Warm up

1. Warm up • Who is eligible to vote in the U.S.? • Who can’t vote? • What is an absentee ballot? • What is an exit poll? • Who makes up the electorate? • What is apathy? • What percentage of people vote in a Presidential election? Non Presidential elections? • What is the difference between an initiative and a referendum? • What is the most common means of campaigning? • Why do incumbents win most of the time? • What is the difference between hard money and soft money?

2. Warm up • 1. List three things that influence public opinion. • 2. What do we call individuals who share a point of view and unite to promote their beliefs? • 3. What is the most accurate way to measure public opinion? • 4. What term refers to ideas people hold about a particular issue? • 5. Why are interest groups often referred to as pressure groups? • 6. Because most media outlets are private businesses, how do media managers decide what news to run? • 7. What is prior restraint? • 8. What was decided about libel in New York Times vs. Sullivan? • 9. Why would a politician leak information? • 10. What are lobbyists? • 11. What group represents doctors? • 12. What is the largest group representing workers? • 13. What is the most important resource for lobbyists? • 14. What is the primary goal of interest groups? • 15. What protects a person’s right to join an interest group?

4. Public Opinion Chapter 11

5. Vocab – chapter 11 • Prior restraint • Libel • Malice • Public interest group • Nonpartisan • Political Action Committee (PAC) • Lobbyist • Public opinion • Mass media • Interest group • Public opinion poll • Pollster • Electronic media • Public agenda • Leak

6. Public Opinion • The ideas & attitudes people have about candidates • Influenced by age, gender, income, hobbies, race, religion & occupation • Mass media is a strong influence • Politicians must be responsive to public opinion if they are going to get reelected

7. Understanding public opinion helps presidents make effective, timely decisions. Successful presidents have a good sense of when the public is ready for a new idea and when it is not. • Franklin D. Roosevilt expressed this idea when he said, “I cannot go any faster than the people will let me.” • What exactly did President Roosevelt mean?

9. Determining Public Opinion • Public Opinion Polls – survey – most accurate way to determine public opinion • Pollsters – people trained to take polls & measure public opinion • Push Polls – used to push public opinion one way or another • Have loaded questions – biased to get a certain response • Presidential Approval Rating • Gallup Poll – sampling of public opinion on a particular issue by questioning a representative cross section.

10. Presidential Approval Ratings

11. Media • Print – newspapers, mailings, magazines • Electronic – TV, radio, internet • Main purpose – to keep us informed • Independent media is most desirable • Literacy is important • Bias – one-sided point of view

12. Fox – Republican biased news MSNBC – Democratic biased news How can you protect yourself from bias in the news? Biased Media

13. Interest Groups • People attempting to influence government with their shared views • Pressure groups – group of people who share an interest, concern, or set of opinions and who try to influence politics and the govt. • Functions: • Bring issues to the public & lawmakers • Support candidates who favor their goals

14. Types of Interest Groups • Economic – most common • Business organizations – interested in trade • Industrial & Trade – represent certain types of business • Labor Unions – rights of workers • Professional Associations – represent different professions • Ex. US Chamber of Congress, Tobacco Institute, AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations – alliance of labor unions) • Group • Ethnicity (NAACP) • Age (AARP) • Gender (NOW) • Public – focus on specific causes (PETA)

15. Ways Special Interest Groups Influence Politics • Election Activities – backing a candidate • Lobbying – persuading officials • Provide expert testimony or help write laws in committees • Go to court to fight a cause • Fund elections

16. What assumption can we make about people in an interest group? • What does the phrase, “strength in numbers,” tell us about interest groups?

17. Lobbyists • Lobby – try to get officials to support a group’s goals • Responsible for getting PAC money to the right politicians • Speak in congressional committees

18. Regulation • Lobbyists can’t pay a candidates living expenses • Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act (1946) • All lobbies must register with federal & state governments & report all expenditures

19. Why is it important to know who lobbyists work for?

20. Propaganda • Attempt to influence people with biased information • Always make sure to get both sides of a story from reliable sources • Good way to determine what a candidate really supports is to see which PAC gives them money for campaigning

21. Types of Propaganda • Endorsements – famous or admirable person supports a candidate • Stacked Cards – presenting only 1 side of the issue – distorting the facts • Name-Calling – turning people against an opponent by giving them an unpleasant label or description • Glittering Generality – statement that sounds good but is meaningless • Symbols – use and misuse of symbols • Just Plain Folks – make people think that the candidate is just like them • Bandwagon – convincing people that everyone else agrees with a certain candidate

22. How does name-calling differ from the other techniques?

23. Creating a Public Interest Campaign 1 - Identifying the issue -5 mins • A democratic society requires the active participation of its citizens. • Identify an issue of either school, local, or national interest. • Prepare a short statement expressing your viewpoint about the issue selected. • The statement should explain what your concern is, your viewpoint, and why you have this view

24. Creating a Public Interest Campaign 2 - Speaking Out – 20 mins • Use your statement from part 1 as a basis for an editorial – 3 paragraphs • Include at least 2 statistics and one concrete example that backs up your point of view. • Include the sources you used to get the information

25. Creating a Public Interest Campaign 3 - Working Together – 5 mins • Create a name for your interest group and plan a peaceful demonstration to promote your agenda. • Consider who you want to communicate your concerns – the government or the public. • Consider what activity and location would best communicate your concerns.

26. Creating a Public Interest Campaign 4 - Demonstrating Concern – 15 mins • Using the plan you made in step 3 – incorporate posters, music, and/or a skit that dramatizes your causes.

27. What is publishing false information that harms a person’s reputation? • Propaganda • Censorship • Libel • Slander

28. A disadvantage of mass campaigning is: • Its too time consuming • It takes too many people • Its too expensive • It doesn’t reach enough people

29. All of the following are reasons a person should volunteer except: • The community benefits • A person can deduct it on their tax return • It pays well • It gives a person intrinsic value

30. All of the following are duties except: • Attending school • Paying taxes • Voting in elections • Serving on a jury

31. Which of the following can cause a voters registration to be canceled? • Convicted of a felony • Move out of the state • Nothing cancels voter registration • Both A and B are correct

32. A lobbyist can do all of the following except: • Pay a member of congress to vote for a bill • Prepare a report on a bill • Research information about a bill • Testify about a bill

33. To learn about public opinion, pollsters usually question: • Americans from one particular economic group • Fewer than 100 people • A random sample of people • People with very strong opinions

34. Which one of the following is a branch of the AFL-CIO Union? • American Medical Association • American Bar Association • National Organization for Women • National Football Players Association

35. Most interest groups can be described as: • Biased • Illegal • Impartial • Ineffective

36. All males must register at the age of 18 with the: • Selective Services • Draft Board • US Army • Board of Elections

37. What provides a way for citizens to approve or reject state laws? • Referendum • Proposition • Mandate • Initiative

38. When are referendums most likely used? • Daily issues • Run off elections • Recall elections • Controversial issues

39. What is the main purpose of the media in politics? • Ratings • To inform us • To influence the government • Support the government

40. What is the most common use of campaigning during elections? • Canvassing • Mail • Magazine & Newspaper Ads • TV

41. How does a person contribute to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund? • By paying the sales tax • Checking a box on their income tax forms • Ordinary people can not contribute • Only by contributing to PAC’s

42. What is a split ticket? • Ballots with candidates listed on two sides • Using different ballots for national and state issues • Voting for candidates from different political parties • Voting for candidates from the same political party

43. Which President had the worst approval rating? • Harry Truman • Franklin D. Roosevelt • Richard Nixon • George Bush