Chapter 11 Influencing Government

Influences on Personal Opinion 1) Personal background Age, gender, race, religion, occupation, hometown, education, and financial status all affect how we think

Influences on Personal Opinion 2) Mass media TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, and internet They choose what information is covered How they cover info is important Do we get the whole story?

Influences on Personal Opinion 3) Public officials We listen to the leaders that we trust They tell us info through ads, press conferences and debates Their job is to persuade us they are right

Influences on Personal Opinion 4) Interest groups Groups of people who unite around a common goal Work to convince America that their view is right Spend millions on ads (Got milk?)

Components of Public Opinion 1) Direction Do people view a topic as positive or negative? Usually a mix of ideas

Components of Public Opinion 2) Intensity How strongly do you feel about an issue? The stronger the feeling, the more willing people will be to act on that

Components of Public Opinion 3) Stability How long do they hold that view? Stability of the issue itself: is it something that people will continue to care about?

Measuring Public opinion Election results Winner’s views may be the same as the public May be inaccurate as people vote for different reasons (how they look, straight ticket, vote against another candidate)

Measuring Public opinion Public opinion polls Attempt to use science to judge opinion Takes a sample of at least 1,500 to be considered accurate This gives us a cross section of America (race, religion, income) Must be careful to avoid adding bias to the questions

Public Opinion Polls Pros- Helps support democracy Keeps leaders in touch with the people Don’t have to wait till an election to see how the public feels

Public Opinion Polls Cons- Influences leaders decisions (being popular v. being right) Influences election (why vote if polls show who will win) Results can be inaccurate due to biases

Types of Media 1) Print magazines, newspapers, books 2) Electronic- radio, TV, internet 98% of people have TV in this country, but it only provides a quick hit of info 70% read newspapers for at least 3 ½ hours a week, much more in depth than TV

Media’s Impact 1) Setting public agenda: Decide what to cover Decide how to cover it 2) On Candidates and elections: Must be media friendly today Good looking? Image is everything Actors and sports figures are entering politics in big numbers

Media’s Impact 3) On elected officials: Politicians try to control the flow of info to the media Stage events for the media’s benefit May leak info that will help them to the media May leak ideas to see the public’s reaction

Media’s Impact 4) As a watchdog Love to expose scandals May drive good people out of office Blurring the line between personal life and professional life

Media’s Impact 5) On National security Balance between need to know and national security Government tries to limit access to security information Leads to censorship by the government

Regulating the Media 1st Amendment protects media from prior restraint Must be careful of libel FCC can censor public TV EX: Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl

Types of Interest Groups 1) Economic Largest and most powerful Try to influence government action for their industry Often an extension of labor unions

Types of Interest Groups 2) Social Groups Promote race, age, or gender NAACP, NOW, AARP

Types of Interest Groups 3) Special Causes Pick some cause of interest to them NRA, Sierra Club

Types of Interest Groups 4) Public Work to benefit all of society EX: League of Women Voters work to increase voter turnout

Lobbyists Represent groups that try to influence the government Must have a good understanding of the government Must know who to see and where to go

Lobbyists Track laws to make sure they are enforced Do research and offer alternatives Great public relations experts

Lobbyists Publicly support candidates that share the same views Form PACs to give money to candidates campaigns Will go to court to challenge laws they don’t like  They give legal advice and $ to others who support their views in court

Propaganda Techniques of Interest Groups 1) Endorsements Get famous people to support the campaign If people like the celebrity, they will listen to your point of view

Propaganda Techniques of Interest Groups 2) Stacked cards Presents only one side of the issue Leaves out info or distorts info to support view

Propaganda Techniques of Interest Groups 3) Name-calling Turn public against your opponent Try to attach an unpleasant label or description to an opponent

Propaganda Techniques of Interest Groups 4) Glittering Generality A statement that sounds good but means nothing “I am the candidate for world peace”

Propaganda Techniques of Interest Groups 5) Symbols Try to use images that people feel good about in commercials Hope that people associate feelings of the symbol to your issue

Propaganda Techniques of Interest Groups 6) Just plain folks Try to look like the “common man” If you think they are like you, you will like their issues

Propaganda Techniques of Interest Groups 7) The bandwagon Everybody else is doing it, you should too Appeals to the fact we like winners in this country

Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act All lobbyist must be registered with the government Must disclose who hired them Must publicly list salary and spending There is a waiting period for former government employees before they can become a lobbyists

Why Lobbying Regulation Does Not Work Only full time lobbyists must register (only 1/5th of all lobbyists) No enforcement provided by the government Get around laws by using PACs Lawmakers don’t want stronger laws