Download Money and Campaigning

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Chapter 9: Nominations and Campaigns
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The Nomination Game
The Campaign Game
Money and Campaigning
The Impact of Campaigns
Understanding Nominations and Campaigns
Summary
Chapter Outline and Learning Objectives
• The Nomination Game
– LO 9.1: Evaluate the fairness of our current system
of presidential primaries and caucuses.
• The Campaign Game
– LO 9.2: Explain the key objectives of any political
campaign.
Chapter Outline and Learning Objectives
• Money and Campaigning
– LO 9.3: Outline how fund-raising for federal offices is
regulated by campaign finance laws.
• The Impact of Campaigns
– LO 9.4: Determine why campaigns have an important
yet limited impact on election outcomes.
Chapter Outline and Learning Objectives
• Understanding Nominations and Campaigns
– LO 9.5: Assess the advantages and disadvantages
of having a long presidential campaign.
LO 9.1
The Nomination Game
• Nomination
– The official endorsement of a candidate for office
by a political party.
– Success in the nomination game requires
momentum, money, and media attention.
• Campaign Strategy
– Master game plan that guides a candidate’s
electoral campaign.
To Learning Objectives
The Nomination Game
LO 9.1
• Deciding to Run
– A presidential candidacy in the United States
needs to be either announced or an “open
secret” for at least a year before the election.
– Barack Obama made clear his intention to run for
president in January 2007.
To Learning Objectives
2012 Republican Candidates for President
LO 9.1
The Nomination Game
• Watch Hippocampus video on Primaries,
Caucuses and National Convention
• Competing for Delegates: Caucuses & Primaries
– Caucus - A system for selecting convention delegates
used in about a dozen mostly rural states in which
voters must show up at a set time and attend an open
meeting to express their presidential preference.
To Learning Objectives
2012 Iowa Caucus Results
What Happens in the Iowa Caucus?
LO 9.1
The Nomination Game
• Competing for Delegates (cont.)
– Presidential primaries are elections in which a
state’s voters go to the polls to express their
preference for a party’s nominee for president.
– Frontloading – Recent tendency of states to hold
primaries early in the calendar to capitalize on
media attention. Known as Super Tuesday (the
largest # of states holding primaries/caucuses on
this day)
To Learning Objectives
The Nomination Game – Super Tuesday March 6,
2012
LO 9.1
The Nomination Game
• Competing for Delegates (cont.)
– National Party Convention – The supreme
power within each party.
– Super-delegates – Party leaders automatically
get delegate slot at national party convention.
To Learning Objectives
Nomination Game – Super-delegates
Go to Chapter 9
Videos to watch
explanation of
Super-delegates
The Nomination Game – Criticism of PrimariesLO 9.1
& Caucuses
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A disproportionate amount of attention goes to the early caucuses and primaries. Critics
think America’s media-dominated campaigns are distorted by early primaries and caucuses.
Running for the presidency has become a full-time job, and prominent politicians find it
difficult to take time out from their duties to run.
Money plays too big a role in the caucuses and primaries.
Participation is low and is not representative of the voting population.
Although about 50 percent of the population votes in the November presidential election,
only about 20 percent casts ballots in presidential primaries.
Voters in primaries and caucuses also tend to be better educated and more affluent than
voters in general.
Primaries and caucuses exaggerate regional factors in decision making.
The system gives too much power to the media.
The current system also has powerful defenders, including many of the candidates
themselves
LO 9.1
The Nomination Game
• The Convention Send-Off
– Rallying point for parties.
– Key note speaker on first day of Convention.
– Party platform (2nd day) – Goals and policies for
next 4 years.
– Formal nomination of president and vicepresident candidates on third and fourth days.
To Learning Objectives
The Campaign Game
LO 9.2
• The High-Tech Media Campaign
– Direct mail used to generate support and money for
candidate.
– Get media attention through ad budget and free news
coverage.
– The emphasis is on marketing a candidate because
news stories focus more on the horse race than
substantive policy issues.
To Learning Objectives
In Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren (D) challenges Scott Brown
(R) for the U.S. Senate seat with this door hanger.
LO 9.2
The Campaign Game
• Organizing the Campaign
– Get a campaign manager, a fund-raiser, and a
campaign counsel.
– Hire media and campaign consultants.
– Assemble staff, plan logistics, and get research
staff, policy advisors, pollsters, and a good press
secretary.
– Establish a website.
To Learning Objectives
The Campaign Game
LO 9.2
• Campaign Ad – Watch these videos
– Who cares if it works?
– Swiftboat ad on John Kerry in 2004 (watch
“Gunner” ad)
– Kathleen Hall Jamieson dissecting campainging
ads
To Learning Objectives
LO 9.2
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
To Learning Objectives
Money and Campaigning
• The Maze of Campaign Finance Reforms
• The Proliferation of PACs
• Are Campaigns Too Expensive?
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
To Learning Objectives
LO 9.3
Money and Campaigning
“Money is the mother’s milk of politics”
"Let’s face it, politics in this country is coinoperated."
