Terms : Hide Images
| 209797099 | High-tech politics | politics in which the behavior of citizens and policymakers and the political agenda itself are increasingly shaped by technology. | |
| 209797100 | mass media | television, radio, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, and other means of popular communication. | |
| 209797101 | media events | events purposely staged for the media that nonetheless look spontaneous. In keeping with politics as theater, they can be staged by individuals, groups, and government officials, especially presidents. | |
| 209797102 | press conference | meetings of public officials with reporters | |
| 209797103 | investigative journalism | the use of in-depth reporting to unearth scandals, scams, and schemes, which at times puts reporters in adversarial relationships with political leaders, can draw attention away from issues | |
| 209797104 | print media | newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and books | |
| 209797105 | broadcast media | television and radio | |
| 209797106 | FCC | Regulatory agency with wide discretionary powers established to oversee wired and wireless communication; reflected growing importance of radio in everyday lives of Americans during the Depression; continues to regulate television as well as radio | |
| 209797107 | right-of-reply rule | A regulation by the FCC permitting a person the right to respond if attacked on a broadcast other than in a regular news program. | |
| 209797108 | narrowcasting | media programming on cable TV or the Internet that is focused on one topic and aimed at a particular audience. Examples include MTV, ESPN, and C-SPAN. | |
| 209797109 | newspaper chains | Newspapers published by massive media conglomerates that account for almost three-quarters of the nation's daily circulation. Often these chains control broadcast media as well. | |
| 209797110 | beats | specific locations from which news frequently emanates, such as Congress or the White House. Most top reporters work a particular beat, thereby becoming specialists in what goes on at that location. | |
| 209797111 | trial balloon | Information leaked to the media to test public reaction to a possible policy | |
| 209797112 | sound bite | A video clip used on nightly newscasts. The average length of such clips has decreased, making it harder for candidates to get their message across, usually 15 seconds or less | |
| 209797113 | bias | a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation, in media there is a slight liberal bias on social issues, but competition promotes fairness. | |
| 209797114 | talking head | A shot of a person's face talking directly to the camera. Because this is visually unappealing, the major commercial networks rarely show a politician talking one-on-one for very long, so boring people often change the channel and don't recieve vital political info. | |
| 209797115 | policy agenda | the issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actually involved in politics at any given point in time | |
| 209797116 | policy entrepreneurs | political activists who invest their political capital in an issue | |
| 209797117 | party competition | the battle of the parties for control of public offices. Ups and downs of the two major parties are one of the most important elements in American politics. | |
| 209797118 | political party | a group of individuals with broad common interests who organize to nominate candidates for office, win elections, conduct government, and determine public policy | |
| 209797119 | linkage institutions | the channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. In the United States, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media. | |
| 209797120 | nomination | the official endorsement of a candidate for office by a political party. Generally, success in the nomination game requires momentum, money, and media attention. | |
| 209797121 | rational choice theory | A popular theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians. It assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, carefully weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives. | |
| 209797122 | party image | The voter's perception of what the Republicans or Democrats stand for, such as conservatism or liberalism | |
| 209797123 | party identification | a citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other | |
| 209797124 | ticket splitting | voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices. It has become the norm in American voting behavior. | |
| 209797125 | party machines | A type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern. | |
| 209797126 | patronage | (politics) granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support | |
| 209797127 | closed primaries | elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for that party's candidates, thus encouraging greater party loyalty | |
| 209797128 | blanket primaries | elections to select party nominees in which voters are presented with a list of candidates from all the parties. Voters can then select some Democrats and some Republicans if they like. | |
| 209797129 | national convention | the meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party's platform. | |
| 209797130 | national committee | delegates who run party affairs between national conventions | |
| 209797131 | national chairperson | person responsible for the day-to-day activities of the party and is usually hand-picked by the presidential nominee. | |
