US Gov and Politics

?PAGE ? ?PAGE ?1? Chapter 10 ? Elections and Campaigns seq NL1 \r 0 \h Overview Political campaigns have become increasingly personalized with little or no connection to formal party organizations. Party influence has decayed as a result of the widespread adoption of the direct primary, the increasing influence of the media, and the workings of campaign finance law. Today, candidates face the problem of creating a temporary organization that can raise money from large numbers of small donors and mobilize enthusiastic supporters; they must win the nomination by appealing to the party faithful while not losing their ability to recruit moderate and independent voters in the general election.

?PAGE ? ?PAGE ?1? Chapter 8 ? Political Participation seq NL1 \r 0 \h Overview The popular view that Americans do not vote because of apathy is not quite right. It would be much closer to the truth to state that Americans don?t register to vote?but once registered, Americans vote at about the same rate as citizens in other nations. Many other factors?having nothing to do with apathy?also shape participation rates. These include age, race, party organization, barriers to registration, and popular views about the significance of elections.

?PAGE ? ?PAGE ?1? Chapter 6 ? Civil Rights seq NL1 \r 0 \h Overview Through action in the courts and in the Congress, the African American civil rights movement profoundly changed the nature of political participation by African Americans. In particular, southern African Americans entered the political system, establishing an effective array of interest groups. Another decisive move was the mobilization of northern opinion on behalf of this civil rights movement. Northerners initially viewed civil rights as an unfair contest between southern whites and southern African Americans; that perception changed when court rulings and legislative decisions applied to the north as well as the south. Then northern opposition arose to court-ordered busing and affirmative action programs.