- Money indicates the level of support a candidate has
To Learning Objectives
Money and Campaigning
LO 9.3
• Federal Election Campaign Act 1974
– Ferret out corruption in political campaigns by restricting
financial contributions.
– provided public financing for presidential primaries and
general elections
– Set limits on the amount of money an individual could
contribute to a single campaign
– Required reporting of contributions above a certain
threshold amount.
– The Federal Election Commission was created to enforce the
statute.
LO 9.3
Money, Campaigning and The Supreme Court
• Buckley v. Valeo (1976) ruled that:
– Limits to campaign contributions set by the FEC is
constitutional and DOES NOT violate freedom of
speech. This is to prevent corruption.
– However, in order to preserve free speech:
• a candidate may spend unlimited amount on his campaign
using his own money or family resources.
Money and Campaigning
• But Federal Election Campaign Act 1974 was
amended in 1979 that created loop hole for
soft money.
• Soft money are not regulated and not subject
to limit of campaign laws. These are
contribution given for purpose of party
building expenses (voting drive to get people
to vote for a party or generic party ads)
LO 9.3
Money and Campaigning - PAC
LO 9.3
• Campaign reforms of 1974 also created PAC.
• PACs = Political Action Committees
• Anyone can create a PACs (corporations,
interest groups, unions, BASIS, etc)
• PACs must register with the FEC and they are
restricted in campaign limits.
To Learning Objectives
Money and Campaigning
1. In 2000, soft money raised by both parties was
almost $500 million!!
2. The 2002 McCain-Feingold Act (Bipartisan
Campaign Reform Act) finally banned soft money
3. Individual could give up to $2,000 to a candidate.
4. This was a crusade by Sen McCain (R- AZ) and
Feingold (D- WI.)
– Watch Campaign Finance Reform
LO 9.3
Hard Money Contribution Limits
T9-10
Money and Campaigning
– Soon other loopholes began to appear.
– Wealthy individuals found that they could make
unlimited contributions to 527 groups (nonprofit groups created under 527 section of IRS
tax code)
– There is no limits to contributions to these
groups as long as they do not coordinate with
any candidate (i.e. they don’t use “vote for” or
“vote against” in their ads)
LO 9.3
Money, Campaigning – Super PACs
LO 9.3
• Citizens United v. FEC (2010)
– A corporation is “a person” and has freedom of speech
just like a person.
– corporations and unions can now spend unlimited
sums on ads and other political tools, calling for the
election or defeat of individual candidates.
– The court said that because these funds were not
being spent in coordination with a campaign, they “do
not give rise to corruption or the appearance of
corruption.”
Money and Campaigning – Super PACs
LO 9.3
– Soon after the Citizens United case, the U.S. Federal
Court of Appeals made another important decision
in Speechnow v. FEC in 2010.
– Individuals can now give unlimited amounts to
groups
To Learning Objectives
Money and Campaigning – Super PACs
LO 9.3
– Together, these two court decisions gave rise to
super PACs in July 2010.
To Learning Objectives
Money and Campaigning – Super PACs
LO 9.3
• Unlike traditional PACs, Super PACs are prohibited from donating
money directly to political candidates.
• So why are they powerful ?
– because they may raise UNLIMITED sums of money from
corporations, unions, associations and individuals, then spend
unlimited sums to overtly advocate for or against political
candidates.
• Super PACs must report their donors to the Federal Election
Commission. They cannot coordinate their spending with the
candidate.
Explanation of Super PACs and Dark Money
1. Watch this video from NBC
Super PACs Attack Ads
Bain Ad Trailer
Ads produced and paid for by the super PAC “Winning our
Future” in support of Newt Gingrich.
Conservative super PAC: American Crossroads, (“Forward”, “War of Women”, “Great II”)
Liberal super PAC: Priority Action USA (“We the People”, “Briefcase”, “World View”, “Donnie”)
Money and Campaigning – Super PACs
Money and Campaigning
LO 9.3
• Are Campaigns Too Expensive?
– Center for Responsive Politics estimated in
2008 that the contests for the presidency and
Congress cost over $5 billion.
– More congressional incumbents spend, the
worse they do.
– Doctrine of sufficiency – Spend enough money
to get a message across to compete effectively.
To Learning Objectives
The Impact of Campaigns
• Campaigns have three effects on voters.
– Reinforcement – Reinforce voters’ preferences
for candidates.
– Activation – Voters contribute money or ring
doorbells.
– Conversion – Convert, changing voters’ minds.
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
To Learning Objectives
LO 9.4
The Impact of Campaigns
• Some factors tend to weaken campaigns’
impact on voters.
– Selective perception – Most people pay attention
to things they agree with and interpret events
according to predispositions.
– Party identification influence voting behavior.
– Incumbents – Advantage of name recognition and
a track record.
To Learning Objectives
Understanding Nominations and Campaigns
• Are Nominations and Campaigns Too
Democratic?
• Do Big Campaigns Lead to an Increased Scope
of Government?
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
To Learning Objectives
Understanding Nominations and Campaigns
LO 9.5
• Are Nominations and Campaigns Too Democratic?
– Campaigns are open to almost everyone.
– Campaigns consume much time and money.