| 209797132 | coalition | a group of individuals with a common interest upon which every political party depends | |
| 209797133 | critical election | an electoral "earthquake" whereby new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party. These are sometimes marked by a national crisis and may require more than one election to bring about a new party era | |
| 209797134 | party realignment | the displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period | |
| 209797135 | third parties | electoral contenders other than the two major parties. American third parties are not unusual, but they rarely win elections. | |
| 209797136 | responsible party model | a view favored by some political scientists about how parties should work. According to the model, parties should offer clear choices to the voters, who can then use those choices as cues to their own preferences of candidates. Once in office, parties would carry out their campaign promises. | |
| 209797137 | open primaries | elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests. | |
| 211203819 | legitimacy | A characterization of elections by political scientists meaning that they are almost universally accepted as a fair and free method of selecting political leaders. | |
| 211203820 | referendum | A state-level method of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve or disapprove proposed legislation or a proposed constitutional amendment. | |
| 211203821 | initiative petition | A process permitted in some states whereby voters may put proposed changes in the state constitution to a vote if sufficient signatures are obtained on petitions calling for such a referendum. | |
| 211203822 | suffrage | the right to vote | |
| 211203823 | political efficacy | The belief that one's political participation really matters - that one's vote can actually make a difference | |
| 211203824 | civic duty | The belief that in order to support democratic government, a citizen should always vote. | |
| 211203825 | voter registration | A system adopted by the states that requires voters to register well in advance of Election Day. A few states permit Election day registration. | |
| 211203826 | Motor Voter Act | Passed in 1993, this act went into effect for the 1996 election. It requires states to permit people to register to vote at the same time they apply for their driver's license. | |
| 211203827 | Mandate Theory of Elections | The idea that the winning candidate has a mandate from the people to carry out his or her platforms and politics. Politicians like the theory better than political scientists do. | |
| 211203828 | policy voting | electoral choices that are made on the basis of the voters' policy preferences and on the basis of where the candidates stand on policy issues | |
| 211203829 | electoral college | group of persons chosen in each state and the district of columbia every four years who make a formal selection of the president and vice president | |
| 211203830 | retrospective voting | A theory of voting in which voters essentially ask this simple question: "What have you done for me lately?" | |
| 211203831 | interest group | an organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy | |
| 211203832 | pluralist theory | A theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies. | |
| 211203833 | hyperpluralist theory | A theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened. Hyperpluralism is an extreme, exaggerated, or perverted form of pluralism | |
| 211203834 | elite theory | A theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization. | |
| 211203835 | subgovernments | A network of groups within the American political system that exercise a great deal of control over specific policy areas. Also known as iron triangles, they are composed of interest group leaders interested in a particular policy, the government agency in charge of administering that policy, and the members of congressional committees and subcommittees handling policy. | |
| 211203836 | iron tirangle | also called subgovernment. Iron triangles are formed by the close working relationship among various interest groups, congressional committees, and executive agencies that enforce federal regulations. Working together, these groups can collectively exert a powerful influence over legislation and law enforcement | |
| 211203837 | potential group | All the people who might be interest group members because they share some common interest. A potential group is almost always larger than an actual group. | |
| 211203838 | actual group | the part of the potential group consisting of members who actually join | |
| 211203839 | collective good | something of value (money, a tax write-off, prestige, clean air, and so on) that cannot be withheld from a group member | |
| 211203840 | free rider problem | the problem faced by interest groups when citizens can reap the benefits of interest group action without actually joining, participating in, or contributing money to such groups. | |
| 211203841 | Olson's Law of Large Groups | Advanced by Mancur Olson, a principle stating that "the larger the group, the further it will fall short of providing an optimal amount of a collective good." | |
| 211203842 | selective benefits | Goods (such as information publications, travel discounts, and group insurance rates) that a group can restrict to those who pay their annual dues. | |
| 211203843 | single issue group | a group that has a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics | |
| 211203844 | lobbying | direct contact made by an interest group representative in order to persuade government officials to support the policies their interest group favors | |
| 211203845 | electioneering | Direct group involvement in the electoral process. Groups can help fund campaigns, provide testimony, and get members to work for candidates, and some form political action committees (PAC) | |
| 211203846 | Amicus Curiae | literally, "friend of the court"; individuals or groups who are not parties to a lawsuit but who seek to assist the Supreme Court in reaching a decision by presenting additional briefs | |
| 211203847 | class action lawsuits | lawsuits permitting a small number of people to sue on behalf of all other people similarly situated | |
| 211203848 | union shop | A provision found in some collective bargaining agreements requiring all employees of a business to join the union within a short period, usually 30 days, and to remain members as a condition of employment | |
| 211203849 | right to work laws | a state law forbidding requirements that workers must join a union to hold their jobs; they were specifically permitted by the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 | |
| 211203850 | public interest lobbies | According to Jeffery Berry, organizations that seek "a collective good, the achievement of which will not selectively and materially benefit the membership of activities of the organization. | |
| 211760538 | New Deal coalition | coalition forged by the Democrats who dominated American politics from the 1930's to the 1960's. its basic elements were the urban working class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews, the poor, Southerners, African Americans, and intellectuals. | |
| 211760539 | Party dealignment | the gradual disengagement of people and politicians from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identification. | |
| 211760540 | Nomination | the official endorsement of a candidate for office by a political party. Generally, success in the nomination game requires momentum, money, and media attention. | |
| 211760541 | Campaign Strategy | the master game plan candidates lay out to guide their electoral campaign | |
| 211760542 | national party convention | A national meeting of delegates elected in primaries, caucuses, or state conventions who assemble once every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president, ratify the party platform, elect officers, and adopt rules. | |
| 211760543 | caucus | A meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform. | |
| 211760544 | presidential primaries | elections in which voters in a state vote for a candidate (or delegates pledged to him or her). Most delegates to the national party conventions are chosen this way. | |
| 211760545 | McGovern Fraser Commission | a commission formed at the 1968 Democratic convention in response to demands for reform by minority groups and others who sought better representation | |
| 211760546 | super delegates | National party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot the democratic national party convention | |
| 211760547 | frontloading | the recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention | |
| 211760548 | national primary | A proposal by critics of the caucuses and presidential primaries, which would replace these electoral methods with a nationwide primary held early in the election year. | |
| 211760549 | regional primaries | A proposal by critics of the caucuses and presidential primaries to replace these electoral methods with a series of primaries held in each geographic region. | |
| 211760550 | party platform | A political party's statement of its goals and policies for the next four years. The platform is drafted prior to the party convention by a committee whose members are chosen in rough proportion to each candidate's strength. It is the best formal statement of a party's beliefs. | |
| 211760551 | direct mail | A high-tech method of raising money for a political cause or candidate. It involves sending information and requests for money to people whose names appear on lists of those who have supported similar views or candidates in the past. | |
| 211760552 | Federal Election Campaign Act | law passed in 1974 for reforming campaign finances. The act created the Federal Election Commission (FEC), provided public financing for presidential primaries and general elections, limited presidential campaign spending, required disclosure, and attempted to limit contributions. | |
| 211760553 | Federal Election Commission | a six-member bipartisan agency that enforces and administers campaign finance laws | |
| 211760554 | Presidential Election Campaign Fund | Money from the $3 federal income tax check-off goes into this fund, which is then distributed to qualified candidates to subsidize their presidential campaigns. | |
| 211760555 | Matching funds | Contributions of up to $250 matched from the presidential Election Campaign Fund to candidates for the presidential nomination who qualify and agree to meet various conditions, such as limiting their overall spending. | |
| 211760556 | soft money | funds obtained by political parties that are spent on party activities, such as get-out-the-vote drives, but not on behalf of a specific candidate, unlimited | |
| 211760557 | political action committees | 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, which will meticulously monitor the PAC's expenditures. |
