Ch08 Political Parties Candidates and Campaigns Defining the Voters Choice.docx

Political Parties, Candidates, and Campaigns: Defining the Voters’ Choice Multiple Choice 1. Political parties serve a. to link the public with its elected leaders. b. to transform conflict into political choices for voters. c. as a basis for organizing interests into ongoing political coalitions. d. to provide potential leaders an opportunity to attain public office. e. All of the answers are correct. Answer: e 2. The first American political parties emerged from the conflict between a. slave states and free states. b. the older Eastern states and the newer Western states. c. the interests of small landholders and those favoring commercial and wealthy interests. d. business and labor. Protestants and Catholics. Answer: c 3. Andrew Jackson’s contribution to the development of political parties was the a. forging of a coalition of Democrats and Whigs. b. introduction of primary elections. c. formation of a grassroots party—one with local organizations and open to all eligible voters rather than just elite leaders. d. formation of the Federalist party. formation of the Republican party. Answer: c 4. Democrats and Republicans have endured as the two major U.S. parties primarily due to a. the stability of their ideologies. b. the lack of good third-party candidates. c. a high degree of party discipline. d. their ability to adapt to changing circumstances. None of the answers are correct. Answer: d 5. The only minor-party or independent candidate in the twentieth century to win more votes than a major-party candidate in a presidential election was a. Strom Thurmond (Dixiecrat, 1948). b. George Wallace (American Independent, 1968). c. Theodore Roosevelt (Bull Moose, 1912). d. Ross Perot (Independent, 1992). John B. Anderson (National Unity, 1980). Answer: c 6. If a minor party gains a large following, it is almost certain that a. the major parties will join together to attack the minor party. b. Congress will enact legislation to make it difficult for the minor party to get on the ballot. c. party in-fighting will tear it apart. d. the major parties will try to capture its supporters. the media will attack the minor party. Answer: d 7. The major reason for the persistence of the American two-party system is a. there are naturally only two sides to political disputes. b. regional conflict. c. its single-member-district system of electing officeholders. d. the existence of state laws prohibiting the placement of a third major party on the ballot. proportional representation. Answer: c 8. Proportional representation systems encourage the formation of smaller parties by enabling parties to a. win legislative seats even though they do not receive a majority of votes in elections. b. receive campaign funds from government in proportion to their support in opinion polls. c. win legislative seats by lottery for parties that have no chance of winning majority support. d. share in patronage appointments which serve as an incentive to lure campaign workers. advertise on television. Answer: a 9. The history of democratic government is virtually synonymous with the history of a. high voter turnout. b. separation of powers. c. economic recessions. d. protest movements. political parties. Answer: e 10. All of the following are characteristic of a realigning election except a. sharp divisions between the parties. b. enduring changes in party coalitions. c. major policy initiatives by the winning party. d. a very close electoral result. the disruption of the existing political order. Answer: d 11. In order to win elections, both political parties in a two-party system normally a. direct their appeals to voters in the political center because they have the votes to swing the election toward either party. b. direct their appeals to voters on the extremes because they are the most likely to turn out to vote. c. direct their appeals to wealthy interests because they have the money needed in elections. d. alternate between radical appeals, when out of power, and moderation, when in power. alternate between reactionary appeals, when out of power, and moderation, when in power. Answer: a 12. The issue of slavery gave birth to the ________ party as a major political party. a. Federalist b. Democratic c. Republican d. Whig Populist Answer: c 13. Political parties in the United States originated with a political feud between a. John Marshall and John Adams. b. John Adams and Andrew Jackson. c. George Washington and Patrick Henry. d. James Madison and James Monroe. Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. Answer: e 14. The Democratic party’s long-time regional stronghold, the Solid South, stemmed from the ________ realignment. a. Civil War b. 1890s c. Great Depression and 1930s d. 1980s None of the answers are correct. Answer: a 15. Which of the following would be an indicator of weakening partisanship? a. an increase in split-ticket voting b. an increase in independent voters c. an increase in voters’ responsiveness to the issues of the moment d. an increase in voters’ responsiveness to candidates’ personal characteristics All of the answers are correct. Answer: e 16. Party de-alignment is a. essentially the same as party realignment. b. a process that has discouraged the formation of third parties. c. a process that has strengthened the major parties. d. a process that refers to American political parties in the early 1800s. None of the answers are correct. Answer: e 17. Prospective voting is characterized by a. a sudden shift in the vote from one party to another. b. choices based on party loyalty. c. choices based on government’s performance. d. choices based on an awareness of the candidates’ positions on various issues. e. symbolism of a candidate’s personality. Answer: d 18. ________ is based on judgment about the past performance of an elected official or political party. a. Prospective voting b. Retrospective voting c. Split-ticket voting d. Straight-ticket voting e. None of the answers are correct. Answer: b 19. ________ won the presidency in 1828 after having lost in 1824 despite having received the most popular votes. a. John Quincy Adams b. Henry Clay c. John C. Calhoun d. James Monroe Andrew Jackson Answer: e 20. ________ does not have a competitive multiparty system. a. Germany b. Italy c. The Netherlands d. The United States Sweden Answer: d 21. Most European parties on the political left tend to appeal mainly to a. middle-class voters. b. working-class voters. c. the very affluent or wealthy voters. d. social conservatives. All of the answers are correct. Answer: b 22. The Democratic coalition today includes the following groups except a. women. b. African Americans. c. Latino Americans. d. the Christian Coalition. gays and lesbians. Answer: d 23. ________ warned Americans of the baneful effects of factions (political parties). a. James Madison b. Thomas Jefferson c. George Washington d. Andrew Jackson Abraham Lincoln Answer: c 24. In recent presidential elections, which party’s platform has supported school prayer and been opposed to abortion? a. Democratic b. Republican c. Green d. Socialist Reform Answer: b 25. Minor political parties have problems with a. financing their campaigns. b. getting their candidates on all 50 state ballots. c. having a lasting impact on American politics. d. All of the answers are correct. None of the answers are correct. Answer: d 26. Which of the following groups is aligned with the Democratic party, voting more than 85 percent Democratic in presidential elections? a. Latino Americans b. white Protestants c. Christian fundamentalists d. African Americans Roman Catholics Answer: d 27. Which of the following groups is not typically a part of the Republican coalition? a. individuals with incomes under $25,000 b. white southerners c. union households d. political conservatives both individuals with incomes under $25,000 and union households Answer: e 28. ________ was the Democratic nominee and the Populist party nominee in 1896. a. William McKinley b. Grover Cleveland c. William Jennings Bryan d. Woodrow Wilson Charles Evans Hughes Answer: c 29. A main reason for the decline of party-centered politics is a. the emergence of candidates as the main attraction in media-centered election campaigns. b. the irrelevance of parties in a technological age. c. a weakening of state governments relative to the national government. d. the development of public opinion polls as an alternative means of discovering public sentiment. a weakening of the national government relative to the state governments. Answer: a 30. ________ was the only Republican elected president from 1932 to 1964. a. Richard Nixon b. Barry Goldwater c. Dwight Eisenhower d. Herbert Hoover Calvin Coolidge Answer: c 31. As compared with an open primary election, a closed primary a. limits the period during which candidates can gather the petitions necessary to get their name on the ballot. b. restricts the period of time during which candidates can openly campaign for office c. restricts the period of time in which televised debates and political advertising can occur. d. restricts the groups that can contribute money to candidates. restricts voting only to those voters who have registered as members of the party holding the primary. Answer: e 32. American party organizations a. are about to die out. b. are more powerful today than at any time in history. c. have more power than their Western European counterparts. d. are still important, but their role in campaigns is secondary to that of candidates. are unimportant in the political system today. Answer: d 33. National party organizations can dictate the day-to-day decisions of a. local party organizations only. b. state party organizations only. c. local and state party organizations. d. neither local nor state party organizations. party leaders in Congress. Answer: d 34. In the 2004 presidential election, _____ was the candidate widely acknowledged to have made the most effective use of the Internet as a campaign tool. Joe Lieberman Howard Dean John Kerry George Bush John Edwards Answer: b 35. An important function of a political party in the United States is public education. recruitment of candidates. formulation of platforms. offering the voters a choice. All of the answers are correct. Answer: e 36. Which of the following are key players in the modern campaign? a. pollsters b. media producers c. fund raising specialists d. campaign consultants All of the answers are correct. Answer: e 37. ________ provides no free television time to political parties and allows candidates to purchase air time. a. France b. Great Britain c. The United States d. Germany Canada Answer: c 38. In the typical organizational structure of a political party, the lowest level of local party organization would be the a. ward. b. precinct. c. city/town committee. d. county committee. state committee. Answer: b 39. Regarding state party organizations, the day-to-day operation is usually the responsibility of the a. central committee. b. state chairperson. c. national chairperson who oversees all state party organizations. d. state governor or top leaders in the legislative branch. None of the answers are correct. Answer: b 40. Although party organizations are weaker today than a century ago in terms of their control over campaigns, they have staged a comeback of sorts. The main indicator of this comeback is a. the rapid growth in neighborhood party organizations. b. the reemergence of machine-like organizations in large cities, particularly those on the East Coast. c. the development on college campuses of strong Young Democrats and Young Republicans organizations. d. the emergence