Unit IV

1. Unit IV Campaigns, Elections, Interest Groups and the Media

2. Who can run for office?

3. Who can run for office? • Congress • Age 25, 7 years a citizen, Inhabit your State

4. Who can run for office? • Congress • Age 25, 7 years a citizen, Inhabit your State • Senate • Age 30, 9 years a citizen, Inhabit your State

5. Who can run for office? • Congress • Age 25, 7 years a citizen, Inhabit your State • Senate • Age 30, 9 years a citizen, Inhabit your State • President • Age 35, Natural-born citizen, 14 years in-country

6. Want to campaign for office? • You will need: • A campaign manager • A Political Consultant • Plenty of volunteers • Assistance from a party • Media Consultants • Polling Firms • Direct-Mail Firms • Political Technology Firms

7. Running for President? First, get noticed!

8. Running for President? • First, get noticed! • “The Great Mentioner” (David Broder)

9. Running for President? • First, get noticed! • “The Great Mentioner” (David Broder) • Use “leaks”

10. Running for President? • First, get noticed! • “The Great Mentioner” (David Broder) • Use “leaks” • Become a public speaker

11. Running for President? • First, get noticed! • “The Great Mentioner” (David Broder) • Use “leaks” • Become a public speaker • Become famous

12. Running for President? • First, get noticed! • “The Great Mentioner” (David Broder) • Use “leaks” • Become a public speaker • Become famous • Sponsor a big bill (if you are in Congress)

13. Running for President? • First, get noticed! • “The Great Mentioner” (David Broder) • Use “leaks” • Become a public speaker • Become famous • Sponsor a big bill (if you are in Congress) • Be a Governor

14. Running for President? Get a ton of money!

15. Running for President? • Get a ton of money! • But, to get matching Federal funds, you must get 20 people in 20 states to give $250 or less

16. Running for President? • Get a ton of money! • But, to get matching Federal funds, you must get 20 people in 20 states to give $250 or less • Build an organization! (everybody on slide 2)

17. Running for President? • Get a ton of money! • But, to get matching Federal funds, you must get 20 people in 20 states to give $250 or less • Build an organization! (everybody on slide 2) • Develop Strategy • Incumbency is a trump card. • The 4 “T”s = Tone, Theme, Timing, Target Audience

18. Running for President? • Be able to use Television! • “Commercial Spots” • “Sound Bites” • “Photo Opps” • Debates

19. Running for President? • Be able to use Television! • “Commercial Spots” • “Sound Bites” • “Photo Opps” • Debates • What is the real effect of these? • Does the Presidential candidate have coattails?

20. Running for Congress? Special Problems of Congress

21. Running for Congress? • Special Problems of Congress • Size (set in 1911)

22. Running for Congress? • Special Problems of Congress • Size (set in 1911) • Allocation of Seats

23. Running for Congress? • Special Problems of Congress • Size (set in 1911) • Allocation of Seats • District Size (Supreme Court ruling 1964)

24. Running for Congress? • Special Problems of Congress • Size (set in 1911) • Allocation of Seats • District Size (Supreme Court ruling 1964) • District Shape

25. Running for Congress? • Special Problems of Congress • Size (set in 1911) • Allocation of Seats • District Size (Supreme Court ruling 1964) • District Shape • Gerrymandering

26. Running for Congress? • Will you be a Delegate, or a Trustee? • Which would you rather have?

27. Running for Congress? • Will you be a Delegate, or a Trustee? • Which would you rather have? • If you want to stay… • Provide Constituent Services • Create Committee Plums

28. Running for Congress? • Will you be a Delegate, or a Trustee? • Which would you rather have? • If you want to stay… • Provide Constituent Services • Create Committee Plums • You can’t be sued for “privileged speech”!

29. Running for Congress? • Incumbency Rules • At-large or Districted? • (Re-) Apportionment

30. Regardless of Office… • Know what’s up… • Position Issues vs. Valence Issues

31. Regardless of Office… • Know what’s up… • Position Issues vs. Valence Issues • Campaigns Make a Difference • Reawaken party loyalty • See who handles pressure • Judge character and core values

32. All that Money… Rising Expenses Election of 2008

33. Money, money, money, money… • Congressmen get NOTHING. • Presidential Candidates get complicated: • Primary = Matching funds from small donors • General = All costs up to the limit • Minor Party folks get partial funding, depending on the percentage of the vote they get • Page 251 ! ! ! !

34. Money (that’s what I want) • Watergate fall-out (1973) • $ go up • PACs become widespread • Limits DO have an effect • Trend toward using private donors rather than Federal matching funds • WHY?

35. Mo’ Money • Special Problems • Independent Expenditures • Soft Money • McCain-Feingold Act (2002) • No Soft Money • Individuals can contribute $2000 • Independent Expenditures curtailed

36. Money, so they say (is the root of all evil today) • Supreme Court clarifications: • Buckley v. Valeo (1976) • Limits are OK; Candidate can spend his own $ • McConnell v. Federal Election Commission (2002) • 60 day mention limit upheld • FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life (2007) • Issue ads not prohibited • Citizens United v. FEC (2010) • Allows corporate/union funding of ads

37. I Wanna Be Elected! • PRIMARY Elections • More Individualized • More Ideologically Extreme • Open, Closed, or Blanket? • Timing is varied • GENERAL ELECTIONS • More Party-oriented • TV has less effect ??? • Always the first Tuesday in November (unless…)

38. Election Differences • Presidential elections are: • more competitive and the winner usually gets <55% of the vote • Congressional elections are: • Favorable to Incumbents (>60% of the vote) • Affected by the Midterm problem • Affected by Constituent Services and Franking • Often run “against the Government”

39. What decides elections? • The Undecided Voter • (a Clothespin vote?) • The Pocketbook Vote • Candidate Character

40. How do we decide? • PARTY • Though there are more Democrats than Republicans… • Dems are more reasonable • Independents often vote Republican • A higher percentage of Republicans vote • ISSUES • Mostly the Economy • Prospective and Retrospective voters (mostly the latter) • CAMPAIGNS • COALITIONS

41. Will the outcomes change policy? In short, not much Disasters will change that Timing and Issues are critical Life + Good = Incumbent Wins Life + Bad = Challenger Wins

42. Interest Groups • Political Action Committees (PACs) • Lobbyists • Institutional Organizations • Membership Organizations • Incentives to Join: • Solidary incentives • Material incentives • Purposive incentives

43. Etc. • Public-Interest Law firms • Think Tanks • “Special PACs” • NRA • AIPAC • AARP • Earmarks

44. Social Movements • Environment • Sierra Club, Greenpeace • Feminists • NOW, NARAL, WEAL • Union • AFL-CIO, AFT/NEA, AFSCME • NAACP • Civil Disobedience • Possible upper-class bias

45. Regulations Who lobbyists are What they did Where the money came from… …and where it went to.

46. The Media • A Brief History • Early Newspapers • Changed by better presses and the telegraph • The Popular Press • Pulitzer, Hearst, and Yellow Journalism • Now Editorials • Magazines • Muckrakers to “Investigative Journalism” • Radio

47. The Media • OK, not so brief… • Television • Networks to Cable • “Nightly News” to C-Span, FoxNews, CNN, The Daily Show • Internet • Blogs, Twitter, Facebook

48. Media Responsibilities • Make a Profit • Avoid Bias • Roles: • Gatekeeper • Scorekeeper • Watchdog

49. Media Responsibilities • Avoid Libel ~ “Absence of Malice” • Keep Confidentiality ~ No Federal “Shield” law • On the Record • Off the Record • On Background • On Deep Background • Equal Time Rule

50. Public Perceptions • We think many news stories are inaccurate • We have “Selective Attention” disorder • We think the media is • Liberal • Secular • We LOVE Sensationalism