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Warm up

Warm up. Who is eligible to vote in the U.S.? Who can’t vote? What is an absentee ballot? What is an exit poll? Who makes up the electorate? What is apathy? What percentage of people vote in a Presidential election? Non Presidential elections?

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Warm up

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  1. Warm up • Who is eligible to vote in the U.S.? • Who can’t vote? • What is an absentee ballot? • What is an exit poll? • Who makes up the electorate? • What is apathy? • What percentage of people vote in a Presidential election? Non Presidential elections? • What is the difference between an initiative and a referendum? • What is the most common means of campaigning? • Why do incumbents win most of the time? • What is the difference between hard money and soft money?

  2. Warm up • 1. List three things that influence public opinion. • 2. What do we call individuals who share a point of view and unite to promote their beliefs? • 3. What is the most accurate way to measure public opinion? • 4. What term refers to ideas people hold about a particular issue? • 5. Why are interest groups often referred to as pressure groups? • 6. Because most media outlets are private businesses, how do media managers decide what news to run? • 7. What is prior restraint? • 8. What was decided about libel in New York Times vs. Sullivan? • 9. Why would a politician leak information? • 10. What are lobbyists? • 11. What group represents doctors? • 12. What is the largest group representing workers? • 13. What is the most important resource for lobbyists? • 14. What is the primary goal of interest groups? • 15. What protects a person’s right to join an interest group?

  3. Public Opinion Chapter 11

  4. Vocab – chapter 11 • Prior restraint • Libel • Malice • Public interest group • Nonpartisan • Political Action Committee (PAC) • Lobbyist • Public opinion • Mass media • Interest group • Public opinion poll • Pollster • Electronic media • Public agenda • Leak

  5. Public Opinion • The ideas & attitudes people have about candidates • Influenced by age, gender, income, hobbies, race, religion & occupation • Mass media is a strong influence • Politicians must be responsive to public opinion if they are going to get reelected

  6. Understanding public opinion helps presidents make effective, timely decisions. Successful presidents have a good sense of when the public is ready for a new idea and when it is not. • Franklin D. Roosevilt expressed this idea when he said, “I cannot go any faster than the people will let me.” • What exactly did President Roosevelt mean?

  7. Determining Public Opinion • Public Opinion Polls – survey – most accurate way to determine public opinion • Pollsters – people trained to take polls & measure public opinion • Push Polls – used to push public opinion one way or another • Have loaded questions – biased to get a certain response • Presidential Approval Rating • Gallup Poll – sampling of public opinion on a particular issue by questioning a representative cross section.

  8. Presidential Approval Ratings

  9. Media • Print – newspapers, mailings, magazines • Electronic – TV, radio, internet • Main purpose – to keep us informed • Independent media is most desirable • Literacy is important • Bias – one-sided point of view

  10. Fox – Republican biased news MSNBC – Democratic biased news How can you protect yourself from bias in the news? Biased Media

  11. Interest Groups • People attempting to influence government with their shared views • Pressure groups – group of people who share an interest, concern, or set of opinions and who try to influence politics and the govt. • Functions: • Bring issues to the public & lawmakers • Support candidates who favor their goals

  12. Types of Interest Groups • Economic – most common • Business organizations – interested in trade • Industrial & Trade – represent certain types of business • Labor Unions – rights of workers • Professional Associations – represent different professions • Ex. US Chamber of Congress, Tobacco Institute, AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations – alliance of labor unions) • Group • Ethnicity (NAACP) • Age (AARP) • Gender (NOW) • Public – focus on specific causes (PETA)

  13. Ways Special Interest Groups Influence Politics • Election Activities – backing a candidate • Lobbying – persuading officials • Provide expert testimony or help write laws in committees • Go to court to fight a cause • Fund elections

  14. What assumption can we make about people in an interest group? • What does the phrase, “strength in numbers,” tell us about interest groups?

