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Pol Notes 4%2F17%2F2017
Introduction to American Politics (Pol 101)
University of Mississippi
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Chapter 7: The Media The media are an essential component of democracy Supply information to the citizenry Nongovernment sources of information Gives the public opportunity to evaluate issues to form reasoned opinions and actions Democratic Theory about Media: Citizens must have adequate political knowledge in order to participate as a citizen. Shaping Public Opinion the Media Priming:the amount of time emphasized on a particular topic Framing: Shaping public formulating a story a certain way to control the point of view Selection Perception Bias But viewers also have selective perception bias, influencing how they react to the news Consonant Information:Information that aligned with political views Dissonant Information: Information that conflicts with political views The Political Roles of Journalists Gatekeepers media decide what news gets covered and how, shaping political agenda Socializing the citizenry Can contribute to a democracy Watchdog journalism: Journalism that focuses on scandals, corruptions, extramarital affairs, etc. The Media: Formats Print: newspapers, magazines, books (oldest form of highest level of information than other sources) Radio: broadcast and subscription service Television: broadcast and subscription service (primary source of political information_ Television hypothesis: It is to blame for political ignorance. Issues: Lack of quantity in Lack of Skewed Perception Online: professional journalism, blogs, social Digital citizenship (becoming the new source of allows for citizens to participate digitally) Pros of Online Media The convenience of getting news online Up to the moment currency of the information Depth of information available Diversity of online viewpoints Cons of Online Media Less investigation and watchdog work Quality:Conflating popular and viral with factual information May lower tolerance for social and political diversity Many websites specialize in a single point of view Private Ownership of Media Outlets Many TV, Newspaper, and Radio Outlets television stations 1,400 daily newspapers radio stations Nearly three out of four of all papers and radio and TV stations are owned a handful of companies There are only five true newspapers: Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, New York Times, and Washington Post Private Ownership Continued The trend toward less variety has been accelerated changes in media ownership due to the relaxation of government regulations in the 1980s and 1990s The Act of is the first major overhaul of law in almost 62 years. The goal of this new law is to let anyone enter any business to let any communications business compete in any market against any other Consequences of corporate ownership and less media Commercial bias Infotainment Government Regulations of the Media Federal government regulates broadcast media The experiences that people have as they enter adulthood differ from generation to generation, which influences participation Attitudes Content with the status quo No need to get involved Increased levels of apathy, cynicism, and alienation Voter Registration Laws An increase in voter turnout among young adults has appeared in states that have adopted election day registration California, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington D. , Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, WIsconsin, and Wyoming Voting is There is an argument that if one votes one year, then that individual is more likely to vote again in the next election. Neglect Political Parties Study Shea (2004) reveals of the 796 local party chairmen surveyed, agreed with the statement that candidates ignore the youth vote Only of leaders mentioned young voters Determinants of Vote Choice Perception of Candidates Voters form clear opinions about candidate qualities that are relevant to governing Voters perceive differences between candidates on issues and how they would handle presidency Determinants of Vote Choice (continued) Columbia School of Thought: Sociological Model Based on the 1940 election States that the way people vote depends on: Socioeconomic status (Education, Income, Class) Religious affiliation Place of Residence (rural or urban) In the past, typically a Protestant that had a low socioeconomic status that lived in a rural area would vote for the Democratic party. In the past, typically a Catholic that had a high socioeconomic status that lived in an urban area would for the Republican party. Michigan School of Thought: Model A vote is tied to their attachment to a party. Party ID functions as a Attitudes on issues and candidates Most voters who identify with a party vote for that presidential candidate. Issues and policy matter, but in two different ways: Prospective voting: basing voting decisions on opinions and consideration of the future consequences of a given vote Retrospective voting: basing voting decisions on reactions to past approving the status quo or signaling a desire for a change Prospective voting is idealized model of policy voting, but retrospective voting is more realistic. Most Americans vote under retrospective voting. What Happens When in Presidential Elections? Invisible primary, Campaigning National Party Convention Campaigning for General Election Election Day Electoral College casts votes confirmation of electoral votes Senate Invisible Primary After one election ends, prospective candidates quietly begin lining up political and financial support for their likely race nearly 4 years later This typically occurs the day after the general election on that Wednesday. Caucus Voting method: Conducted at local party meetings and is done raising hands or breaking up into groups State move up their primary dates, which sets the tone for the rest of the campaign Many worry that an accelerated and shortened primary schedule favors the richest candidates National Convention Formally choose presidential