Chapter 9 The Political Process

1. Chapter 9The Political Process

2. Big Idea! The work of government is accomplished through the political process. Public opinion, interest groups, and political parties all play a vital role in that process.

3. Chapter 9: The Political Process Section 1: Public Opinion -Process by which people acquire political beliefs is called political socialization -People’s opinions are influenced by... • Family • School and work • Personal factors (age, race, gender, religion) • Mass media or means of communication that provide information to a large audience • Monitors, shapes, and determines the public agenda • Covers electoral politics • Growth of mass media: newspapers/magazines radio TV Internet • Criticisms of mass media: bias in reporting, bias in story selection, factual inaccuracy, and media consolidation • Using multiple sources will help you get accurate info and avoid propaganda

4. Measuring Public Opinion -poll: survey of people scientifically selected to provide opinions about something -the accuracy of a poll depends on… 1. the number of people answering the questions (~1,500/230 million) -sample: group of people who take part in the poll -sample error: indicates a poll’s accuracy and is given as a percentage above and below the poll’s results 2. how those people are chosen 3. how the questions are asked 4. the absence of bias -bias: errors introduced by polling methods that lead to one outcome over others -objectivity: freedom from bias and outside factors -exit poll: surveys a randomly selected fraction of voters after they have voted and tells pollsters how people voted before the official vote count http://youtu.be/Hw8mvyTta8Y

10. Section 2: Interest Groups -An interest groupis an association of people who hold similar views or goals (try to influence public policy/agenda)…Interest groups… • Organize people who share concerns • Provide members with a means of political participation • Supply information to the public and to policy makers -interest groups have political action committees (PACs); an organization created to raise and contribute money legally to the campaigns of political candidates…Colbert SuperPAC *Types of interest groups: *How interest groups work: -agricultural groups (NPC) -endorsing candidates -business groups (NFIB) -lobbying -labor groups (SEIU) -inform public opinion—grassroots politics -cause-based groups (MADD) -filing lawsuits -societal groups (NOW), (AARP) -professional groups (AMA)

18. Section 3: Political Parties Political party: an organization that tries to elect its members to public office so that its views can become public policy -each political party has its own set of ideas, theories, and aims about society and government that its members/supporters generally share (ideology) -ideology determines a party’s place on the political spectrum, or continuum of general political beliefs Parties 3 Main Roles 1. Nominating candidates for political office 2. Assisting the electoral process 3. Helping to operate the government

19. Party Systems • One-party system • Two-party system • Multiparty system (most common) Four Eras of Political Parties: 1800-1860: Democrats 1860-1932: Republicans 1932-1968: Democrats 1968-present: Divided government -third party: any political party in a two-party system besides the two major ones -independent candidate: candidate who is not associated with any party local precinct/ward Party Organization state national Major Parties Federalist Democrat-Republican National Republican Democratic* Whig Republican* *have dominated for 150 years

20. Benefits of Political Parties *filter out extreme or unconventional ideas *broad base of people/supporters represented *party loyalty promotes stability *provide a political “brand name” (i.e. Coca-Cola) Criticisms of Political Parties *majority parties lack unity, discipline, loyalty *interest groups unfairly influence parties *office seekers more interested in personal success than serving public good *parties more interested in winning public opinion than solving issues Section 4:The Electoral Process So why do people bother to run for office?

21. 1. Political campaigns 2. Money and campaigns -hard money: donated to an individual campaign -soft money: given to a party rather than specific candidate 3. Choosing candidates a. self-announcement (petitions) b. caucuses/primary elections -a meeting of party members who select the candidates to run for election c. conventions d. primary elections -party’s candidate for office is chosen directly by voters 1. closed primary-only party members vote 2. open primary-any registered voters can vote Voting & Voter Behavior -Why don’t people vote? 60 Minutes: Profitable PACs

22. Requirements: -18 years old -U.S. citizen/resident of state in which you want to vote -a registered voter (except North Dakota) Four main factors influence why people vote the way they do: 1. Party Identification 2. Issues 3. A candidate’s background 4. The voter’s background More about elections… *General elections  end of a campaign; candidate wins by plurality *Special elections *holding an election--absentee ballot *Elections and the public good: allow citizens to express their opinion *Criticism of campaigns: TV advertising, voter-registration requirements, reduced role of political parties