1. AP U.S. Government Rixie April 9th, 2018
Review Session #2
AP U.S. Government
Rixie
April 9th, 2018

2. Politics & the Public
Participation & socialization

3. Political Culture
Set of basic values/beliefs about a country or gov’t shared by most citizens
U.S. values:
Majority rule / minority rights
Limited gov’t
Equality
Private property
Freedom

4. Political Socialization
Process by which citizens acquire political identity
Agents:
Family/home
School
Media
Group affiliations
Demographics
Events

5. The Census Population count every ten years (Constitutional req.)
Purpose:
$ distribution at local/state/federal levels
Redraw congressional districts
Reapportionment:
Adjust seats for states in House of Reps
CA, FL, TX have gained in recent decades

6. Public Opinion
Shared attitudes relating to politics, public issues, policy
Shaped by pol. culture & socialization
Measured with polls!
Straw Polls – ask lots of people same ?
Scientific Polling – random sampling, valid ?s & methods, sampling errors still occur

7. Ideologies
Conservative – limited gov’t role in helping individuals; supports tradition; wants strong nat’l security; cautious w/ change
Liberal – more active gov’t with individuals & social issues; more supportive of change
Moderate – in between

8. Conventional Participation
Vote
Run for office
Campaign contributions $$
Campaign volunteering
Petitions
Contacting reps

9. Unconventional Participation
Protest
Civil Disobedience
Knowingly breaking a law believed unjust

10. Interest Groups
Types, Roles, & Tactics

11. Key Functions Raise awareness of issues Link members to gov’t
Provide technical info to officials
Enable political participation

12. Types Economic Causes Public Interest Pro business, labor
AFL-CIO, Chamber of Commerce, NEA
Causes
ACLU; NRA; AARP; NAACP; religious- based
Public Interest
MADD; League of Women Voters

13. Anti-abortion & other moral issues
Single-issue Groups
One specific policy
Uncompromising
Anti-abortion & other moral issues

14. Strategy #1 – Electioneering
Endorse candidates who support interests
PACs – most $ goes incumbents
IG’s don’t run their own candidates

15. Strategy #2 – Lobbying Trying to influence policy-makers
Congress & bureaucracy
Direct contact
Grassroots lobbying – organizing at local level with everyday people

16. Strategy #3 – Litigation
Taking an issue to the courts
Finding an appropriate litigant to form a case with
Amicus Curiae – legal briefs to state how an issue would affect their group
Class action suit – on behalf of all affected

17. Strategy #4 – Going Public
Trying to influence public opinion
Get the public on your side
Cultivate group’s image

18. Regulation Mid-20th century & beyond
Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act 1946
Lobbying Disclosure Act 1995

19. The Mass Media
Types & Roles

20. Print v. Broadcast Print: Newspapers & magazines
Many owned by same large companies
Becoming less popular
Broadcast: TV, radio, Internet
Most people get news from TV
Narrowcasting

21. Role #1 – Inform/Influence Public
Inform & help shape public opinion
Link citizens to gov’t

22. Role #2 – Agenda-setting
Selectively assigning importance to certain issues
Gatekeepers (editors & executives) decide what to cover & how

23. Role #3 – Watchdog Shine spotlight on gov’t officials & their actions
Eye out for corruption
Could lead to focus on scandals

24. Regulation More over broadcast media
Federal Communications Commision (FCC) – regulates airways
Telecommunications Act – broadened competition
1st Amendment rights but content somewhat regulated

25. White House Coverage A major “beat” Staged media events
Press conferences & Press Secretary
Leaks (trial balloons)
POTUS is big news story

26. Covering Congress Not covered as much as POTUS
Focuses on hearings, investigations, scandals
CSPAN

27. Media Bias
Many journalists are liberals, but studies show most news does not have political bias
Bias is towards what will get ratings
Some bias toward incumbents/frontrunners