Post on 23-Feb-2016
description
Civics Unit 5
“Elections”
I. Funding CampaignsA. Private Funds- money from individual
contributors, large corporations, or fundraisers
1. limit of $2300 per person2. can fund own campaign w/o limit
B. Public Funds- help by matching funds raised but has limits
C. PACs and Soft Money1. Political Action Committees
(PACs)- interest groups that try to elect candidates ($5000 limit)
2. lobbyist- activist for an interest group
3. Soft money- unlimited money not for campaign but may help one sidea. Ex: Swift Boat Vets, MoveOn.org
4.01-2 Review1. Name and explain three different types of
third-parties2. What is an advantage of a multi-party
system over a two-party system?3. Give an example of a plank for both
political parties4. What is a way for PACs or other interest
groups to get around campaign contribution limits?
5. What is the purpose of primaries in the election system?
II. Nominating CandidatesA. Primaries- voting for party candidate for
general election (diff. ways of counting votes- winner take all vs. divided)
B. Caucuses- group of people meet and select candidate
C. Conventions- Party members meet and pick candidate
III. General ElectionA. Campaign
1. Labor-intensive- volunteers, rallies, events2. Media-driven- TV, radio, internet
B. Electoral College- 1. determined by number of representatives in
state 2. need 270 of 538 to win; if no 270, House
decidesC. Inauguration- swearing in
Assignment Option 1: Pick a party
Pick which of our two parties you most support. Explain why you support this party. What positions of the party do you agree with and why? Are there other factors like people in gov’t or the culture of the party that affect your affiliation?
Option 2: Pick a candidate Who will you vote for in the 2012 election, who
would you have voted for and why? Think about party, personal qualifications, positions on issues, etc.
We will work on this in class on Friday. Length- 1-1.5 Double-spaced typed pages
Civics Unit 5
Media and Public Opinion
I. MediaA. Propaganda-
technique of persuasion to influence behavior
1. create belief good or bad
2. Mass media- tv, newspaper, radio, etc.
3. canvassing- targeting a group of people personally
B. Methods of propaganda1. Glittering generalities-
values w/o explanations2. Bandwagon-
everybody’s doing it3. Stack Cards- show one
side4. Just Plain Folks- show
as one of the people5. Name Calling-
accusatory generalizations
6. Transfer- combine ideas to transfer attitude toward one idea to the another
7. Euphemisms- call things by better names
II. PUBLIC OPINIONA. Very important because reflects voting
behaviorB. Public Opinion polls- collect information
by asking questions1. straw poll- unreliable, no control over who
responds (ex: internet polls, voluntary polls)2. scientific polling- get accurate information (ex:
Gallup Organization or Harris Survey)a. sample size about 1000 peopleb. margin of error +3-5%
CIVICS 4.04“Interest Groups and Political Action”
I. INTEREST GROUPSA. Group of citizens coming together to
effect public policyB. Protected by 1st Amendment: speech,
assembly, petitionC. Public Interest Groups- support causes
that affect Americans in general1. ex: League of Women’s Voters: educates
voters
II. OTHER POLITICAL ACTIONSA. Lobbying- representatives from interest
groups contacting gov’t officials to further cause
B. Litigation- using courts to further cause1. NRA stopping DC handgun law
C. Protest- ex: Bus Boycott against segregation
D. Recall- allow voters to remove an elected official from office