The gradual disengagement of people and politicians from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identification.

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a structure within a society that connects the people to the government or centralized authority.

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an electoral "earthquake" where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party.

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A party system in which two major parties regularly win the vast majority of votes in general elections, regularly capture nearly all of the seats in the legislature, and alternately control the executive branch of government.

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An electoral system in which a country is divided into many election districts, each of which is represented by one candidate.

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Supporters of this party are more likely to be concerned with civil rights issues, stronger gov regulation in business, and social support networks for people who need assistance.

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Political party that believed in the non-expansion of slavery & consisted of Whigs, N. Democrats, & Free-Soilers in defiance to the Slave Powers

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A minor party that believes in extremely limited government

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A 3rd party with a platform which reflects the party's interpretation of the principles in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, the Bible, and the Bill of Rights.

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a statement of a party's official stand on major public issues.

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Committee that heads the national Democratic party between national conventions. They raise funds for campaigns and try to enhance the media's perception of the party.

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Same as the DNC but for the Republican party.

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a situation in which individuals can receive the benefits from a collective activity whether or not they helped pay for it, leaving them with no incentive to contribute.

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a theory of government and politics emphasizing that many groups compete and counterbalance one another in the political marketplace.

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The process by which interest group members or lobbyists attempt to influence public policy through contacts with public officials

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Groups that are exempted from reporting their contributions and can receive unlimited contributions.

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an organization that collects money to distribute to candidates who support the same issues as the contributors.

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A PAC that is allowed to give an unlimited amount of money to a candidate or political party

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The relationship between congress(especially Sub-Committees), Government agencies(Bureaucracy), and interest groups.

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an alliance of various interest groups and individuals who unite in order to promote a common cause or agenda in a way that influences government policy.

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A tendency to search for information that confirms one's preconceptions.

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An independent regulatory agency created in 1975 whose members are appointed by the president; responsible for overseeing campaign financing, including who can give money, how much they can give, and how donations are disclosed.

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a former federal policy requiring television and radio broadcasters that presented one side of a controversy to provide the opportunity for opposing points of view to be expressed at no charge. political editorializing rule.

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The tendency of the media to cover campaigns by emphasizing how candidates stand in the polls instead of where they stand on the issues.

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The role the press plays by keeping track of and helping make political reputations, note who is being mentioned as a presidential candidate, and help decide who is winning and losing in Washington politics

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The role played by the national media in investigating political personalities and exposing scandals.

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The media can influence what subjects become national political issues and for how long.

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media programming on cable TV or the internet that is focused on a particular interest and aimed at a particular audience, in contrast to broadcasting.

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the rule that requires broadcast stations to sell air time equally to all candidates in a political campaign if they choose to sell it to any.

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A piece of a person speaking during a video or speech. The use of sound bites in this day and time is to make fun of politicians.

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