AP lecture and class info for April 2nd

Media PhrasesOn the record: the name of the interviewee can be mentioned

and anything he or she said can be quoted in the storyOff the record: info provided can’t be printedOn background: substance of the interview can be published

and quoted but the official source can’t be named (ex.-a senior White House aide)

On deep background: not even an indirect resource is used in a story

Shield laws: protect journalists from having to reveal their sources

Trial balloon: politicians give a story to the press to gauge the public’s reaction

Leak: unauthorized release of info to the press

Answers to A Cooperative Quiz BW on 3/311. C2. C3. D4. D5. D6. B7. D8. C9. C10. B

Today’s BWStraight-ticket voting is voting for candidates

from the same party in an electionSplit-ticket voting is voting for candidates

from different parties in an election.

Political Parties: The Party in Gov’tCoalition: a group of individuals with a

common interest upon which every political party depends

What parties have done and promise to do influence who join its coalition

Parties and politicians generally act on their campaign promises (see its importance for re-election)

There are some cases where that did not happen. Ex-LBJ in ‘64 election

2000 Party Platform on pg. 248

Party ErasParty Eras: historical periods in which a

majority of votes cling to the party in powerCritical Election: an electoral “earthquake”

where new issues and new coalitions emergeParty Realignment: the displacement of the

majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election

Pgs. 249-256 in your textbook outline the important Party Eras in US History

Party Eras1968-Present: The Era of Divided Gov’tOne party controls the White House and

another controls Congress, either all or in part.

Reasons for divided gov’t:Party dealignment: disengagement of people

from parties, evidence shows shrinking party affiliation and more people regarding themselves as independents

Third Parties or Minor PartiesThird Parties are electoral contenders other

than the two parties and who rarely win elections

Four Types of Minor PartiesIdeological parties are based on certain

social, economic, or political ideas.Single-Issue parties focus on one public

policy matter.Economic Protest parties appear during

tough financial times.Splinter parties are parties that have broken

away from one of the major parties.

Third PartiesThird parties are sometimes accused of

playing the “spoiler role” in elections. This means they have a strong candidate who

pulls votes away from one of the two major parties and it weakens that party’s ability to win the election.

Third Parties in AmericaLibertarian Party: favors minimal gov’t

regulation in the economy, strong civil liberties, minimal intervention in foreign policy and regulation of border migration

Green Party: committed to environmental causes, non-violence, and grassroots organizing.

Constitution Party: strong belief in federalism and non-intervention by the gov’t but against abortion and illegal immigration

Peace and Freedom Party: advocates free education and abortion, concerned with racial equality and feminism

Why the two-party system remains in the US?

There are several reasons for this in the U.S.: tradition, electoral system favors the two-party system because nearly all U.S. elections are single-member elections and the winner is whoever receives a plurality of the votes, much of U.S. election law was created in a bipartisan way by the two major parties, and most voters tend to not vote for minor party candidates.