American Politics 3

political activities whose purpose is to influence government

voting, writing letters, signing petitions, donating to causes, contacting elected officials, joining political organizations

a strategy by which organized interests seek to influence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on members of the legislature

an attempt, usually through the use of paid consultants, to establish a favorable relationship with the public and influence its political opinions

carefully selected cases intended to get a law either favorably interpreted or overturned

Intentionaly breaking a law in order to bring it into the court system so it can be overturned

a lawsuit or legal proceeding; as a form of political participation, an attempt to change the law through the judicial system

participation that involves assembling crowds to confront a government or other official organization

protected by 1st Amendment (if peaceful)

prevents use of poll taxes to restrict suffrage

1971: lowered voting age to 18

1920: Grants suffrage to Women

1 of 3 Civil War Amendments

1870: expansion of franchise for Race

15th, 19th, 24th, 26th Amendments for suffrage

the right to vote

a state-imposed tax on voters as a prerequisite for registration. Rendered unconstitutional in 1966

the percentage of eligible individuals who actually vote

status in society based on level of education, income and occupational prestige

a sense of concern among members of the political community about public, social, and political life, expressed through participation in social and political organizations

the process by which large numbers of people are organized for a political activity

organized groups that attempt to influence the government by electing their members to important government offices

a political system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control

the point in history when a new party supplants the ruling party, becoming in turn the dominant political force.

In the USA, has tended to occur every 30 years

the condition in American government wherein the presidency is controlled by one party while the opposing party controls one or both houses of Congress

parties that organize to compete against the two major American political parties

an electorate that is allowed to select only one representative from each district; the normal method of representation in the USA

an electorate that selects all candidates at large from the whole district; each voter is given the number of votes equivalent to the number of seats to be filled

a type of electoral system in which, to win a seat in the parliament or other representative body, a candidate need only receive the most votes in the election, not necessarily a majority of the votes cast

a multiple-member district system that allows each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the total vote

the formal structure of a political party, including its leadership, election committees, active members, and paid staff

a national party political institution that nominates the party's presidential and vice presidential candidates, establishes party rules, and writes and ratifies the party's platform

a party document, written at a national convention, that contains party philosophy, principles, and positions on issues

nonprofit independent groups that receive and dispurse funds to influence the nomination, election, or defeat of candidates

well-organized strong party organizations in late 19th and early 20th century American cities. Lead by "bosses" who controlled party nominations and patronage

resources available to higher officials, usually opportunities to make partisan appointments to offices and to confer grants, licenses, or special favors to supporters

money contributed directly to political parties and other organizations for political activities that is not regulated by federal campaign spending laws

an individual voter's psychological ties to one party or another

partisans who contribute time, energy, and effort to support their party and its candidates

the process by which political parties select their candidates for election to public office

an individual who identifies a problem as a political issue and brings a policy proposal into the political agenda

congressional elections that do not coincide with a presidential election; also called "off-year elections"

elections held to select a party's candidate for the general election

a primary election in which voters can participate in the nomination of candidates, but only of the party in which they are enrolled for a period of time prior to primary day

a primary election in which the voter can wait until the day of the primary to choose which party to enroll in to select candidates for the general election

the practice of referring a measure proposed or passed by a legislature to the vote of the electorate for approval or rejection

procedure to allow voters an opportunity to remove state officials from office before their terms expire

a type of electoral system in which, to win a seat in the parliament or other representative body, a candidate must receive a majority of all the votes cast in the relevant district

attempts to draw district boundaries so as to create districts made up primarily of disadvantaged or underrepresented minorities

a gerrymandered voting district that improves the chances of minority candidates by making selected minority groups the majority within the district

the result of voters casting their ballot for president or governor and "automatically" voting for the remainder of the party's ticket

an effort by political candidates and their supporters to win the backing of donors, political activists, and voters in their quest for political office

a candidate running for reelection to a position that they already hold

a presidential nominating caucus open to anyone who wishes to attend

a presidential nominating caucus open only to registered party members

system in which all of a state's presidential nominating delegates are awarded to the candidate who wins the most votes, while runners-up receive no delegates

political activists selected to vote at a party's national convention

a covention delegate position, in Democratic conventions, reserved for party officials

a 15/30/60 second TV campaign commercial that permits a candidate's message to be delivered to a target audience

a media format in which candidates meet with ordinary citizens. Allows candidates to deliver messages without the presence of journalists or commentators

voting based on the imagined future performance of a candidate

voting based on the past performance of a candidate

a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns

nonprofit groups that also engage in issue advocacy; may spend up to half its revenue for political puposes

individuals who organize to influence the government's programs and policies

an organized group in which members actually play a substantial role, sitting on committees and engaging in group projects

a type of membership group in which a professional staff conducts most of the group's activities

those who enjoy the benefits of collective goods but did not participate in acquiring them

special newsletters, periodicals, training programs, conferences, and other information provided to members of groups to entice others to join

special goods, services, or money provided to members of groups to entice others to join

selective benefits of group membership that emphasize friendship, networking, and consciousness raising

selective benefits of group membership that emphasizes the purpose and accomplishments of the group

political movement that strengthened public interest groups

movement was made up of professionals and intellectuals for whom the civil rights and antiwar movements were formative experiences.

groups that claim they serve the general good rather than only their own particular interest

a loose network of elected leaders, public officials, activists, and interest groups drawn together by a specific policy issue

advertising designed to create a positive image of an organization

a lobbying campaign in which a group mobilizes its membership to contact government officials in support of the group's position

areas of personal freedom with which governments are constrained from interfering

protection from improper government action

a check on the majority in order to allow unpopular minorities to speak and act as they desire: protects the marketplace of ideas

Rules regarding how the government must act

1st 10 Amendments of the Constitution

purpose was to establish a militia (police force) to maintain public order

since the state wouldn't provide arms, citizens were expected to keep their own arms ready

the process of extending the Bill of Rights to the states

limits on what the government can or cannot do

a law that declares a person guilty of a crime without a trial

a law that declares an action to be illegal after it has been committed

the process by which different protections in the Bill of Rights were incorporated into the 14th Amendment, thus guaranteeing citizens protection from state as well as national governments

Libel (written) and Slander (oral): must be untrue

Obscenity

Fighting Words (Hate Speech)

Commercial Speech

the 1st Amendment Clause that says that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."

means that a "wall of separation" exists between curch and state

government action toward religion is permissible if it is secular in purpose, neither promotes nor inhibits the practice of religion, and does not lead to "excessive entanglement" with religion

the 1st Amendment clause that protects a citizen's right to believe and practice whatever religion they choose

test to determine whether speech is protected or unprotected, based on its capacity to prove hazardous to society

speech accompanied by conduct such as sit-ins, picketing, and demonstrations

an effort by governmental agency to block the publication on material it deems libelious or harmful in some other way; Censorship.

a written saement made in "reckless disregard of the truth" that is considered damaging to a victim because it is "malicious, scandalous, and defamatory"

an oral statement, made in "reckless disregard of the truth" which is considered damaging to the victim because it is "malicious, scandalous, and defamatory"

speech that directly incites damaging conduct

4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th Amendments are the essence

the right of every citizen against arbitrary action by national of state governments

determines whether sufficient evidence is available to justify a trial

cannot be tried for the same crime

right to a grand jury

double jeopardy

protection against "taking" of private property "without just compensation"

protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures

the ability of courts to exclude evidence obtained in violation of the 4th Amendment

jury that determines whether sufficient evidence is available to justify a trial; they do NOT rule on the accused's guilt or innocence

the 5th Amendment right providing that a person cannot be tried twice for the same crime

persons under arrest must be informed prior to police interrogation of their rights to remain silent and to have the benefit of legal counsel

the right of government to take private property for public use

the right to be left alone, which has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to entail free access to birth control and abortions

Not covered in tthe Constitution or the Bill of Rights

short snipptes of information aimed at dramatizing a story rather than explaining its substantive meaning

the requirement that that broadcasters provide candidates for the same political office equal opportunities to communicate their messagess to the public

must sell time at the lowest rate

if 45 days before election, candidates must acknowledge sponsorship of ad to get that rate

