#1)

Interest group- Organizations that try to shape public policy by influencing

behavior or political decision-makers.
• Two types of interest groups.
A. public interest groups- non-economic groups that are connected to the
general welfare of the community.
B. Private interest groups- groups with some tangible stake they want to
protect or advance by means of government action. They provide benefits
for a small portion of community.
• 3 inequalities of interest groups
A. Representational inequalities- involve the question of whom interest
groups represent.
-2/3 of lobbyists are business, trade, and professional interest groups.
-Representational advantage is increasing.
-Business and professional groups have more permanency.
B. Recourse inequalities- interest groups that represent business
corporations and the professions represent a substantial recourse (money)
advantage over others.
-(ROI) Money gets you access.
C. Access inequalities- Inequalities of representation and recourses are
accentuated by the ability of some groups to form stable alliances with
government institutions and decision makers.

d. What is meant by an "iron triangle?”

i. A decision making structure dominated by interest groups, congressional
committees, and executive agency personnel who create policies that are
mutually beneficial.
e. What are the primary differences between interest groups and political
parties?
i. Interest groups deal with influencing public policy
ii. Political Parties are organizations created for the purpose of winning
elections and governing once in office
f. What is a purposive incentive?
i. intangible rewards related to the goals of the organization --- e.g.,
working on an election of a supported candidate

Easy way to remember Iron triangle (ICE):

Interest Groups
Congressional Committees
Executive Agencies
#2)

A. Inside and Outside of political lobbying

i. Inside Game - direct contact of interest group representative and
government officials, lobbying executive branch.
1. Lobbyists that practice one on one persuasion
ii. Requires an understanding of the “rules of the game”
1. Who are the key actors? How to play? How to be subtle?
2. A good lobbyists know who the key players are, the most important staff
members
3. They also have to understand the pacing of it all, here is what the
chairman is likely to do in this case (example). The procedures that have to
be taken and how long it takes. How to navigate that process. Lobbyists are
a lot of retired legislatures
4. The inside game is most effective when the issues: are narrow and
technical
iii. Doesn’t command much media or public attention
1. Persuasion will work if people aren’t looking
2. Doesn’t stir up counter activity from other interest groups
3. You want to be the only lobbyist to be listened to
4. D.C. is lousy with lobbyist
iv. Lobbying Congress
1. The importance of campaign contributions
2. Provides testimony of public hearings of committees and sub committees
3. Helping the bureaucracy deflect criticism
4. Helps criticism of bureaucracy
v. Outside Game
1. effects to mobilize public opinion, voters, and important contribution in
order to bring pressure on elected officials example…Like a pool
2. Tools of the outside game:
a. Mobilizing your interest groups memberships
b. Organizing the district get voters and target messages to get senator
donors etc.
c. Shaping opinion: interest groups try to educate public opinion
d. Publication of Research results that are always in their favor
e. Advertising – acts to try to change public opinion
f. Forms of a certain issue like health care example...national chamber of
commerce – health care
3. Maintain working relationship with media
a. Reporters always looking for sources/journalists friends with lobbyists
4. Political Action Committees
a. “Fundraiser” run ads on candidates
b. Blogging and web activism – “Think Process”
B. When is one or the other strategy more or less effective?
i.
C. What are a few of the primary tactics developed by Washington
 lobbyists?
i. The White House may release information beneficial to the cause of
members whose support they seek, or the president can accept an
invitation to a fundraising event for a member who is up for reelection.
ii. Information and electoral support often in the form of campaign
contributions
iii. Supply creditable and reliable information based on accurate research
D. Who are the most powerful and well-financed interest groups and why?
i. The business cooperation’s, they have the most money and numbers and
that is ultimately what it takes to compete
E. Explain what is meant by "the revolving door?"
i. It refers to the back and forth movement of individuals between
government and interest group employment
F. Describe the functioning of the "lobbyist's loop of deceit."

#3)

Political parties- a political party is an organization created for the purpose of

winning elections and governing once in office. A party coalition is an informal
structure. It is the groups and interest that support a party. There are 2 party
coalitions.
• Democratic coalition
o Tend to draw from societies “ underdogs”
Blacks, Jews, union members, the poor, urban dwellers, Hispanics.
• Republican party coalition
o White, less educated-working class
o Upper class protestants
o Southern evangelicals
o Socially conservative Catholics.
Regan coalition
• Social conservatives, fiscal conservatives, new conservatives,

• Party organization

o The formal organizational apparatus of a political party.

