Download To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Chapter 9: Nominations and
Campaigns
•
•
•
•
•
The Nomination Game
The Campaign Game
Money and Campaigning
The Impact of Campaigns
Understanding Nominations and
Campaigns
• Summary
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 9.1
The Nomination Game
• Nomination
• A nomination is a party’s official endorsement of
a candidate for office.
• 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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
The Nomination Game
LO 9.1
• Deciding to Run
• Campaigns are more strenuous than ever, and
many strong (perhaps elect-able) candidates
decide not to run.
• Unlike Britain—where campaigns are limited by
law to five weeks—a presidential candidacy in the
United States needs to be either announced or an
“open secret” for at least a year before the
election.
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
The Nomination Game
• Presidential candidates need to be risk
takers; they need enough selfconfidence to put everything on the line
in pursuit of the presidency
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 9.1
The Nomination Game
• Competing for Delegates
• The goal of the nomination game is to win
the majority of delegates’ support at the
national party convention.
• From February through June of election
year, the individual state parties choose
their delegates to the national convention
through caucuses or primaries.
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
The Nomination Game
• The Democratic Party began to reform its
delegate selection procedures after a
highly conflicted national convention in
1968; these reforms were proposed by the
McGovern-Fraser Commission.
• Superdelegates are national party leaders
who automatically get a delegate slot at the
national party convention
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 9.1
The Nomination Game
• Competing for Delegates
• 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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
The Nomination Game
LO 9.1
• Competing for Delegates
• Presidential primaries
• Today, most of the delegates to the national
conventions are selected in presidential primaries, in
which voters in a state go to the polls and vote for a
candidate or for delegates pledged to a candidate.
• The primary season begins in the winter in New
Hampshire.
• At this early stage, the campaign is not for delegates but for
images.
• Frontloading is the recent tendency of states to hold
primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media
attention.
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education,
Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 9.1
The Nomination Game
• Political scientists and commentators have
a number of criticisms of the primary and
caucus system:
• 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 fulltime job, and prominent politicians find it
difficult to take time out from their duties to run.
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
The Nomination Game
• 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 med
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
The Campaign Game
LO 9.2: Explain the key objectives of any
political campaign.
• The High-Tech Media Campaign
• Organizing the Campaign
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 9.2
The Campaign Game
• The High-Tech Media Campaign
• The technique of direct mail involves
sending information and a request for
money to names obtained from lists of
people who have supported candidates of
similar views in the past.
• The accumulation of mailing lists enables a
candidate to pick almost any issue and write to
a list of people concerned about it.
• .
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
The Campaign Game
• Once nominated, candidates concentrate
on campaigning for the general election
in November.
• Three ingredients are needed to project the
right image to the voters: a high-tech
media campaign, organization, and money
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
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 Organizing the Campaign
• To effectively organize their campaigns,
candidates must succeed in numerous key
areas:
• Get a campaign manager.
• Get a fund-raiser.
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
To Learning Objectives
Money and Campaigning
LO 9.3: Outline how fund-raising for federal
offices is regulated by campaign finance
laws.
• The Maze of Campaign Finance
Reforms
• The Proliferation of PACs
• Are Campaigns Too Expensive?
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
What is needed just to get
started
• Get a campaign
manager.
• Get a fund-raiser.
• Get a campaign
counsel.
• Hire media and
campaign
consultants.
• Assemble a
campaign staff.
• Plan the logistics.
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
• Get a research staff
and policy advisors.
• Hire a pollster.
• Get a good press
secretary.
• Establish a Web site.
staff, plan logistics,
and get research
staff, policy advisors,
pollsters, and a good
press secretary.
• Establish a website
LO 9.3
Money and Campaigning
• The Maze of Campaign Finance
Reforms
• Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974
created Federal Election Commission;
provided public financing for presidential
primaries and general elections; limited
presidential campaign spending; required
disclosure; and limited contributions.
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 9.3
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 9.3
Money and Campaigning
• The Maze of Campaign Finance
Reforms (cont.)
• Soft Money – Contributions for party
building expenses or generic party
advertising not subject to contribution
limits.
• McCain-Feingold Act (2002) bans soft
money, increased amount of individual
contributions, and limited issue ads.
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 9.3
Money and Campaigning
• The Maze of Campaign Finance
Reforms (cont.)
• 527 Groups – Independent groups seek to
influence the political process but are not
subject to contribution limits because they
do not directly seek election of particular
candidates.
• The name 527 Groups comes from Section
527 of the federal tax code by which they
are governed.
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 9.3
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 9.3
Money and Campaigning
• The Proliferation of PACs
• Political Action Committees are funding
vehicles created by the 1974 campaign
finance reforms.
• A corporation, union, or some other
interest group can create a political action
committee (PAC) and register it with the
Federal Election Commission.
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 9.3
Money and Campaigning
• The Proliferation of PACs (cont.)
• There were 4,611 PACs during the 2007–
2008 election cycle, which contributed $412.8
million to House and Senate candidates.
• PACs donate to candidates who support their
issue.
• PACs do not buy candidates, but give to
candidates who support them in the first
place.
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 9.3
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 9.3
Money and Campaigning
• 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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 9.3
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
The Impact of Campaigns
LO 9.4: Determine why campaigns have an
important yet limited impact on election
outcomes.
• Campaigns have three effects on
voters.
• Reinforcement – Reinforce voters’
preferences for candidates.
• Activation – Voters contribute money or
ring doorbells.
• Conversion – Convert, changing voters’
minds.
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Understanding Nominations and
Campaigns
LO 9.5: Assess the advantages and
disadvantages of having a long presidential
campaign.
• Are Nominations and Campaigns Too
Democratic?
• Do Big Campaigns Lead to an
Increased Scope of Government?
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 9.1
Which of the following is a major criticism
of the 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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 9.1
Which of the following is a major criticism
of the 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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 9.2
Why is a campaign manager important to
a well-organized 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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 9.2
Why is a campaign manager important to
a well-organized 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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
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
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Today’s campaigns clearly promote
in American politics.
A.
B.
C.
D.
LO 9.5
egalitarianism
elitism
populism
individualism
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Today’s campaigns clearly promote
in American politics.
A.
B.
C.
D.
LO 9.5
egalitarianism
elitism
populism
individualism
To Learning Objectives
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Text Credits
•
•
The Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism;
“Winning the Media Campaign: How the Press Reported the 2008
Presidential General Election,” Oct 22, 2008,
http://www.journalism.org/sites/journalism.org/files/WINNING%20T
HE%20MEDIA%20CAMPAIGN%20FINAL.pdf.
Federal Election Commission. Copyright Center for Responsive
Politics, www.opensecrets.org.
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Photo Credits
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
252: Bruce Ely/The Oregonian
203T: AP Photo
203TC: Sean Tevis
203TB: Ken Cordier/Reuters/HO/Landov
203B: AP Photo
255: AP Photo
257: Jim Ruyman/Landov
258: AP Photo
257: John Cole
263: Howell/Getty Images
264: Sean Tevis
270: Reuters/HO/Landov
272: AP Photo
275: Used with permission of Matt Wurker and the Cartoonist Group. All
Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman