The War Room 10/22/08

this is like a week late. i apologize.

i just took a few notes:

• Gerladine Flowers claimed that she had a relationship with Bill Clinton for 12 years and that he lied to the rpess about it for 2.
• Clinton obviously denies the affair, and it blows over.
• Flowers claims that she was urged by the Republican party to tell her story.
  
• James Carvel plays an important role throughout the campaign.
  

it's not much but that's just a few of the things that caught my attention.

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

October 29, 2008

How do interest groups form?

• Pluralists see interest groups naturally forming when people are adversely affected by a disturbance
• Yet, some people who are adversely affected do not organize. Janda gives the example of Boston's West Enders.
• Other political scientists argue that the quality of leadership is a ke determinant of successful interest group formation.
• They see an interest group leader as an entrepreneur who must convince potential members that there are compelling reasons to join the organization. Janda gives the United Farm Workers Union as an example.
• Who is being organized is also an important force affecting group formation. The wealthy and the well educated are more likely to form and join lobbies.

Interest groups have resources

• Large politically active membership
• Business, professional, and trade associations have an easier time holding onto members than citizen groups do.
• Citizen groups must rely largely on idealogical appeals. Many try to attract new members through direct mail.
• Free-Rider problem. Nonmembers can obtain public policy benefits of the organization; lobbying even though they pay no dues.
• Many people join interest groups anyway. Some join for the selective benefits or because they realize that if everyone decides to "leg George do it" it won't get done.
• Lobbyists can be either full-time employees of the organization or hired from law firms or public relations firms.
• The typical interaction between a lobbyist and a policy maker is the transmission of info from the lobbyist to the official.
• Lobbyist is trying to convince the policy maker that the lobbyist's data is accurate and deserves more attention than those presented by other lobbyists.
• Financial Resources/Political Action Committees pool contributions from group members and donate those funds to candidates for office.
• Two types of PACs have shown the greatest growth in numbers
• Corporate PACs
• Non-connected PACs
• The role of PACs in financing elections has become the most controversial aspect of interest group politics.

How interest groups work

• Lobbying
• In direct lobbying a group's representatives have direct contact with a policy maker by phone, email, or letter. They also
• Make personal presentations
• Testify before committees
• Grass roots lobbying influence representatives by
• Letter writing
• Political Protests
• Electioneering
• Interest groups need to get and keep people who support their causes in office and do so by providing money to candidates. PACs do a lot of electioneering.
• Litigation
• Groups can sue businesses and the government, and they can send amicus curiae.
  

29 October BLOG

• Interest groups have resources:

large politically active membership, lobbyists, and political action committees ($$$)

• Large membership is very important because it gives a group more power
• many people join interest groups because they like the benefits
• Interest groups can offer disciounts, insurance, etc.
• #1 thing that a congressman can get from a lobbyist is up to date, well researched information
• if congressman vote with an interest group, the interest group might give him support during his reelection campaign ($$$)
• Interest groups use PAC's to donate money.
• Corporate PACs- formed by businesses
• idealogical PACs-formed over an issue
• access- ability of an interest gruop to communicate with a congressman
• Interest groups are usually made up of wealthy, educated people.
• This creates controversy because some argue that the less wealthy and less educated people lose out.
• Proponents of interest groups say that itnerest groups rae good and part of pluralist democracy, allowing citizen partcipation.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF LOBBYING:

• Dirrect Lobbying- face to face, email, or telephone communication between lobbyist and law maker.
• Grass roots lobbying- asking memebers to emial a congressman, mail a letter, etc. Also protests and such are grass roots lobbying.

• Electioneering-Interest grups helping people who support them get elected to office.
• PACs overwhelmingly support incumbents
• Litigation- law suits filed by interest groups (NAACP during 1950's)

post for October 24

I had the blog for October 24, last friday. Sorry for being late :[ On friday we watched the end of The War Room. It was interesting to see the behind the scenes of the campaign, it made me realize that so much goes on in the background without the public really knowing. Also, it I realized how much effort goes into every word and phrase in each speech ("read my lips"). We will be tested on the material covered in the movie.

Thursday Oct. 23

Ok, last Thursday, we watched the second part of The War Room. In this installment, we got to see Mary Matalin and more campaigning from the Clinton campaign. Not too much really.

Notes on 10/28

The 1976 Amendment allowed groups to form political action committees(PAC) and one group could be form per corporation, labor union, etc.

Buckley v. Valeo, Supreme Court case allowed no limits on individuals spending their own money in compaigns.

IN the 1990s Soft money helps to avoid the 1974 laws and limits.

Soft money are funds spent for entire party ticket, such as party mailings voter regristration and get out the vote.

Soft money enhanced role both of national and state parties in presidentail campaigns.
Election fiance reform was a major theme in Senator John McCain's campaign for the 2000 presidency. He primarily critized soft money. Partly because of publicity the Bipartisan Campaign Reform of 2002, aka McCain Feingold Act.

The act raised the limits of individual donations from 1000 dollars to 2000 dollars and increased all individuals can give to all federal caidates from 25000 dollars to 95000 dollars over a two year music effective 1 January 2003.

Banned national political parties from raising and spending soft money for campaigns.
State and local parties can't use soft money for TV ads to mention national party candidates.

Soft money was limited to 10000 dollars per candidate per year.

These limits spawned growth in 2004 of new type of fund raising activity known as 527 organizations for provision of tax law under which they are created are accepting limitless funds without having to disclose who made the donations or how the donation will be spent.
They can do this because they are considered a Political Comittee but the don't directly involve themselves in the campaigns so the FEC cannot limit them.
527's have two distinct advantages:
Exempt from paying taxes on any donations
Donators do not have to make gift taxes on large donations.
The Swift Boat Vets that campaigned against John Kerry in 2004 are considered 527.

Strategies and Tactics:

Using information from pollsters and political consultants, campaign managers mix party, issues and a candidate image to compile an effective strategy.
Campaign messages are sent via media to the public, such media includes televesion, radio, internet and advertising.

Choices an individual voters make can be analyzed as products of both long term and short term factors.
-Long term factors are mainly compiled of Party Identification and background of the candidate that is running.

Challengers will campaign by pointing out the problems of the term and then promising to solve them.
Incumbents campaign using their accomplishments in office.

Among Short Term Factors:
-Voters fall back on religion, gender and race.
-Leadership, trustworthieness and appearance of caring are also factors from image.
-Usually found in less politically educated.

Most studies of Presidential Elections show that people will vote less based on issues and more on party identification and candidates image.

Chapter 10
Interest Groups:
-Defined as "organized body of individuals who share some political goals and trying to influence public policies."

Help or Hinder Democracy?
-Alexis de Tocquveille, in Democracy in America, says that with the ease in which interest groups are formed shows that we are strongly democractic in culture.
-Federalist 10 by James Madison, dangers of factions:
Noted, factions are "sown in the nature of man"
It is fruitless to try and eliminate factions, but better off trying to control the effects of them.

Roles:
-Represent the populace in politics.
-Participate: Help average person participate in politics.
-Education: Help educate the populace about policies, candidates and campaigns.

Oct. 15......

I seem to be a tad late with these…. sorry.

I- Party Identification- refers to voter’s sense of psychological attachment to a party
- Most Americans identify with one of the major political parties.
- Parties retain strength on a national level largely due to the presidency.
-Even if a party does not win the presidency it can still win state offices.
II- Significant points
-Republicans and Democrats greatly outnumber Independents.
- There are more Democrats than Republicans, however the number of Democrats has gone down over the years, benefiting Republicans and Independents.
- Factors such as race and religion have more effect on party ID than socioeconomic factors.
1. White protestants- R
2. Minorities, Jews, Catholics- D
3. Low education and income- D
4. Women are more likely to vote Democrat than men
-Republicans more likely to be conservative, Democrats more liberal.
-Activists divide even more clearly along liberal/conservative line
-Rep. platform stresses morality, Dem. Platform stresses equality.
III. Party Components
-National Convention- every 4 years to choose candidate and policies.
-National Committee- leaders from state parties
-Congressional Party Conference- try to guide each parties legislative activities.

-National Party organization has little control over state level
-State party organizations differ in strength and resources
-National organization rarely interferes on state level
IV. Fun Facts
-Parties are gaining strength
- Parties are better funded than ever before
-More Congressional votes past along part lines
-Most Americans still consider themselves Independent

MONDAY OCT 27

these here are the notes for today

all seats in the house of representatives, 2/3 of the senate, and many state/local offices are filled in general elections in the november of every even year
its always the first tuesday after the first monday
for presidential elections, voters choose a president through the electoral college
each state gets the number of votes as their total congressional seats combined
every 10 years, reapportionment through the census is conducted and the house of representatives is sized accordingly
the electoral college highlights that the presidential election is a federal rather than national election
people arent voting for the president as much as they are voting for the electors in the college to vote for president
from 1888 to 2000, the college magnified the margin of victory, in 2000 the electoral college didnt agree with the popular vote
this systems detractors seek a majoritarian method for choosing presidents
there are currently 3 main arguments for the elecotral college however

1, small states get a bit more power due to the two senators
2, it encourages candidates to campaign in rural areas rather than just the most populated
3,there are potential problems for a national recount if voting procedures arent exactly kosher

every 4 years, both congressional and presidential elections occur
a straight ticket is a ballot submitted by a voter that is entirely for one party
a split ticket, on the other hand, is a ballot where the candidates being voted on are from different parties
its not unusual in american history to have a president and congress of different parties (this situation is described as a divided government)
first past the posts elections are conducted in single member districts and award victory to the candidate with the most votes rather than above %50, this is also considered a plurality
parties with the most votes normally win more seats than projected by the percentage of votes

context
incumbent- current officeholder
open election- election w/ no incumbent
party preference of the majority of the electorate plays an important role
political issues determine elections as well, namely the current status of the governed

Finance

election campaigns are obscenely expensive
there were many finance reforms passed in 1974 with more in 1976 and the Finance Reform of 2002

1974
six person feeral election commision formed to oversee contributions
all contributions over $100 must be disclosed
no cash contributions above $100
no foreign contributions
individual contributions limited to $1000 for a candidate, $20000 to a party and $5000 to a PAC
a corporation or other association is allowed to establish a political action committee 6 months in advance for an election
it must have at least 50 contributors and at least 5 candidates to help support
contributions from these PAC's are limited to $5000 to a candidate and $15000 to a party

Wednesday October 22, 2008

we bagan watching the movie: THE WAR ROOM. a film about Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign. It showed interviews aobut his alleged affair, and early campaign meetings.

THRUSDAY =D

Thrusday October 23rd-

In class we continued watching The War Room.
Which is about Clinton's campaign efforts from an inside view.
Make sure you do your free response worksheet which is due Monday.

Thankss
ps sorry this is a little late

Geni Moore

October 24th 4th Period

Today we watched the end of The War Room, which covered the first debate of Clinton vs. Bush to the announcement of Bill Clinton winning the position of president. Monday, we have the Ch. 9 Response Sheet due. And that's it!

October 22, 2008

Today we began to watch the movie "The War Room". It's a documentary about Clinton running for the presidency in 1992. The documentary so far has covered Clinton's campaign in the democratic primaries.

In 7th period we started the class off with the discussion of early voting being offered in a number of states. There was some talk of how this was going to cause problems with recounts and also troubles with the technology being used.
Our class kept it pretty brief and then we went into notes.

Chapter 9:
Evolution of campaigning
1)election campaign organized effort to choose one candidate over another competing for the same office
2)Increasingly,election campaigns have evolved from being party centered to being candidate centered.

In the United States candidates campaign for nomination and election.
1)most aspiring for major office are nominated through primary election.
A)In both parties only about half of regular party voters bother to vote in any given primary (though this varies by state and contest.)
1)some research shows primary voters hold more extreme views than party members who didn't vote in other primaries.
2)others suggest this is unrepresentative of the general population.
3)some say voters subordinate their views, choosing candidates that will fare better.
B)Primary elections for congressional and state offices may be:closed, open, or blanket.
closed-voters identify/declare a party where they get a ticket for that party and can't split there vote between parties. This is the most common.
open-can pick either ballot. Only few states have this method.
blanket-get ballot listing all the candidates for all the parties.
only 3 states have.
California proposed the "jungle" method where on the ballot the candidate's parties name is not identified. This was shut down by the supreme court.
C)Important thing to remember is that our parties choose their candidates through election. Started in the U.S. and remains unique to our country resulting in the decentralization of power in the parties.
2)To nominate a presidential candidate, parties employ a complex mix of ways of polling voters, including presidential primaries, local party caucuses and party conventions.
presidential primary-special primary to select delegates to attend party's national nominating convention.
Most states use presidential primaries rather that local caucuses leading to state conventions.
B)local caucus method of delegate selection is a more complex series of meetings used in 9 states and all 4 territories.
C)nearly all delegates selected in primaries are publicly committed to specific candidates so that one can easily tell before the parties summer nominating conventions who will be their nominees.
-front loading (the tendency during the last 2 decades for states to move their primaries earlier in the calendar to gain attention from media and candidates) means nominees are chosen earlier and earlier.
3)primary-centered nomination process has several consequences .
A)because of complex system of caucus and primary methods used to select delegates,timing and luck can affect who wins and even an outside chance of success can attract many candidates if there is no incumbent president running for reelection.
B)candidates favored by most party identifiers usually win their party's nomination
C)candidates who win the nomination do so largely on their own and owe little or nothing to the national party organization

MONDAY, Oct. 20 pd7

yesterday we had a timed write on the voting turnouts in America. We were susposed to identify 2 types of participation in government excpept voting. And then from the 2 that we identified we were to say two advantages for each.

Notes 10/21/08

Evolution of campaigning
(1) Campaign- an organized effort to persuade voters to choose one candidate over others competing for the same office
(2) Increasingly, election campaigns have evolved from being party centered to being candidate centered.

Candidates campaign for nomination as well as election
(1) Most nominated through primary elections
A. In both parties, about 1/2 bother to vote in primary elections
--some research suggests, primary voters hold more extreme views than party members who didn't vote in primaries
--others say, primary voters unrepresentative of general population
--primary voters suboordinate their views- candidates more likely to fare better

B. Primary can be:
(1)Closed
(2) Open
(3) Blanket
-most states use closed primary- voter asks for ballot of particular party and can't split their ticket.
-In open, voters ask for either party's ballot and then vote it
-blanket- voters recieve a ballot listing all candidates
-voters vote for 1 candidate with the top voter advancing to the November General Election
-Only 3 states use blanket
-CA "jungle" primary [certain version of blanket] was struck down by the Supreme Court
-variations of primary a state holds impacts on the strength of the party in that state

C. Parties choose their candidates through election- primary
--results in a decentralization of power in parties

10/20 Notes

We did a timed write today in class.
Read tonight.

October 17th, 2008

Sorry this is a few days late,
but on Friday, our classes took the chapter 5-8 Test
So if anybody happened to be absent on Friday
Be sure to make it up as soon as possible!

October 16, 2008

First of all I'm sorry that this blog is late. This past thursday in period 7th we watched another clip of the Democracy In America.
It involved about a democratic mayor Cindy Montanez, the New York mayor election with Guliani and another candidate. Then it started talking about the 2001 Presidential Election and it also involved political parties.

October 9

In fourth period we just finished the trial and the defendents were found not guilty by the jury.

October 16, 2008

In class we watched Democracy in America and Learned about the Political Parties.

Notes from Friday, October 10th

Sorry if this is late because of the fact that the assessment for Chapter 5-8 is tomrorow; however, these notes were from this past friday, October 10th.

Continuing with notes on Chapter 7...

Americans generally disapprove of unconventional political action, specifically that which interupts habitual life

Unconventional partcipation has been sucessful in influencing government decisions e.g. heightening concern over Vietnam

1. Civil Rights movement relied on direct action (assembling crowds to confront businessess and local government) to demand equal treatment

1. Unconventional partcipation pressured Congress to pass civil rights laws, etc.

Conventional participation consists of a relatively routine, no threatening behavior that uses the channels of representative government
1. Supportive behaviors- support government and Patriotism
2) Influencing behaviors- modify/reverse government policy

-Individuals with higher economic status are more likely to contact public officials to ask for special services

-Citizens demand more of local than national government

-Citizens engage in two kinds of activities that influence the selection of government personnel and policies:
1) Low-initiative acts- don't require much effort (i.e. voting)
2) High-initiative acts- require active participation by individuals to obtain benefits for a group-

Compared with citizens of other countries, Americans are less likely to vote in elections but more likely to engage in other forms of conventional participation

-Participation through elections and voting lies at the heart of the democratic process-progressivism left an important legacy of mechanisms for direct participation, particularly in the policymaking process:

A. Their state-run direct primary
B. Recall
C. Referendum
D Initiati.ve-the standard socioeconomic model of participation suggests that people with more education, higher incomes, and white collar jobs are more likely to participate in politics

-Unconventional behavior isn't related to higher socioeconomic status

-Education is the strongest single predictor of political participation-regardless of socioeconomic status, young people are less likely to participate in conventional participation than those over age 45-gender- since 1992, women's turnout has exceeded men's-race and ethnicity

-Not very accurate due to other factors, however, if we disregard those factors, whites are more likely to vote than blacks or latinos.

-As religious involvement increases, so does political participation

-Low voting turnout can be attributed to several factors:-turnout has declined for two main reasons-

1. Lowering of voting age
2. Belief of efficacy in voting is declining-voting turnout is lower than in other countries for 3 reasons:
1. In US, voting laws and election procedures don't encourage voting
A. No election holidays
B. Burden of registration left to individual
1. Motor-voter law helped
2. Political parties fail to mobilize voters because of weak party-group linkages
3. Inadequate info about large number of candidates and offices discourages people from voting

-Within Normative Theory, individuals should be free to participate in politics as they wish and as much as they wish
A. All barriers to participation should be abolished
B. The value of freedom in participation will allow all forms

This is acually yesterdays blog Oct.15.2008
Chapter 8

a] Party identification refers to the voters sence of psychological attechment to a party
1] voting is a behavior
2] identification is a state of mind
b] 3 significant points
1] number of republicans and democartics comind exceeds the nimber of indepents in every year
2] number of Democatics consistrnly exceed that of Republicans
3] number of Democrats has shurnk over time, to the benefit of both Republicans and Ind.
Parties Classity
a] Republicans identifiers are more likely to be conservatives than democratics identifere
b] Republicans and democrates activites divided even more clearly along liberal and conservative lines
National level each major party has 4 main organizational componantes
a] national convention convenes every 4 years to nonminate a presidential candidate and set party policy and rules
b] national committiee compored of leaders from state parties hase a steering role
c] congressional party confereno try to guid each party legistative activitcsn within each chamber
d] congressional campaign org are separate bodies in each house for each party.
2] national organization is not hierarerchical and has little controll our state party organization
a] state party organization vary in strength and resources
b] national organization generally do not interfere in the state
a] neither party national commitee ever been more active in grass-roots campaign
b] more voters in congress are being cast along party lines
c] still americans are more likly to call them selves Independent.


period 7

Wednesday, October 8

First off sorry this is late.
Wednesday we started Trail #1.
Here is what fusion had to say about the trail:

Trial Teams conduct Trial # 1: People eligible but not voting in national elections are hereby charged with not supporting the electoral process and being a threat to national security. If guilty they should be excluded from holding any government job or receiving any government benefits.

It was very interesting to say the least. Some witnesses were a Colonel in the military, A Black Panther, a widow on welfare and has six children, a West Virginia saw millwork who is illiterate, and a college professor.

We will continue the trail on Thursay

Blog for today (10/15)

Blog for 10/15/08

Today in 4th period government we…
Stated class with open discussion about current events.
These events included:
Gay Marriage
Abandoning of Kids
Situation of the Stafford County School Board
Test on Friday
Then came the notes:
Most Americans identify with one of the major parties
Number of Republicans and Democrats continually out number the number of Independents.
More Democrats than Republicans
Number of Democrats has shrunk over the years
White Protestants are linked to Republicans
Minorities are linked to Democrats
Low education, income and occupations vote Democrat
Women are more likely to vote Democrat than men
Republicans identifies conservatives
Republicans stress morality
Democrats stress equality
Both are conservative on economic matters
Both parties support capitalism
National Convention- convenes every four years to nominate a presidential candidate
National Committee- composed of leaders from state parties which have a steering role
Congressional party conferences try to guide each party’s legislative activities
State party organization varies in strength and resources.
Centralized urban policy party machines no longer dominate party organizations in the states.
Neither party has ever been better funded then they are now.
More active in grass-rout campaigns
More votes in congress are being cast along party lines
Fewer Americans are developing the strong party identifications necessary to insure their continued health.
These are the last notes of the chapter.
Class was very educational and fun today. REMEMBER TEST FRIDAY!

October 14th - 7th period

Although many people regard political parties with suspicion, parties are an essential component of democratic government.
1) Citizens: main avenues of participation in government is through voting in competitive elections.
a) A political party is an organization that sponsors candidates for public office under the organization's name.
b) Both of the candidates and the organization acknowledges the same label and the label conveys a significant meaning throughout the electorate
c) Interest groups are distinct from parties in that interest groups may support candidates but never sponsor them as their avowed representatives
2) Parties perform the important functions for the political system
a) They are on e of the several linkages institutions that connect people in a large democracy to the government. Other linking institutions are interest groups, media, and elections. Parties increase political efficacy by helping citizens to make sense of government decisions and processes and to feel that government listens to them.
b) They nominate candidates for elections to public office ensuring minimum qualifications of candidates through the peer review process
c) They structure the voting choice in elections, reducing the number of candidates on the ballot
d) They propose alternatives government programs- helping voters choose between policies and personalities
e) They coordinate the actions of government officials to help bridge separation of powers
US political parties have long and complex histories
1) Parties are not mentioned in the constitution and did not exist in any recognizable form in the pre-party period, which lasted through Washington's 1st term in office.
2) First party system the federalists (led by Hamilton) against the democratic republicans (led by Jefferson). The feds represent urban, business oriented men, favored elitism and strong central government and banks. The Dem. Republicans favored strong state government, rural interests and weak central government.
3) The second party system involved what became the Democratic Party and the Whig party after the Federalists ceased to exist by 1820 and the Democratic Republicans split factions in 1824.
a) Democratic Party originated in 1828 among Southerners and Westerners who supported Andrew Jackson. They ushered in universal manhood suffrage and gained the support of rural anti-bank, small farmers from the South and West.
b) Whigs were formed in 1834 to oppose President Jackson. They were left with the old Federalists and groups like wealthy rural southerners. It was not ideologically coherent.
4) Present party sysem, featuring democrat and republican parties since the 1850. Critical elections were elections that produced a sharp change in patterns of party loyalty among voters and lasting electoral realignment. The critical elections have marked present party systems. Elections of 1860 brought Lincoln to the white house, with exception of grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson. The republicans controlled the presidency from 1860to 1933; the depression era of 1932 brought FDR to the white house where democrats stayed until 1969 with the single exceptions of Eisenhower
5) The elections of Richard Nixon brought a divided government with one party holding the presidency and the others controlling congress. From 1969 through 1993, the Republicans held the presidency except for Jimmy Carter's one term. In 1969, the Democratic Party reviewed its structure and convention delegate selection procedures. The party adopted guidelines to increase the representation and participation of minorities, women, youth, and the poor. The number of super delegates, or governors, members of congress, and other party leaders were reduced.
Why does the US have a two party system?
1) There have been many minor partie3s in US history
a) Bolter parties have been formed by factions that split from one of the major parties - George Wallace's American Independent Party.
b) Farmer-labor parties, such as the Populist Party.
c) Parties of ideological protests such as the Libertarian and Socialist Parties.
d) Single-issue parties like the Prohibition Party.
e) Minor parties have not fared particularly well as vote getters, though the presence of alternative president candidates (Ralph Nader, 2000) impacted those elections.
f) Minor parties may perform their most useful function as safety evolves for the political system, allowing discontented groups to argue for their policies within the political system.
2) For several reasons, only 2 parties have alternated in power in the US for more than 125 years.
a) The electoral system involves the twin principles of single winners (winner-take-all) chosen by simple plurality vote is the most important reason. It tends the encourage competion between only two parties for political office within each electoral district. The winner in American elections is one who receives the largest number of votes in each district. The winner does not need more than 50 percent of the vote. All they need is one more than his or her competitor.
b) The importance of the presidency causes diverse groups across the nation to coalesce in the two parties within each state.
c) Only those parties dominate contemporary elections because of historical claims on citizen loyalties.

Class Notes for Friday, October 10th

conventional participation- relatively routine, no threatening behavior that uses the channels of representative government
1) supportive behaviors- support government and Patriotism
2) influencing behaviors- modify/reverse government policy

-individuals with higher economic status are more likely to contact public officials to ask for special services
-citizens demand more of local than national government
-citizens engage in 2 kinds of activities that influence the selection of government personnel and policies:
1) low-initiative acts- don't require much effort (i.e. voting)
2) high-initiative acts- require active participation by individuals to obtain benefits for a group

-compared with citizens of other countries, Americans are less likely to vote in elections but more likely to engage in other forms of conventional participation
-participation through elections and voting lies at the heart of the democratic process
-progressivism left an important legacy of mechanisms for direct participation, particularly in the policymaking process:
A) their state-run direct primary
B) recall
C) referendum
D) initiative
-the standard socioeconomic model of participation suggests that people with more education, higher incomes, and white collar jobs are more likely to participate in politics

-unconventional behavior isn't related to higher socioeconomic status
-education is the strongest single predictor of political participation
-regardless of socioeconomic status, young people are less likely to participate in conventional participation than those over age 45
-gender- since 1992, women's turnout has exceeded men's
-race and ethnicity- not very accurate due to other factors, however, if we disregard those factors, whites are more likely to vote than blacks or latinos.
-as religious involvement increases, so does political participation

-low voting turnout can be attributed to several factors:
-turnout has declined for 2 main reasons-
1) lowering of voting age
2) belief of efficacy in voting is declining
-voting turnout is lower than in other countries for 3 reasons:
1) in US, voting laws and election procedures don't encourage voting
a) no election holidays
b) burden of registration left to individual
1) motor-voter law helped
2) political parties fail to mobilize voters because of weak party-group linkages
3) inadequate info about large number of candidates and offices discourages people from voting

-according to the normative theory, individuals should be free to participate in politics as they wish and as much as they wish
a) all barriers to participation should be abolished
b) the value of freedom in participation will allow all forms

Period 4 - Notes for Tuesday, October 14th

Kenny

Chapter 8
Although many people regard political parties with suspicion, parties are an essential component of democratic government.

1)Citizens' main avenue of participation in government is through voting in competetive elections.
A-A political party is an organization that sponsors candidates for public ofice under the organization's name.
B-Both the candidate and the organization aknowledge the same label, and the label conveys a significant meaning throughout the electorate.
C-Interest groups are distinct form parties in that interest groups may support candidates but never sponsor them as their avowed representatives.

2)Parties perform five important functions for the politcal system:
A-They are onde of several linkage institutions that connect people in a large democracy to the government. Others include groups, media, and elections. Parties increase political efficacy by helping citizens to make sense of government decisions and processes.
B-They nominate candidates for elections to public office, ensuring minimum qualifications of candidates through the peer review process.
C-They structure the voting choice in elections, reducing the number of candidates on the ballot.
D-They propose alternative government programs, helping voters choose between policies as well as between personalities.
E-They coordinate the actions of government officials , help to bridge the separation of powers.

American political parties have a long and complex history.

1)Parties were not mentioned in the constitution and did not exist in any recognizable form in the pre-party period, which lasted through Washington's first term in office.

2)The first party system pitted the Federalists, led by Hamilton, against the Democratic Republicans, led by Jefferson. The Federalists came to represent urban, business-oriented men who favors elitism and a strong central government. They also favored the Bank of the United States.

3)The second party system involved what became the Democratic party and the Whig party after the Federalists ceased to exist by 1820 and the Democratic Republicans split factions in 1824.
A-Democratic party originated in 1828 among Southeners and Westerners who supported Andrew Jackson. They ushered in universal manhood suffrage and gained the support of rural anti-bank, small farmers from the South and West.
B-Whigs were formed in 1834 to oppose President Jackson. They were left with the old Federalists and groups like wealthy rural southeners. It was not ideologically coherent.

4)The present party system, Democratic and Republican, developed in late 1850s. Critical elections were elections that produced a sharp change in patterns of party loyalty among voters and lasting electoral realignment. The election of 1860 brought Lincoln to the White House.

5)The election of Richard Nixon were accompanied by dividing government with one party holding the presidency and the others controlling congress. From 1969 through 1993, the Republicans held the presidency except for Jimmy Carter's one term. In 1969, the Democratic party reviewed its structure and convention delegate selection procedures. The party adopted guidelines to increase the representation and participation of minorities, women, youth, and the poor. The number of super delegates, or governers, members of congress, and other party leaders were reduced.

Why does the United States have a two-party system?
1)In fact, there have ben many minor parties in American history.
A-Bolter parties have been formed by factions that split from one of the major parties - George Wallace's American Independent Party.
B-Farmer-labor parties, such as teh Populist Party.
C-Parties of ideological protests such as the Libertarian and Socialist Parties.
D-Single-issue parties like the Prohibition Party.
E-Minor parties have not fared particularily well as vote getters, though the prescence of alternative president candidates (Ralph Nader, 2000) impacted those elections.
F-Minor parties may perform their most useful function as safety evolves for the political system, allowing discontented groups to argue for their policies within the political system.

2)For several reasons, only 2 parties have alternated in power in the US for more than 125 years.
A-The electoral system involves the twin principles of single winners (winner-take-all) chosen by simple plurality vote is the most important reason. It tends the encourage competion between only two parties for political office within each electoral district. The winner in American elections is one who receives the largest number of votes in each district. The winner does not need more than 50 percent of the vote. All they need is one more than his or her competitor.
B-The importance of the presidency causes diverse groups across the nation to coalesce in the two parties within each state.
C-Only those parties dominate contemporary elections because of historical claims on citizen loyalties.

Kenny

3rd Period Notes: Tuesday 10/14

sorry if i spelled anything wrong, hope this helps everyone!!
Maria :)


end of Chapter 7:
527's: segment in tax codes that allows groups that want to support a political party to give large amounts of money.

Chapter 8:
polictical parties are an essential component of democratic gov't
(1.) Citizens main avenue of participation in gov't is through voting in elections.
A: a political party is an organization that sponsors candidates for public office under the org. name.
B: both the candidate and the organization acknowledge the same label and the label conveys a significant meaning throughout the electorate.
C: Interset groups may support candidates but never sponsor them as their avowed representatives.

(2.) 5 Functions of the Political System: political parties...
A: are linkage institutions that connect people in a large democracy to the government. parties increase political efficacy by helping citizens to make sense of government decisions and processes and to feel that the government listens to them.
B: they nominate candidates for election to public office, ensuring minimum qualifications of candidate through the peer review process.
C: structure the voting choice in elections reducing the number of candidates on the ballot
D: propose alternative government programs by helping voters choose between policies and personalities.
E: coordinate the actions of government officials, and help to bridge separation of powers.

American politics has a long and complex history!
(1.) Parties weren't mentioned in the Constitution and didn't exist in any recognizable form in the pre-party period, which lasted through Washington's first term.
(2.) The first party pitted the Federalists, led by Hamilton. Federalists represented urban, business-oriented men who favored elitism and a strong central government ( they favored the bank of the u.s.). The Democratic-Republicans (led by Jefferson) favored strong state gov't, rural interests and a weaker central gov't (opposed thebank).
(3.) Second party system involved what became the Democratic/Whig parties after the Federalist ceased to exist by 1820 and the Democratic-Republicans had split into factions by 1824.
A: Democratic party originated in 1828 among Southeners and Westerners who supported Andrew Jackson. They ushered in universal manhood suffrage and gained the support of rural anti-bank, small farmers from the South and West.
B: Whigs 1834- opposed President Jackson. Wealthy Southeners, Not a very solid party.
(4.) Todays party syytem came along in the 1850's.
Critical Elections: elections that produces a very sharp change in party loyalty among voters and lasting electoral realignment. Exceptions of Wilson and Cleveland- Republicans controlled the presidency from 1860 to 1933.
(5.) Nixon Presidency brought a divided govt. 1 party holding presidency and other party controlling Congress.

Why does the U.S. have a two party system?
(1.) many minor parties in American history
A: Bolter Parties: have been formed by factions that split from one of the major parties- George Wallaces American Independent Party.
B: Farmer-Labor parties such as the Populist Party
C: Parties of ideological protest such as Libertarian and Socialist Parties
D: Single-issue parties like Prohibition Party
E: Minor parties ahvent fared particularily well as vote getters, though the prescence of alternative president candidates (Ralph Nader, 2000) impacted those elections
F: minor parties may preform their most useful funcation as safety vlaves for the political system, allowing discontented groups to argue for their policies within the political system
(2.) For several reasons, only 2 parties have alternated in power in the US for more than 125 years
A: electoral system- twin principleas of single winners chosen by a simple plurality vote (most important reason). it tends to encourage competition between only two parties for political office within each electoral district. Winner has to have only one more vote than his/her competitor
B: importance of the Presidency causes diverse groups across the nation to coalesce into the same 2 parties within each state.
C: only those two parties dominate comtemporary elections because of their historical claims on citizens loyalties.

Notes On Friday Oct. 10th

Conventional participation is relatively routine, threating behavior that uses the channels of representatives governemnt.
1. supportive behaviors are purely ceremonial acts expressing allgiance to government and country.
2. influencing behaviors seek to modify or reverse government policy
citizens may seek to derive particular benefits from government

1. democratic theory encourages citizens to serve their self-intersest through channels such as voting
2. to obtain lucrative benefits
3. individuals higher economic status are more likely to contact public offices for service
4. citizens demand more of local than national government
5. more money and more contributions

1. low initiative acts, such as voting, do not require much effort by the individual.
2. high initiative acts require active participation by individuals to obtain benefits for a group. Such activities can be associated with the electoral process.

Compared with citizens of other countries, Americans are less likely to vote in elections but more likely to engage in political participation.

participation through elections and voting lies at the heart of the democratic process

three rules for making collective decisions:
who can vote
how much each person's vote will count
how many votes are needed to win the election

the gradual elimination of properly holding requirements expanded suffrage to all while males by the 1850's but further expansion of the right ot vote come rather slowly and only as a result of a wide range of unconventional political actions.

women'r right to vote was banned until 1869

1948, laws preventing blacks to vote in private primaries were unconsitutional
15th amendement gave the blacks the right ot vote

voting rights act of 1965 got rid of the voting tests blacks had to take in order to vote

1971, voting age was lowered to 18 by amending the 26th amendment

progressivism- a philosophy of political reform popular during the 1920's

state run direct primarys allow oridnary citizens to choose who is going to be the canidate

recall- special election started by petition, citizens can remove an unpopulare officail from office

referendum- citizens vote directly on issues written as propositions

initiative voters propose issues to be decided by the legislature or directly determined by the voters.

