Download AP Government – Unit 3 Reading Questions

AP Government – Unit 2 Study Guide B:
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Ch 8: Political Parties
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Ch 11: Interest Groups
Political Parties, Interest Groups, & Mass Media
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Ch 7: The Media
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Ch 9 and 10: Elections and Campaigns
Study/Review the following terms and topics within each chapter in order to help prepare for the test.
Chapter 8: Political Parties
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Factional parties
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Ideological parties
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One/Single Issue parties
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Platform
National/nominating
convention
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Divided government
Party machines
Ticket splitting
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Political parties – groups of individuals with broad common interests, who organize to nominate candidates for
office, win elections, conduct government, and determine public policy; any group, however loosely organized, that
seeks to elect government officials under a given label. Purpose of political parties:
Their main purpose it to
win elections in order to push their parties agenda. To help win elections, they help their party’s candidates raise
money for their campaigns.
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Viewpoints of political parties: Democrats (Donkeys) have Liberal Ideals. They generally favor/support: Big
government; Small businesses; Working/Lower class (blue collar); Decreased military spending; higher taxes;
regulation; Support abortion & gay rights. Republicans (Elephants) have Conservative/Traditional Ideals. They
generally favor/support: Big businesses; Small government; the Rich/Elite Upper class (white collar); increased
military spending; Lower taxes; oppose regulation; Oppose abortion & gay rights. They generally take different
stands on many issues but at times they will agree and work together.
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Role of political parties: They connect the people/public with the government/policymaking institutions.
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Two-party system – An electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in state or national elections. Third
parties have little chance of winning. Because of the two party system, seats in Congress are awarded on the winnertake-all system which is an element of the electoral system used in the United States which requires that only one
member of the House of Representatives can be elected from each congressional district.
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Divided government – a government in which one party controls the White House and another party controls the
one or both houses of Congress.
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Third party/Independent – any political party other than one of the two major parties. Third parties usually focus
on a single issue (environment, economic reform, women’s rights) that gain’s little attention while the two major
parties focus on multiple and larger, more important issues that Americans are concerned with. Third parties
generally have small following/membership which hinders them from affecting national policy, but can take votes
away from the 2 major parties, splitting the ticket.
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Reasons for third parties: The two major parties may not represent the views or hold the same viewpoints as voters
do. They simply aren’t meeting certain needs of the people so they opt for a third option, third parties.
Chapter 11: Interest Groups
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Interest Groups/Lobby
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Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act, 1946
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Public Interest Groups
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Federal Elections Commission
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Interest group/Lobby – An organization that seeks to influence public policy/attempts to influence legislation
through direct contact with members of the legislative or executive branches.
Purpose(s) of interest groups:
To influence lawmakers. They bridge the gap between citizens and the people,
helping citizens communicate their goals and needs to government leaders.
Lobbyist – interest group representative; the person who represents a special interest group and tries to influence the
legislators by presenting the views of the interest group. Lobbying – direct contact made by a lobbyist in order to
persuade government officials to support the policies their interest group favors. Lobbyists use 1) financial
resources to provide information, 2) testify before congressional committees and 3) help in the drafting of bills as
well as support campaigns by providing donations and sponsoring advertisements for candidates willing to support
their issues. Political Action Committee – an organization formed to collect money and provide financial support
for political candidates.
Differences between political parties and interest groups: (3 of them)
1) Political parties focus on multiple
issues while interest groups focus on one specific issue. 2) Political parties can nominate candidates for elected
office, while interest groups can only support and campaign for candidates running for office. 3) Interest groups are
organized on the basis of common values, rather than on geographic location where political parties elect officials
from geographic areas to represent the interest of people in those areas.
Iron Triangles – a close relationship of between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group that
often becomes an advantageous alliance.
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Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946 – A law which required groups and individuals seeking to influence
legislation to register with the secretary of the Senate and the clerk of the House of Representatives. Quarterly
financial reports on expenses were also to be filed. Note new reform legislation (1995) was more stringent.