and vice presidential candidates RNC:July DNC:July What happens during these 4 days? Day 1:Keynote Address Day 2: Credentials determined and Adoption of platform Day 3: Nominations voting Day 4: Picking a VP Candidate Acceptance Speech of Presidential and VP candidates Campaigning for the General Election in the Past Party Centered Parties provided info to candidates in regards to interests Party plans the campaign strategy and tactics Party regulars canvass neighborhoods to deliver message to voters Use party to mobilize and contract supporters Campaigning for the General Election Today Candidate Centered Candidates contract for public opinion polls to learn about interests Candidates hire political consultants to do so Candidates use media campaigns to deliver their message to voters Use Internet to raise funds and mobilize supporters Campaigning: Responsibilities for the Campaign Staff Raise funds Get media coverage Produce and pay for political ads Schedule the time effectively with constituent groups and potential supporters Convey the position on the issues Conduct research on the opposing candidates Persuade individuals to vote Limitations Placed on Campaigning Federal Election Campaign Act (1971): effort to halt and prevent abuses in the ways that political campaigns were financed (limited the amount of money that a person could raise for their campaign) FECA Amendments (1974) Created the Federal Election Commission (FEC) Provided public financing for presidential primaries and general elections (matching funds were distributed and this is when the government matches however much money one raises for campaigning, it is taxpayers money) Limited presidential campaign spending Required disclosure of contributors and how funds were spent Limited contributions individuals and groups Buckley v Valeo (1976): Supreme Court declared unconstitutional a provision of the 1971 act that limited the amount that each individual could spend on his or her own campaign (rules that it is unconstitutional to limit campaign spending because campaigning is a form of freedom of speech and limiting spending, one is limiting freedom of speech Sidenote: Super Pacs was a way for people to pass the FECA Act because it allowed for people to contribute individual amounts to political parties and the political parties would distribute the money to the campaigns The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 Banned soft money and regulated campaign ads paid for interest groups Max amount an individual can contribute to a federal candidate 2,500 Amount an individual can give to all federal candidates at over a two year election cycle Individual contributions to state and local parties cannot exceed per year, per individual to any PAC to any national party committee Sidenote: Soft money is individual contributions given to parties because people have a limit on how much they can give to campaigns. Electoral College Ballot for Mississippi (2012) Candidate must receive at least 270 electoral votes to win Ballots are sent to the U. Senate Confirmation of electoral votes Senate Sidenote: Although the ballots are gathered in November, the process does not end there. It reaches the electoral college in December, and the final votes are then distributed in January, which is why a petition for President can be issued in December arguing the potential of the candidate. Electoral College Politics Why do we have the Electoral College? Argument 1: founding fathers wanted a body of electors because they did not trust people to vote directly for candidates Argument 2: Served as a compromise during the Constitutional Convention for those who favored having legislatures cast the electoral votes for president and those who favored direct popular election Faithless Electors Advantages Preserves the federal individual states is important. Without the EC, states lines mean nothing Candidates need to focus on all regions of the nation. States with the smallest population can have a significant impact on the outcome of the election Usually produces a clear winner, with voters able to see and understand which states each candidate has won and why Preserves the system Extreme parties have little chance of winning any state Protects minorities Disadvantages Complex system which can be confusing votes are for the EC and not the candidate The person with the most votes may not win Encourages low voter turnout Diminishes third party influence Person with most popular votes may not win Leads to tactical insincere voting if there is no majority winner in the EC Potential Reforms Proportional Plan Splits each electoral votes in accordance with their popular vote percentages Example: Candidate who comes in second place in a state with popular vote who would receive of electoral votes from that state, instead of Congressional District Plan Divides electoral votes district, allocating one vote to each district and using the remaining 2 as a bonus for the statewide popular vote winner Direct Election with Plurality Rule Plan Would require a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College Require each person to cast one vote for the candidate of their choice Candidate with most votes nationwide would win the election (with or without majority votes) States legislations can only allocate votes Congressional District Popular Two at large goes with popular vote of the (two at large are the 2 electoral votes given to each state based on the 2 senators) Each remaining electoral vote will be awarded to the winner of the congressional district Congressional District Majority Two at large given to majority of congressional districts If there were 4 congressional districts and 3 out of the 4 went for the republican candidate, then the republican would win the two at large Proportion Popular Two at large to the popular vote The remainder is based on the percentage on the popular vote
Pol Notes 4%2F17%2F2017
Course: Introduction to American Politics (Pol 101)
University: University of Mississippi
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