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47 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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party competition
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The battle of the parties for control of public offices. Ups and downs of the two major parties are one of the most important elements in American politics.
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political party
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According to Anthony Downs, a "team of men [and women] seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election.
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linkage institutions
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The channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. In the United States, linkage elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.
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rational-choice theory
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A popular theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians. It assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, carefully weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives.
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party image
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The voter's perception of what the Republicans or Democrats stand for, such as conservatism or liberalism.
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party identification
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A citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other.
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ticket splitting
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Voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices. It has become the norm in American voting behavior.
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party machines
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A type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern.
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patronage
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One of the key inducements used by party machines. A patronage job, promotion, or contract is one that is given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone.
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closed primaries
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Elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for that party's candidates, thus encouraging greater party loyalty.
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open primaries
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Elections to select nominees in which voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests.
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national convention
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The meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party's platform.
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national committee
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One of the institutions that keeps the party operating between conventions. The national committee is composed of representatives from the states and territories.
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national chairperson
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The national chairperson is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the party and is usually handpicked by the nominee.
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coalition
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A group of individuals with a common interest on which every political party depends.
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party eras
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Historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power, which tends to win a majority of the elections.
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critical election
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An electoral "earthquake" where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displayed by the minority party.
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party realignment
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The displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.
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New Deal Coalition
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A coalition forged by the Democrats, who dominated American politics from the 1930s to 1960s. Its basic elements were the urban working class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews, the poor, Southerners, African Americans, and intellectuals.
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party dealignment
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The gradual disengagement of people from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identification.
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Third Parties
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Electoral contenders other than the two major parties. American third parties are not unusual, but they rarely win elections.
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winner-take-all system
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An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies.
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proportional representation
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An electoral system used throughout most of Europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportional to the number of votes won in an election.
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coalition governement
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When two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature. This form of government is quite common in multiparty systems of Europe.
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responsible party model
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A view about how parties should work, held by some political scientists. According to the model, parties should offer clear choices to the voters, who can then use their choices as cues to their own preferences of candidates. Once in office, parties would carry out their campaign promises.
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Blue Dog Democrats
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Fiscally conservative Democrats who are mostly from the South and/or rural parts of the United States.
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nomination
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The official endorsement of a candidate for office by a political party. Generally, success in the nomination game requires momentum, money, and media attention.
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campaign strategy
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The master game plan candidates lay out to guide their electoral campaign.
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national party convention
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The supreme power within each of the parties. The convention meets every four years to nominate the party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates and to write the party's platform.
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McGovern-Fraser Commission
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A commission formed at the 1968 Democratic convention in response to demands for reform by minority groups and others who sought better representation.
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superdelegates
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National party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the national party convention.
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caucus
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A system for selecting convention delegates used in about a dozen mostly rural states in which voters must show up at a set time and attend an open meeting at express their presidential preference.
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presidential primaries
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Elections in which state's voters go to the polls to express their preference for a party's nominee for president. Most delegates to the national party conventions are chosen this way.
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frontloading
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The recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention.
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national primaries
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A proposed nationwide primary that would replace the current system of caucuses and presidential primaries.
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regional primaries
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A proposed series of primaries held in each geographic region that would replace the current system of caucuses and presidential primaries.
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party platform
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A political party's statement of its goals and policies for the next four years. The platform is drafted prior to the party convention by a committee whose members are chosen in rough proportion to each candidate's strength. It is the best formal statement of a party's beliefs.
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direct mail
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A method of raising money for a political cause or candidate , in which information and requests for money are sent to people whose names appears on the lists of those who have supported similar views or candidates in the past.
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Federal Election Campaign Act
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A law passed in 1974 for reforming campaign finances. The act created the Federal Election Commission, provided public financing for presidential primaries and general elections, limited presidential campaign spending, required disclosure, and attempted to limit contributions.
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Federal Election Commission
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A six-member bipartisan agency created by the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974. The Federal Election Commission administers and enforces campaign finance laws
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Presidential Election Campaign Fund
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Money from the $3 federal income tax check-off does into this fund, which is then distributed to qualified candidates to subsidize their presidential campaigns.
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matching funds
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Contribution of up to $250 are matched from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund to candidates for the presidential nomination who qualify and agree to meet various conditions, such as limiting their overall spending.
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soft money
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Political contributions earmarked for party-building expenses at the grass-roots level or for generic party advertising
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527 Groups
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Independent political groups that are not subject to contribute restrictions because they do not directly seek the election of particular candidates. Section 527 of the tax code specifies that contributions to such groups must be reported to the IRS.
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501(c) Groups
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Groups that are exempted from reporting their contributions and can receive unlimited contributions. Section 501c of the tax code specifies that such groups cannot spend more than half their funds on political activites
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political action committees
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Funding vehicles created by the 1974 campaign finance reforms. A corporation, union, or some other interest group can create a political action committee (PAC) and register it with the Federal Election Commission, which will meticulously monitor the PAC's expenditures.
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selective perception
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The phenomenon that people's beliefs often guide what they pay the most attention to and how they interpret events.
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