AP GOVERNMENT COOKBOOK

1. AP GOVERNMENTCOOKBOOK Unit III: Political Parties, Interest Groups and the Media

2. SYLLABUS - Unit III Description • Political Parties, Interest Groups and The Media Students should understand the mechanisms that allow citizens to organize and communicate their interests and concerns . Among these are political parties, elections, political action committees (PACs), interest groups, and the mass media . Students should examine the significance of the historical evolution of the U .S . party system, the functions and structures of political parties, and the effects they have on the political process . Examination of issues of party reform and of campaign strategies and financing in the electronic age provides students with important perspectives . A study of elections, election laws, and election systems on the national and state levels will help students understand the nature of both party and individual voting behavior . Treatment of the development and the role of PACs in elections and the ideological and demographic differences between the two major parties, as well as third parties, forms an important segment of this material Students must also consider the political roles played by a variety of lobbying and interest groups . Important features of this section of the course include an explanation for why some interests are represented by organized groups while others are not, and the consequences of this difference in representation . Students study what interest groups do, how they do it, and how this affects both the political process and public policy . Why are certain segments of the population able to exert pressure on political institutions and actors in order to obtain favorable policies? The media are a major force in U .S . politics . Students are expected to understand the role of the media in the political system . In addition, the impact of the media on public opinion, voter perceptions, campaign strategies, electoral outcomes, agenda development, and the images of officials and candidates should be explored and understood by students . Understanding the often symbiotic and frequently conflictual relationship among candidates, elected officials, and the media is also important . Students should be aware of the goals and incentives of the media as an industry and how those goals influence the nature of news coverage . They should also understand the consequences of the increasing concentration of major media outlets in fewer hands, as well as the growing role of the Internet . PAGE 1

3. Unit II Vocabulary: Political Beliefs and Behaviors Pt. 1 AARP American Association of Retired Persons; Nationwide organization for people over 50 that offers discount drug purchases, health & auto insurance, publications, & other activities Amicus Curiae Brief - literally, a "friend of the court" brief, filed by an individual or organization to present arguments in addition to those presented by the immediate parties to a case Caucus - a private meeting of party leaders to choose candidates for office Constituent - a person whom a member of Congress has been elected to represent Convention - a meeting of delegates of a political party to form policies and select candidates Dealignment-Weakening of partisan preferences that points to a rejection of both major parties and a rise in the number of Independents. Delegate- a person appointed or elected to represent others Divided Government-Governance divided between the parties, as when one holds the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of Congress. Faction - a group, usually a small part of a larger group, united around some cause; disagreement within an organization Grass Roots - the common people at a local level (as distinguished from the centers of political activity) Gridlock- the inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government Hatch Act 1939 - Made it illegal for federal civil service employees to take an active part in political management or political campaigns by serving as party officers, soliciting campaign funds, running for partisan office, working in a partisan campaign, endorsing partisan candidates, taking voters to the polls, counting ballots, circulating nominating petitions, or being delegates to a party convention. Gradually took federal employees out of machine politics. Ideological Parties- Parties based on a particular set of beliefs, a comprehensive view of social, economic, and political matters Incumbent - the official who holds an office Interest Group- a social group whose members control some field of activity and who have common aims Linkage Institutions -the channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. In the United States, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media. Lobbying- direct contact made by an interest group representative in order to persuade government officials to support the policies their interest group favors Lobbyist -representative of an interest group who contacts lawmakers or other government officials directly to influence their policy making Merit System-A system of public employment in which selection and promotion depend on demonstrated performance rather than political patronage. Muckrakers -Journalists who attempted to find corruption or wrongdoing in industries and expose it to the public NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)- works for the rights of colored people National Organization of Women (NOW) -organization formed to work for economic and legal rights of women NRA -a powerful lobby that advocates the right to own and bear arms and rejects any gun regulation by the government Political Action Committee (PAC) -committee formed by a special-interest group to raise money for their favorite political candidates Patronage System- An approach to managing the bureaucracy whereby people are appointed to important government positions as a reward for political services they have rendered and because of their partisan loyalty Political Efficacy- one's own influence or effectiveness on politics Political Party- a group of individuals with broad common interests who organize to nominate candidates for office, win elections, conduct government, and determine public policy Political Party Machine- a party organization that recruits its members by dispensing tangible incentives to get favors from government; only cares about winning Proportional Representation an electoral system used throughout most of Europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election. Prospective Voting voting based on the imagined future performance of a candidate; based on what the candidate has promised Public Interest Lobbies- organizations that seek a collective good which does not only benefit their membership. Purposive Incentives- the benefit that comes from serving a cause or principle from which one does not personally benefit Realignment- when popular support switches from one party to another Retrospective Voting-voting for a candidate because you like his or her past actions in office Sierra Club- America's oldest and largest grassroots advocacy group that protects forests and national parks Split Ticket Voting- Voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election Straight Ticket Voting- practice of voting for candidates of only one party in an election Third Parties-political parties that are smaller than the two major parties and introduce new ideas or press for a particular issue Two- Party System- An electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections. Winner- Take- All Representation- System in which the candidate with the majority of the popular vote in a state gets all the electoral votes PAGE 2

