Public Policy

• A general agreement of how government will deal with certain issues or problems of the community

• Example: the Town Center- encouraging the development of a downtown Virginia Beach

How individuals influence public policy

• Participating in politics• Voting• Campaigning• Expressing opinions

How individuals influence public policy (cont.)

• Lobbying– Trying to persuade

the government to support your goals

• Demonstrating• Writing letters• Joining interests

groups

Interest Groups

• Group of people who come together to support a common cause

• Strength in numbers

How interest groups influence public policy

• Identifying issues• Making political

contributions• Lobbying government

officials• Representing different

viewpoints• Publicizing issues

Mass Media influence on public opinion and public policy

• Focusing public attention on selected issues

• Offering a forum in which opposing viewpoints are communicated

• Holding government officials accountable to the public

• Providing the opportunity for government officials to use the media to communicate with the public

The Political Spectrum• Reactionaries– Very conservative– Want to return to

traditional policies (the way things were)

• Radicals– Very liberal– Want sweeping changes

in government policies– Willing to resort to

violence

The Political Spectrum• Conservatives

– Want limited government– Oppose government regulation– Believe the individual should

take care of himself– Support ending affirmative

action, reinstating school prayer– Tend to be Republicans

• Liberals– Want more government– Believe government should help

the individual– Support programs for the poor,

public housing– Tend to be Democrats

The Political Spectrum

• Moderates– Move between

conservatives and liberals

– Support government action in some areas and reject it in others

http://www.cyberlearning-world.com/lessons/civics/electoral_process.htm

Functions of Political Parties• Recruiting and

nominating candidates• Educating the

electorate about campaign issues

• Helping candidates win elections

• Monitoring actions of officeholders

• Raising money for campaigns

Similarities between parties

• Organize to win elections• Influence public policies• Reflect both liberal and

conservative views• Define themselves in a way

that wins majority support by appealing to the political center

Differences between parties

• Stated in a party’s platform and reflected in campaigning

Advantages and Disadvantages of the two-party system

• Advantages– Political stability– Continuity in

government• Disadvantages– Less opportunity to

represent minority views

• Requirement for a majority vote in the Electoral College

Third parties

• Failure of the major parties to address popular causes and issues

• Introduce new ideas or press for a particular issue

• Often revolve around a political personality (e.g., Theodore Roosevelt)

Political Parties• Republicans- Modern

party usually associated with conservatives and tax cuts

• Democrats- Modern party usually associated with using government to solve problems and liberals

Running for Public Office• Recruitment• Nomination (selected to

represent a political party)– Primary elections

• Party members vote to select candidate

– Caucuses• Meeting where party

members select candidate – Convention

• Party members select delegates to choose candidate

• Political Campaigns

Mass Media Roles in Elections• Identifying candidates• Emphasizing selected

issues• Writing editorials, creating

political cartoons, publishing op-ed pieces, political commentaries

• Broadcasting different points of view, debates

• Public opinion polls• Endorsing candidates

Propaganda

• Promote a particular idea or viewpoint. Trying to persuade or influence people to do something.

Propaganda Techniques

• Endorsements- have famous people endorse or support the candidate

• Stacked Cards- present only one side of an issue. Ignore the negative

Propaganda Techniques (cont.)

• The Bandwagon- convince people that everyone else is going to vote for the candidate or issue

• Glittering Generality- Statement that sounds good but essentially means nothing

Propaganda Techniques (cont.)• Symbols- candidate will

use symbols to appeal to the public

• Just Plain Folk- make people think the candidate is just like them

• Name-calling- try to turn people against the opponent by using negative descriptions

Rising Campaigns Costs• Require candidates to

conduct extensive fund-raising activities

• Give an advantage to the wealthy individuals who run for office

• Encourage the development of political action committees (PACS)– Special interest groups who

provide money to candidates who support their cause

Rising Campaign Costs (cont.)

• Give issue-oriented special interests groups increased influence

• Limits opportunities to run for public office

Campaign Finance Reform

• Rising campaign costs have led to efforts to reform campaign finance laws

• Limits exist on the amount individuals may contribute to political candidates and campaigns

Contribution Limits 2007-08 

  To each candidate or candidate committee per election

To national party committee per calendar year

To state, district & local party committee per calendar year

To any other political committee per calendar year[1]

Special Limits

Individualmay give

$2,500* $30,800* $10,000(combined limit)

$5,000 $117,000* overall biennial limit:•$46,200* to all candidates •$70,800* to all PACs and parties[2]

National Party Committeemay give

$5,000 No limit No limit $5,000 $43,100* to Senate candidate per campaign[3]

State, District & LocalParty Committeemay give

$5,000(combined limit)

No limit No limit $5,000(combined limit)

No limit

PAC(multicandidate)[4may give

$5,000 $15,000 $5,000(combined limit)

$5,000 No limit

PAC(not multicandidate)may give

$2,500* $30,800* $10,000(combined limit)

$5,000 No limit

Authorized Campaign Committee may give

$2,000[5] No limit No limit $5,000 No limit

Qualifications to Register to Vote in Virginia

• Citizen of the United States

• Resident of Virginia and Precinct

• 18 years of age by day of general election

How to Register in Virginia

• In person, at the registrar’s office, at the Division of Motor Vehicles, or at other designated sites

• By mail application• Registration is closed

29 days before elections

Absentee Voting

• If a voter is unable to get to the voting station on election day, he/she can vote via an absentee ballot

• Absentee ballots are mailed in and counted after the election

Factors in Predicting which Citizens will Vote

• Education• Age• Income

Why Citizens Fail to Vote

• Lack of Interest (voter apathy)

• Failure to register

Why vote?

• The percentage of voters who participate in presidential elections is usually greater than the percentage of voters who participate in state and local elections

• Every vote is important!!!!