APLS 493S                              Review for Final Exam                            Spring 2008

Note: this is a first draft that I wanted to get up before I went away for Thanksgiving so that you could get started studying—I may do some editing after Thanksgiving (11-24-2008)

 

I. Key terms and ideas for objective questions. I will be using these to create multiple choice and true/false questions (80%)

 

  1. front porch campaigning
  2. whistlestop train tour
  3. Checkers speech
  4. pseudo-events
  5. micro-targeting
  6. CREEP (1972)
  7. Campaign strategy
  8. valence issues
  9. wedge issues
  10. social issues
  11. New Democrat
  12. retrospective voting
  13. persuadables
  14. Lee Atwater
  15. rapid response team
  16. Incumbency advantage (?) at the presidential level
  17. Battleground states
  18. Campaign tactics
  19. direct mail
  20. free speech zones
  21. GOTV
  22. voter suppression
  23. penny press
  24. structural bias and the economic model of the press
  25. objective journalism
  26. photo-journalism
  27. photo-ops
  28. Bad news syndrome
  29. Shrinking sound bite
  30. selective exposure
  31. selective perception
  32. agenda setting
  33. priming
  34. soft news
  35. Bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates guidelines
  36. Dukakis and the “rape” question
  37. Bush 41 and the wristwatch
  38. Willie Horton
  39. 2004 Ashley ad
  40. Mathematical models of predicting presidential election outcomes
  41. Literary Digest “poll” of 1936
  42. Early calls in projecting winners on election night and their impact on areas where polls are still open
  43. The “normal” vote in voting models
  44. Post 1964 Southern regional realignment in presidential politics and the southern strategy
  45. Dealignment
  46. 1980 and retrospective judgment
  47. The gender gap
  48. “It’s the economy stupid”
  49. The role of Ralph Nader in 2000
  50. Maximize the base and the 2004 election
  51. Turnout in 2008 (youth and minority and white vote and Democrats)
  52. The Palin factor – hurt or help?
  53. The impact of Bush 43 on the 2008 election
  54. promises problem for presidents-elect
  55. outsider problem for presidents-elect
  56. the appointments problem for presidents-elect
  57. the zealous supporters problem for presidents-elect
  58. press problem for presidents-elect
  59. priorities problem for presidents-elect
  60. court politics problem for presidents-elect
  61. bureaucracy problem for presidents-elect
  62. mandates
  63. Winner-take-all and proportional primaries
  64. Rotating regional primaries
  65. National presidential primary
  66. Voting paradox and approval voting
  67. Randall v. Sorrell (2006)
  68. FEC v. Wisconsin (2007)
  69. No-fault absentee ballots
  70. Faithless electors
  71. Minority majority winner (think the 2000 election!)
  72. Automatic elector plan
  73. Proportional plan
  74. District plan
  75. Direct popular election plan

 

 

 

 

II. Possible Essay Questions (20%). You will have to answer one of the following, chosen at random.               

 

  1. How do Americans feel about negative ads and negative campaigning? Give some historical examples of this kind of campaigning and evaluate its effectiveness. Discuss what can be done to end negative advertising in campaigns.

 

  1. Discuss presidential tracking polls in terms of the problems they face in accurate projections and their track record for accuracy, including the 2008 election.

 

  1. The transition from candidate to president is always difficult. List and discuss five significant problems facing candidates who are lucky enough to become presidents-elect.  

 

  1. Many possible reforms have been suggested for nominating and electing presidential candidates. Pick two of the more popular reforms, discuss their likely impacts (positive and negative) and explain why they are likely or unlikely to be adopted.

 

  1. Every four years we hear complaints about turnout in the presidential election. How was turnout in 2008 compared to recent presidential elections? What are some of the ways that turnout might be increased and what has already been done in a number of states?