Essentials

AP Government & Politics

AP Exam

60 multiple choice questions – 45 minutes Free-Response

100 minutes to answer four questions

Constitutional Convention

Representation – Virginia Plan, New Jersey Plan - Solution = Connecticut Compromise or Great Compromise

Figure 3.1: Lines of Power in Three Systems of Government (cont’d)

Federalism

Conditions of aid – Federal gov’t tells states what activities and policies must be in order to receive grant money

Mandates – federal gov’t imposes its will outside the context of the grant. Ex. – civil rights & environmental protection

Political Theories: Who Governs? Four basic theories 1. Elite theory- 2. Bureaucratic theory- 3. Interest group theory- 4. Pluralist theory

American political assumptions Liberty Equality Democracy Civic duty Individual responsibility

Table 4.3: Commitment to Income Equity in Sweden and the United States

Figure 4.5: Changes in Levels of Political Tolerance, 1930-1999

Source: Gallup poll data, various years, as compiled by Professor John Zaller, Department of Political Science, UCLA; The Gallup Organization, Poll Releases (March 29, 1999), 2-6.

Sources of Political Attitudes

The importance of family as an agent of political socialization

Table 5.2:The Gender Gap: Differences in Political Views of Men and Women

Table 5.4: African American and White Opinion

Voting

Profiles that suggest likelihood of voting and likelihood of not voting

Figure 6.4: Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections, by Age, Schooling, and Race, 1964-1996

Source: Updated from Gary R. Orren, "The Linkage of Policy to Participation," in Presidential Selection, ed. Alexander Heard and Michael Nelson (Durham, N.C.: Duck University Press, 1987). Data for 1996 are from Statistical Abstract of the United States 1998, 296, as supplied by Christopher Blunt.

Elections

Comparing Presidential and Congressional Campaigns

Presidential more competitive Fewer people vote in midterm elections (off-

year elections) Congressional incumbents can serve their

constituents Congressional candidates can campaign

against Wash. DC Power of presidential coattails has declined

What is the difference between presidential and congressional

campaigns?

Political Parties

Ticket splitting & divided governmnet

Figure 7.1: Decline in Party Identification, 1952-2000:

Source: National Election Studies, The NES Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior, 1952-2000, table 20.1.

Table 7.6: Political Opinions of Delegates and Voters

Interest Groups

Activities of interest groups Supplying information Raising public support Creating PACs – Super PACs Litigation Protest & disruption

Mass Media

Gatekeeper Scorekeeper Watchdog

Congress

Advantages of being an incumbent in understanding the dynamics of Congress

Source: Harold W. Stanley and Richard G. Niemi, Vital Statistics on American Politics, 1999-2000 (Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2000), table 1-18.

Figure 11.2: Percentage of Incumbents Reelected to Congress

Standing Committees

House – Ways & Means – taxes

The Presidency

Leadership style

PRESIDENTIAL Style

EISENHOWER-orderly, delegation of authority

KENNEDY- improviser JOHNSON- master legislative strategist, who

tended to micromanage NIXON- expertise in foreign policy FORD- many decisions were made in

disorganized manner

CARTER- micromanage REAGAN-set policy priorities and then

gave staff wide latitude BUSH-hands-on manager CLINTON-good communicator BUSH – tightly run White House, on

message Obama- ?

The Bureaucracy

The power of Congress to oversee the bureaucracy is fundamental to the system of checks and balances

Figure 13.3: Characteristics of Federal Civilian Employees, 1960 and 1999

Sources: Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1961, 392-394; Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2000, Nos. 450, 482, 500, 595, 1118.

Federal Courts

Judicial activism v. judicial restraint

Political Agenda

Involves virtually all of the participants in the policy-making process

Economic Policy

How government influences the economy

Social Welfare

Social Security Medicare Problems with funding

Military Powers

War Powers Act

Civil Rights

Brown v. Board of Education

Civil Liberties

Incorporation doctrine