CHAPTER 8
*All candidates are chosen by a party primary Election
New Deal – Refers to those groups who were most helped by Roosevelt’s programs to address the problems caused by the Great Depression. (1932)
Reagan Democrats – Democrats who were swayed or motivated by family values, anti-communism, and a need for a strong national defense, enough to vote Republican.
Democratic party had strongly supported segregation until the 1950’s changed to advocate racial integration, and other civil rights policies that drove white, protestant conservatives away to the Republican Party. Richard Nixon in 1972, and Ronald Reagan in 1980 drew from these voters.
1980 election also saw the first gender gap; that is men tended to vote Republican, and women Democratic.
Independent – A voter or candidate who does not identify with a political party.
The Republican Party was the “Party of Lincoln”. Associated with the Yankees.
Political Party – A group of political activist who organize to win elections, operate the government, and determine public policy.
Faction – A group or bloc in a legislature or political party acting in pursuit of some special interest or position. (Tea Party is a Faction of the Republican Party)
Two Party System – Political system in which only two parties have a reasonable chance of winning. (James Madison 1789-1816)
Political party with the most seats in the House chooses the Speaker, makes any new rules, gets majority of seats and chairs in committees, as well as hiring most of the Congressional staff.
Anti-federalist were against ratification.
GW considered political parties a threat to national unity and concept of popular government.
First two parties were Federalist led by John Adams. Republicans led by Thomas Jefferson.
Era of good feelings – 1817-1825 during the administration of James Monroe. No real political opposition to the Republicans during this time.
Democratic Party – One of the two major American political parties. Evolved out of the Jefferson Republican Party by followers of Andrew Jackson in 1828.
Whig Party - Major party in the US during the first half of the 19th century, formally est. in 1836. The whig party was anti-Jackson and represented a variety of regional interests.
Republican Party – One of two major American political parties. It emerged in the 1850’s as an anti-slavery party and consisted of former Northern Whigs and anti-slavery Democrats.
Andrew Jackson – Elected President in 1826 as the candidate of the new Democratic Party.
Progressivism or Bull Moose ticket created a split in the Republican Party which allowed Woodrow Wilson (Democrat) to win the 1912 election. (Split ticket)
FDR was the creator of the modern Democratic Party. Elected to first of 3 terms in 1932.
Since 1968 the nation has been almost evenly divided in politics.
In 2004 GW Bush won both the popular (by more than 3 Mil) and electoral vote (286 to 252).
Core Constituents
West Coast and North East = Democrat majority.
South and Great Plains = Republicans.
City folks = Democrat.
Rural tend to be Republican.
Reverse Income Effect – Tendency for wealthier states or regions to favor Democrats and for less wealthy to favor Republicans. Appears paradoxical because it reverses traditional patterns of support.
Part-in-the–Electorate – General public who identify with or express a preference for one party over another.
Party Organization – formal structure and leadership of a political party, including election committees; local, state, and national executives; and paid special staff.
Party-in-government – All of the elected and appointed officials who identify with a political party.
National Convention – meeting held every four years by each major party to select Presidential and VP candidates, choose a national committee, write a platform, and conduct party business.
Party Platform – A document drawn up a each national convention outlining the policies, positions, and principles of the party.
National Party Committee – A standing committee of a national political party established to direct and coordinate party activities in the years between national party conventions.
National Party Chairperson is picked by the party’s presidential candidate.
State Central Committee – organized structure of each party within each state. Responsible for carrying out policy decisions of the party’s state convention. Represent the state at the national convention.
Unit Rule – rule by which all of a state’s electoral votes are awarded for the presidential candidate receiving a majority of the popular vote in that state.
Patronage – Rewarding faithful party workers and followers with government jobs and contracts. (buying votes)
It takes 700,000 signatures to qualify to be on a presidential ballot.
Divided Government – A situation where one party controls the presidency and the other controls the congress or at state level governorship and state legislature.
