question

nomination

answer

the official endorsement of a candidate for office by a political party; requires momentum, money, and media

question

campaign strategy

answer

master game plan candidates lay out to gruide their electoral campaign

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national party convention

answer

supreme power within each of the parties; meets ever 4 years to nominate the party's presidential and vice candidates and to write the party's platform

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McGovern-Fraser Commission

answer

a commission formed at the 1968 democratic convention in response to the demands for reform by minority groups and others who sought better representation; opened input to the public

question

super delegates

answer

national party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the national party convention

question

invisible primary

answer

period before any votes are cast when candidates compete to win early support from the elite and to create a positive first impression of their leadership skills

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caucus

answer

a system for selecting convention delegates used in about a dozen states in which voters must attend an open meeting to express their presidential preference; Iowa

question

presidential primaries

answer

elections in which a state's voters go to the polls to express their preference for a party's nominee for president

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frontloading

answer

recent tendency of sets to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention

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party platform

answer

a political party's statement of its goals and policies for the next 4 years

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campaign contribution

answer

donations that are made directly to a candidate/party and that must be reported to the FEC

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independent expenditures

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spending by political action committees, corporations, or labor unions that is done to help a party or candidate but is done independently of them

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Federal Election Campaign Act (1974)

answer

a law passed in 1974 for reforming campaign finances. The act created the Federal Election Commission (FEC), provided public financing for presidential primaries and general elections, limited presidential campaign spending, required disclosure, and attempted to limit contributions

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Federal Election Commission

answer

6 member bipartisan agency created by the FEC act; administers and enforces campaign finance laws

question

political action committee (PAC)

answer

groups that raise money from individuals and then distribute it in the form of contributions to candidates that the group supports; must register with the FEC and report their donations

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soft money

answer

campaign contributions unregulated by federal or state law, usually given to parties and party committees to help fund general party activities

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interest group

answer

organization fo people with shared policy goals entering the policy process at several points to try to achieve these goals

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pluralism

answer

theory emphasizing that many groups compete and counterbalance one another in the political marketplace

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elitism

answer

theory contending that an upper class elite will hold most of the power and thus in effect run the government

question

hyperpluralism

answer

theory contending that groups are so strong that gov, seeking to please them all, is thereby weakened

question

iron triangle

answer

an informal association of federal agency, congressional committee, and interest group that is said to have heavy influence over policy making.

question

potential group

answer

all the people who might be interest group members because they share some common interest

question

actual group

answer

the people in the potential group who actually join

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collective good

answer

something of value that cannot be withheld from a potential group member

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free-rider problem

answer

the problem of people not joining because they can benefit from the groups activities without joining

question

selective benefits

answer

goods that a group can restrict tot hose who actually join

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single-issue groups

answer

groups that have a narrow interest, tend to displace compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics

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lobbying

answer

a communication by someone other a citizen acting on his or her own behalf directed to a government decision maker with the hope of influencing his or her decision

question

electioneering

answer

direct group involvement in the election process by helping to fund campaigns, getting members to work for candidates, and forming PACs

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union shop

answer

a provision found in some collective bargaining agreements requiring all employees of a business to join the union within a short period and to remain members as a condition of employment

question

right-to-work laws

answer

a state law forbidding requirements that workers met join a union to hold their jobs

question

public interest lobbies

answer

organizations that seek a collective good, the achievement of which will not selectively and materially benefit the membership or activists of the organization

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the democratic and republican candidates for president are formally nominated by the

answer

national party convention

question

what is the most common reason given for not voting by US citizens who are registered to vote?

answer

it's hard to take off work or school

question

what is the phenomenon that people's beliefs often guide what they pay attention to and how they interpret events?

answer

selective perception

question

which states tend to have a higher voter turnout?

answer

states with election day voter registration

question

the founders created the electoral college because they wanted the president to be selected by

answer

elites

question

why are people with a higher than average education more likely to vote?

answer

education helps would be voters navigate the voter registration process

question

who raises money from individuals and then distribute it in the form of contributions to political candidates?

answer

PACs

question

what is an assumption of pluralism?

answer

interest groups are integral to government decisions

question

what is the main objective of most labor unions?

answer

to protect jobs and secure favorable wages and benefits for their members

question

interest groups are important subjects of study in American politics because

answer

they provide a venue for citizens to participate in government

question

how might pluralism serve to enhance democracy?

answer

by ensuring that no single interest group becomes dominant

question

what is the main type of organization that lobbies of behalf on workers?

answer

labor union

question

why do presidential candidates tend to focus their efforts on battleground states?

answer

the winner take all system makes battleground states more relevant to a campaign

question

who is most likely to participate in a presidential caucus?

answer

party activist

question

who is a floating voter?

answer

is not loyal to a specific political party

question

how many states employ a winner take all system in which all their electors are awarded to the presidential candidate who wins the most votes statewide?

answer

48 (not Maine & Nebraska)

question

How many interest groups are there in the US?

answer

25,000

question

which theory of interest group politics views interest groups positively?

answer

pluralism

question

why does money not always lead to lobbying success?

answer

other side can also make contributions

question

which demographic is more likely to vote?

answer

older married people with college degree

AP Gov: Ch 9-10 – Flashcards

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