy, law and order
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valence
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advantages of this include - ease of reelection, name recognition, experience, networks and relationships, record, committed, electorate, services to constituents, and MONEY. a pres has command of the media, a representative has the sophomore surge
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power of incumbency
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different population sizes in a district, imbalance in apportionment
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malapportionment
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1964, alabama, establishes principle of one man, one vote - districts that are unrepublican and therefore violate the 14th amendment must be reapportioned
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reynolds v. sims
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1993 case in NC with majority-minority districts, court ruled it was an example of racial gerrymandering and thus these districts were unconstitutional. the case was a problem of reverse discrimination.
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shaw v. reno
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one of Hannah Pitkin's concepts of representation - vote for someone based on descripors like race, ethnicity, religion
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descriptive representation
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vote for someone based on the issues and the positions candidates take, one of Pitkin's concepts of representation
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substantive representation
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political theorist who came up with two types of representation, decriptive and substantive representation
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hannah pitkin
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british diplomat opposed to republican system, member of parliament in late 1700s/early 1800s. broke representation down into 2 categories, a delegate and a trustee
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endumnd burke
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Burke's first category of representation, vote someone in who will represent as closely as possible the views of those in the district
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delegate
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Burke's second category of representation, grant someone the ability to choose on issues and entrust them with decision-making process. burke favored this because he believed it would provide an elite, stable view because it would check mob rule.
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trustee
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for campaigns, comes from government, funded through taxpayers.
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public money
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money from individuals, non governmental sources including pacs, organizations, corporations, and unions
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private money
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expenditures by PAC, coporation, or a super PAc in their own interest. they advocate for what they want, so these are issue-oriented rather than candidate oriented (supposedly)
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independent expenditures
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money that a campaign spends for a candidate
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expenditure
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money that an individual/pac gives to a candidate's campaign
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contribution
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nixon scandal involving CREEP, led to discoveries of campaign finance violations (1925 law which was unenforced bc lack of FEC), leads to 1973-1974 law
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watergate
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in response to Nixon, creates more campaign finance rules and creates the FEC (Federal Election Commission) to regulate and enforce campaign finance & laws
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1974 Campaign Finance Law
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A six-member bipartisan agency which enforces campaign finance laws.
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FEC
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1976, challenge to the 1974 campaign finance law under first amendment rights. written as a PER CURIAM case (no spec author/majority/dissent). Decision: expenditures can't be limited, but contributions can
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Buckley v. Valeo
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AKA Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002 (has been changed bc of Cit Utd) - banned soft money, limits individual contributions, puts 60 day before limit on independent expenditures (doesn't limit amt spent, just time frame), & regulates PAC contributions
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McCain-Feingold Act
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202, challenges McCain Feingold under free speech, especially limitations on independent expenditures. mccain feingold is largely upheld.
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McConnell v. FEC
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2010 decision, declared McCain-Feingold's ban on independent expenditures unconstitutional because a corporation's corporate identity was not enough grounds for the court to limit its right to free speech.
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Citizens United v. FEC
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V. O. Key, Jr's essay that expresses confidence in the voters, argues that they actually act as rationally and repsonsibly as we should expect given what they're fed - images candidates, campaigns project
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The Responsible Electorate
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Daniel Ortiz - campaign finance reform, in attempting to ensure equal speech/democracy, violates democracy because a) says voters are civically incompetent and b) dictates terms of electoral participation. Personally, I have a problem with this essay because despite what Key argues, we know that voters aren't actually that competent and vote off of what they're provided (see The Responsible Electorate)
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The Democratic Paradox of Campaign Finance Reform
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#1 activity of lobbyists - speak directly to legislators, influential congressman
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Testifying at Hearings
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Matt Bai's essay arguing that the problem with lobbying/washington is the politicians, not the lobbyists, because politicians are so determined to keep their seat and see $ as the way to do that.
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Laws for Sale
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actions of a lobby in court, use this method against a particular law they dislike
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litigation
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lobby giving $ to campaigns, seeking to gain political favor
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campaign contributions
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AKA mass mobilization, works with individuals in the lobby to rally support - sending letters, etc.
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grassroots lobbying
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cleavages in society, increasing weakness of political parties, expansion of gov't since 1960s, us v. harris upheld constitutionality of lobbying, 501c3 and 501c4, leaders with money and ideological drive (Nader)
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causes of the proliferation of special interest groups
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special kind of interest group that advances its cause by bringing law suits to challenge existing practices or purposed regulations, typically liberal. ex: ACLU, NAACP Legal Defense Fund
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public interest law firm
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1954 case that upheld the constitutionality of lobbying
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US v. Harris
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public interest groups that do research and disseminate findings. ex - Brookings, Hoover, AEI
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think tanks
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Jeffery M. Berry - if gov't doesn't allow people to pursue their self-interest, it takes away their political freedom. task of free society to structure government in a way that will filter special intersts and advance the national interest. Leap of faith - that interests would cancel each other out. madison's ideal was pluralism. Berrycites Dahl - factions in New Haven unregulated, but pluralism meant one couldn't control the system
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Madison's Dilemma
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David B. Truman - watering down interest groups oppresses concurrent majorities, most important interests = interests of those affected. See Calhoun - system in which major interest groups can dominate policy process more in accord with constitutional democracy than Constitution, Fed 10's system
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The Governmental Process
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should take into account the big, most affected interest groups rather than the whole nation. comes from compact theory, Calhoun
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Concurrent Majority
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Pendleton Herring - interest groups work with congress to promote policy change. however, if the gov is over responsive then this may lead to inefficiency.