A Federal Communications Commission regulation giving individuals the right to have the opportunity to respond to personal attacks made on a radio or TV broadcast

a Federal Communications Commission requirement for broadcasters who air programs on controversial issues to provide time for opposing views - ceased enforcement 1985

the power of the media to bring public attention to particular issues and programs

the power of the media to influence how events and issues are interpreted

process of preparing the public to take a particular view of an event or political actor

covers relatively few topics and often does so at a very superficial level

likes stories that have images

often reduces very complex topics to a series of sound bites

7 words that can never be used

Over-the-air broadcast media: regulations prohibit obscenity, indecency, and profanity. Also assumes that children have access

Cable TV and Satelite Radio: Explicit sexual content and graphic language not prohibited

shrinking in readership, but form the backbone of the American media

Have the capacity to cover multiple stories

Can cover at very high levels of detail

both traditional broadcast and print media have a presence

opens space for new voices and instant news

allows for low-cost and sometimes more interactive news sources

Positive: Americans share a common body of knowledge

Negative: Tends to drown out minority/fringe opinions

Reporters: tend to lean Liberal

Owners: tend to lean Conservative

use of any unreasonable and unjust criterion of exclusion

obligation imposed on government to take positive action to protect citizens from any illegal action of government agencies as well as of other private citizens

provision of the 14th Amendment: has been the basis for the civil rights of women minority groups - guarantees equal protection of the laws

1 of 3 Civil War Amendments: abolished slavery

1 of 3 Civil War Amendments: guaranteed equal protection and due process

laws enacted by southern states following Reconstruction that discriminated against African Americans

doctrine that public accomodations could be segregated by race but still be equal

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

the 1954 Supreme Court decision that struck down the "seperate but equal" docterine as fundamentally unequal. This case eliminated state power to use race as a criterion of discrimintation in law and provided the national government with the power to inervene by exercising strict regulatory policies against discriminatory actions.

test used by the Supreme Court in racial discrimination cases and other cases invloving civil liberties and civil rights, which places the burdon of proof on the government rather than on the challengers to show that the law in qustion is constitutional

legally enforced practices

"by law"

practices that occur even when there is no legal enforcement

"by fact"

apportionment of voters in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one racial/ethnic group or political party

a practice in which banks refuse to make loans to people living in certain geographic locations

test used by the Supreme Court in gender discrimination cases, which places the burden of proof partially on the government and partially on the challengers to show that the law in question is unconstitutional

government policies or programs that seek to redress past injustices against specified groups by making spacial efforts to provide members of these groups with access to educational and employment opportunities

a law, rule, statute, or edict that expresses the government's goals and provides for rewards and punishments to promote their attainment.

a local or judicial election in which party affiliation is not listed on the ballot

State parties choose their prefernece for candidates who will run in the general elections

states can also hol caucuses, in which members meet and vote

determine who gets to hold office

typically draws the most voters

the Constitution gives states control over elections within their borders

Localities typically administer elections

elections are overseen by state regulators

allows citizens to propose and enact constitutional amendments and legislation, independent of legislature

total number of votes nation-wide

House chooses the President (each state delegation gets 1 vote)

Senate chooses the vice president (each senator gets 1 vote)

A candidate can win the popular vote and NOT the electoral vote.

a theory that citizens with varied interests and opinions connect to the government though interest groups that compete in the public sphere

desired result: compromise and moderation

Leadership

Money

Agency/Office

Members

1. bringing suit directly on the behalf of the group

2. by financing suits brought by individuals

3. by filing a companion brief as an "amicus curiae" in an existing case

due to ...

Expansion of government and new politics of interest groups

bans ex-officials from being hired for one year

Obama Administration

all lobbyists must register as such

businesses and trade associations cannot write off lobbying expenses

no gifts over $50 in value

Gaming industry

• Unions
• - NV State Education Association
• - Culinary

heavily dependent in lobbyists

power of courts to declare actions of legislative and executive branches invalid or unconstitutional

Right to representation by counsel

speedy and public trial

an impartial jury

Right to obtain a witness in their favor

Right to appeal

Prohibits "cruel and unusual" punishment

Roe v. Wade

Lawrence and Garner v. Texas (2003)

raised funds to support legal challenges to Jim Crowe Laws

helped bring northern blacks into the political system

owtlawing discrimination in employment

rights for Latinos (schools)