Ticket Splitting – Voting for candidates of two or more parties on the same ballot. Not voting a strait ticket.
Safe seat – A district that returns a legislator with 55% or more of the vote.
Plurality – A number of votes cast for a candidate that is greater than for any other, but is not necessarily the majority.
Electoral College – A group of persons, called electors, who are selected by the voters in each state. This group officially elects the president and VP.
Third Party – A party other than the two major political parties (Democratic/Republican) Ralph Nader’s run in 2004 effected Howard Dean’s defeat.
Splinter Party – A new party formed by a dissident faction within a major party. Often when a particular personality was at odds with the major party (Bull Moose, Theodore Roosevelt).
Realignment – A process in which a substantial group of voters switches party allegiance.
Dealignment - A decline in party loyalties that reduces long-term party commitment.
Party Identification – Linking your self to a particular political party.
Swing Voters – Voters who routinely switch their support from one party to another.
Tipping – A phenomenon that occurs when a group that is becoming more numerous over time grows large enough to change the political balance in a district, state, or country.
Political parties: Recruit candidates, Organize and run elections, Present alternative policies to the electorate, Accept responsibility for operating the government, Act as organized opposition to the party in power.
Middle Class Benefits are Social Security and Healthcare
In a Single member Election District, Winner takes all electoral votes.
CHAPTER 10
Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002 – Limited the amount of donations that could be given to parties for specific candidates.
Presidential Primary – A statewide primary election of delegates to a political party’s national convention held to determine a party’s presidential candidate.
Super Delegate – A party leader or elected official who is given the right to vote at the party’s national convention. Super Delegates are not elected at the state level.
Political Consultant – A paid professional hired to devise a campaign strategy and manage a campaign.
Finance chairperson – campaign professional who directs fundraising, campaign spending, and compliance with campaign finance laws and reporting requirements.
Pollster – Person or firm who conducts public opinion polls for the campaign.
Communications Director – professional specialist who plans the communications and advertising strategies.
Press Secretary – Interacts directly with the journalist covering the campaign.
Get Out the Vote – describes the efforts expended by campaigns to get voters out to the polls on election day.
Tracking Poll – Poll taken for a candidate on a almost daily basis as election day approaches.
Individual campaign contributions are limited to $2k to a specific candidate and $5k to a political party.
*The incumbent usually receives the most political contributions.
Focus Group – A small group of individuals who are led in discussion by a professional consultant in order to gather opinions on and responses to candidates and issues.
Corrupt practices Act – A series of acts passed by congress in an attempt to limit and regulate the size and sources of contributions ad expenditures in political campaigns.
Hatch Act – An act passed in 1939 that restricted the political activities of government employees. It also prohibited a political group from spending more than $3 M in any campaign and limited individual contributions to $5k.
Hard Money – This refers to contributions and campaign spending that is recorded under the regulations set forth in law and by the Federal Election Commission.
Political Action Committee – Set up by a corporation, union, or special interest group to raise money for a campaign.
Soft Money – Contributions unregulated by federal or state law. Usually, to help fund general party activities.
Issue Advocacy Advertising – Advertising paid for by interest groups (like abortion or immigration) that support or oppose a candidate on an issue without mentioning voting or elections.
Independent Expenditures – Non-regulated contributions from PACs, organizations, and individuals. The funds may be spent on advertising or other campaign activities as long as they are not coordinated with those of a candidate.
Beauty Contest – Presidential primary in which contending candidates compete for popular votes but the result does not control the selection of delegates to the national convention.
Caucus – A meeting of party members designed to select candidates and propose policies.
Closed Primary – A type of primary in which the voter is limited to choosing a candidate of the party of which he is a member.
Open Primary – Any registered voter can vote, but must vote for only candidates of one party. (Strait ticket)
Front Runner – The candidate who appears to be ahead at a given time in the primary.