of national and state party organizations as major fundraising organizations that also assist candidates with campaign planning. the increased tendency for individuals who want to hold public office to work for years in the party in order to position themselves for nomination to public office. Answer: d 41. During the twentieth century, American parties lost some of their control over a. nominations. b. the financing of campaigns. c. platforms. d. the giving of government jobs to loyal party workers. All of the answers are correct. Answer: e 42. The greatest blow to the organizational strength of U.S. parties was a. the national convention. b. the direct primary. c. Jacksonian democracy. d. the emergence of PACs. voter registration. Answer: b 43. Candidate-centered politics is characterized by all of the following except a. television advertising. b. direct-mail fundraising. c. door-to-door canvassing. d. opinion poll analysis. professional consultants. Answer: c 44. In most elections in the United States, the position that candidates take on policy issues is determined by the a. candidates themselves. b. local party organizations. c. state party organizations. d. national party organization. media. Answer: a 45. Candidate-centered politics encourages a. greater responsiveness to local interests. b. flexibility in response to problems. c. the use of television advertising in campaigns. d. introduction of new blood to politics. All of the above answers are correct. Answer: e 46. In their relationship with candidates, the political party can expect that a. candidates will place the interest of the party ahead of their own political interest. b. campaign volunteers will be more loyal to the party than to a particular candidate. c. ambitious politicians will not challenge the party’s choice in a primary election even when they aspire to the office at stake. d. all campaign expenditures for candidates must be approved by party leaders. None of the answers are correct. Answer: e 47. The patronage system was a. a means of rewarding party workers for their loyalty. b. established by the Progressives. c. completely replaced by the merit system. d. always fair in practice. All of the answers are correct. Answer: a 48. The U.S. federal system affects the party system by a. favoring the creation of parties organized chiefly at the statewide level. b. hindering the creation of strong national party organizations that can dictate the actions of state and local party organizations. c. encouraging minor parties that have a regional base. d. encouraging media-based campaigns. favoring the creation of parties organized chiefly at the national level. Answer: b 49. The function that the national party organizations perform in relation to congressional candidates can best be described as a a. service role—helping candidates conduct their personal campaigns. b. power role—making party assistance conditional upon the candidates’ endorsement of the party platform. c. central role—organizing and conducting the campaigns for the candidates. d. non-participant role—staying out of congressional campaigns and assisting only in the presidential campaign. None of the answers are correct. Answer: a 50. Candidate-centered campaigns a. can degenerate into personality contests. b. are focused on broad policy differences. c. are focused on liberalism and conservatism. d. are focused on budget and military issues. None of the answers are correct. Answer: a 51. About 95 percent of all campaign activists in the United States work at a. the national level. b. the state level. c. the local level. d. the national and state levels. Republican and Democratic party headquarters. Answer: c 52. ________ was a realigning election. 1816, when James Monroe won the presidency, 1912, when Woodrow Wilson won the presidency, 1932, when Franklin Roosevelt won the presidency, 1960, when John Kennedy won the presidency, 1976, when Jimmy Carter won the presidency, Answer: c 53. The election of ________, was the only time in American history when the U.S. party system failed as a means of resolving political conflict. 1800, when Thomas Jefferson won the presidency 1828, when Andrew Jackson won the presidency 1860, when Abraham Lincoln won the presidency 1896, when William McKinley won the presidency 1912, when Woodrow Wilson won the presidency Answer: c 54. In 1992, ________ won 19 percent of the popular vote in the presidential election. a. Bill Clinton b. George H.W. Bush c. Ross Perot d. Pat Buchanan Ralph Nader Answer: c 55. In recent elections, even though candidates for public office still spend most of their campaign money on televised ads, they have increasingly put money into the effort to get out the vote on Election Day. Among the reasons for this is a. an increase in partisanship among voters, which makes it harder to persuade them to switch sides but makes it more important to get the party’s supporters to the polls. b. the discovery by candidates that the Internet is not a good medium through which to campaign. c. the reluctance of candidates to use negative advertising, which has made more money available for other activities, including get-out-the-vote efforts. d. the fact that people like to get telephone solicitation calls. e. the insistence of donors that their money be used to get out the vote because it makes donors feel they are making a contribution to civic participation as well as to a candidate they would like to see win. Answer: a Essay/Short Answer 1. Why have the Democratic and Republican parties been so durable so as to maintain existence since the Civil War? Explain. Answer: Analysts believe that the durability of the Democratic and Republican parties is due to their remarkable ability to adapt during times of crisis. These two major parties have survived many periods of social, economic and political unrest not by maintaining a consistent ideology, but by adapting to the changing needs of the maintaining and realigning elections (for example, the elections of the Great Depression of the 1930s produced fundamentally new Democratic and Republican parties). Instead of being destroyed by these elections, the parties emerged with new bases of support, new policies, and even new philosophies. Democrats and Republicans remained the dominant parties in America. After the Great Depression, the Democrats became the country’s majority party and emphasized a new social and economic role for national government. The party survived—indeed succeeded—only by responding to the crisis and adapting its policies to address the current needs of the people. Such capacity for adaptation has ensured the Democrats and Republicans longevity and dominance in America’s two-party system. 