4. What are LINKAGE INSTITUTIONS? Public Concerns LINKAGE INSTITUTION: the channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. Voiced to Voiced To Voiced To POLITICAL PARTIES INTEREST GROUPS THE MEDIA Linkage through polls and coverage Linkage through lobbying, donations & litigation. Linkage through Party Platforms Government’s Decision Makers Political Parties choose candidates who share the concerns of their members. They work to get their candidates elected to office. Interest Groups collect donations citizens who share concerns. Interest Groups spend money on lobbying, campaign contributions and litigation. The Media collects and reports on public opinion through polls and news coverage. Through coverage, the media can draw public attention to certain issues. PAGE 3

5. What are POLITICAL PARTIES? Political Parties - a group of individuals with broad common interests who organize to nominate candidates for office, win elections, conduct government, and determine public policy ** Passing Laws and Determining Public Policy are Secondary Goals*** • A Brief History of American Political Parties: • Political Parties are NOT MENTIONED in the Constitution. • Though Madison warned us against the dangers of factions in the Federalist Papers, Political Parties formed almost immediately. • The earliest American political parties were Hamilton’s Federalists and Jefferson’s Antifederalists. • Washington warned against the dangers of political parties in his farewell address. • Though the names of the dominant political parties have changed throughout the years, • there is usually two powerful parties. One Liberal and One Conservative. • The origin of the Democratic and Republican parties can be traced back to • Various factors lead us to a two party system (next slide). PAGE 4

6. Why a TWO PARTY SYSTEM? Several aspects of the American political system have fostered and strengthened the two party system: Because of these factors, THIRD PARTIES have little to no chance to win the Presidency and/or seats in Congress. Therefore, only two major parties can reasonably expect to win. Third Parties in the Parliamentary System: In contrast, parliamentary systems (England, France, etc.) award legislative seats based on percentage of total vote. For example, if a party receives 3% of the vote in a given election, that party would earn 3% of the legislative seats. This gives third parties a chance to get their voice heard. **** THE TWO PARTY SYSTEM WAS NOT PLANNED***** PARTIES ARE NOT IN THE CONSTITUTION PAGE 5

7. The Role of Third Parties in the Political Process Though they rarely win offices, Third parties play A vital role in our political system. 2. The Green party can bring the environmentalism to a national audience by running candidates for political office 1. Voters dissatisfied with the major parties’ stances on environmentalism formed the Green Party. 2. The Green party may have their issues incorporated into the Democrats’ platform in exchange for votes. The NEGATIVE IMPACT OF THIRD PARTIES: Vote Splitting: If a third party candidate runs in a general election against members of the two major parties, the party LEAST like the third party benefits. EX 1: In 1992, Ross Perot ran a third party conservative candidate. He cut into George Bush’s voting base and swung the election towards Clinton. EX 2: In 2000, Ralph Nader ran as a third party liberal candidate. He cut into Al Gore’s voting base and swung the election to George W. Bush. NOTE: While major parties have a broad political platform, Third parties are often single issue parties. (Ex. Right to Life Party) PAGE 1

8. The role of Political Parties in Electing a President Political Parties are crucial in selecting nominees for the presidency. Since Political Parties are not a formal part of our political system, the rules governing the nomination process often change with the whims of the parties. Ex: The Republican primaries of 2012 had fewer winner-take-all elections than in years past. PAGE 6

