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63 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Political Party |
An ongoing coalition of interests joined together in an effort to get its candidates elected for office under a common label. |
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Candidate-Centered Politics |
focus on the candidates, their particular issues, and character rather than party affiliation |
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Party realignment |
dramatic shifts in partisan preference that drastically alter the political landscape |
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Secular realignment |
gradual shift of party coalitions, based more on demographic shifts than on shocks to the political system |
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Critical election |
polarize voters around new issues and personalities in reaction to crucial developments such as war |
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National Party Convention |
Each party holds it to nominate its presidential and vice presidential candidates |
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National party platform |
Most visible instrument that parties use to formulate, convey, and promote public policy |
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Party identification |
a citizen's affinity for a political party, usually expressed by a tendency to vote for the candidates of that party |
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First the post system (winner take all system) |
Winner takes all of the delegates |
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Single member districts |
Districts where only one person wins |
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Party polarization |
parties diverge from one another |
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Bipartisanship |
when the parties find common ground through compromise |
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Political Machines |
a party organization that recruits voter loyalty with tangible incentives and is characterized by a high degree of control over member activity |
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Electorate |
The person chosen by a party to run for the presidency |
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Invisible Primary |
the year leading up to the Iowa caucuses when candidates compete for donors and endorsements |
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Primary election |
voters decide which candidate will go on to challenge a candidate of an opposing party for office |
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Caucus |
A meeting of citizens in a public place who are members of a particular political party, to select candidates or decide policy. |
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Closed Primary |
Only people registered within the party can vote in the primary |
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Open Primary |
Anybody can vote in the primary
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Crossover Voting |
Voter may vote in a primary of a party with which a voter is not affiliated |
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Proportional representation primary |
delegates are given to candidates in proportion to the votes they get in each state |
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Winner-take-all Primary |
whoever gets most votes in the state gets all of the delegates for that state |
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Electoral College |
a uniquely American institution comprised of electors from each state who cast the final ballots that actually elect the president |
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Retrospective Judgment |
voters tend to reward the president's party during good economic times and punish that party during bad economic times |
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Prospective judgment |
voting based on what a candidate says he or she will do if elected |
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Popular Referendum |
can use it to approve or repeal an act of the state legislature |
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Initiative |
placed on the ballot by citizens to get certain proposed statutes or constitutional amendments on the ballot that citizens want |
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Legislative Referendum |
Placed on the ballot by the state legislature |
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Frontloading |
states choose the earliest date possible on the nomination calendar in order to gain the most attention in the press for their state |
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Midterm Election |
congressional elections held between each presidential election |
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Campaign manager |
develops strategy to get votes |
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Finance chair |
handles the financial and accounting aspects of the campaign |
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Press secretary |
interacts with journalists, acting as primary spokesperson for the campaign |
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Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) |
made changes hoping to curb reliance on a few very rich donors and equalize amount of money spent by both parties |
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Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) |
a bipartisan law was passed that set new limits on contributions and advertising |
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Citizens United v. FEC 2010 |
ruled that certain parts of the BCRA were unconstitutional Cannot limit when issue ads can run Cannot cap money spent independently by outside entities |
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McCutcheon v FEC (2014) |
aggregate limits restricting how much money a donor may contribute to candidates for federal office |
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Presidential Election Campaign Fund |
collects $3 from the taxes of those who tick the donation box on their tax return Candidates may use this to fund their campaign |
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Swing State |
a state where the Dem and Rep have a good chance of winning |
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Interest group |
group with common interests that seeks to influence government/public policy |
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Public Interest Group |
seek collective good, advocate for the public good |
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Single-Issue Interest Group |
want government action in the sphere of ONE overarching issue |
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Economic Interest Group |
promote the economic interests of their members
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Hard Money |
money given to specific candidates (regulated by the FEC) |
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Soft Money |
money given to a party (unlimited amounts can be given) |
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Iron Triangle |
refer to stable relationships among interest groups, congressional committees, and administrative agencies functioning in the same policy area |
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Lobbying |
attempts to influence government through persuasion of public officials |
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Political Action Committee |
officially registered fundraising organizations that represent interest groups |
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Super-PAC |
may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations and individuals, then spend those sums to advocate for or against a candidate |
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Citizen Journalism |
news reporting and commentary by ordinary citizens |
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C-SPAN |
cable channel that covers congressional preceedings |
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Narrowcasting |
targeting specific populations |
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Agenda Setting |
media can bring attention to an issue, leading citizens to pressure government to take action on it |
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Framing |
how an issue is portrayed affects how it is perceived
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Infotainment |
blending information and entertainment |
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Pundit |
commentator that gives mass media opinion on a particular subject area |
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Dramatic Bias |
tend to cover issues that are more dramatic and will get more viewers |
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Equal Time Rule |
if a station sells air time to one candidate, it cannot refuse to sell to opponents |
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Positive Campaign Ads |
stress qualifications of the candidate |
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Negative Campaign Ads |
attack opponents |
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Inoculation Campaign Ads |
anticipate attacks |
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Endorsement Campaign Ads |
using a celebrity or well-known and popular politician to boost support
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Contrast Campaign Ads |
compare candidates |