amicus curiae breif
friend of the court" brief filed by an interest group to
influence a Supreme Court decision.
dealignment argument
contention that parties are less meaningful to voters,
who have abandoned the parties in greater numbers to become independents.
elite theory
theory that upper class elites exercise great influence over public policy.
factions
term used by Madison to denote what we now call interest groups
fairness doctrine
FCC rule (no longer in effect) that required broadcasters to
air a variety of viewpoints on their programs.
feeding frenzy
Just as sharks engage in a feeding frenzy when they sense
blood in the water, the media "attack" when they sense wrongdoing or scandal in
government, and devote great amounts of coverage to such stories.
free rider program
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.
horse race coverage
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.
iron triangle
an informal association of federal agency, congressional
committee, and interest group that is said to have heavy influence over policy
making.
litigation
the act or process of carrying out a lawsuit.
lobbying
attempting to influence policy makers
nonpartisan elections
elections in which candidates are not identified by party
membership on the ballot.
office collunm ballot
ballot in which candidates are arranged by office rather
than party. Encourages split ticket voting.
party collunm ballot
ballot in which candidates are arranged by party rather
than office. Encourages straight ticket voting.
photo opportunity
a staged campaign event that attracts favorable visual
media coverage, e.g., a candidate reading to a group of school children.
pluralism
theory that policy making is the result of interest group competition.
political action committee
an interest group that raises funds and
donates to election campaigns.
patronage
appointing loyal party members to government positions
revolving door
the cycle in which a person alternately works for the public
sector and private sector, thus blurring the individual's sense of loyalty.
selective exposure
the practice of selectively choosing media sources which
are in harmony with one's own beliefs.
selective perception
the practice of perceiving media messages the way one
wants to.
sound bite
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.
spin control
placing a certain slant on a story to deflect negative public
attention against a candidate or office holder.
unit rule
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.
divided government
government in which one party controls the presidency
while another party controls the Congress.
gaffee
an unintentional act or remark causing embarrassment to its originator; a blunder
fox news
most conservative news channel
msnbc
most liberal news channel
10
federalist paper in which madison discussed interest groups
ideological parties
Socialist, Green, and Libertarian are examples of
one issue parties
Marijuana Legalization Party is an example of
reynolds v us
Supeme Court case that said 1st amendment did not protect religious practices that violated the law
gitlow v new york
Supreme Court case that said that the 1st amendment would be incorporated via the 14th amendment to apply to the states
barron v baltimore
Supreme Court case that said the Bill of Rights didn't apply to the states (guy who's dock got messed up tried to sue the state government via the 5th amendment)
schenck v us
Supreme Court case that established that the first amendment could be denied if it presented a "clear and present danger
plessy v ferguson
Supreme Court case that established the doctrine of "separate but equal.
marbury v madison
Supreme Court case that established the power of judicial review
gibbons v ogden
Supreme Court case involving steamboats; ruling said Federal gov could regulate commerce due to Commerce Clause
mapp v ohio
Supreme Court case that said evidence obtained illegally (without a warrant) was inadmissible in court.
brown v board
Supreme Court case that reversed the doctrine of separate but equal; desegregated schools
korematsu v us
Supreme Court case that ruled Japanese concentration camps were Constitutional due to war situation