  15. Lobbyists • Lobby – try to get officials to support a group’s goals • Responsible for getting PAC money to the right politicians • Speak in congressional committees

  16. Regulation • Lobbyists can’t pay a candidates living expenses • Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act (1946) • All lobbies must register with federal & state governments & report all expenditures

  17. Why is it important to know who lobbyists work for?

  18. Propaganda • Attempt to influence people with biased information • Always make sure to get both sides of a story from reliable sources • Good way to determine what a candidate really supports is to see which PAC gives them money for campaigning

  19. Types of Propaganda • Endorsements – famous or admirable person supports a candidate • Stacked Cards – presenting only 1 side of the issue – distorting the facts • Name-Calling – turning people against an opponent by giving them an unpleasant label or description • Glittering Generality – statement that sounds good but is meaningless • Symbols – use and misuse of symbols • Just Plain Folks – make people think that the candidate is just like them • Bandwagon – convincing people that everyone else agrees with a certain candidate

  20. How does name-calling differ from the other techniques?

  21. Creating a Public Interest Campaign 1 - Identifying the issue -5 mins • A democratic society requires the active participation of its citizens. • Identify an issue of either school, local, or national interest. • Prepare a short statement expressing your viewpoint about the issue selected. • The statement should explain what your concern is, your viewpoint, and why you have this view

  22. Creating a Public Interest Campaign 2 - Speaking Out – 20 mins • Use your statement from part 1 as a basis for an editorial – 3 paragraphs • Include at least 2 statistics and one concrete example that backs up your point of view. • Include the sources you used to get the information

  23. Creating a Public Interest Campaign 3 - Working Together – 5 mins • Create a name for your interest group and plan a peaceful demonstration to promote your agenda. • Consider who you want to communicate your concerns – the government or the public. • Consider what activity and location would best communicate your concerns.

  24. Creating a Public Interest Campaign 4 - Demonstrating Concern – 15 mins • Using the plan you made in step 3 – incorporate posters, music, and/or a skit that dramatizes your causes.

  25. What is publishing false information that harms a person’s reputation? • Propaganda • Censorship • Libel • Slander

  26. A disadvantage of mass campaigning is: • Its too time consuming • It takes too many people • Its too expensive • It doesn’t reach enough people

  27. All of the following are reasons a person should volunteer except: • The community benefits • A person can deduct it on their tax return • It pays well • It gives a person intrinsic value

  28. All of the following are duties except: • Attending school • Paying taxes • Voting in elections • Serving on a jury

  29. Which of the following can cause a voters registration to be canceled? • Convicted of a felony • Move out of the state • Nothing cancels voter registration • Both A and B are correct

  30. A lobbyist can do all of the following except: • Pay a member of congress to vote for a bill • Prepare a report on a bill • Research information about a bill • Testify about a bill

  31. To learn about public opinion, pollsters usually question: • Americans from one particular economic group • Fewer than 100 people • A random sample of people • People with very strong opinions

  32. Which one of the following is a branch of the AFL-CIO Union? • American Medical Association • American Bar Association • National Organization for Women • National Football Players Association

  33. Most interest groups can be described as: • Biased • Illegal • Impartial • Ineffective

  34. All males must register at the age of 18 with the: • Selective Services • Draft Board • US Army • Board of Elections

  35. What provides a way for citizens to approve or reject state laws? • Referendum • Proposition • Mandate • Initiative

  36. When are referendums most likely used? • Daily issues • Run off elections • Recall elections • Controversial issues

  37. What is the main purpose of the media in politics? • Ratings • To inform us • To influence the government • Support the government

  38. What is the most common use of campaigning during elections? • Canvassing • Mail • Magazine & Newspaper Ads • TV

  39. How does a person contribute to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund? • By paying the sales tax • Checking a box on their income tax forms • Ordinary people can not contribute • Only by contributing to PAC’s

  40. What is a split ticket? • Ballots with candidates listed on two sides • Using different ballots for national and state issues • Voting for candidates from different political parties • Voting for candidates from the same political party

  41. Which President had the worst approval rating? • Harry Truman • Franklin D. Roosevelt • Richard Nixon • George Bush

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