Ap Government Chapter 8 & 9

Front 1

party competition

Back 1

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.

Front 2

political party

Back 2

According to Anthony Downs, a "team of men [and women] seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election.

Front 3

linkage institutions

Back 3

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.

Front 4

rational-choice theory

Back 4

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.

Front 5

party image

Back 5

The voter's perception of what the Republicans or Democrats stand for, such as conservatism or liberalism.

Front 6

party identification

Back 6

A citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other.

Front 7

ticket splitting

Back 7

Voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices. It has become the norm in American voting behavior.

Front 8

party machines

Back 8

A type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern.

Front 9

patronage

Back 9

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.

Front 10

closed primaries

Back 10

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.

Front 11

open primaries

Back 11

Elections to select nominees in which voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests.

Front 12

national convention

Back 12

The meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party's platform.

Front 13

national committee

Back 13

One of the institutions that keeps the party operating between conventions. The national committee is composed of representatives from the states and territories.

Front 14

national chairperson

Back 14

The national chairperson is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the party and is usually handpicked by the nominee.

Front 15

coalition

Back 15

A group of individuals with a common interest on which every political party depends.

Front 16

party eras

Back 16

Historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power, which tends to win a majority of the elections.

Front 17

critical election

Back 17

An electoral "earthquake" where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displayed by the minority party.

Front 18

party realignment

Back 18

The displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.

Front 19

New Deal Coalition

Back 19

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.

Front 20

party dealignment

Back 20

The gradual disengagement of people from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identification.

Front 21

Third Parties

Back 21

Electoral contenders other than the two major parties. American third parties are not unusual, but they rarely win elections.

Front 22

winner-take-all system

Back 22

An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies.

Front 23

proportional representation

Back 23

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.

Front 24

coalition governement

Back 24

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.

Front 25

responsible party model

Back 25

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.

Front 26

Blue Dog Democrats

Back 26

Fiscally conservative Democrats who are mostly from the South and/or rural parts of the United States.

Front 27

nomination

Back 27

The official endorsement of a candidate for office by a political party. Generally, success in the nomination game requires momentum, money, and media attention.

Front 28

campaign strategy

Back 28

The master game plan candidates lay out to guide their electoral campaign.

Front 29

national party convention

Back 29

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.

Front 30

McGovern-Fraser Commission

Back 30

A commission formed at the 1968 Democratic convention in response to demands for reform by minority groups and others who sought better representation.

Front 31

superdelegates

Back 31

National party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the national party convention.

Front 32

caucus

Back 32

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.

Front 33

presidential primaries

Back 33

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.

Front 34

frontloading

Back 34

The recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention.

Front 35

national primaries

Back 35

A proposed nationwide primary that would replace the current system of caucuses and presidential primaries.

Front 36

regional primaries

Back 36

A proposed series of primaries held in each geographic region that would replace the current system of caucuses and presidential primaries.

Front 37

party platform

Back 37

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.

Front 38

direct mail

Back 38

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.

Front 39

Federal Election Campaign Act

Back 39

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.

Front 40

Federal Election Commission

Back 40

A six-member bipartisan agency created by the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974. The Federal Election Commission administers and enforces campaign finance laws

Front 41

Presidential Election Campaign Fund

Back 41

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.

Front 42

matching funds

Back 42

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.

Front 43

soft money

Back 43

Political contributions earmarked for party-building expenses at the grass-roots level or for generic party advertising

Front 44

527 Groups

Back 44

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.

Front 45

501(c) Groups

Back 45

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

Front 46

political action committees

Back 46

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.

Front 47

selective perception

Back 47

The phenomenon that people's beliefs often guide what they pay the most attention to and how they interpret events.