Political Parties, Interest Groups, and the Mass Media
What is the difference between a Democrat and a Republican?
Democrats tend to be more liberal, favoring more government spending to promote equality.
Republicans are more conservative generally; they decry massive government spending except for projects they consider important.
What are third parties? And what role do they play?
A third party is any political party other than the two major parties in the United States.
Third parties function mainly as a safety valve, allowing those who are unhappy with the status quo to express their discontent within the system and thus contribute to the political dialogue.
Third parties can also introduce new ideas (such as a progressive income tax), put issues on the political agenda, and sometimes even influence the outcome of an election.
Political parties and interest groups are not mentioned in the Constitution yet they play a critical role. How? Why?
This, I think, has a lot to do with freedom of speech: political parties and interest groups are the two most effective ways that citizens can exercise their freedom of speech in politics. As for how, political parties and interest groups essentially do the same thing nowadays: They represent a certain segment of society, presenting different proposals that reflect the different views of various people.
Do they serve our democracy or are they an obstacle?
From a majoritarian point of view, they hinder our democracy, as they prevent government from doing what the majority of the people wants.
From a pluralist standpoint, they help it by allowing the views of almost everyone in the United States to be heard.
How do interest groups influence government decisions and policy making?
The main way is through direct lobbying, although other ways include grassroots lobbying, information campaigns, and legal advocacy .
How does the media shape elections?
It persuades the public to vote one way over another by deciding what gets on the political agenda and how such issues are framed.
Consequently, it shapes the public's views of candidates by showing the candidates in either a positive or negative way.
Democrats tend to be more liberal, favoring more government spending to promote equality.
Republicans are more conservative generally; they decry massive government spending except for projects they consider important.
What are third parties? And what role do they play?
A third party is any political party other than the two major parties in the United States.
Third parties function mainly as a safety valve, allowing those who are unhappy with the status quo to express their discontent within the system and thus contribute to the political dialogue.
Third parties can also introduce new ideas (such as a progressive income tax), put issues on the political agenda, and sometimes even influence the outcome of an election.
Political parties and interest groups are not mentioned in the Constitution yet they play a critical role. How? Why?
This, I think, has a lot to do with freedom of speech: political parties and interest groups are the two most effective ways that citizens can exercise their freedom of speech in politics. As for how, political parties and interest groups essentially do the same thing nowadays: They represent a certain segment of society, presenting different proposals that reflect the different views of various people.
Do they serve our democracy or are they an obstacle?
From a majoritarian point of view, they hinder our democracy, as they prevent government from doing what the majority of the people wants.
From a pluralist standpoint, they help it by allowing the views of almost everyone in the United States to be heard.
How do interest groups influence government decisions and policy making?
The main way is through direct lobbying, although other ways include grassroots lobbying, information campaigns, and legal advocacy .
How does the media shape elections?
It persuades the public to vote one way over another by deciding what gets on the political agenda and how such issues are framed.
Consequently, it shapes the public's views of candidates by showing the candidates in either a positive or negative way.