Chapter 9
The impact of media
TV is the most prevalent means to reach
voters
TV advertisement is EXPENSIVE
½ of campaign budgets used for
COMMERCIALS!
Media focuses more on the “horse race”
than policies of the nominees
Criticism of Nomination System
Lots of attention of the early primaries and
caucuses
Time it takes to run
Money plays too big a role
Participation in systems is low and
unrepresentative – mostly older, wealthy
people
Too much power to the media
Campaigns and Democracy
How $$$ in campaigns challenge democratic
elections
 Expense of campaigning limits political participation
 Business who donate have advantage over will of
people
How to keep campaign spending from
undermining democracy:
 Limitations on PAC – register with FEC so they must
be open about spending
 McCain-Feingold ban on soft money for campaigns
Political Action Committee
Can be used to DIRECTLY
support a candidate
BUT – you must register
your PAC with the FEC and
the FEC will monitor
closely
Nomination Convention
Official nomination of presidential candidate
Also form the party’s platforms here
Less tv viewers of today’s conventions b/c
we usually know who the nominee is but
this time
U.S. vs. European Campaigns
U.S. campaigns longer and more expensive
European candidates are not allowed to send
out information on their own and rely on their
party to send the information
_____1.) The Democratic and Republican
candidates for president are formally
nominated by the
A.) presidential caucuses.
B.) presidential primaries.
C.) Electoral College.
D.) national party conventions.
E.) national committees.
 _____2.) The McGovern-Fraser Commission
 A.) chose presidential candidates for the
Democratic Party.
 B.) investigated violations of campaign finance law
in 1968.
 C.) established the dates of presidential primaries.
 D.) had a mandate to make the Democratic Party
conventions more democratic.
 E.) strengthened the role of the party’s national
committee.
 _____2.) Which of the following has resulted from
the impact of the Internet on campaigns?
 A.) Campaigns have a more difficult time raising
money from donors.
 B.) Candidates can raise larger sums of money
from small donors than has traditionally been the
case.
 C.) Campaigns can more easily collect and
maintain addresses for mailing lists.
 D.) Communicating with voters and potential
donors has grown more costly.
 E.) Campaigns have lost control over manipulating
a candidate’s image.
 _____2.) Which of these is NOT one of the provisions of the
McCain-Feingold Act?

 A.) The subjecting of 527 groups to contribution restrictions
 B.) The banning of soft-money contributions
 C.) The increase in the amount that individuals can give to
candidates, to rise with inflation
 D.) The barring of groups from running “issue ads” within 60
days of an election if they refer to a federal candidate and are
not funded through a PAC
 E.) The prohibition of corporations and unions use of general
treasury funds to pay for electioneering communications in
the last 60 days of an election.