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political culture
the widely shared beliefs, values, and norms about how citizens relate to gov and to one another
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social capital
democratic and civic habits of discussion, compromise, and respect for differences, which grow out of participation in voluntary organizations
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natural rights
- rights of all people to dignity and worth
- aka. human rights
- gov must be limited to protect these
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democratic consensus
widespread agreement on fundamental principles of democratic governance and the values that undergird them
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majority rule
governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority
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popular sovereignty
a belief that ultimate power resides in the people
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nationalism
- an enduring sense of national identity or consciousness that derives from cultural, historic, linguistic, or political forces
- (patriotism/optimism/idealism)
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American Dream
the widespread belief that the US is a land of opportunity and that indiv initiative and hard work can bring economic success
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capitalism
economic system characterized by private property, competitive markets, economic incentives, and limited gov involvement in the production, distribution, and pricing of goods and services
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political ideology
a consistent pattern of beliefs about political values and the role of gov
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liberalism
a belief that gov can and should achieve justice and equality of opportunity
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conservatism
belief that limited gov ensures order, competitive markets, and person opportunity
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socialism
economic and governmental system based on public owenership of the means of production and exchange
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libertarianism
ideology that cherishes indiv liberty and insists on minimal gov, promoting a free market econ, a noninterventionist foreign policy, and no regulation in moral, econ, and social life
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ethnocentrism
belief in the uperiority of one's nation or ethnic group
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political socialization
process by which we develop our political values, attitudes, and beliefs
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demography
study of the characteristics of populations
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political predisposition
characteristics of indiv that is predictive of political behavior
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reinforcing cleavages
divisions within society that reinforce on another, making groups more homogenous or similar (differences that agree)
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cross-cutting cleavages
divisions within society that cut across demographic categories to produce groups that are more heterogeneous or different
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manifest destiny
notion held by 19th c. Americans that the US was destined to rule the continent, from the Atlantic to the Pacific
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race
a grouping of human being with distinctive characteristics determind ed genetic inheritance
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ethnicity
social division based on national origin, religion, language, and often race
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gender gap
diff btwn the political opinions or political behavior of men and women
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gross domestic product (GDP)
total output of all econ activity in the nation, including goods and services
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socioeconomic status (SES)
a division of population based on occupation, income, and education
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fundamentalists
conservative Christians who as a group have become more active in politics in the last two decades and were esp influential in the 2000 and 2004 prez elections
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honeymoon
period at the beginning of a new prez term during with the prez enjoys generally positive relations with the press and Congress, usually lasting about 6 months
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caucus
meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform
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party convention
meeting of party delegates to vote on matters of policy and in some cases to sele ct party candidates for public office
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direct primary
election in which voters choose party nominees
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open primary
primary election in which any voter, regard-less of party, may vote
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crossover voting
voting by a member of one party for a candidate of another party
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closed primary
primary election in which only persons registered in the party holding the primary may vote
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political party
organization that seeks political power by electing people to office so that its positions and philosphy become public policy
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nonpartisan election
election in which candidates are not selecte or endorsed by political parites and party affiliation is not listed on ballots
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patronage
- dispensing of gov jobs to persons who belong to the wnning political party
- aka spoils system
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minor party
small political party that persists over time, is often composed of ideologies on the rt or left, or that is centered on a charismatic candidate. aka THRID PARTY
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proportional representation
election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the votes
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winner-take-all system
election system in which candidate with the most votes wins (all)
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realigning election
an elecion during periods of expanded suffrage and change in the econ and society that proves to be a turning pt, redefining the agenda of politics and the alignment of voters within parties
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divided gov
governance divided btwn the parties, as when one holds the presidency and the other controls on or both houses of Congress
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national party convention
national meeting of delegates elected in primaries, caucuses, or state conventions who assemble once every four years to nominate candidates for prez and VP, ratify the party platform, elect officers, and adopt rules
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party registration
act of declaring party affiliation; required by some states when one registers to vote
