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caucus (political)

answer

a normally closed meeting of a political or legislative group to select candidates, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters

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divided government

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the condition in American government wherein the presidency is controlled by one party while the opposing party controls one or both houses of Congress

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electoral realignment

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the point in history when a new party supplants the ruling party, becoming in turn the dominant political force.

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527 committees

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nonprofit independent groups that receive and disburse funds to influence the nomination, election, or defeat of candidates

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gender gap

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a distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in view between men and women

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machines

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strong party organizations in late-ninteenth- and early-twentieth-century American cities

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majority party

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the party that holds the majority of legislative seats in either the House of the Senate

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minority party

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the party that holds the minority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate

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multiple-member district

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an electorate that selects all candidates at large from the whole district

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national convention

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a national party political institution that nominates the party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates, establishes party rules, and writes and ratifies the party's platform

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nomination

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the process through which political parties select their candidates for election to public office

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party activists

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partisans who contribute time, energy, and effort to support their party and its candidates

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party organization

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the formal structure of a political party, including its leadership, election committees, active members, and paid staff

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patronage

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the resources available to higher officials, usually appointments to offices and to confer grants, licenses, or special favors to supporters

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platform

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a party document, written at a national convention, that contains party philosophy, principles, and positions on issues

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plurality system

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a type of electoral system in which, to win a seat in the parliament or other representative body, a candidate need only receive the most votes in the election, not necessarily a majority of the votes cast

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policy entrepreneur

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an individual who identifies a problem as a political issue and brings a policy proposal into the political agenda

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political parties

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organized groups that attempt to influence the government by electing their members to important government offices

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proportional representation

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a multiple-member district system that allows each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the total vote

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single-member district

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an electorate that is allowed to select only one representative from each district

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soft money

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money contributed directly to political parties for political activities that is not regulated by federal campaign spending laws

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third parties

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parties that organize to compete against the two major American political parties

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two-party system

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a political system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control

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A political party is different from an interest group in that a political party...

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seeks to control the entire government by electing its members to office and thereby controlling the government's personnel

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External mobilization occurs when...

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a group of politicians outside government organizes popular support to win governmental power

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Which party was founded as a political expression of the anti slavery movement?

answer

Republican

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The periodic episodes in American history in which an "old" dominant political party is replaced by a "new" dominant political party are called...

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electoral realignments

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Historically, when to realignments occur?

answer

when large numbers of voters permanently shift their support from one party to another

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A proportional-representation electoral system is...

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a multiple-member district system that gives each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the total vote

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On what level are U.S. political parties organized?

answer

National, State, and County

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Which of the following is not determined at a party's national convention?

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the congressional committees party representatives will be assigned to

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An independent, nonprofit group that receives and disburses funds to influence election campaigns is called...

answer

A 527 Committee

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Through which mechanism did party leaders in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries maintain their control?

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machine politics

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Which of the following best describes the changes in Americans' party identification since 1952?

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The number of Democrats has declined but remains larger than the number of Republicans

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Parties today are most important in the electoral process in...

answer

recruiting and nominating candidates for office

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Which of the following features of the committee system are determined by the whole membership of each house of Congress rather than by decisions withing each party?

answer

the rules defining the jurisdiction of each committee

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Which of the following statements best describes party-building activities from the 1960's to 2004?

answer

Republicans have paid more attention to party building than Democrats

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Which of the following was not seen as an important cause of dealignment?

answer

the greater reliance of political parties on soft money

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The Speaker of the House is actually selected by...

answer

the party that holds the majority of seats in the House.

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Partisan ties in the United States have __________ in recent years.

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declined

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What was George Washington's relationship with political parties in early America?

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He thought political parties were a terrible idea.

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Which famous American, in his farewell address, encouraged his fellow citizens to avoid partisan politics?

answer

George Washington

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Who was the founder of the Democratic Party?

answer

Andrew Jackson

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The original party system in the United States pitted the Federalists, supported by ______ against the Jeffersonian Republicans, supported by _______.

answer

merchants; agrarian interests

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One important cause of the United States' two-party system is...

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single-member electoral districts.

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Since the 1930s and the New Deal, African Americans have been overwhelmingly ____________ in their party identification; women are somewhat more likely to support ____________ candidates; and Jews are among the ____________ Party's most loyal constituent groups.

answer

Democratic, Democratic, Democratic

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Which of the following is not usually considered a function of political parties?

answer

Lobbying

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527 committees are...

answer

nonprofit independent groups that receive and disburse funds to influence elections.

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From the Civil War to the 1960s, the _________was a Democratic stronghold.

answer

South

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In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many cities and counties and even a few states have had such well-organized parties that they were called _________ and their leaders were called_________

answer

machines; bosses.

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Upper-class Americans are considerably more likely to affiliate with the ____________ Party; conservatives are more likely to identify with the ____________ Party; and citizens living in the northeast region are more likely to identify with the ____________ Party.

answer

Republican, Republican, Democratic

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Until recent years at least, ____________ have been the principal agents responsible for giving citizens the motivation and incentive to vote.

answer

the major parties

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A proportional-representation electoral system is...

answer

a multiple-member district system that gives each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the total vote.

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Which party has controlled the White House for most of the last thirty years?

answer

Republican

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What method of policy making has become popular as a means of direct democracy?

answer

Referendum

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Historically, the United States has always been a ____________-party system.

answer

two

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Which of the following is a task of the Democratic and Republican National Committees?

answer

Raising campaign funds

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African Americans...

answer

overwhelmingly vote Democratic.

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After thirty-six years of dominating U.S. political life, the Republican Party lost power after _________ began.

answer

the Great Depression

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Since the creation of our current "two-party" system, when was the last time a "third-party" candidate won the presidency of the United States?

answer

A third parties has never won the presidency since the inception of our current system.

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In general, Democrats support...

answer

social programs and regulation of businesses.

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In general, which party tends to favor lower taxes and few social programs?

answer

Republican

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According to the authors, which of the following depend on the existence of strong, competitive political parties?

answer

All of these require strong parties.

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The Republican Party was formed...

answer

as a coalition of antislavery forces.

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A psychological tie to a political party is the definition of...

answer

party identification.

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Which person came up with the "southern strategy" to get white southerners to start voting Republican?

answer

Richard Nixon

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Compared with political parties in Europe, parties in the United States have always seemed...

answer

weak.

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The authors of the textbook argue that one of the major factors responsible for the relatively low rates of voter turnout that characterize U.S. national elections is...

answer

the decline of political parties.

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Which of the following reasons best explains the short lives of third parties?

answer

Their causes are usually eliminated by the ability of the major parties to absorb their programs and to draw their supporters into the mainstream.

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The process by which a party selects a single candidate to run for an elective office is defined as a...

answer

nomination.

question

The ___________ is a party document, written at a national convention, that contains party philosophy, principles, and positions on issues.

answer

party platform

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Which of the following would be an example of political patronage?

answer

A party activist is given a federal job, a campaign donor receives preference in the granting of a federal contract, & a party boss is able to give a supporter preferential treatment as he or she seeks government benefits.

question

The first "party system" in the United Stated consisted of...

answer

Federalists and Jeffersonian Republicans.

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Which of the following differentiates an interest group from a political party?

answer

An interest group seeks to influence government on a narrow range of issues, whereas a party attempts to win elections.

Government Vocabulary Chapter 9 – Flashcards

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