Unit IV Campaigns, Elections, Interest Groups and the Media

Unit IVCampaigns, Elections,

Interest Groups and the Media

Who can run for office?

Congress Age 25, 7 years a citizen, Inhabit your

State


Congress Age 25, 7 years a citizen, Inhabit your

State

Senate Age 30, 9 years a citizen, Inhabit your

State


Congress Age 25, 7 years a citizen, Inhabit your State

Senate Age 30, 9 years a citizen, Inhabit your State

President Age 35, Natural-born citizen, 14 years in-

country


You will need: A campaign manager A Political Consultant Plenty of volunteers Assistance from a party Media Consultants Polling Firms Direct-Mail Firms Political Technology Firms

Want to campaign for office?

First, get noticed!

Running for President?

First, get noticed! “The Great Mentioner” (David Broder)


First, get noticed! “The Great Mentioner” (David Broder) Use “leaks”


First, get noticed! “The Great Mentioner” (David Broder) Use “leaks” Become a public speaker


First, get noticed! “The Great Mentioner” (David Broder) Use “leaks” Become a public speaker Become famous


First, get noticed! “The Great Mentioner” (David Broder) Use “leaks” Become a public speaker Become famous Sponsor a big bill (if you are in Congress)


First, get noticed! “The Great Mentioner” (David Broder) Use “leaks” Become a public speaker Become famous Sponsor a big bill (if you are in Congress) Be a Governor


Get a ton of money!


Get a ton of money! But, to get matching Federal funds, you

must get 20 people in 20 states to give $250 or less


Get a ton of money! But, to get matching Federal funds, you

must get 20 people in 20 states to give $250 or less

Build an organization! (everybody on slide 2)


Get a ton of money! But, to get matching Federal funds, you must get

20 people in 20 states to give $250 or less

Build an organization! (everybody on slide 2)

Develop Strategy Incumbency is a trump card. The 4 “T”s = Tone, Theme, Timing, Target

Audience


Be able to use Television! “Commercial Spots” “Sound Bites” “Photo Opps” Debates


Be able to use Television! “Commercial Spots” “Sound Bites” “Photo Opps” Debates

What is the real effect of these? Does the Presidential candidate have

coattails?


Special Problems of Congress

Running for Congress?

Special Problems of Congress Size (set in 1911)


Special Problems of Congress Size (set in 1911) Allocation of Seats


Special Problems of Congress Size (set in 1911) Allocation of Seats District Size (Supreme Court ruling

1964)



1964) District Shape



1964) District Shape

Gerrymandering


Will you be a Delegate, or a Trustee? Which would you rather have?



If you want to stay… Provide Constituent Services Create Committee Plums



If you want to stay… Provide Constituent Services Create Committee Plums

You can’t be sued for “privileged speech”!


Incumbency RulesAt-large or Districted?(Re-) Apportionment


Know what’s up… Position Issues vs. Valence Issues

Regardless of Office…

Know what’s up… Position Issues vs. Valence Issues

Campaigns Make a Difference Reawaken party loyalty See who handles pressure Judge character and core values

Regardless of Office…

Rising Expenses

Election of 2008

All that Money…

1976 70 million

1988 211 million

1996 240 million

2008 1760 million

419.1 million TV & Radio

43.5 million Internet

21.8 million Print media

11.4 million Consultants

Congressmen get NOTHING.

Presidential Candidates get complicated: Primary = Matching funds from small donors General = All costs up to the limit Minor Party folks get partial funding,

depending on the percentage of the vote they get

Page 251 ! ! ! !

Money, money, money, money…

Watergate fall-out (1973) $ go up PACs become widespread

Limits DO have an effect

Trend toward using private donors rather than Federal matching funds

WHY?

Money (that’s what I want)

Special Problems Independent Expenditures Soft Money

McCain-Feingold Act (2002) No Soft Money Individuals can contribute $2000 Independent Expenditures curtailed

Mo’ Money

Supreme Court clarifications: Buckley v. Valeo (1976)

Limits are OK; Candidate can spend his own $ McConnell v. Federal Election Commission

(2002) 60 day mention limit upheld

FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life (2007) Issue ads not prohibited

Citizens United v. FEC (2010) Allows corporate/union funding of ads

Money, so they say (is the root of all evil today)

PRIMARY Elections More Individualized More Ideologically Extreme Open, Closed, or Blanket? Timing is varied

GENERAL ELECTIONS More Party-oriented TV has less effect ??? Always the first Tuesday in November (unless…)

I Wanna Be Elected!

Presidential elections are: more competitive and the winner usually gets

<55% of the vote

Congressional elections are: Favorable to Incumbents (>60% of the vote) Affected by the Midterm problem Affected by Constituent Services and Franking Often run “against the Government”

Election Differences

The Undecided Voter(a Clothespin vote?)

The Pocketbook VoteCandidate Character

What decides elections?

PARTY Though there are more Democrats than

Republicans… Dems are more reasonable Independents often vote Republican A higher percentage of Republicans vote

ISSUES Mostly the Economy Prospective and Retrospective voters (mostly the

latter)

CAMPAIGNS COALITIONS

How do we decide?

In short, not much

Disasters will change that

Timing and Issues are critical

Life + Good = Incumbent Wins Life + Bad = Challenger Wins

Will the outcomes change policy?

Political Action Committees (PACs) Lobbyists Institutional Organizations Membership Organizations Incentives to Join:

Solidary incentives Material incentives Purposive incentives

Interest Groups

Public-Interest Law firms Think Tanks “Special PACs”

NRA AIPAC AARP

Earmarks

Etc.

Environment Sierra Club, Greenpeace

Feminists NOW, NARAL, WEAL

Union AFL-CIO, AFT/NEA, AFSCME

NAACP

Civil Disobedience Possible upper-class bias

Social Movements

Who lobbyists are What they did Where the money came from… …and where it went to.

Regulations

A Brief History Early Newspapers

Changed by better presses and the telegraph

The Popular Press Pulitzer, Hearst, and Yellow Journalism Now Editorials

Magazines Muckrakers to “Investigative Journalism”

Radio

The Media

OK, not so brief… Television

Networks to Cable “Nightly News” to C-Span, FoxNews,

CNN, The Daily Show

Internet Blogs, Twitter, Facebook

The Media

Make a Profit Avoid Bias

Roles: Gatekeeper Scorekeeper Watchdog

Media Responsibilities

Avoid Libel ~ “Absence of Malice” Keep Confidentiality ~ No Federal

“Shield” law On the Record Off the Record On Background On Deep Background

Equal Time Rule

Media Responsibilities

We think many news stories are inaccurate

We have “Selective Attention” disorder We think the media is

Liberal Secular

We LOVE Sensationalism

Public Perceptions

Documents

Unit IV Campaigns, Elections, Interest Groups and the Media