October 6th

wow, this is really late...........but WAY back on October 6th all we did was discuss pressing political issues today, i.e. presidential race, and the economic conditions

October 6th

October 9, 2008

Today we finished Trial 1 and the Defense won the case.
We also had a class discussion about voting and peoples opinions on people who don't vote.
That's about it.
HAVE AN AWESOME NIGHT!
-Molly Moss

October 8, 2008 Pd. 7

Sorry this is a day late.
Today we had Trial #1. The results of trial 1 was that the people were found not guilty of that if they were eligable to vote but didn't in national elections they were not a threat to national security. This was because as citizens they have natural rights and some don't have to vote because some people might think that both the candidates are not suited to be Preseidents.

Tuesday October 7th, 4th Period

So today we got in our groups for the Trials and discussed our "battle" plans for them. Trial 1 goes tomarrow, which is the one about whether people who don't vote should be able to get government benefits. Also...my group is defense for this trial and we're going to win. Just to let everyone know.

Notes! Monday, October 6 : ]

Political Participation
-strikes
-political party members
-lobbying
-voting
-contacting government officials
-assassinations

(1) Political participation is more than just voting
A. definition- actions of private citizens by which they seek to influence or to support government and politics
B. direct democracy- citizens participate directly
C. Indirect democracy relies on elections-formal procedures- for participation

(2) Unconventional and conventional
A. Unconventional- relatively uncommon behavior- threatens or devises government channels or communication
-usually personally stressful
- americans generally disapprove unconventional participation
- unconventional has been successful in influencing the government:
(1) discouraging President Johnson for seeking reelection
(2) heightening concern over vietnam war
(3) Lowering voting age to 18
(4) Civil rights movement used direct action to demand equal treatment for blacks
-unconventional participation pressured conress to pass civil rights law against discrimination
-Black protests in the south had been in part respoonsible for increased welfare support

10/6 notes

In class we went over the test and took notes
Tommorow Mr. G will be absent but we will have time to work on trials
As participation In citizen militias demonstrates, political participation is more than just voting.
1) Accordeing to the democratic ideal “government ought to be run by the people”\
a. Political participation can be defined as those actions of private citizens by which they seek to influence or support the government and its policies.
b. In the model of direct democracy, citizens participate directly in government affairs
c. In direct democracy: relies on elections (formal procedures for voting) as formal mechanism for citizens to participate
2) Political participation can be separated into two different categories: Unconventional and conventional
a. Unconventional: uncommon behavior that threatens or defies government channels or the dominant culture. It tends to be stressful for both participants and their opponents
i. Americans generally disprove of unconventional participation
ii. It has been successful in influencing government decisions in the past

1. Past successes:
a. Discouraging President Johnson from seeking reelection
b. Heightening concern over the Vietnam war
c. Lowering the voting age
2. Civil rights movement relied on direct action to demand equal treatment for blacks
a. Unconventional participation pressured congress to pass civil rights laws against discrimination
b. Black protest in the south has been partly responsible for increased welfare support
3. People participating in unconventional politics tend to share three characteristics:
a. Distrust for the economy
b. Strong sense of political efficacy
c. Highly developed sense of group consciousness
4. Studies suggest that Americans are more likely to participte in unconventional politics than citizens in other democratic countries. It is interesting to note that in recent years a more truly international form of protest has developed large protesting the effects of globalization and the reach of international institutions (like IMF and World Bank.)

October 3, 2009

Sorry that I did this blog really late, but what we did for class on this day, was take a quiz and we got to see how we did on them as well.

Class notes 10/06/90

Chapter 7: political Participation

As participation In citizen militias demonstrates, political participation is more than just voting.

According to the democratic ideal, “government ought to be run by the people”, therefore political participation is key. Political participation can bedefined as those actions of private citizens by which the seek to influence or support the government and its policies. In a direct democracy, the citizens participate directly (DUH!), and in an indirect democracy, the elections are the mechanism for participation through officials. Political participation may be classified as “unconventional” or “conventional”.Unconventional participation is relatively uncommon behavior that threatens or defies the status quo. It is usually stresfull for both those participation and those opposing the participation. Though we have a long history, Americans generally disapprove of unconventional political action. This kind of political participation has had successful and unsuccessful results throughout history.

People participating in unconventional politics tend to share three characteristics: A distrust for the economy and the belief that without prompting, it won’t do its job; a strong sense of political efficacy; and a highly developed sense of group consciousness.

Studies suggest Americans are more likely to participate in unconventional politics than are citizens in other democratic countries. It is interesting to note that in recent years a more truly international form of protest has developed large protesting the effects of globalization and the reach of international institutions such as the IMF and World Bank.

PS. For anyone interested, I turned 18 at 11:08 AM, the end of class, today! ^_^; Have a good one and remember that trial one begins on wednesday.

Notes for October 1

Sorry this is late, but here are the notes:

2) Magazines
A. Tend to have a much smaller circulation.
----------
3) Radio
A. Began commercial operation in 1920s and made celebrities out of news personalities.
----------
4) Television
A. Grew explosively after the end of World War II.
B. Increased visibility of broadcast journalists and promoted careers of politicians who learned to use the medium.
C. Extensively used for campaign advertising.
----------
5) Modern forms of group media include fax transmission and the Internet.
A. Fax
B. Internet 1) Began to explode in the mid-1990s with the development of “browser” technology. 2) Today “blogs” and list servers devote much to political topics and provide and interactive forum for people to express and react to political opinions. 4) Newspapers, magazines, radio, and the television maintain websites with late-breaking news—like school closure for snow.
----------
The mass media are privately owned in the United States and has more implications than first meets the eye.

1) Private ownership of the mass media gives the news industry more political freedom in the U.S. than in most other countries. A. But private ownership also makes the media more dependent on advertising for profits. B. Political news stories are judged for their newsworthiness. i) Newsworthiness means audience appeal. Led to the introduction of infotainment—the mixing of journalism with theater. Can be defined in terms of potential.

2) Media owners acquire additional media outlets to increase their profits. A. The result has been a growing concentration of ownership in both print and broadcast journalism. B. Fears of concentrating broadcast media under a single ownership had led to government regulation of ownership patterns.
----------
Government regulation of the broadcast media historically has addressed three aspects of this operation and has witnessed two political eras.

1) The 1934 Communications Act created the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and formed the basis for media regulation for more than 60 years.
A. Technical regulations arose because of the limited number of frequencies available for broadcasting.
B. The FCC has also regulated the ownership of electronic media. These regulations were essentially lifted by the Telecommunications Act of 1996; now there are no limits on the number of TV stations one company may own, so long as that company does not extend beyond 35% of the nationwide TV market. The 21st century has begun with a flurry of mega-mergers (like AOL/Time Warner).
C. The FCC has also regulated broadcast content. (Content regulation has only applied to broadcasters, not newspapers, because broadcasters use the public airways and must obtain a license from FCC.) Howard Stern’s problems fall into this category.
----------
Under the 1934 Communications Act:
1) The equal opportunities rule provides that a station must make available an equal amount of time under the same conditions to all political candidates.
2) The reasonable access rule required stations to make their facilities available to conflicting views from all responsible elements in the community.
3) A U.S. Court of Appeals struck down both the equal opportunities rule and reasonable access rule in 2000.
----------
Many charges began to undermine the basis for the 1934 Communications Act.
A. Technological change.
----------
The content of radio and TV is still regulated in a way that newspapers and magazines are not.
A. Equal Time Rule: Required a station selling time to one candidate for office to make the same amount of time available for the other.
B. Right-of-reply Rule
C. The Fairness Doctrine was in place for many years but was abolished by FCC in 1987. Most broadcasters still follow this rule voluntarily.
----------
The media make the news by deciding what to report as news.