2. Explain why the single-member district system of elections tends to promote a two-party system. Answer: In a single-member district system, each constituency selects only one representative for an office on the basis of which candidate receives a plurality of the vote. This system promotes a two-party system in America. It discourages minor parties because it is, essentially, a winner-take-all contest. For example, if a minor party receives 20 percent of the vote in each congressional district, it would win no seats in Congress. Despite the fact that one in five voters voted for the minor party, the winning candidate in each district would be the major-party candidate with the larger proportion of the remaining 80 percent of the vote. In contrast, a system of proportional representation is not a winner-take-all contest. In European democracies, for example, seats in the legislature are allocated according to a party’s share of the popular vote. This system encourages minor parties: if a minor party wins 20 percent of the vote by way of illustration, it receives 20 percent of the legislative seats. America’s single-member district system disadvantages minor parties and, therefore, promotes a two-party system. 3. Explain how party coalitions in the U.S. reflect the nature of party competition. Does coalition formation tend to moderate or radicalize parties? Explain. Answer: The overriding goal of a major American political party is to gain control of government by getting its candidates elected to office, which means that political compromise is essential. The major parties must appeal to different groups that may disagree on some issues; a reasonable amount of compromise is therefore necessary. The parties must also appeal to many of the same groups. The result is, in most circumstances though not all, a moderate form of political conflict in which the parties’ coalitions overlap substantially in terms of the groups that comprise them. 4. What is meant by a realigning election? Answer: A realigning election is one in which many significant social groups alter their voting behavior and switch their allegiance from one political party to another. Realigning elections have four basic elements: the existing political order is disrupted; voters shift their support in favor of one party; a major change in public policy occurs as a result of the stronger party; and the political changes endure for a significant period of time. 5. What is a candidate-centered campaign, and how does it differ from a party-centered one? Identify some advantages and disadvantages of candidate-centered campaigns. Answer: Candidates effectively control the candidate-centered campaign, while a party-centered campaign is dominated by parties. In the former, voters tend to select individuals (as in the United States); in the latter, voters tend to make their choices based on party traditions and party platforms (as in Europe). One advantage of candidate-centered campaigns is that they bring flexibility and new blood to electoral politics. This means the political system can more quickly adapt to new realities. Also, candidate-centered campaigns encourage national officeholders to be more responsive to local interests, because personal support among local constituents is the key to re-election. A disadvantage is that such campaigns are heavily influenced by the contributions of special interests. Another disadvantage is that officeholders’ accountability to the public is reduced because an incumbent can always blame other officeholders for policy problems. Collective accountability through parties is weak. Still another disadvantage is that candidate-centered campaigns can easily degenerate into displays of meaningless showmanship. 6. How do European parties differ from American parties? Answer: European parties are hierarchical and have much tighter controls over nominations, campaigns, candidate funding, and elections. American parties, due to federalism and a tradition of individualism, remain loose associations of local, state, and national organizations. 7. What are primary elections and what impact have they had on party organizations? Answer: A primary election is a method of nominating party candidates in which the party nominee is chosen by voters rather than party leaders. Primary elections weaken party organization by depriving the party of control over the candidates who will run under its banner. 8. Why do media costs consume so much of a candidate’s campaign budget in the modern era? Answer: Media costs—television time, newspaper advertisements, and radio spots—are inherently expensive. But spending on the media is necessary if the candidate is to reach as many voters as possible. Also, a majority of voters get their political information from television. As the author points out, televised advertising in particular enables candidates to communicate directly and easily with the electorate, thereby reducing the importance of grassroots party efforts.