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party identification
an affiliation with a political party that most ppl acquire in childhood
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dealignment
weakiening of partisan preferences that points to a rejection of both major parties and a rise in # of independents
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soft money
- money raised in unlimited amts by political parties for party-building purposes. Now largely illegal except for limited contributions to state or local parties for voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts
- limited by Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)
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hard money
political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amt and fully disclosed. Raising such limited funds was harder than raising unlimited soft money --> "hard" money
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single-member district
an electoral district in which voters choose ONE rep or official
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electoral college
election system used in electing the prez the VP, in which voters vote for electors pledged to cast their ballots for a particular party's candidate
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safe seat
an elected office that is predictably won by one by one party or he other, so the success of that party's candidate is almost taken for granted
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coattail effect
the boost that candidates may get in an election bc of the popularity of candidates above them on the ballot, esp the prez (house and senate elections during popular prez of same party)
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candidate appeal
the tendency in elections to focus on the personal attibutes of a candidate, such as his or her strengths, weaknesses, background, experience, and visibility
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national tide
inclination to focus on national issues, rather than local issues, in an election campaign. The impact of a national tide can be reduced by the nation of the candidates on the ballot who may have differentiated themselves from their party or its leader if the tide is negative, as well as competition in the election
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name recognition
imcumbents have an advantage over challengers in election campaigns bc voters are more familiar with them ,and incumbents are more recognizable
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Federal Election Commission (FEC)
a commission created by the 1974 amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act to administer election reform laws. It consists of six commissioners appointed by the prez and confirmed by the Senate. Its duties include overseeing disclosure of campaign finance info, public funding of prez elections, and enforcing contribution limits
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Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)
Largely banned party soft money, restored a long-standing prohibition on corporations and labor unions for using general treasury funds for electoral purposes, and narrowed the definition of issue advocacy
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issue advocacy
promoting a particular position or an issue paid for by interest groups or indivs but not candidates. Much issue advocacy is often electioneering for or against a candidate, avoiding words like "vote for" and until 2004 had not been subject to any regulation
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527 organizations
interest groups organized under Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code may advertise for or against candidates. If their source of funding is corporations or unions, they have some restrictions on broadcast advertising
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independent expenditures
money spent by indivs or groups not associated with candidates to elect or defeat candidates for office
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public opinion
the distribution of indiv preferences for or evaluations of a given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population
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random sample
sample in which every indiv has a known and equal chance of being selected
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consensus
when a substantial percentage of a sample agree on an issue
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polarized
when two opposing sides feel intensely about an issue and the diff between the major alternatives is wide
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universe
population to whom the question is asked
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intensity
degree to which ppl feel strongly about their opinion
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latency
political opinions ppl may hold but have not fully expressed
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salience
measures the extent to which ppl believe issues are relevant to them
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distribution
proportion of the population that holds a particular opinion
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sample
small number of ppl that can accurately represent the opinion of the larger population
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margin of error
the sample accuracy in reflecting the population within a certain range
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manifest opinion
- widely shared and consciously held view
- ex. support for abortion rights; homeland security
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attitudes
shapes opinions
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selective exposure
indiv choosing to access media with which they agree or avoiding media with which they disagree
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attentive public
- citizens who follow public affairs carefully
- part-time public pays less attention but knows some stuff
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voter registration
system designed to reduce voter fraud by limiting voting to those who have established eligibility to vote by submitting the proper docs including proof of residency
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absentee voting
- don't vote locally on election day
- early by mail
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special elections
replace members of HoR who have died or left office
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midterm election
elections held midway btwn presidential elections
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turnout
proportion of the voting-age public that votes, sometimes defined as the number of registered voters that vote
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canvass
interviews campaigners use to learn which issues matter to potential voters and which candidates they prefer
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prospective issue voting
voting based on what a candidate pledges to do in the future about issues if elected
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retrospective issue voting
- holdin incumbants, usually the president's party, responsible for their records on issues
- such as economy or foreign policy
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