Primary purpose of a party organization is to run candidates for election
Aggregate interest
Facilitate political participation
Simplify alternatives
Stimulate interest in politics n government.

Realignment- Periodic changes in party strength, composition, and direction.

-Example from 20th Century American History- when Republicans consolidated
power by supporting an agenda that embraced the changes being introduced
by the new industrial economy.

Relationship b/w realignment and Party Coalitions-

-Sometimes realignments signal a long-term change in parties' demographic
composition.
i. Ex.-New Deal Coalition (Franklin Roosevelt)- Combining traditional southern
white democratic base w/ northern ethnic minorities and blacks who had been
loyal to the republican party.

Dealignment- A falloff in electoral support for major political parties.

-Evidence of dealignment happening now- The number of voters preferring to
call themselves independents rather than supporters of either of the major
parties has hovered in the range roughly 10 to 15% for most of the last 30
yrs4)

#4)

Electoral Rules

1. We have democratic rules

2. Proportional Representation- don’t win majority, but proportionally

3. Plurality, Single-Member District System- you need more votes than anyone
else in the race, not necessary the majority.

4. Single-Member District System- only one person can represent each

district. Winner takes all in this system.

5. U.S. system discourages third parties coming about because of this system
listed above.

6. Electoral College- Win States. Need to be big enough to win states.

Restrictions on Minor Parties

1. The major parties often establish rules that make it difficult for other
parties to get on the ballot. If you aren’t a major party you have to collect
enough votes to get on the ballot.

2. Qualification rules for the third-party presidential candidates can create

financial difficulties. Every time you follow a quarterly report the government
with write you a check, but if you run as the third-party the government won’t
give you anything, you have to reach a certain threshold, then the federal
government would match you for the federal election.

3. Suspension of the FCC’s “equal time” and “fairness doctrine” requirements

creates difficulties for third-party candidates to get invited to the debates.

#5)

Types of minor parties

a. Protest Parties: surround a protest movement. Example is the populist party
who ran William Jennings Bryan in 1896
b. Ideological parties: based on philosophy or belief system. Ex. Libertarian
c. Single-Issue Parties: Formed on a specific issue. Essentially interest groups
except they run candidates. Ex. Prohibition party.
d. Splinter parties: form when a faction led by a candidate from a major party
leaves to form own party. Ex. Roosevelt and the Bull-Moose Party. Almost
always cause split in one of major parties.

The important roles of minor parties in our system:

a. articulate and popularize new ideas.
b. allow people with grievances (with one or both of major parties) to express
themselves
c. Not usually as cautious as major parties (often louder, less PC)

#6)

Three Models of Voting Behavior

i. Sociological (Columbia): Sell your candidate like detergent. Group-level
characteristics determine voter preference. Higher incomes more likely to
vote. Young unlikely to vote. Unemployed have low voter turnout. More
educated more likely to vote; also associate with income. The problem with
this model is that it predicts who will vote but not why. Also doesn’t explain
changes in voting behavior. Evidence is based on very small sample size.
ii. Socio-psychological model (Michigan): response to Columbia model.
Individual not group attitudes. Vote choice criteria.
a. Prospective/Issue Voting:
1. Decision Rule: Vote for candidate closest to own position on issues.
2. Information Required: know where the candidate stands and your own
stance.. Clear difference between candidates.
3. Voter rationality: Assumes most rational.
4. Elite accountability: a lot (most) accountability
5. Problems: highest information cost (time and money required to be
informed), candidates often do not take clear, divergent stands on the issues
(Median Voter theory).
b. Retrospective/Performance voting:
1. Decision: assessing performance of incumbent (past political record)
2. Info: rough assessment of how things have changed due to their
performance.
3. Voter rationality: not as rational, but somewhat. Still issue-oriented, but info
is easier to come by and sometimes more reliable.
4. Elites: reasonable accountability. Judgment of voters requires some follow
through. Reliable as long as they’re doing stuff.
5. Problems: who’s to blame? Can be difficult to gauge how things are going
(political spin and media coverage). Short attention span of voters.
Incumbents have election year tricks.
c. Party ID:
1. Decision: vote for candidate of your party affiliation
2. info: Your party and candidates’ parties
3. rationality: usually not too rational, but ability to infer based on past party
performances. Low levels of rationality. Basic information based on cognitive
shortcuts.
4. elites: very low accountability (BEN CHANDLER!)
5. problems: not all candidates are pure party liners. Party philosophy can be
vague (dodge issues). Good likelihood of voting for wrong candidate.
d. Candidate image:
1. decision: vote for the candidate that has a better personality
2. info: what kind of personality appeals to you?
3. rationality: low, but some if based on some traits like empathy of “straight
talk” or decision making.
4. elite: pretty much nothing
5. problems: people think they are god judges of character (wrong).
candidates present themselves in a favorable light.
iii. rational choice model

#7)

What affects voting turnout?

