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Sec.3: Rise of Political Action Committees

Sec.3: Rise of Political Action Committees. A. Political Action Committees: Organizations designed to collect $ and provide financial support for a candidate. PACs channel $ from int. groups to candidates. 1. Origins and rules for PACs

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Sec.3: Rise of Political Action Committees

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  1. Sec.3: Rise of Political Action Committees • A. Political Action Committees: Organizations designed to collect $ and provide financial support for a candidate. PACs channel $ from int. groups to candidates. • 1. Origins and rules for PACs • a. When fed. law prevented corporations and labor unions from making direct contr., PACs created. 1974:600 Today: 4600

  2. b. Laws governing PACS: Federal Election Campaign Acts of 1971, 74, 76, 79 • 1) Must register with gov’t 6 months before election. • 2) Must raise $ from at least 50 contributors and give to at least 5 candidates. • 3) Can give $5000 directly to each cand. per election. • 4) No limits on soft $ not given directly. (SuperPACS) • 5) 74-04, Spending increased $12m to $310 m.

  3. c.Federal Election Commission (FEC): Issues regulations controlling PAC activities. • d. Buckley v. Valeo (1976): SC ruled that corporations can set up as many PACs as they wish.

  4. 2. Strategies for influence: PACs follow 2 strategies to influence public policy: • a.influence elections through their $, expensive and 98% of incumbents are re-elected. • b. Contributions make it easier to gain access to members of Congress.

  5. Public Opinion

  6. Sec.1: Shaping Public Opinion • Public Opinion: The ideas and attitudes a significant # of Americans hold about gov’t and political issues.

  7. B. Political Socialization: Process by which a person acquires political opinions. • 1.Family and Parents • 2.Schools • 3.Peer groups: friends, church, work, etc. • 4.Income • 5.Race/Ethnicity

  8. 6. Mass Media: Print, radio, TV • a. Media summarizes info and directs the public’s perception of an issue or person. (make or break) • b. media determines what is most important: Media favors Pres. Over Cong., fed. Gov’t over states. • 7. Gov’t leaders and institutions.

  9. C.Political Culture: Basic values/beliefs about a nation and its gov’t that most citizens shares. US: Freedom, Equality, private property, Constitution, Bill of Rights. • 1. AM pol. Culture shapes P.O. by setting general boundaries within which citizens develop and express their opinions. Ex: Airline regulation. • 2. Political culture influences how citizens interpret what they see and hear. (ex. Line outside a grocery store)

  10. Sec.2: Measuring Public Opinion • A. Scientific Polling: More accurate snapshot of P.O., uses a cross-section. • 1. Can’t Question Universe: Representative Sample. • 2. Samples of 1200-1500, use random sampling. • 3.Sampling Error: How results may differ from universe. 1200-1500=3%. • 4. Cluster Sample: Ppl selected as sample based on geographical divisions.

  11. B. Scientific Polling: More accurate snapshot of P.O., uses a cross-section. • 1. Can’t Question Universe: Representative Sample. • 2. Samples of 1200-1500, use random sampling. • 3.Sampling Error: How results may differ from universe. 1200-1500=3%. • 4. Cluster Sample: Ppl selected as sample based on geographical divisions.

  12. 5.Sometimes adjust weight to account for variations in race, sex, age, or education. • 6. Considerations in evaluating the validity of a public opinion poll: • a. Who paid for it? • b. Who was interviewed? • c. How were interviews obtained? • d. How were q’s worded? Biased? • e. When were interviews conducted? • f. How were people selected? • g. What was the sample error?

  13. Sec.3: Public Opinion and Public Policy • A. Key qualities of public opinion: • 1.Clear Direction • 2.Intensity • 3.Stability

  14. B. We use labels to distinguish people’s opinions and ideology: • 1.Liberal: Gov’t has active role in helping individuals. • 2.Conservative: Individuals should help themselves. • 3.Moderates: Somewhere in between.

  15. C. Public Opinions relate to policy development in a # of ways: • 1. PO can be direct source of new public policy. • 2. PO can reflect public policy. • 3.PO can limit what is politically possible. • 4.Sometimes PO is simply irrelevant to public policy: Especially true in regards to policy that comes as a result of SC decisions.

  16. D.Public Opinion can be swayed through various propaganda techniques. • 1.Plain Folks: Pretending to be one of the common people. • 2.Bandwagon:Join the crowd, part of majority. • 3.Name Calling: Smear tactics • 4.Testimonial: Endorsement by a celebrity. • 5.Glittering generalities: Using broad, vague statements that really have little meaning. • 6.Card Stacking: Showing 1 side of issue. • 7.Loaded Words: Words with great emotional impact (family values)

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