1) Major news media maintain journalists in major cities and government centers to report (Leaks and trial balloons are special cases.).

A. Washington, DC, has the largest press corps of any city in the world—over 6,000 reporters. B. White House correspondents rely heavily on info they receive in the pressroom in the West Wing of the White House. C. They receive stories routinely through news releases, news briefings, and news conferencing. D. Reporters are expected to observe rules associated with news given “on background” (Info given can be used but source cannot be named) and “off the record” (Info cannot be printed or broadcasted). E. The White House feeds reporters the information and photo opportunities they need. F. Fewer reporters regularly cover Congress, which does not maintain as tight control over news stories as the White House does. G. TV coverage of the House of Representatives and Senate has attracted a small but loyal audience.

2) Media executives, news editors, and prominent reporters set the political agenda and function as gatekeepers in presenting the news and deciding which excerpts to report and how to handle their elements.

A. Network TV is partially operated under server time limitations, and the average news story lasts about one minute. B. Cable TV has made round-the-clock news reporting possible. C. TV news devotes far more time to the president than to Congress or the Supreme Court. D. The media tend to personify issues for the purpose of audience appeal. G. Many news events are staged as media events to attract coverage because of the audience appeal and to gain more press coverage. H. TV news is particularly partial to news that has visual impact. E. The result in covering election campaigns in horse race journalism, which focuses on “who’s ahead” rather than on what the candidate stands for.

October 3, 2008

We took the chapter 5 and 6 quiz the whole period.

9/30/08

Sorry this is late I just got signed up
I had Tuesday, September 30th.
In 4th period we had group discussion the entire class.
No notes were taken

2 October Notes

I was pretty sure I signed up for this day despite the fact there was another post. So....I'm gonna post this anyways....

2) Many changes began to undermine the basis for the 1934 Communications Act
a. Technological change made by television commonplace and it brought computers, fax machines, and satellite transmission. Business pressured Congress to remove restrictions to use these new technologies.
b. Business leaders argued with the expansion of media competition was sufficient to ensure a “market place of ideas” making content regulation unnecessary abridgement of broadcasters First Amendment rights.
c. As noted a U.S Court of Appeals struck both the equal opportunities rule and the Reasonable Access rule in 2000.

3) Despite recent trends, content of radio and t.v.is still regulated in ways newspapers and magazines are not.
a. equal time rule- requires a station selling time to one candidate for office to make the same amount of time available to another
b. right of reply rule-allows a person who is attacked on a broadcast the right to reply over that same station
c. Fairness Doctrine- was in place many years (abolished by FCC in 1987) requested broadcasters to give time to opposing views (most still follow rule voluntarily)

The media makes the news by deciding what to report
1) The major news media maintain journalists in major cities and government centers to report political events firsthand
a. Washington D.C. largest press corps of any city in the world (over 6,000 reporters)
b. White House correspondents rely heavily on information received in pressroom of West Wing in the White House
c. They receive stories routinely through news releases, news briefing, and news conferences. Leaks and trial balloons (ideas leaked to press to see reaction from people) are special cases.
d. Reporters are expected to observe rules associated with news “on background” (information can be used but source cannot be quoted) and “off the record” (information cannot be printed or broadcast)
e. Through its press secretary, the White House feeds reporters the information and “photo opportunities” they need
f. Fewer reporters regularly cover Congress, which does not maintain as tight a control over news stories as the White House does
g. Recently TV coverage of the House and Senate has attracted a small but loyal audience
2) Media executives, news editors, and prominent reporters set the political agenda and function as gatekeepers (presenting the news and deciding which events to report and how to handle their elements
a. Network TV. in particular operates under severe time limitations and the average news story lasts ~1 minute
b. Cable TV. has made round-the-clock news reporting possible
c. TV. news devote more time to the president than to Congress or the Supreme Court
d. media personalities uses issues for audience appeal
e. result in covering election campaigns is horse race journalism-(focuses on “who’s ahead” rather than what candidates stand for
f. media also functions as watch dogs deciding what to report
g. many news events are staff as media events to attract coverage because of audience appeal and gain press time coverage
h. TV news is partial to visual impact news
3) Since 1960s most people get information from TV.
4) Many people don’t remember political information from TV. Television hypothesis suggests TV. is a prime reason for public’s knowledge of public affairs

Virtually all citizens must rely on the mass media for political news
1) Almost nine out of every ten Americans believe that media strongly influences political institutions and public opinion
a. Difficult to determine the extent of such influence
b. Research indicates that television news commentary is the single greatest influence of public opinion about social problems
2) Media plays role in setting political agenda issues that get government attention
a. Media heightens public concerns
b. Media also distorts social problems and confuses public
c. Public opinion influenced by media
d. Political leaders believe media is influential and act accordingly
3) TV generates as a medium of political socialization
a. T.v. programs tend to erode confidence in criminal justice system
b. Media supports government in celebrating national holidays but also erodes public confidence
The media has diverse impacts on democratic government
1) Critics conted that the media color reality in reporting it
a. News reporters said to have liberal bias; editors and publishers suspected of being conservatives
b. Several studies of voting behavior and ideological self-placement show that reporters do have liberal orientation
c. More pronounced bias of reporters is against politicians, especially frontrunners and incumbents
2) Media contributes to majoritarian government in 2 ways:
a. By being critical of politicians and seeking weakness in public statements (watchdog) reporters improve the accuracy of communication from government to citizens
b. By polling citizens’ reactions to political events and government actions to mass media

10-2-2008 Notes

The government regulated three apects.
- The 1934 communications act created Federal communications commissions and forms basis media regulation for more than 60 years.
A) Technical regulation limited number of frequencies available.
-Stepped on one another's signals.
-Sought regulation, gave freedom in order to impose order use of
airwaves.
- No one may oppose radio/tv station without license.
- FCC Regulated ownership of electronic media.
1) Broadcasters limited number of tv and radio stations owned nationally.
-Regulations restrict number stations a single entity in a given community.
-Regulation essentially lifted Telecommunications Act of 1996 no limits on Tv Stations companies may own so long as companies does not beyond extend 35 percent of the market nationwide.

21st century Flurry mega mergers!
- AOL time warner merge internet with provider a huge cable network.

-FCC regulate broadcast content (Applied Broadcasters not newspapers because Broad use public airways and license FCC.) The 1934 Communications Act:
1) Equal opportunity rule provides station must make available amount of time under
same conditions to all candidates.
2) Reasonable access rule regulates stations to make facilities available in
expression of conflicting views on issues by all responsible elements in the
community.
The US courts appeals struck down both in reasonable access rule in 2000.
Business pressured congress to remove restrictions and said that it was unnecessary because of the first amendment.

