POSC 100 Exam 2

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POSC 100 Exam 2 1. What is the definition of political parties? - ✔✔Political parties are organizations that seek to achieve power by winning public office 2. What was the significance of the p ... residential election of 1796? - ✔✔The presidential election of 1796 was the first time two candidates campaigned as member of opposing parties and it was the beginning of the Electoral college's transformation form an independent check on the popular vote to "rubber stamp" on the popular vote. 3.Loyal Democratic Party members tend to come from which groups? - ✔✔Loyal Democratic Party members tend to come from - African Americans and other minorities - Government employees - Union leaders - Liberal intellectuals in the media and universities feminist organization and environmentalist - Gay, lesbians, and bi sexual. 4.Was the Democratic Leadership Council successful in bringing the Democratic Party closer to the center of the political spectrum? - ✔✔The Democratic Leadership Council was not successful in brining the Democratic Party closer to the center of the political spectrum. 5.In the 1990's, what areas did the Republican Party fail in? - ✔✔The Republican Party abandoned its principles of lower federal spending and shrinking the size and failed to secure the country's borders. 6.What are the things responsible parties are supposed to do? - ✔✔Responsible parties in theory are suppose to - Adopt a platform containing its principles and policy positions - Recruit candidates for public office who agree with the party's platform. - Inform and educate the public about the platform - Organize and direct campaigns based on platform principles - Organize the legislature to ensure party control of policy ( making ) - Hold its elected officials responsible for enacting the party's platform. 7.Do the major political parties control who their nominee for the general election? - ✔✔No, major political parties cannot control who their nominee will be. 8.On what principle does a presidential candidate usually select a vice presidential candidate? - ✔✔Presidential candidate casually select a vice president based on ticket balancing someone who will balance the ticket based on Washington experience, ideology, or geography). 9.What is the definition of a primary election? - ✔✔Primary election - registered voters select who will be their party's nominee in the general election 10.What is the definition of an open primary? - ✔✔Open primaries- anyone regardless of party affiliation may choose to vote in either party's primary election 11.What is the definition of a closed primary? - ✔✔Closed primaries - Only voters who are registered as Democrats or Republican can vote in their chosen party's primary. 12.What is the Franking Privilege? - ✔✔The franking Privilege- Congressional incumbents send self promotional newsletters to tens of thousands of registered voters at tax payers expense 13.What are Pork Barrel Projects? - ✔✔Park Barrel Projects- expensive and wasteful projects that benefit their district or state 14.What are sound bites? - ✔✔Themes must be stated in catchy sound bites the viewers will remember. Sound Bite is concise and catchy phrases that attract media coverage 15.What is constituency service? - ✔✔Providing constituency services, helping the folks back home, is probably the most important thing a senator or representative can do to ensure reelection. It's usually as or more important than developing a reputation in some major but remote policy area. 16.What is the election strategy of a candidate challenging the incumbent? - ✔✔Favorable economic times benefits the incumbent; poor economic conditions benefit the challenger. 17.What government entity has the responsibility of enforcing federal election laws and disbursing public presidential campaign funds? - ✔✔The Federal Election Commission is the agency charged with federal election laws and disbursing public presidential campaign funds. 18. What is the most reliable source of campaign contributions? - ✔✔Political Action committees (PACS) are the most reliable source of campaign contribution 19. To operate according to the law, how must independent organizations (527s), operate in regards to candidates and campaigns? - ✔✔Independent organization (527s) can spend whatever they want in order to promote their political views, so long as they do so without cooperation of consultation with a candidate or his or her campaign 20. What are swing states? - ✔✔Swing States- Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri 21. What can be the best predictor of presidential election outcomes? - ✔✔Economic conditions can be the best predictor of presidential election outcome. 