Front Loading – Moving presidential primaries to the early part of the campaigns to maximize the impact of these primaries on the nomination.
Credentials Committee – Committee used by political parties at their national convention to determine which delegates may participate.
Battleground State – A state that is thought to be a close race so exceptional effort to win is given to it.
CHAPTER 12
Constituent – One of the persons represented by a legislator or other elected or appointed official.
Home style – Actions and behaviors of a member of Congress aimed at the constituents and intended to win support and trust of the voters at home.
Hill Style - Actions and behaviors of a member of Congress in DC aimed to promote policies and the members own career aspirations.
Bicameralism – The division of a legislature into two separate assemblies. (Senate/House)
Lawmaking – Process of establishing the legal rules that govern society.
Logrolling – An arrangement in which two or more members of congress agree in advance to support each others bills.
Representation – The function of members of congress as elected officials representing the views of their constituents.
Trustee – A legislator who acts according to his conscious and the broad interests of the entire society.
Instructed delegate – A legislator who is an agent of the voters who elected him and who votes according to the views of the constituents regardless of personal beliefs.
Casework – Personal work for constituents by members of congress.
Ombudsman –A person who hears and investigates complaints by private individuals against public officials or agencies.
Oversight – The process by which congress follows up on laws it has enacted to ensure that they are being enforced and administered in the way congress intended.
Enumerated Power – Specifically granted to the national government by the constitution. The first 17 clauses of Article 1, Section 8 specify most of them. (rights to collect taxes, spend, regulate commerce, declare war, override presidential veto)
Rules Committee – Standing committee of the house of representatives that provides special rules under which specific bills can be debated, amended, and considered by the house.
Rule – Proposal by the rules committee of the house that states the conditions for debate for one piece of legislation.
Unanimous Consent Agreement – Agreement on the rules of debate for proposed legislation in the senate that is approved by all members.
Filibuster – The use of the senates tradition of unlimited debate as a delaying tactic to block a bill.
Direct Primary – An intraparty election in which the voters select the candidates who will run on a party’s ticket in the general election.
Party Identifier – A person who identifies with a political party.
Reapportionment – allocation of seats in the house to each state after each census.
Redistricting – redrawing of boundaries of the congressional districts within each state.
Justiciable Question - Question that may be raised and reviewed in court.
Gerrymandering – The drawing of legislative district boundary lines to obtain a partisan or factional advantage.
Franking – Policy that enables members of congress to send material through the mail by substituting their facsimile signature (Frank) for postage.
Discharge Petition – Procedure by which a bill in the house may be forced out of a committee that has refused to report it for consideration by the house. The petition must be signed by an absolute majority (218) of representatives and is used only on rare occasions.
Standing Committee - Permanent committee in the house or senate that considers bills within a certain subject area.
Select Committee – Temporary legislative committee established for a temporary time period and for special purpose.
Joint Committee – A legislative committee composed of members from both chambers of congress.
Conference Committee – Special joint committee appointed to reconcile differences when bills pass the two chambers in different forms.
Seniority System – Custom followed in both chambers of congress specifying that the member of the majority party with the longest term of continuous service will be given preference when a significant post is selected.
Speaker of the House – Presiding officer in the house. Always selected from the majority party. Is the most powerful and influential member of the house.
Majority leader of the House – position held by an important majority party member who acts as spokesperson for that majority.
Minority Leader of the House – Party leader elected by the minority party and serves in same capacity as Majority leader.
Whip – House member who aids the majority/minority leader of the house or senate.
President Pro Tempore – Temporary presiding officer of the senate in the absence of the vice-president.
Senate Majority/Minority Leader – Chief spokesperson of the majority/minority party who directs the legislative program and party strategy.
Conservative Coalition – Alliance of republican and southern democrats that can form in the house or senate to oppose liberal and support conservative legislation.
Blue Dog Democrats – Members of congress from more moderate states who sometimes cross over to vote with republicans on legislation.