Shared Flashcard Set

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Ap Government and Politics
Semester 1 Final
25
Other
10th Grade
01/22/2008

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Cards

Term
Amicus Curiae brief
Definition
"friend of the court" brief filed by an interest group to influence a Supreme Court Decision
Term
Dealignment argument
Definition
contention that parties are less meaningful to voters, who have abandoned the parties in greater numbers to become independants
Term
Divided Government
Definition
government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls the congress
Term
Elite Theory
Definition
theory that upper class elites excercise great influence over public policy
Term
Factions
Definition
term used by Madison to denote what we now call interest groups
Term
Fairness Doctrine
Definition
FCC Rule (No longer in use) that required broadcasters to air a variety of viewpoints on their programs
Term
Feeding Frenzy
Definition
just as sharks engage in a feeding frenzy when they sense blood in the water, the media "attack" when they sense wrong doing or scandal in government, and devote great amounts of coverage to such stories
Term
Free rider problem
Definition
the problem faced by interest groups when citizens can reap the benefits of interest group action without actually joining, participating in, or contributing money to such groups
Term
Horse Race Coverage
Definition
the tendency of the media to report on an election campaign as if it were a horse race, i.e., who is ahead, who is behind, who is gaining ground
Term
Iron Triangle
Definition
an informal association of federal agency, congressional committee, and interest grooup that is said to have heavy influence over policy making
Term
Litigation
Definition
the act of processing or carrying out a lawsuit
Term
Lobbying
Definition
attempting to influence policy makers
Term
Nonpartisan Elections
Definition
elections in which candidates are not identified by party membership on the ballot
Term
Office column ballot
Definition
ballot in which candidates are arranged by office rather that party. Encourages split ticket voting.
Term
Party Column Ballot
Definition
ballot in which candidates are arranged by party rather than office. Encourages straight ticket voting.
Term
Photo Opportunity
Definition
a staged event that attracts favorable visual media coverage, e.e., a candidate reading to a group of school children
Term
pluralism
Definition
theory that policy making is the result of an interest group competition
Term
PAC
Definition
an interest group that raises funds and donates to election campaigns
Term
Patronage
Definition
appointing loyal party members to government positions
Term
Revolving door
Definition
the cycle in which a person alternately works for the public sector and private sector, thus blurring the individual's sense of loyalty
Term
selective perception
Definition
the practice of perceiving media messages the way one wants too
Term
selective exposure
Definition
the practice of selectively choosing media sources which are in harmony with one's own beliefs
Term
sound bite
Definition
a short, pithy comment that is likely to attract media attention, e.g., Ronald Reagan saying, "A recession is when your neighbor loses his job, a depression is when you lose your job, and recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his job."
Term
spin control
Definition
placing a certain slant on a story to deflect negative public attention against a candidate or office holder
Term
Unit Rule
Definition
an abandoned rule of the Democratic Party national convention in which the candidate with the most delegates from a state won all of that state's convention votes
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