9. Primaries and Caucuses Both Primaries and Caucuses serve the same purpose: Primary - A State level election between presidential candidates from the same party. Caucus - A meeting of voters from a particular state. During these meetings, voters choose among presidential candidates from the same party. Types of Primaries PRIMARY PROBLEMS: TOO LONG: Primaries occur over the course of five months. Campaigns last over a year. TOO EXPENSIVE: Long campaigns are extremely expensive. Richest candidate usually wins. INEQUALITY: The earlier a state’s primary, the more impact that primary has. FRONT LOADING: States fight to move their primary up on the calendar to get more power, resulting in a front loaded schedule. BANDWAGON EFFECT: Voters tend to support candidates who win the earliest primaries. PAGE 7

10. National Party Conventions KEY TREND: In the last 60 years, primary elections have become a MORE important part of choosing a candidate. National Party leaders have become LESS important in part of choosing a candidate. This falls in line with America’s “elitism to populism” trends. SUPERDELEGATES Unlike state delegates, superdelegates have a choice of who they support. Superdelegates tend to be high ranking party members, governors, senators, etc. Superdelegate endorsements are highly prized. When superdelegates choose a candidate, they are said to be “pledged.” What happens if no candidate has a majority of delegates on the first vote? BROKERED CONVENTION In a brokered convention, “horse trading” takes over. Horse trading refers to behind the scenes politicking that will eventually result in a winner. This is very rare in modern politics. PAGE 8

11. What are Interest Groups? The Big Goal: SIX TYPES OF INTEREST GROUPS PAGE 9

12. How do Interest Groups impact decision making?How has the government attempted to limit their impact? PAGE 10

13. Political Action Committees (PACs) A Political Action Committee (PAC) is an organization in the United States that campaigns for or against political candidatesballot initiatives or legislation. PAC’s must register with the FED. ** Dollar amounts are donation maximums ** ***Spending limits adjusted for Inflation in odd numbered years*** CITIZEN $2,500 $30,800 $5,000 $15,000 $5,000 PAC Candidate Party UNLIMITED Independent Expenditures (Ads, etc.) ***PACs Cannot Coordinate Independent Expenditures with Candidates or Parties*** Unions and Corporations CANNOT contribute to PAC’s PAGE 11

14. SUPER PACs A SUPER PAC is a new type political action committee that was approved by the FEC in 2010. Super PACs have different fundraising and spending rules and permit donations from unions and corporations. They are immensely powerful. SuperPAC’s must register with the FEC. CITIZEN CORPORATIONS UNIONS UNLIMITED UNLIMITED UNLIMITED BANNED BANNED SuperPAC Candidate Party UNLIMITED Independent Expenditures (Ads, etc.) BIG IDEA! SUPERPACS ARE PROVING TO BE EXTREMELY INFLUENTIAL. UNIONS AND CORPORATIONS ARE BECOMING AN ENORMOUS PART OF THE POLITICAL PROCESS. ***SUPERPACs Cannot Coordinate Independent Expenditures with Candidates or Parties*** ***SUPERPACs Cannot give money directly to candidates or parties*** PAGE 12

15. Important Interest Groups INTEREST GROUPS Often Register PACs PAGE 13

16. The roles of the media in the political system Trends in the Political Media: Elitism to Populism: With the rise of the internet and the blogosphere, there are now more people creating media content. Slow to Fast: The shift from newspapers to cable News and the internet have given speed to reporters. Independent to Conglomerate: News organizations are being increasingly purchased by a few select individuals, creating media empires (Viacom, Disney, Fox News) Fact to Opinion: With the expansion of news coverage, reporters are concentrating less on “what happened” and more on “what should happen next”. Editorial programming is rampant. Accuracy to Sensationalism: With more news outlets, reporters must compete for viewers/readers. Reporters must sensationalize or “sell” their news. Liberal Bias to Dual Bias: The traditional liberal bias of the media has been balanced through the emergence of conservative news sources. Accuracy to Inaccuracy: The race to get news out before anyone else causes sources to take risks. The results are often inaccurate. PAGE 14