POSC150 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Political Campaign, Fairness Doctrine, Federal Communications Commission
1 Jun 2018
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Chapter Reviews
Chapter 11: Public Opinion
The Role of the Public Opinion in Democracy
● Hotly debated over American history
● Politicians and the media watch public opinion very closely
● Elected officials look for job security by responding to immediate public desires or by
skillfully predicting future requests
● The media make large investments in polls
Citizen Values
● Two competing visions of citizenship in America
● Ideal democratic citizen demonstrates political knowledge, tolerates different ideas, and
votes consistently
● Other extreme is the apolitical, self-interested citizen
What Influences Our Opinions About Politics?
● Political socialization: the transfer of fundamental democratic values from one generation
to the next
○ Produces a citizenry that largely agrees with the rules of the game and accepts
the outcomes of the national political process as legitimate
● Opinions about politics vary widely
● Opinions are affected by race, gender, age, and income
○ Political ideology
○ Education
○ Religion
○ Geographic region
● Interest groups, political parties, and candidates all attempt to determine the political
ideas shared by various groups in order to gain support
Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion
● Professional polling
● Based on scientific polling methods focus on getting a good sample and asking
questions that yield valid results
● Most politicians pay attention to their own informal samplings of opinion
Chapter 12: Political Parties
Why Political Parties?
● Political parties link citizens and government
● Overcome some fragmentation of govt that separation of powers and federalism can
produce
Do American Parties Offer Voters a Choice?
● Parties offer the average voter a choice in terms of ideology, membership, and policy
positions/platform
● Party activists play a key role in drawing parties apart and keeping them ideologically
distinct
The History of Parties in America
● Six party eras in American history
● Realignment/new era occurs when a different party assumes control of the government
Characteristics of the American Party System
● Two party system
● Relatively moderate, decentralized, and increasingly disciplined
● Hard for third parties to break in
Chapter 13: Interest Groups
The Formation and Role of Interest Groups
● Government will always distribute resources in ways that benefit some at the expense of
others
● Interest groups are formed to influence the way that government policy decisions are
made
● Interest groups lobby elected officials, rally public opinion, offer policy suggestions, and
keep tabs on policy once enacted to be successful
● Must organize and convince other to join
Types of Interest Groups
● Economic groups want to protect and improve their status
○ Business associations
○ Trade unions
● Public interest groups advocate their vision of society
● Equal opportunity groups organize to gain/improve economic status and civil rights
● Governments form associations to improve relations among their ranks
Interest Group Politics
● Lobbyists are key players of interest groups
● Influence policy by approaching the three branches of government (direct lobbying) or by
convincing the people to pressure the government (indirect lobbying)
Interest Group Resources
● Success is often affected by factors like:
○ Funding
○ Quality of leadership
○ Membership size
○ Intensity
○ Access to information
Chapter 14: Voting, Campaigns, and Elections
Voting in a Democratic Society
● Elections are the core of American democracy
● Serve several functions:
○ Selecting leaders
○ Giving direction to policy
○ Developing citizenship
○ Informing the public
○ Containing conflict
○ Stabilizing the political system
● Electoral college
Exercising the Right to Vote in America
● Voting enhances the quality of democratic life
● American voter turnout rates are often low
● Factors like age, gender, income, education, and race and ethnicity affect whether a
person is likely to vote
How America Decides
● Voters decide by considering party identification and peer viewpoints, prominent issues,
and campaign images
Presidential Campaigns
● Pre-primary phase with planning and early fundraising
● More active campaigning during primary phase
● Ends with each party’s choice of a candidate announced at the party conventions
● General election
● Electoral college
Chapter 15: Media, Power, and Political Communication
Where Do We Get Our Information?
● More information at our fingertips than ever before
● Sorting out relevvant information
● Traditional news media revenue streams are shrinking
How Does Media Ownership Affect Control of the Narrative?
● Media is largely profit driven
● The biggest news organizations are still owned by a few large corporations
● Government sets regulations on broadcast media
● 1934 Federal Communications Act: created the Federal Communication Commission,
imposed order on multiple media outlets and attempted to serve the public interest
through three provisions, the equal time rule, the fairness doctrine, and the right of
rebuttal
Who Are the Journalists?
● Journalists have great influence over news content and presentation
● Gatekeepers decides what news is and what is not
● Disseminators determine relevant news and get it out to the public quickly
● Investigator role involves verifying the truth of various claims or analyzing particular
policies
● As public mobilizers, journalists try to report the people’s interests rather than their own
● Bias in the press
Spinning Political Narratives
● Public skepticism of the media has increased
● Revolving door severely damages news objectivity
Document Summary
The role of the public opinion in democracy. Politicians and the media watch public opinion very closely. Elected officials look for job security by responding to immediate public desires or by skillfully predicting future requests. The media make large investments in polls. Two competing visions of citizenship in america. Ideal democratic citizen demonstrates political knowledge, tolerates different ideas, and votes consistently. Other extreme is the apolitical, self-interested citizen. Political socialization: the transfer of fundamental democratic values from one generation to the next. Produces a citizenry that largely agrees with the rules of the game and accepts the outcomes of the national political process as legitimate. Opinions are affected by race, gender, age, and income. Interest groups, political parties, and candidates all attempt to determine the political ideas shared by various groups in order to gain support. Based on scientific polling methods focus on getting a good sample and asking questions that yield valid results.
