Spring 2007

• What is the primary impact upon democratic institutions and elected officials of the political culture’s fixation with polls and polling?
• It has made these American counterparts more like unstable parliamentary institutions in that the elected officials are not free to decide what to do and eventually held accountable.

• Definition: A president’s standing with the public, indicated by the percentage of
Americans who tell survey interviewers that they approve a president’s “handling of his job.”
• presidential approval rating

• 3) What was different about journalist’s relationship with the military in Vietnam?
• They were independent and allowed to view battles first-hand and photograph it.

• What primary role does the media serve in a democratic republic like ours?
• Their duty is to inform the people so they can make informed democratic decisions.

• What was unique about the War in
Vietnam?
• It was the first time that the
American public saw war’s carnage on a daily basis on television.

• 6) Definition: Sensational newspaper stories with large headlines and, in some cases, color cartoons.
yellow journalism

• The First Amendment of the Constitution says what about the press (that is, journalism)?
• Gives broad protection from any form of government interference with the press

• According to the text, Struggle for
Democracy , studies show that what appears in the media has what impact upon the general population which comprise the electorate?
• Profoundly influences how people think about politics

• Definition: Political attitudes and beliefs expressed by ordinary citizens.
•

• Definition: The selection of survey respondents by chance, with equal probability, to ensure their representativeness of the whole population.
• random sampling

• According to the authors of Struggle for
Democracy , the most important factor in constructing an accurate poll or survey is that....
• the sample of people interviewed must be representative of the population being measured

• Definition: A system of interrelated attitudes and beliefs.
•

• Definition: The stance toward foreign policy that suggest that the United States should “go it alone,” pursuing its national interests without seeking the cooperation of other nations or multilateral institutions.
•

• What error in calculation did General
Douglas MacArthur in his dealings with
President Truman?
• He believed that Truman would be intimidated by the General’s stature as war hero.

• What was the most televised war in
American history? [this question pre-dates the present war in Iraq.]
•

• Definition: The role of the media in scrutinizing the actions of government officials.

• What has been the impact of the sound byte on journalism?
• It creates a dependency on catch phrases which simplify complex issues and distort positions.

• The two Washington Post reporters who made American journalism history by their reporting the Watergate scandal were;
•

• According to the text, Struggle for
Democracy , the representation of business and the professions via interest groups is;
•

• What was the significance of The
Pentagon Papers with regards the
Supreme Courts ruling on the First
Amendment ?
• The Court ruled that prior restraint
(censorship) was not valid (invalid) when a top secret document should not have been so declared.

• Upton Sinclair’s exposé about the horrible conditions in the meat packing industry which was an early example of investigative journalism was entitled what?
•

• 22) Definition: Non profit organizations that do research on public policy issues and distribute their findings through a variety of outlets. Although formally nonpartisan, most have an identifiable ideological stance.
•

• What was the press’s reaction to the paralysis of President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt (FDR)?
• They protected his image and neither photographed him being carried nor reported on it.

• What is the most notable negative impact of interest groups on the political process?
• Along with information they offer large campaign contributions which have obligations attached.

• Those Americans during the 19 th Century who vigorously opposed slavery for religious and humanitarian reasons were:
•

• What has the Supreme Court said about campaign contributions by interest groups, corporations and other large donors?
• Campaign contributions are a form of free speech and are protected by the First Amendment.

• What was the opinions of the Founders
(the writers of the Constitution) regarding social movements?
• They did not anticipate social movements because they were ignorant about democracy’s impact .

• An example of a negative social movement, that is, a social movement whose unintended impact proved to be largely negative, would be,
•

• Definition: The government’s power to prevent publication, as opposed to punishment afterwards.
•

• The 40 hour week, overtime pay, minimum wage, the end of child employment, safe working conditions, worker’s benefits and unemployment insurance are all examples of what?
• Examples of success by a social movement (labor) advocating the rights of working people.

• Definition: A private organization whose purpose is to raise and distribute funds to candidates in political campaigns.
• political action committees
(pacs)

• 32) From the Lanahan Readings , Reading
Number 64, Democracy in America by
Alexis De Tocqueville.
– What is significant about De Tocqueville’s work?
His insight into America’s character was profound

• 33) From the Lanahan Readings , Reading
Number 65, “The Semisovereign People” by E.E. Schattschneider.
– According to the author what kind of interest groups are most easily formed?
•

• From the Lanahan Readings , Reading
Number 68, “Who Will Tell The People” by
William Greider, the article discusses a group of poor workers trying to organize in
Washington, D.C. What form of work did those poor workers do?
• janitors & custodial workers

• From the Lanahan Readings , Reading
Number 85, “Personal History” by
Katherine Graham.
– What was Katherine
Graham’s position at the Washington
Post ?
• publisher (and owner)

• From the Lanahan Readings , Reading
Number 82, “The Rise of Southern
Republicans,” by Earl Black and Merle
Black – What impact has the rise of this group had on the American political landscape?
• Republicans from the South have transformed American politics with their switch in party loyalties.

• From the Lanahan Readings , Reading
Number 79, “Critical Elections and the
Mainspring of American Politics,” by Walter
Dean Burnham – What is the essential component of a “critical election.”
• When there is a dramatic shift in the relative power of the two major political parties.

• From Newsweek, “On Duty at the Alamo” by Christian Caryl – What is meant by the term “The Alamo”?
• Forward Operating Base Hope, a
U.S. Army fortress near Sadr City, a slum near Baghdad

• From Time Magazine , “America By the
Numbers ” by Nancy Gibbs – What is the present approximate population of the
United States?
•

• From Time Magazine , “America By the
Numbers ” by Nancy Gibbs – Which one of the following statements was made by the author in her article?
• Half of us earn less than $30,000 a year, 90% less than $100,000.

• From Time Magazine , “Get Ready for the
Glitches,” by Michael Duffy – Which one of the following concerns are listed as feared to be sources of conflict for voting in the mid-term elections?
• New voting machines, new voter ID rules and alternative voting methodologies

• From Newsweek, “Take Him Away” by
Scott Johnson – What form of execution is the former dictator of Iraq scheduled to face?
•

• From Newsweek, “Take Him Away” by
Scott Johnson – For what specific crime is
Saddam Hussein being executed?
• For the “willful execution” of 148 men, women and children in the
Shiite village of Dujail in 1982

• From Newsweek, “Take Him Away” by
Scott Johnson – What is the next step for
Hussein?
• automatic appeal of conviction