Political+Parties,+Interest+Groups,+and+Mass+Media

Political Parties __**WHAT IS THE ROLE OF POLITICAL PARTIES IN OUR DEMOCRACY? HOW HAS THAT ROLE CHANGED IN TODAY"S SOCIETY?**
 * IMPACT OF THIRD PARTIES ON ELECTION OUTCOMES? THIRD PARTY VIEWS AS ADOPTED BY MAJOR PARTIES.**__


 * Political Parties**

There are no political parties in the constitution, but our government is, and always was, greatly controlled by them. The parties were formed over fundamental differences on issues. Political parties are now under a two party system, which started out with the founding fathers and the Federalists v. Antifederalists. Overtime the parties split to form new ones, and eventually we got to where we are today.

Federalist - lead by A. Hamilton - believed in federal government control Antifederalist - believed in state government control

Democrat-Republicans - T. Jefferson was the first - believed that antifederalists were too generic - this party is NOTHING like what we have today Democrats - A. Jackson was the first - the party started the 2 party system - split from Dem-Rep. party - the people's party Republican - A. Lincoln was the first - started during the secession - replaced whig party

Democrat (today) - the "left" - liberal - people's party Republican (today) - the "right" - conservative

Third Party - never really has a good turnout - only 8 have ever gotten electoral votes - parties range from ideological to charismatically driven - barely have the right to run due to governmental "two-party" restrictions Elections

__**VERY GOOD INFORMATION HERE!!!**__ Caucus - a "townhall meeting" type of way to nominate a presidential candidate - not held in all states - held in little places, such as schools, libraries and cafes - more traditional way of casting vote Primary - voters must go to a voting booth to vote for a presidential candidate nominee - not held in all states Open vs. Closed - open primaries/caususes allow for independents to vote, as well as for people to cross party lines to vote - closed primaries/caucuses are restricted to party members to vote for a party nominee Party Conventions - at the end of primary season, the delegates appointed to the nominees meet at the party conventions to count their votes - democrats have a proportional delegate nomination during primaries while republicans have a winner take all system
 * Elections**

Electoral College - the electoral college consists of 538 delegates, all split up by the states' member count in the house and senate - electoral college nominates president

Voter Turnout -historically, voter turnout is pretty bad - young people (ages 18-24) vote the least while older voters vote the most - voter turnout is usually blamed on political apathy

Interest Groups
 * HOW DO LOBBYISTS TRY AND INFLUENCE LEGISLATORS?

Interest Groups Definitions**

Interest Group- An organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy. Incentive- Something of value one cannot get without joining an organization. Solidarity Incentives- The social rewards (sense of pleasure, status, or companionship) that lead people to join political organizations. Material Incentives- Money or things valued in monetary terms. Purposive Incentive- A benefit that comes from serving a cause or principal. Ideological Interest Groups- Political organizations that attract members by appealing to their political convictions or principles. Public-Interest Lobby- A political organization whose goals will principally benefit nonmembers. Social Movement- A widely shared demand for change in some aspect of the social or political order. Political Cue- A signal telling a legislator what values are at stake in a vote, and how that issue fits into his or her own political views on party agendas. Ratings- Assessments of a representative's voting record on issues important to an interest group.

Facts about Interest Groups

Interest groups are more numerous in the U.S. than other countries such as Great Britain. Influences: Information, public support, money, ability to create trouble Restrictions: Taxes and campaign finance laws.

Mass Media WHAT TYPES OF POLITICAL COVERAGE DOES THE MEDIA UNDERTAKE DURING POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS?
 * GOOD DEFINITIONS ON ROLES OF THE MASS MEDIA!!

Mass Media Definitions**

Blog- Series, or log, of discussion items on a page of the World Wide Web. Sound Bite- A radio or video clip of someone speaking. Equal Time Rule- An FCC rule that if a broadcaster sells time to one candidate, it must sell equal time to other candidates. Trial Balloon- Information leaked to the media to test public reaction to a possible policy. Loaded Language- Words that imply a value judgment, used to persuade a reader without having made a seriousargument. Feature Stories- Media stories about events that, though public, are not regularly covered by reporters. Routine Stories- Media stories about events that are regularly covered by reporters. Insider Stories- Media stories about events that are not usually made public. Selective Attention- Paying attention only to those news stories which one already agrees. Adversarial Press- The tendency of the national media to be suspicious of officials and eager to reveal unflattering stories about them. Background- A public official's statement to a reporter that is given on condition that the official not be named. Roles of the Press Ex: When Gary Hart was running for president the press watched him very closely, and found out that he was cheating on his wife with another woman. So the press put out the information which eventually lead Hart to renounce his candidacy.
 * Gatekeeper**-they can influence what subjects become national and political issues and for how long. Ex: automobile safety, water pollution, and prescription drugs were not well covered until the media decided that they needed to be.
 * Scorekeeper-** When the media keeps track of political reputations. They mention peoples names who may be running for president and report who is winning and losing. Ex: Jimmy Carter was an unknown Governor of Georgia but then he got mentioned and he ended up winning.
 * Watchdog-** After you are mentioned, then the media takes the watch dog approach and watch the persons every move and report on it.

Facts about Mass Media

The building of the political party was helped by mass media with the mass circulation of newspapers. When radio and Television appeared they weakened the political parties, because they allowed candidates to directly speak to the people. National Media generally are more liberal than local media.