AP Gov’t UNIT III

“Mile-a-Minute Mini Lecture”

CAMPAIGNS, ELECTIONS& THE MEDIA

Chapter 9: Nominations & CampaignsI. The Nomination Game pg. 270“WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BECOMING

PRESIDENT WHEN YOU GROW UP” = you need this handout!

A. Introduction: Money, media attention & momentum

B. Deciding to Runsenator, governor, representative = offices from which

to make a presidential run C. Competing for Delegates

Win state primaries & state caucusesIowa & New HampshireFrontloadingNational Primary or Regional Primary = possibly fix?

% of Media Coverage of Primary Elections

Chapter 9: Nominations & CampaignsD. The Convention Send-off

McGovern-Fraser CommissionSuperdelegates @ the Democratic Convention only

II. The Campaign Game pg. 279A. The High-Tech Media Campaign

Direct mail for fund raisingOver 50% of a presidential campaign budget is for

TV adsMedia events

B. Organizing the CampaignCampaign Manager & pollstersMedia consultant & press secretaryResearch staff & campaign counsel

Chapter 9: Nominations & CampaignsIII. Money and Campaigning pg. 284

Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974Created the FECLimited individual campaign contributions to $1000Required disclosure

Buckley v. ValeoOverturned $1000 limit on an individual spending on

their own campaignFECA amended in 1979 to allow Soft MoneyBipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002

Raised individual contribution limits to $2000Banned soft money, by placing limits on how much

an individual can donate to a political party

Chapter 9: Nominations & CampaignsB. The Proliferation of PACs

Can donate limited amounts to candidatesCan spend unlimited amounts endorsing or

attacking a candidateC. Are Campaigns Too Expensive?D. Does Money Buy Victory?IV. The Impact of Campaigns pg. 291• Reinforcement / Activation / Conversion• Selective Perception• Incumbent Advantage• “WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS” = you need this handout!

Chapter 9: Nominations & CampaignsV. Understanding Nominations and

Campaigns pg. 292A. Are Nominations and Campaigns Too

Democratic?B. Do Campaigns Lead to Increases in the

Scope of Government?

Chapter 10: Elections & Voting Behavior

I. How American Elections Work pg. 298Primary ElectionsGeneral ElectionsPolicy Elections (initiatives & referendums)II. A Tale of Three Elections pg. 299A. 1800: The First Electoral Transition of PowerB. 1896: A Bitter Fight over Economic InterestsC. 2000: What a Mess! III. Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice pg.

304A. Introduction (expansion of suffrage= lower

voter turnout)

Chapter 10: Elections & Voting Behavior

B. Deciding Whether to VotePolitical EfficacyPeople who see differences between the

partiesCivic Duty

C. Registering to VoteContributes to lower voter turnout ratesMotor Voter Act of 1993

Chapter 10: Elections & Voting Behavior

D. Who Votes?EducationAgeRaceGenderMartial StatusResidenceUnion Members & Gov’t employees

Chapter 10: Elections & Voting BehaviorIV. How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’ Decisions

pg. 310A. Introduction: mandate theory of elections B. Party IdentificationC. Candidate Evaluations: How Americans See the

Candidates (Looking for integrity / reliability / competence)

D. Policy VotingV. The Last Battle: The Electoral College pg. 315“WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ELECTORAL

COLLEGE” = you need this handout!VI. Understanding Elections and Voting Behavior pg. 317A. Democracy and Elections (Retrospective Voting)B. Elections and the Scope of Government

Chapter 7: The Mass Media

I. Introduction pg. 210High-tech politics: shapes citizens behavior

& the policy agendaII. The Mass Media Today pg. 212Media EventsCandidate ImageIII. The Development of Media Politics pg. 213A. Introduction:

FDR & press conferencesNixon & investigative journalism

Chapter 7: The Mass Media

B. The Print MediaNewspaper circulation decliningNews sources are changing & differ by age

groupC. The Broadcast Media

Main source of infoNixon v. Kennedy debate

D. Narrowcasting: Cable TV and the Internet

Reporting the News

Remember the shrinking Sound Bite??

Chapter 7: The Mass Media

IV. Reporting the News pg. 225A. Introduction

News = timely & differentNews = entertaining to the viewer & profitable to the

networkB. Finding the News

Beats & trial balloonsC. Presenting the News

Sounds bites / horse race & body watchD. Bias in the News

More Dem. Reporters than Rep.Bias toward disaster & scandal / Bias against “talking

heads”

Chapter 7: The Mass Media

V. The News and Public Opinion pg. 233VI. The Media’s Agenda-Setting Function pg. 234VII. Understanding the Mass Media pg. 235A. The Media and the Scope of Government

Press as watch-dog = restricts scope of gov’tPress as reform = calls for increase in scope of

gov’tB. Individualism and the Media

Candidates can use media to run & raise $$ on their own w/o much party help

C. Democracy and the Mass MediaMore information hasn’t made us more informed