1.) Some Americans find that scheduling is an issue. Most elections occur on
Tuesday, so they must adjust their work schedule.
2.) The number and frequency of elections is another factor. Voter fatigue is a
problem as people tire of the voting process as a result of frequent elections.
3.) Two-Party system is an influence. The main parties represent too broad of
topics for people to become heavily interested. Multi system parties like in
Britain focus more on narrow details and encourage and allow to more
participation.
4.) Americans must register to vote either in person or by mail. In contrast,
some countries us a civil registry system that automatically registers eligible
resident.
5.) The competitiveness of the race affects turnout. Voters are less likely to
show up if the result is clearly predictable.

Who does and doesn’t vote?

The upper class people are more likely to vote because they are generally
older and more mature, and have had a chance to establish themselves. As
young people mature they tend to develop an interest in how government
policy affects their lives.

The more educated are march more likely to vote.

The younger generations are less likely to vote because they don’t think the
government is responsive to their needs. Only 53% of young people feel the
government and elections address the concerns of young people.

The unemployed and poor are less likely to vote.

Latinos have a low turnout rate, but it is increasing.

#8)

• Sampling error refers to a poll’s degree of accuracy, it expressed as a

percentage
• The sampling error explains the response of sample accuracy review of the
population
• Larger sample size = increased accuracy = decreased sampling error The
bell shaped curve helps us to understand the standard deviation

#9).

a. Internal Political Efficacy - an individuals self-confidence in his or her ability

to understand and participate in politics.
b. External Political Efficacy - an individuals belief that his or her activites will
influence what the government will do or who will win an election.

c. BUYcotting - using purchasing decisions to support the products and

policies of businesses
d. Rational Actor Theory - the theory that choices are based on our individual
assessment of costs and benefits
e. Direct Mobilization - process by which citizens are contacted personally to
take part in political activities
f. Indirect Mobilization - process by which political leaders use networks of
friends and acquaintances to activate political participation
g. Political Information - a measure of the amount of political knowledge an
individual possesses concerning political issues, political figures, and the
workings of the political system
h. Checkbook Democracy - a term that expresses the notion that little is
required of citizens beyond their cash
i. Political Entrepreneur - an individual who develops support for latent causes
or projects that have not yet gained widespread popularity
j. The Revolving Door - the term referring to the back and fourth movement of
individuals between government and interest group employment
k. Deverger's Law - the principle that asserts single member district elections
lead to a two-party systems
l. Political Machine - a strong party organization that maintained control by
giving favors in return for votes
m. Soft Money - money that is outside the federal regulatory framework but
raised and spent in a manner suggesting possible intent to affect federal
elections
n. Hard Money - campaign money received by candidates or parties that can
be used for any purpose
o. Open Primaries - elections in which voters can choose to vote for potential
nominees from their own party or those from the other major political party
p. Closed Primaries - election in which voters can choose from potential
nominees only within their own party

#10)

Underlying the political realignment are the 9/11 attacks, the ’06 elections and
the election of Obama. It is predicated on a change in political demographics
and geography. Reflects a shift toward a post-industrial economy centered in
large urban-suburban metro areas devoted to production of ideas and services
rather than material goods. The difference between the 20s recession and now
is that international cooperation to prevent a recession is more likely this time
around. In order to ensure long-term Democratic success, Obama should act
swiftly and boldly to arrest the downturn.
#11)

--The central cause of the electoral problem is dysfunctional decentralization;

Instead of a single election for president, 13,000 counties and municipalities
conduct elections with different ballots, standards, and machines.

--Help America Vote Act (HAVA), our first federal legislation on election
administration; Not better because itimplemented for 2004 were provisional
ballots and ID requirements, and both created more problems than they
solved.

