American Gov KT pol part. intres. mas media

A group of citizens who organize to win elections, hold public offices, operate governments and determine public policy

The winning candidate is the person who recevies more botes than anyone else, but less than half the total

An electoral district from whcih one person is chosen by the voters for each elected office. This type of electoral system typically leads to legislatures dominated by two political parties.

A Historiccal period dominated by one political party.

an election when significant groups of voters change their traditional patterns of party loyalty.

The Majority party is displaced by the minority party, thus ushering in a new party era. For example, in 1932, Franklin  Delano Roosevelt led the New Deal coalition of blue-collar workers, racial minorities, Southerneres, and farm laborers to a sweeping electoral vitory.

A government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls Congress. The pattern of divided government has dominated U.S. politics since the early 1970s

An organization of people whose members share views on specific intresets and attempt to influence public policy to their benfit. Unlike political parties, intrest groups do not elect people to office.

A committee formed by business, labor, or other interest groups to raise money and make contributions to the campaign of political candidates whom they support.

People who benefit from an interest group without making any contributions. Labor unions and public intrest groups often have a free-rider problem because people can benefit from the group's activites without joining. 

The theory that a small number of very wealthy individuals, powerful corporate interest groups, and large financial institutions dominate key policy areas,

 The theory that many interest groups compete for power in a large number of policy areas.

The Theory that government policy is wekened and often contradictory because there are so man competing intrest groups.

Means of communication such as newspapers, raido, television, and the Internet that can reach large, widely dispersed audiences

Institutions that connect citizens to government. The mass media,  interest groups, and political parties are the three main linkage institutions

The tendency of the media to cover campaigns by emphasizing how candidates stand in the polls instead of where they stand on the issues.