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The Role of Interest Groups in Government
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prominent Republican who used fax machines to oppose President Clinton's healthcare proposal
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William Kristol
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raise $ through mail - teasers, personal, importance of document
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direct-mail solicitation
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private grants from foundations that approve of an interest group's cause or purpose
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foundation grants
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contracts or grants given by government to projects undertaken by groups that are typically private or religious
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federal grants
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move to cut money from nonprofits (fed grants) that conservatives called liberal. part of devolution.
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"Defund the Left"
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government workers make behind the scene deal with private lobbies to get jobs and in return favor the private group. this is restricted - must wait 2 years. ex: Jody Powell
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revolving door
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1931, dealt with the issue of prior restraint - removed right of government to restrict what's published (imposition of prior restraint)
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Near v. Minnesota
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this reason to limit the media's free speech rights can only be proven if malicious intent in publishing can be found.
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libel
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1964 - montgomery, Al - reports of police brutality related to Alabama State College and student demonstrations w/ Civil Rights movement --> demonstrators publish an ad in the NYT relaying the events of demonstrations (exag) w/ vague pronouns. Sullivan (police commissioner) says he's being defamed and sues under libel & trial judge + alabama supreme court both rule in his favor, accepting the argument that "they" implied sullivan. however, the court reverses and remands (sends back to lower court), ruling that a) there was no explicit malice (aforethought) and b) essentially, public figures can be criticized because if you call some speech libel it deters constructive speech - assume some degree of abuse (madison), voices of many are essential (learned hand). written by brennan on the warren court. IMPORTANT BC ESTABLISHES MALICE STANDARD.
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new york times v. sullivan
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role of national media to control what information people know and facilitate discussion
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gatekeeper
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role of national media to keep track of political reputations
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scorekeeper
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role of national media to keep watch on political figures/national figures, affairs. ex - muckrakers
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watchdog
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info leaked to the media to see how people will react. ex: leak of a condi pick for the romney campaign
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trial baloon
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Hedrick Smith's 1988 book about government in washington - highlights change in power politics ain washington and the enormous role of lobbyists, staff, and the reporters
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power game
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23rd President of the United States (1833-1901), presidents from him to reagan (power game) had attended the press dinner at the gridiron club
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benjamin harrison
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body that governs the TV/Radio
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FCC
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rule governing advertisement - if you provide one candidate time, you must provide the other candidate the same opportunity/rates
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equal time rule
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rule - report on one side, must provide opposing viewpoint. FCC no longer uses an instead relies on competition of news to provide for dissemination of multiple viewpoints. this has led to the rise of controversial talkshows (shoutout to rush)
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fairness doctrine
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a survey of public opinion
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poll
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method of selecting from a population in which each person has an equal probability of being selected
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random sample
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the difference between the results of random samples taken at the same time
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sampling error
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polls based on interviews conducted on election day with randomly selected voters
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exit polls
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some people care more about certain issues than other people do
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opinion saliency
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on some issues or choices, opinions are pretty steady, while on others, they are volatile
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opinion stability
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one some issues gov in sync with popular views, while on others, out of sync
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opinion-policy congruence
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difference in political views between men and women
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gender gap
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a more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue
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political ideology
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a standard of right or proper conduct
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norm
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citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the minimum age requirement
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voting-age population
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people who are registered to vote
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registered voters
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gov printed ballot of uniform dimensions to be cast in private adopted around 1890 to reduce problems with voting fraud and public voting
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australian ballot
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voting for candidates of different parties for various offices in the same election
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split ticket
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voting for candidates who are all of the same party
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straight ticket
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ballot listing candidates of a given office under the name of that office, AKA a massachusetts ballot
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office-bloc ballot
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ballot listing all candidates of a given party together under the name of that party, aka an indiana ballot
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party-column ballot
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delgates who run party affairs between national conventions
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national committee
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day-to-day party manager elected by the national committee
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national chairman
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party that values principled stands on issues above all else
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ideological party
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a local or state political party that is largely supported by another organization in the community
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sponsored party
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political support provided to a candidate on the basis of personal popularity and networks
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personal following
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electoral systm in which the winer is the person who gets the most votes, even if he or she doesn't receive a majority
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plurality system
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meeting of party members to select delgates backing one or another primary candidate
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caucus
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alleged tendency of candidates to win more votes in an election because of the presence at the top of the ticket of a better-known candidate, such as the president
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coattails
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committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations
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political action committee (PAC)
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voting for a candidate because you favor his or her ideas for handling issues
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prospective voting
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voting for a candidate because you like his or her past actions in office
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retrospective voting
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nonprofit that may legally address political matters but may not lobby or campaign, donations to these are tax deductible
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501c3
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nonprofit that is permitted to lobby and campaign, donations to it are not tax deductible
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501c4
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an organization of people sharing a common itnerest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy
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interest group
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a widely shared demand for change in some aspect of the political order
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social movement
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signal telling a legislator what values are at stake in a vote, and how that issue fits into his or her own political views on party agenda
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political cue
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assessments of a representagtives voting record on issues important to an interest group - ex: dirty dozen (ish), AFL-CIO
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ratings
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words that imply a value judgement, used to persuade a reader without having made a serious argument
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loaded language
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media stories about events that are regularly covered by reporters
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routine stories
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media stories about event that, though public, are not regularly covered by reporters
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feature stories
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media stories about events that are not usually made public
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insider stories
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paying attention only to the news stories with which one already agrees
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selective attention
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tendency of the national media to be suspicious of officials and eager to reveal unflattering stories about them
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adversarial press
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