1. Unit 3: Political Process

2. Bell Work How do people form opinions?
Notes: #1 under Unit 3: Political Process

3. Public Opinion

4. Influence government policies
Role of Public Opinion
Influence government policies
Getting laws changed

5. Forms of Public Opinion
Interest Groups
Petition
Public address
Letter to Officials
Demonstrations

6. Voter Turnout

7. Influences on Public Opinion
Ted Kennedy
Bill Clinton
George Bush
Ronald Reagan
Jesse Jackson
Hillary Clinton
Colin Powell
Bob Dole
<100% Liberal 100% Conservative>
Political Ideology

8. Influences on Public Opinion
Political Socialization
Media

9. Bell Work How do we measure public opinion?
What effect does the media have on public opinion?

10. Objectives Describe methods of measuring public opinion.
Examine political ads and describe the effect of media on public opinion.
Analyze political ads for effectiveness.

11. Measuring Public Opinion
George Gallup

12. Types of Polls

13. Conducting Polls
Question wording
Question order
Timing
Random Sampling

14. Media and Public Opinion
Protected by 1st Amendment from government censorship

15. Watchdog
Informant
Gatekeeper

16. Negative Focus

17. “Horse-race Coverage”
Focus on imagery
“Horse-race Coverage”

18. Classwork
Ideological Survey (#2) - Answer each question T for true if you agree with the statement. F for false if you disagree with the statement. Do not write anything in the L/C column.
Homework: Ideological Quiz (#3)… answer the last question in a paragraph.

19. Results 21-25 Liberal Responses = Strong Liberal
16-20 Liberal Responses = Weak Liberal
21-25 Conservative Responses = Strong Conservative
16-20 Conservative Responses = Weak Conservative
10-15 of either responses = Moderate

20. Interest Groups

21. Functions of Interest Groups
Organizing people
Political participation
Supplying information

22. Agricultural Groups
American Farm Bureau

23. Business Groups

24. Fraternal Order of Police
Labor Unions
Fraternal Order of Police

25. Professional Groups

26. Societal Groups

27. Caused-based/Public Interest Groups

28. How They Work
Participating in the Electoral Process
Endorsing candidates
Political Action Committees (PACs)
Lobbying
Using the Legal System - Lawsuits
Influencing Public Opinion

29. Political Parties

30. Functions of Political Parties
Assisting the Electoral Process
Organizing the electorate
Helping with technical aspects
Providing a political platform
Examine policies of elected officials
Organizing the Government

31. Nominating Candidates
Self-announcement
Caucus
Convention
Petition
Direct primaries

32. Leaders
Activists
Followers
Apathetic

33. Party Finances
Sources
-Personal financing
-Party assistance
-PACs
-Private Donors
- "Fat Cats" or "Angels"
-Public Funding
- regulated government funding

34. Regulations
Federal Election Campaign Act of 1972
-Federal Election Commission (FEC)

35. Regulation$
Financial disclosure
Contribution limits
Spending limits
Donor restrictions

36. Citizens United v. FEC