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American goverment Final exam
N/A
35
Political Studies
Undergraduate 1
12/03/2009

Additional Political Studies Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Political Idealolgy
Definition
A philosophical guide that people use to help translate their values and beliefs into political prefernces
Term
Public Opinion
Definition
the summation of individual opinions on any particular topic or issue
Term
Pluarlism
Definition
 the theory that public policy largely results from a variety of intrest groups competing with one another to promote laws that beneift members of their respective groups
Term
lobbying
Definition
the means by which instest groups attempt to influence goverment officals to make decisions favorable to their goals
Term
Interest Group
Definition
An organization of people with shared goals that tries to influence public policy through a variety of activities
Term

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Definition
is an independent agency of the United States government, created, directed, and empowered by Congressional statute (see 47 U.S.C. § 151 and 47 U.S.C. § 154), and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the media, public safety and homeland security, and modernizing the FCC.[1] The FCC was established by the Communications Act of 1934 as the successor to the Federal Radio Commission and is charged with regulating all non-federal government use of the radio spectrum (including radio and television broadcasting), and all interstate telecommunications (wire, satellite and cable) as well as all international communications that originate or terminate in the United States. It is an important factor in U.S. telecommunication policy. The FCC took over wire communication regulation from the Interstate Commerce Commission. The FCC's mandated jurisdiction covers the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. possessions. Due however to close geographic proximity to the United States, the FCC also provides varied degrees of cooperation, oversight, and leadership for similar communications bodies in other countries of North America. The FCC has a 2009 proposed budget of $466 million which is funded by $1 million in taxpayer appropriations and the rest in regulatory fees. It has 1,899 "full-time equivalent" federal employees
Term
Critical election
Definition
An election that produces sharp changes in patterns of party loyalty among voters
Term
Political party
Definition
an organization that seeks to win elections for the purpose of inflecting the outputs of governemnt.
Term
Two party system
Definition
A party system dominated by 2 major parties that win the vast majority of elections
Term
Literacy test
Definition
the requirement that individuals prove that they can read and write before being allowed to vote
Term
Poll tax
Definition
the requiremnt that individual pay a fee before being allowed to vote
Term
Universal suffrage
Definition
The idea that all citizens in a nation have the right to vote
Term

Open primary

Definition

 

when you can show up on Election Day and declare your party affiliation.  Once chosen, you proceed to voting for the candidate you desire in your respective party

Term
closed party
Definition

when you must declare your party affiliation before the election takes place.  When the election occurs, you are only allowed to vote in your predetermined party primary

Term
Caucus
Definition
  This serves the same purpose as the primaries, but is more procedural and systematic.  Party members from each party are invited to attend local meetings.  Delegates are then selected in these local meeting to attend a regional meeting.  At this regional meeting, they then vote again and send the selected delegates to a statewide caucus.  This final vote will determine who they send to the national convention
Term
Incumbent Race
Definition
When a presidential race is bettween a sitting president and a new challenger (i.e. 2004 and 2012)
Term
Open seat elections
Definition
When both candidates are new and not running for reelection
Term
Electoral college
Definition
538 members; majority number of voted decides who our president is. Number reflects each member of congress
Term
Hard Money
Definition
money that is contributed directly to candidates and their campaign committees
Term
Soft Money
Definition

funds sent to political parties and political advocacy groups that are not contributed directly to candidate campaigns and do not expressly advocate the election of a particular candidate.

 

 

Term
The Prenomination Campaign
Definition
This begins right when a new president is sworn in.  These future potential candidates will begin to assess the variables that will dictate them being a viable contender.  These variables include but are not limited to: ability to raise money; ability to get the support of key members of a given party; attract attention from the news media.
Term
The Nomination Campaign (January to June of the election year) 
Definition
this is when the primaries or caucuses are held in each state to see which candidate the state’s delegates will support.  
Term
The National Convention
Definition
this is where the party announces to the nation who there candidate will be for the upcoming election.  Previously, this was used to announce the party’s platform (stance on important issues, new ideologies, etc.), but now this serves a more as a unifying event internally and a critiquing of the opponent externally. 
Term
The General Election Campaign
Definition
This involves a nationwide (worldwide in some instances) tour for the two major-party nominees.  There usually includes a series of nationally televised debates between the nominees (presidential and vice-presidential).
Term

The Electoral College decision

 

Definition
The candidate that receives the majority of electoral votes nationwide wins the election.  The Electoral College is based on the amount of members each state has in Congress (House of Rep. members and Senate members).  
Term

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

Definition

-Established in 1974

-enforces all campaign financing rules and regulations

-Today, the FEC is a federal agency that only enforces election laws

Term
The Three Levels of political opinion
Definition

1. The borad level of values and beliefs

2. intermediate level of political Orientation/party  affilation

3. Specfic level of preferences- preferences of a particular issue

Term
15th admenment
Definition
  prohibits each government in the United States from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude" (i.e., slavery). It was ratified on February 3, 1870.
Term
19th amendment
Definition
prohibits each state and the federal government from denying any citizen the right to vote because of that citizen's sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920.
Term
23 admenment
Definition
permits the District of Columbia to choose Electors for President and Vice President. The amendment was proposed by Congress on June 17, 1960, and ratified by the states on March 29, 1961. The first Presidential election in which it was in effect was the presidential election of 1964.
Term
Types of intrest groups
Definition
economic and non economic
Term
What does a critical election do?
Definition
Changes party loyality
Term
Why was the FCC made and what are its functions
Definition

It was made to regulate the eletronic media through the licensing of broadcasters and creating rules for broadcasters to follow

 

1. provide objective coverage of events

2. facilitating public debate

3. serve as a government watchdog

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