Dr. Dillard TAMUCC Exam #2 Key Terms – Flashcards
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describing views of a large group of people on a given issue
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public opinion
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writing letters, making calls, protests, voting, meetings, etc.
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types of participation
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the division of voters into voting blocs, separating the voters into advocates and adversaries on a certain issue
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social cleavage
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a political system characterized by 2 dominant parties competing for political offices, giving minor/ 3rd parties little chance of winning
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two party system
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when no 1 party can be said to dominate
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dealignment
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when popular support switches from one party to another
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realignment
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complete Democratic dominance in TX *this is important
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*1873-1961
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1978 *this is important; (Republican Bill Clements was narrowly elected over Democrat John Luke Hill, winning 50% of the vote to Hill's 49%. In doing so, Clements became the first Republican to be elected governor since Reconstruction)
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*year that Clements was elected governor of TX
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Republican party *this is important
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*dominant party of TX today
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organizations of individuals sharing common goals that try to influence governmental decisions
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interest groups
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the practice of attempting to influence the legislation
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lobbying
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the proportion of people who cast ballots in elections
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voter turnout
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elections that determine a party's nominees for offices in general elections against other parties' nominees
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primary election
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the decisive elections in which all registered voters cast ballots for their preferred candidates for political office
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general election
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election races open to all registered voters regardless of party affiliation; allows for strategic crossovers
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open primary
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nominating elections which only people that belong to a party may participate in
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closed primary
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An election held if no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the primary election; the top two finishers face off again in a runoff; the election of 2000
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runoff primary
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the drawing of new boundaries for congressional and state legislative districts usually following a decennial census
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redistricting
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practice that attempts to establish a political advantage for a party; manipulation district boundaries to create partisan advantage districts; racial gerrymandering
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Gerrymandering
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prohibits discrimination in voting; aimed to overcome barriers preventing African Americans from voting; signed by LBJ
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Voting Rights Act of 1965
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individuals who are not consistently loyal to any one party; their allegiance is constantly fought for in each election
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swing voters
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organizations that nominate and support candidates for elected office
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political parties
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groups that struggle to control the message within a party; for example, a party may split into competing regional factions
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factions
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the ability of elected officials or party leaders to hand out jobs to their friends and supporters rather than hiring people based on merit; Andrew Jackson did this
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patronage
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casting all your votes for candidates of one party; voting according to label
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straight ticket voting
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politics in which candidates promote themselves and their own campaigns rather than relying on party organizations; voting for people rather than party
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candidate centered politics
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when a voter consistently identifies strongly with one of the parties and can be considered ex) a Democrat or Republican
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voter identification
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the process of getting a person elected to public office
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electioneering
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formal party gathering to choose candidates
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nominating conventions
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members of Congress and the president are influenced by political affiliation
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controlling government
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the ideological "base" of a political party; usually more extreme than the average voter
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party activist
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the theory that political parties offer clear policy choices to vote, try to deliver on those policies when they take office, and are held accountable by voters for the success or failure to those parties
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responsible party model
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a strategy used in political campaigns and which candidate to talk opponent's issue positions or character
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negative campaigning
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organizations that raise and give money to political candidates; goes towards things such as advertising
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political action committee (PAC)
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money spent by political parties on behalf of political candidates, especially for purposes of increasing voter registration and turnout
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soft money
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money individuals and organizations spend to promote a candidate without working or communicating directly with the candidate's campaigns
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independent expenditures
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the efforts of the government to control the flow of money in the economy
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monetary policy
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how the government attempts to control economic activity through the power to impose taxes
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fiscal policy
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demands for goods and services drives the economy; during recessions gov. should INCREASE spending and during prosperous periods it can increase taxes to reduce inflation; demand drives the economy *this is important
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*Keynesian economics
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tax cuts and natural market; no more gov. intervention; began with Reagan; allow the free market to operate with minimal gov. interference; trickle down economics *this is important
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*supply side economics
