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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!!!!