Interest Groups and the Media

Which of the following PACs most probably donated more heavily to Democrats than to Republicans?

• National Rifle Association

• American Medical Association

• American Federation of State/Countyand Municipal Employees

• Americans for Tax Reform

The “Iron Triangle Theory” includes all of the following beliefs EXCEPT

• The real policy making process is controlled by people who generally are not well-known national figures.

• Interest groups have a great deal of influence in shaping bills in legislative subcommittees.

• Interest groups often dominate the policymaking process in all three branches of government.

• Agency heads and bureaucrats often have a great deal of contact with both interest groups and lawmakers.

Which of the following statements represents a potential conflict of interest? Lobbyists

• work closely with the interest groups that hired them.

• are former government officials who have close ties with current legislators.

• know as much and sometimes even more than legislators about pending legislation.

• attempt to convince senators and representatives that, if they support the group’s position, the politicians will receive the support of the group’s constituency.

Direct lobbying of members of Congress is protected under the U.S. Constitution by the

• Freedom of Religion

• Freedom of Petition

• The Right to Bear Arms

• Equal Protection of the Laws

The single most useful tactic of the typical lobbyist is

• generating newspaper headlines.

• mobilizing letter-writing campaigns.

• filing suits in court

• supplying information to legislators

Which of the following organizations would be the most likely to support Republican candidates?

• American Federation of Labor – Congress of Industrial Organizations

• Handgun Control, Inc.

• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

• Veterans of Foreign Wars

• National Education Association

Television news coverage of a candidate generally focuses on all the following EXCEPT

• where the candidates appeared.

• how big the crowds were

• a candidate’s explanation of a complex policy statement.

• sound bites from the candidate’s speech.

Which of the following reflects how the news media covers campaigns?

• The media covers the candidates’ positions in an in-depth manner.

• The media is obligated to give equal coverage to all candidates running for office.

• The media has shied away from looking at the personal lives of the candidates running for office.

• The media’s coverage is characterized by candidates’ sound bites and photo ops.

Which of the following is the best example of a trial balloon?

• A candidate for office runs ads in one state on a single issue to see how the public will react.

• An anonymous White House source makes a statement about a possible change in tax policy that is then reported on the news.

• A newspaper covers the flooding in a neighboring state and chooses to delete stories of local interest.

• The president holds a news conference to announce a new program to increase federal funding for charter schools.

Which of the following statements accurately describes the transformation of American journalism?

• When mass circulation newspapers arose, there also developed interest groups.

• When radio and television became dominant, politicians were unable to build their own bridges to voters.

• When magazines of opinion developed, there also arose mass politics.

• With the Internet, voters, and political activists can talk to each other.