Chapter 7: The Media
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Yellow journalism/Muckraker
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Federal Communications
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Sound bites
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Investigative journalism
Commission
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News beat(s)
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Media/Mass media – the different means of communicating information to reach large audiences; the means of
communication, such as television, newspapers, movies, books, and the Internet, that influence large audiences.
Mass media is called the ‘fourth branch of government’ as influences public opinion on the issues at hand.
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Primary function/purpose:
To make money/profit. All other purposes are secondary such as keeping the
public informed on current events, providing government/officials a means to communicate with the people,
providing the people an outlet to address grievances. Mass media is considered/called the “fourth branch of the
government” because of its’ power to influence public opinion. Media Coverage: Media focus on government
officials, primarily the president, then key members of Congress. Investigative journalism – the use of in-depth
reporting to unearth scandals, scams, and schemes, which at times puts reporters in adversarial relationships in
political leaders. They focus on the ‘dirt’ as they will sell and gain more air time.
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Broadcasting: TV channels that focus on general (‘broad’) topics bringing all types of shows to a general audience,
not specializing on any issues or targeting any one group. Narrowcasting: opposed to the traditional “broadcasting”,
it appeals to a narrow particular audience by channels such as ESPN, MTV, and C-SPAN, which focus on a narrow
particular interest. The downside of narrowcasting is that it creates a politically uninformed majority because it
focuses on one topic/subject and is aimed at a particular audience.
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Sound bite: a brief statement no longer that a few seconds used on a radio or television news broadcast. They serve
as a summary of a candidate’s speech, preventing politicians any in-depth discussions on the issues.
Chapter 9 and 10: Elections and Campaigns
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Federal Elections
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Political Action Committees
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Incumbent
Commission
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Platform
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Constituents
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Federal Election Campaign Act – its purpose: to provide partial funds presidential campaigns; to provide rules for
the disclose of all campaign financing and spending information; to place limits on personal contributions to
presidential & congressional candidates, and to establish the Federal Elections Commission to regulate campaign
financing, they make sure that Political Action Committees are registered and monitored
Caucus – a private meeting of party leaders to choose candidates for office. Primary election/ Primaries – an
election to choose a political party’s candidates for an elective office. Primaries are more democratic compared to
caucuses as they allow the voters to choose their representatives. Nominating convention – an official public
meeting of a party to choose candidates for office. Not democratic as party members do not vote (not permitted to)
but rather the party leadership chooses who the candidate representing the party. General election – the election that
takes place in November in which voters can choose a candidate from any of the political parties for an elective
office. Primaries/Caucuses:
Election years; January of even years begins primary/caucus season with Iowa
(Caucus) and New Hampshire (Primary) starting things off. These two states are closely watched and set the stage
for the rest of the campaign season.
Campaign:
A bid/run for elected office. Campaigns are products of planned marketing as it is about
promoting or ‘selling’ the candidate as they run for elected office. Campaigns are very expensive primarily to
television advertising. Other costs include direct mail campaigns, telephone/online polling, hiring of campaign staff,
and travel expenses to campaign/political venues. Candidate – an individual who applies for or seeks a job or
position in local, state, or national government.
Media Coverage: Media coverage of campaigns focus on strategies and who is ahead in the race for elected office
(a horserace). The actual substance of the campaign, the issues, policies, and candidates’ backgrounds are secondary.
American politics vs. European politics: In the US, campaigns for the executive branch (presidency) are much
longer and more expensive compared to campaigns in European nations. Those campaigns may last only a few
months where as in the US, it can last up to 2 years or more. Example: Barack Obama
Incumbents vs. Challengers:
Incumbents (current/sitting officials) are more likely to win elections (reelection)
compared to their challenging counterparts unless situations such as a bad economy, an unfavorable war, or failure to
represent the needs of their constituents (the people they represent).
527 Groups: Independent groups that seek to influence the political process but are not subject to contribution
restrictions because they don directly seek the lection of particular candidates. Their name comes from Section 527
of the federal tax code, under which they are governed. In 2004, 52 individuals gave over a million dollars to such
groups, and all told they spent $424 million on political messages.