Despite content regulation there are still regulations.
-The Equal time rule requires station to make time for all parties.
- The Right to reply says that any person attacked on broadcast are allowed to reply over the same stations.
- The Fairness Doctrine abolished in 1987 required broadcasters to give time to opposing views if the broadcast a program giving one side of a controversial issue. This rule is mostly voluntary.

Media makes the news by deciding what to report. The major news media maintains journalist in many cities and government centers to report politics first hand.
-Washington D.C. has the largest press cities if any city in the world and the While house rely heavily on information received in the press room. Reporters can expect rules associated with news, given "on background" which can be used but the source cannot and "Off the Record" which can't be printed.

Stories are also put through by leaks, reporters gain access information which is not leaked to everyone and Trial balloons, float idea that don't interfere with political plans.

White house reporters information and photo opportunities need fewer reporters than congress and congress don't maintain as tight a control over news stories as the white house does.

Gspan style="font-weight:bold;">Gatekeepers are presenting news and deciding which events to report and how to handle their elements.

Also, Netowork tv in particular operates severe time limits usually one-minute and the cable mode is around the clock. TV devotes more time for president than congress or the supreme court. Media personify issues to purpose appeal. Result of Horse race journalism is focus on what's ahead than the candidates stance.

All citizens rely on mass media
1) 9/10 Americans believe media strongly influences the political institutions.
- Researchers thinks tv news communications is probably the single greatest
influential opinion.

2)Media is the role of the political agenda.
a) Media heighten the publics concern of society and distorts incidents, which
confuse policies. They need ample evidence.

3)TV operates medium political socialization
and compared to early days TV erodes confidence in criminal justice system.

The media is the diverse impact democracy the news is more liberal and publishers more conservative. Also the Media contributes to the Majoritian model of democracy by improving on accurate information, polling citizens, advancing equality, and Resent attempts to infringe on freedom of press. As well, Journalist are more likely to regard freedom og press sacrosanct.

But the media can operate as the interest group of pluralist democracy because they report what they wish in order to maintain order.

P.s. sorry for the multiple edits.

Session of Wednesday, October 1st, 2008

At the start of our session we began with humorous remarks on Sarah Palin's support for 'arial wolf-hunting', followed by the questioning of Palin's credentials, being a governor and all. Several small remarks were thrown in, and, since this wasn't much of a discussion, Gottschaulk had to call peace. In response, the question came up of government response in accordance to public opinion (which is relevant to the current chapter), questioning the ability of a person to contact government. The question which was brought up stated the impossibility for the common person to gain contact from the government. In the conclusion of the discussion, it was agreed that, though difficult, it is possible for one to make contact with the government, due to the various phone numbers and addresses available throughout the internet, although it may be a while before expecting a response, due to the business of the government, and the versatility of the public opinion.

This short discussion was followed by notes, listed as the following:

- Media consists of many components:

A. Mass Communication is the process of information distributed to large population audiences
1. "Mass Media" refers to the technologies employed in mass communication.
a. - Print Media - communicates information through words and pictures
b - Broadcasted -Communicates information electronically with sounds and images.
2.Mass media is a business for money, as a means of selling advertisements.

B. Group Media - "fax, internet". Communicates thorugh technologies used within common interest groups.
Mass Media reflects the growth of courts, technological innovations, shifting political attitudes of the scope of government, etc.
I. Newspapers.
a - American revolution, advocated production.
b. - 1880's, largely independent, 1890's included entertainment, sports, comics, etc.
c. - 1960's, dwindled due to the increasing popular "consumption" of radio and television.
d. - 1997, fierce competition increased, onl 50 U.S cities and towns had two or more competing daily papers under separate ownership.
e. - 3 Larges papers were: 1. Wall Street (1.8 Million in sales) 2. U.S.A. today (1.7 Million) 3. New York Times (1 Million)
f. - New York Enquirer had 2.5 Milli each week.
II.Magazines.
a. - Have smaller audience, but fairly influential. forums or opinion groups media.
b. - In spite of small circulation, magz were politically influential through 2-step flow of communication.
1. Influenced attentive policy eletes-group leaders who follow news in specific areas.
2.Policy elites influence opinions by circulating views in mass media
III. Radio
a. - Began in 1920's, made celebrities out of news personalities
b. - Novelty was line coverage, reporters had "personalities", became celebs.
c. - Today, radio is mor important as forums to talk rather than as a source of live coverage of events.

IV. Television used extensively for campaign advertising.

V. Modern forms of group media include fax transmissions and internet.

VI. Fax, Internet.
A. Internet exploded in 1990's, worldwide communication.

-Blogs used, list serves - devoted to political topics.
List Serve- a sort of electronic mailing list (not really sure... check with Gottschaulk)

Interest groups - govt agencies, political parties, etc. Maintain websites for informing of public.
Private ownerships give U.S. more freedom than countries which happen to be censored or government owned.

VII. Infotainment - audience appeal. Mixing Journalism with Theatre, defined by

A. Potential.
B. Sensationalism (violence, conflict, disaster, scandal).
C Treatment of familiar life situations.
D. Close-to -home character.
E. Timeliness.

Stories chosen to attract viewers, larger audiences equaled higher advertising rates, thus concluding more profits.

Media owners acquire additional media outlets to increase profits.

A. The result has been a growing concentration of ownership in print and broadcast journalism.
B.Fears of concentrating broadcast media under single ownership has led to government regulation of ownership patterns.

-Government regulation of media addressed three aspects of operation and witnessed two political eras.

I.1934 Communications Act created by Federal Communications Commission (FCC). and formed basis for media regulation for more than 60 years.
A. Tech Regulations - arose because limited number of frequencies available for broadcasting.
1) with a limited number of frequencies, many broadcasts stepped on anothers frequencies.
2) Broadcasts sought regulations and gave up freedom in order to impose ordre in use of airwaves.
3)None may operate radar or television station without FCC License.
B. FCC regulated ownership of Media.
-Broadcasters limited in number of TV stations
-Telecommunications Act of 1996, no limits in number of TV stations, but one may not go beyond 35% of nations markets.
4.21st century had mega-mergers, such as AOL-Time Warner. Merge ISP with cable network wihc was already merged with the biggest publisher in the U.S.
C.FCC regulates broadcast content (only to broadcasters, no magasines and papers). Howard Sterns problem falled under this category.

Under 1934 Act

1.Equal opportunities provide that stations must make equal ammounts of time under same conditions to all political candidates.
2.Reasonable acces rule-required stations to make facilities available to contradicting points of view, from all elements within its community.
3. U.S. Court appeals struck down both equal opportunity rule and reasonable access rule.

2)Many changes began to undermine basis for 1934 Communications Act.
A. Technological changes- tv, computers commonplace, sattelites. Businesses put pressure on congress to remove restrictions.
B.Leaders argued expansion of media competition was to be sufficient.
3)Equal-time Rule-requires station selling time to one candidate for offer to make the same ammount of time equal to another.
END.

Darryl Brice.