22. What is the definition of interest groups? - ✔✔Interest groups are organization that seek to obtain at least part of their goals by directly influenced government policy 23.What is the definition of a public interest group? - ✔✔Public-Interest group - Interest group that claim to represent broad classes of people of people or public as a whole 24.What is the lobbying technique known as "access"? - ✔✔The lobbying Technique know as "Access" is the meeting and talking with decision makers, a prerequisite to direct persuasion 25. How do interest groups influence federal judges? - ✔✔Interest groups influence federal judge by protests and demonstrations 26.What is the most common source of news source for Americans? - ✔✔TV is most common source of news for Americans 27.Which newsmagazines have a liberal political bias? - ✔✔Time, Newsweek, The Nation, and New Republic have a liberal political bias 28.Which newsmagazines have a conservative political bias? - ✔✔National Review, American Spectator, weekly standard have a conservative bias. 29.What is the most important source of media power? - ✔✔News making is the most important source of media power 30.What do we mean when we say the media is performing the function of "interpreting"? - ✔✔Interpreting - Editors, reporters, and anchors provide each story within a "spin" in the way they interpret a story and speculate on its meaning consequences. 31.When the media performs the function of "persuading," what are we referring to? - ✔✔Persuading - The media engages in direct efforts to change our atitidies, opinions, and behavior 32.When the media performs the function of "socialization," what are we referring to? - ✔✔Socialization- The media has the power to teach us what are "acceptable" and unacceptable" ways of life in our culture and in our voice system 33.When the media choose to deliver its news in a format that is known as sensationalism, what criteria does it use to select the stories it will broadcast? - ✔✔Economic interests is the criteria use to select stories it broadcast in a sensationalism format 34.What specific issues are influenced by the media's ideological leanings and what are its views on these issues? - ✔✔- Ideological leanings: The political values of the media are overwhelming liberal and reformist. - Their ideological leanings lead them to prefer an internationalist's foreign, policy, cautious about using the military, suspicious of big businesses but not big government or big unions. - Liberalism in Hollywood: With a few exceptions, Hollywood professionals at all levels and in all roles are overwhelming liberal in their political views. - Hollywood is a major source of Democratic Party campaign funds. 35.What does the "Equal Time Requirement" require the media to do? - ✔✔- The Equaltime requirement: the radio and TV station and who sell time to any political candidate must make equal time available to opposing candidates at the same price. - The Equal-time requirement does not apply to newscasts, news specials, documentaries, talk shows, presidential press conferences, and to presidential addresses to the nation. 36.Which branch of the federal government did the nation's Founder's believe would be the strongest? - ✔✔The federal government believed Congress would be the strongest branch of government 37.What are the powers of the Senate? - ✔✔Senate ratifies treaties, confirms president's judicial and executive nomination 38. What is Congress doing when it exercises its oversight function? - ✔✔Oversight - Congressional monitoring of the activities of executive branch agencies to determine if the law are being faithfully executed. 39. What is gerrymandering? - ✔✔The drawing of districts lines for a political advantage. Gerrymandering has been used by parties in control of the state legislatures to maximize their seats in Congress and state legislatures. 40. The free mailing privilege members of Congress have is called? - ✔✔The Franking Privilege Franking Privelege: Congressional incumbents send self-promotional newsletters to tens of thousands of registered voters at tax payers' expense 41. When bills deal with more than one subject, which member of the House of Representatives determines which committee it will go to? - ✔✔SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE When bills are complex (Bills with more than one subject), the speaker determines which committee it will go to. 42. What is or are some of the major functions of congressional committees? - ✔✔Authorize expenditures (taxing and spending) influence over national policy through appropriation bill. Congress influences military affairs foreign affairs and foreign aid thorough appropriation bills Major function of committees is the screening and drafting of legislation. 43. How are the proportions of Democrats and Republicans determined on each committee in Congress? - ✔✔The proportions of Democrats and Republicans in committees reflect their proportion in the House and senate as a while. 44.Which committee decides whether to forbid amendments, to allow specified amendments, or allow unlimited amendments? - ✔✔The House Rule Committee The House Rule Committee: Before a bill goes to the House floor for a vote, the Rules Committee decides whether to forbid amendments, allow specified amendments, or allow unlimited amendments 45 What is a discharge petition used for? - ✔✔A discharged petition in required in the house to force a bill out of a committee that appose it. 46. Which chamber of Congress relies on unanimous consent agreements to determine such things as whether amendments will be allowed on a bill? - ✔✔The Senate The Senate relies on unanimous consent agreement negotiated by the majority and minority leaders of the Senate it specifies when a bill will be taken up on the floor, what amendments will be considered, an [Show More]

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