Study Guide: Elections and Campaigns
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Date Due |
Assignments
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Thurs.,
Sept. 17 |
Ideology Assignment Due |
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Mon.,
Sept. 21 |
1.
Read p. 179 – 185 (Up to “Two Kinds…”) And the green box on page186 2.
In the Readings Book, read “Stormy Weather” by Dante Scala
p. 459-463 3.
Download from the Lesson Units page and read the articles by David Greenberg
on “My Vote Means Nothing” 4. Answer questions 1 – 7 5.
Review your notes from chapters 3 and 4 from Epic Journey. |
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Tues.,
Sept. 22 |
1.
Read p. 185 – 191 (up to “Money”) and p. 196 – 199 (up to “What Decides the
Election?”) 2.
Answer questions 8 – 12 3.
Ask your parents and other adults how they make up their minds whom to
vote for. I’m not interested in whom
they voted for, but what is important to them in making up their minds, e.g.,
party, stand on issues, character, endorsements, ads, etc. |
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Weds.,
Sept. 23 |
1.
Read p. 191 – 195 Try to absorb the
information on p. 193 in the green box on the 1974 Federal Election Campaign
Act 2.
Read the handout on Campaign Finance.
Find a way to learn the rules about funding from the post-Watergate
reforms and the new Bipartisan campaign Finance Reform Act. Don’t worry if it makes your head spin and
your hair hurt. This is confusing
stuff. But, alas, you need to know
those details. 3.
Fill in the worksheet on Campaign Finance Reform. See how much of it you can do without
looking at the handout or the book.
When you reach the wall, then you can look. |
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Thurs.,
Sept. 24 |
1.
Review what you know about campaign finance reform. 2.
Read through the sources on Citizen
United v. FEC on the Links page of my website. 3.
Make a list/chart of at least six arguments for and against the position
taken by “Citizens United.” Be
prepared to discuss in class and to give your opinion as to what you think
the Supreme Court should decide. |
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Tues.,
Sept. 29 |
1.
Read “No Place for Amateurs” by Dennis Johnson in the Readings Book, p. 463 –
472 and take margin notes 2.
Read “Going Negative” By Stephen Ansolabehere and Shanto Iyengar in the Readings
Book p. 487 – 494 and take margin notes |
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Weds.,
Sept. 30 |
1.
Read p. 199 - 214 2.
Answer questions 13 – 18 |
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Thurs.,
Oct. 1 |
1.
Read “Government 2.0” by William Eggers from the Readings Book p. 473 – 480
and make a list of how the internet has changed politics |
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Fri.,
Oct. 2 |
Review
for the test. |
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Mon.,
Oct. 5 |
Test |
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1. |
How do American elections
and those in parliamentary systems differ? |
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2. |
How do presidential and
congressional campaigns differ? |
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3. |
List
the strategic decisions that a presidential candidate must make and make sure
that you understand each one. Then,
list the key steps in running for president. |
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4. |
What are the differences
between running in the primaries and the general campaign? Give examples. |
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5. |
Define closed, open, and
blanket primaries. What does the term
“coattails refer to? |
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6. |
The
book discusses the difference between a position and a valence issue. Be sure that you understand this
difference. Then, give a couple of
examples from the 2008 presidential campaign of position and valence issues. |
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7. |
After reading “Stormy
Weather” on p. 459-463 in the |
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8. |
After reading “My Vote
Means Nothing,” summarize Greenberg’s arguments as to how the primary system
has impacted elections. |
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9. |
What has been the effect
of TV on campaigns? List as many
effects as you can. |
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10. |
What does the book say are
the three factors that determine peacetime presidential elections? Which group normally decides elections? How
do the economy and character affect elections? |
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11. |
What factors does the book
list that people think have an impact on elections, but really don’t? |
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12. |
What does the book say
about the effect of money in presidential elections vs. congressional
elections? Explain the connection
between elections and incumbency. |
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13. |
What are the three reasons
that the book gives for why party identification doesn’t determine who wins
elections? |
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14. |
What are the differences
between retrospective and prospective voting and what effect does such voting
have on elections? |
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15. |
How can campaigns make a
difference in elections? |
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16. |
Make sure that you still
know which demographic groups make up the coalitions for both parties and
which of those groups are the most loyal to their respective parties. |
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17. |
Make sure that you still
know what a party realignment is and how the elections of 1896 and 1932
qualify as alignments. |
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18. |
Why do elections have so
little impact on public policy? |
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1. |
incumbent |
14. |
closed
primary |
27. |
527s |
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2. |
coattails |
15. |
blanket
primary |
28. |
prospective voting |
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3. |
PAC
or political action committee |
16. |
runoff
primary |
29. |
retrospective voting |
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4. |
federal
matching funds |
17. |
Smith v. Allwright (1944) |
30. |
critical/realigning
election |
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5. |
caucus
(esp. Iowa caucus) |
18. |
white primaries |
31. |
split ticket voting |
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6. |
primary
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19. |
whistle-stop train tour |
32. |
straight ticket voting |
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7. |
front-loaded
campaign |
20. |
campaign spots |
33. |
“front-loading” |
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8. |
clothespin
vote |
21. |
Federal Election Campaign
Act (1974) |
34. |
“Winner-take-all”
primaries |
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9. |
position
issue |
22. |
Federal Election
Commission (FEC) |
35. |
Super
Tuesday |
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10. |
valence
issue |
23. |
Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
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36. |
Bush v. Gore (2000) |
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11. |
general
election |
24. |
soft money |
37. |
Opposition
Research |
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12. |
primary
election |
25. |
hard money |
38. |
McConnell v. FEC
(2003)
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13. |
open
primary |
26. |
Bipartisan Campaign Reform
Act (2002) |
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