--The author said that the incumbent government puts itself in charge of the
administration of elections...they do this by granting responsibility to a
partisan official

#12)

a. When YouTube first started up it was a first stop source for political
everything. Every gotcha moment, spoof, pundit's musing, TV clip, campaign
speech, formal ad and handmade polemic cropped up there. The 2008
presidential election was the site's first shot at wielding influence in national
politics so they wanted to do more that create mischief. They decided to
seriously engage voters, candidates and the mainstream media. They took
their first step in doing this by positioning themselves with "the youth vote"

b. McCain jokingly referred to YouTube as "my sworn enemy" and expressed

regret that several videos turned his "bomb Iran" quip into an earnest
statement of policy

c. YouChoose - a section of the site devoted to showing videos from

candidates

#13)

As presented in “The Presidential Nomination Process” (Annual #35), what can

be said about the American presidential nomination process? To what does the
term “invisible primary” refer? What, according to the article, is one of the
most important things about "retail politics?"
• The presidential nomination process serves to identify the only two
individuals who ultimately have a chance to become president
• Since the introduction of the presidential primaries the American people
have played a much bigger role in the nomination process.
• These two points testify of the importance and uniqueness of the American
presidential nomination process
• This nomination process has sometimes changed suddenly on account of
deliberate and focused reform efforts, and sometimes at a more measure and
evolutionary pace.

Invisible Primary
• News media provided extensive coverage of nomination campaigns and the
like during the period that used to be called the “invisible primary”
• A new term coined to replace “invisible primary” is called the “money
primary”

Retail politics

*Is the door-to-door, face-to-face interaction between voters and candidates.

*It does not place as much importance on initial name recognition, money,
endorsements, advertising, etc. like "wholesale politics".

* In retail politics it is important that candidates are seen in a community and

have met personally with voters.

#14)

Moveon.org began after a petition for Congress to not impeach Clinton and to
just move on.

The organiztion has impact on 2 levels: message and mechanics.

Some Democrats have concern that moveon.org points the party too far to the
left.

On domestic issues it fits with the party fine but on national security it defines
the party's left flank. MoveOn resisted military action not only in Iraq but also
Afghanistan and on both foreign and domestic concerns it often frames issues
in in terms so polarizing that it risks the alienating all but the most committed
believers
#15) • For some the job is a result of a personal history or connection. For
others, lobbying on behalf of difficult industry provides a challenge like no
other.
• They all make it a point to note that the First Amendment sanctions
lobbying: “the right of the people…to petition the govt for a redress of
grievances.
• A good practitioner of their profession knows all sides of an issue, enabling
lawmakers and their staffs to make the best informed decisions
• Although the financial incentive is ever present, lobbyists believe they fill a
fundamental role in society and deserve some relief from the negative
stereotypes.

Lobbyists choose controversial areas b/c it provides a challenge and everyone

is protected under their First Amendment rights.
-Lobbyists are essential b/c they inform Congress on the issues.
-All lobbyists in the article believe they are doing the country a great service
and are representing the people thru their First Amendment rights.

#16)

-- Deans 50 state strategy involved rebuilding local parties in every state,

especially in rural areas such as the south and west, by hiring organizers
rather than saving that money to spend on TV ads in states like Florida or
Ohio.
-- Obamas greatest challenge is generational: a reconciling of worldviews
forged in contrasting American moments.
--Dean is the first democrat to give voice to liberal fury and tapped
transformative technology at the turn of the century.
--Trend line in US politics is growing frustration with incumbency and dogma, a
sense that both parties are more concerned with perpetuating their own
power than they are with adapting government to a fast-changing world.

#17) What explains the decline in power and authority:

i. A lot of it has to do with the "appalling disarray of the presidential
nomination process."
ii. The author notes how open primaries in which voters have a large hand in
choosing the candidate for the party to which they don't belong.
iii. The restricting of campaign spending, as in the McCain-Feingold legislation,
weakens parties' ability to steer and discipline their members.
iv. Also, due to restricted spending, it often brings in a outside sources for
funding, making the entire process rather shady and complicated.

What preference has resulted from our distrust of political parties:

We prefer the frustrations of divided government to the domination by a single
political party.

What fundamental idea is endangered:

The idea of loyal opposition. With responsibility, opposition is good because it
creates alternatives for policy and candidates that can govern.

#18) Annual 41
According to “Obama Buoyed by Coalition of the Ascendant” (Annual #41),
which population segment saw the steepest voter decline in the 2008
election? According to the author, what is one of the problems for Obama in
constructing an agenda? What is meant by "suburban melting pots?"
• The population with the steepest voter decline in the 2008 election was the
white working class voters who now constitute the core of the reduced
Republican coalition.
• Obama, as a mixed race man with degrees from elite universities, embodies
his coalition to an unusual extent; he personifies the change he offers.
• One of the problems for Obama in constructing an agenda that satisfies such
a diverse alliance
• The “suburban melting pots” are the affluent counties that contain large
numbers of both well educated whites and racial minorities.
• Obama’s strength in these melting pots suburbs captures the essence of his
new Democratic coalition.