– Campaigns promote individualism in American politics.
To Learning Objectives
Understanding Nominations and Campaigns
LO 9.5
• Do Big Campaigns Lead to an Increased Scope of
Government?
– Candidates make numerous promises, especially to state
and local interests.
– Hard for politicians to promise to cut size of government.
To Learning Objectives
LO 9.1
Summary
• The Nomination Game
– Presidential primaries and caucuses lead to nomination
at national party conventions and allow people to
participate in the selection of the Democratic and
Republican parties’ nominees for president.
– The system gives some states much greater influence
than others.
To Learning Objectives
LO 9.1
Summary
• The Nomination Game (cont.)
– Iowa (1st caucus) and New Hampshire (1st primary)
have disproportionate power stemming from the
massive media attention devoted to these early
contests and the momentum generated by winning
them.
– Money plays too big a role; turnout rates are too low;
and mass media has too much power deciding which
candidates are serious contenders.
To Learning Objectives
Which of the following is a major criticism of the
LO 9.1
primary and caucus system?
A. Disproportionate attention goes to the
early caucuses and primaries.
B. Prominent politicians do run.
C. Both money and media play too little a
role.
D. Participation is high and representative.
To Learning Objectives
Which of the following is a major criticism of the
LO 9.1
primary and caucus system?
A. Disproportionate attention goes to the
early caucuses and primaries.
B. Prominent politicians do run.
C. Both money and media play too little a
role.
D. Participation is high and representative.
To Learning Objectives
LO 9.2
Summary
• The Campaign Game
– Political campaigns are carried out to win election for
political office and require organization and effective use of
high-tech media.
– One important goals of any campaign is simply to get
attention.
– Campaigns seek to control political agenda by getting the
media and the public to focus on the issues that they wish
to emphasize.
To Learning Objectives
LO 9.2
Why is a campaign manager important to a wellorganized campaign?
A. To assist the candidate in responding to
reporters.
B. To tell the candidate how he or she is
viewed by voters.
C. To feed the candidate the information
needed to keep up with events.
D. To keep the candidate from getting
bogged down in organizational details.
To Learning Objectives
LO 9.2
Why is a campaign manager important to a wellorganized campaign?
A. To assist the candidate in responding to
reporters.
B. To tell the candidate how he or she is
viewed by voters.
C. To feed the candidate the information
needed to keep up with events.
D. To keep the candidate from getting
bogged down in organizational details.
To Learning Objectives
LO 9.3
Summary
• Money and Campaigning
– Federal election law restricts direct contributions to
federal campaigns to $2,400 for individuals and
$5,000 for political action committees (PACs).
– In the presidential nomination process, federal
matching funds are available to candidates who
agree to limit their overall spending.
To Learning Objectives
LO 9.3
Summary
• Money and Campaigning (cont.)
– General presidential election – $85 million grant is
available to each party nominee to finance their entire
campaign, and candidates who turn down the grant are
free to raise an unlimited total in increments equal or
less than the maximum contribution limit.
– McCain-Feingold Act (2002) banned unlimited soft
money contributions.
To Learning Objectives
According to the textbook, the main benefit of LO 9.3
campaign finance laws has been to _______.
A. make political campaigns more open and
honest.
B. limit spending by candidates.
C. limit spending by corporations.
D. limit unregulated money spent in
campaigns.
To Learning Objectives
According to the textbook, the main benefit of
campaign finance laws has been to _______.
LO 9.3
A. make political campaigns more open and
honest.
B. limit spending by candidates.
C. limit spending by corporations.
D. limit unregulated money spent in
campaigns.
To Learning Objectives
LO 9.4
Summary
• The Impact of Campaigns
– Campaigning serves primarily to reinforce citizens’
views and to activate voters rather than to change
views.
– Factors such as selective perception, party
identification, and the incumbency advantage tend to
weaken the ability of campaigns to influence voters’
decisions.
To Learning Objectives
Which is true about the impacts that political
campaigns have on voters?
LO 9.4
A. Always convert voters, but rarely activate
voters.
B. Reinforce party images and always convert
voters.
C. Reinforce preferences and activate voters,
but rarely convert voters.
D. Always convert voters, but rarely reinforce
voters.
To Learning Objectives
Which is true about the impacts that political
campaigns have on voters?
LO 9.4
A. Always convert voters, but rarely activate
voters.
B. Reinforce party images and always convert
voters.
C. Reinforce preferences and activate voters,
but rarely convert voters.
D. Always convert voters, but rarely reinforce
voters.
To Learning Objectives
LO 9.5
Summary
• Understanding Nominations and Campaigns
– American election campaigns are open, democratic,
and long.
– Long campaigns provide a strenuous test for all
candidates.
– Campaigns lead politicians to make many promises that
increase the scope of government.
To Learning Objectives
Today’s campaigns clearly promote
in American politics.
LO 9.5
A.egalitarianism
B.elitism
C.populism
D.individualism
To Learning Objectives
Today’s campaigns clearly promote
in American politics.
LO 9.5
A.egalitarianism
B.elitism
C.populism
D.individualism
To Learning Objectives