My FRQ Response for 1999 Interest Group Question

A. The NAACP has successfully targeted both the executive and legislative branches for consideration of civil rights issues. Perhaps its most impressive victory was its role in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Through its organizational campaigns which included sit-ins, boycotts, and other advocacy measures the NAACP brought international attention to the Jim Crow South that could not be ignored. The NAACP also successfully lobbied members of Congress as well as the President of the United States through phone calls and letter writing campaigns. A considerable amount of pressure was placed on Lyndon B. Johnson by the NAACP to convince the congress to pass the both the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

B. One resource that the NAACP draws upon is its prestige and historical record for successfully advocating civil rights issues for African-Americans. This interest group has been in existence for well over 100 years. Its former and current membership includes such luminary figures of the civil rights movement as the Reverend Ralph Abernathy, Senator John Lewis as well as the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. When the NAACP gets involved with a dispute given its historical record and prestige, both the media and ultimately the congress often pays attention to their concerns.

C. Another resource that the NAACP draws upon is its extensive financial resources and substantial membership that have allowed it to lobby members of Congress for voting consideration and other matters. Through its large membership and extensive budget, the NAACP has been able to focus attention on certain congressional voting records (for better or worse). The NAACP like many interest groups, encourages its members to vote for certain candidates and to withhold support from others. Its extensive membership and financial resources make it an unavoidable force to be reckoned with.

Wednesday's Sabato Quiz

Class,

Here is the quiz for Wednesday corresponding to pages 434 to 440. See you tomorrow!

Sabato Quiz #3 on Political Parties

1) Who ran under the Reform Party?
A) Ross Perot
B) Jesse Ventura
C) Pat Buchanan
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

2) What is the most important function of national party chair?
A) to draft the platform
B) to raise money
C) to recruit candidates
D) to organize workshops for party volunteers
E) to distribute patronage

3) Every four years the parties nominate a presidential candidate through a
A) party platform.
B) smoke-filled-room procedure.
C) national convention.
D) conference committee.
E) national nominating committee.

4) The smallest unit of the party organization is
A) the county.
B) the district.
C) the region.
D) the state.
E) the precinct.

5) Organizations created to circumvent the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act that can receive
unlimited campaign donations are called
A) cluster clucks.
B) money grinders.
C) BCRAnaires.
D) dolezzas.
E) 527 groups.

6) Think tanks influence
A) party positions.
B) campaign funding.
C) congressional reformation.
D) social capital.
E) secular realignments.

7) Which of the following think tanks is more scholarly and less partisan?
A) the American Enterprise Institute
B) the Heritage Foundation
C) the Cato Institute
D) the Brookings Institution
E) the Open Society Institute

8) Which of the following was virtually unregulated?
A) soft money
B) hard money
C) campaign contributions to a political party
D) campaign contributions to a candidate
E) campaign contributions to a political action committee

9) Which of the following most accurately describes fundraising in the 2006 midterm elections?
A) Democrats raised nearly $100 million more than Republicans raised.
B) Republicans raised nearly $100 million more than Democrats raised.
C) Democrats and Republicans raised nearly equal amounts of money.
D) Democrats raised about half as much money as Republicans raised.
E) Republicans raised more money than the Democrats because Republicans accepted soft
money while Democrats did not.

10) Howard Dean revolutionized the use of
A) the plum book for rewarding patronage.
B) the Internet for raising campaign money.
C) the “Main Street” Internet site.
D) soft money.
E) EMILY’s List.

Tomorrow's Sabato Quiz

Hi Class,


Don't forget your FRQ on Interest Groups is due at beginning of class tomorrow. If you need a little help answering this one, go to the following link and view but DON'T COPY: http://www.mtbarclay.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/1999FRQ.doc
The Sabato reading for tomorrow is pages 426-33. The quiz is as follows:

Political Parties Quiz #2

1) Who ran a political machine?
A) William Tweed
B) Andrew Jackson
C) John Fremont
D) Barry Goldwater
E) Peter Wright

2) In a direct primary system, who selects party candidates?
A) political machines
B) party bosses
C) qualified voters
D) party conventions
E) party leaders

3) Progressives embraced
A) civil service laws.
B) political machines.
C) patronage.
D) strong political parties.
E) party conventions.

4) Civil service laws require
A) compulsory voting.
B) compulsory education through the tenth grade.
C) patronage.
D) appointment based on merit.
E) ticket splitting.

5) The decline in political parties brought about by the Progressive era reforms has led to
A) party machines.
B) candidate-centered politics.
C) party realignment.
D) secular realignment.
E) logrolling.

6) A shifting of party coalition groupings in the electorate that remains in place for several
elections is known as
A) punctuated misalignment.
B) an electoral tsunami.
C) ticket splitting.
D) party realignment.
E) a coalitional government.

7) Which of the following was a critical election?
A) James Polk in 1844
B) Franklin Pierce in 1852
C) Grover Cleveland in 1884
D) Franklin Roosevelt in 1932
E) Dwight Eisenhower in 1952

8) Where can one find proportional representation?
A) in the Senate
B) in the presidency
C) in Europe
D) in the California legislature
E) in the Nebraska legislature

9) Congressional elections use a
A) winner-take-all system.
B) proportional representation system.
C) instant runoff system.
D) party machine system.
E) platform party system.

10) Who ran under the Bull Moose Party?
A) George Wallace
B) Ross Perot
C) Theodore Roosevelt
D) Oliver North
E) Bernie Sanders

Tomorrow's Reading and Quiz

Class,

Actually this is a repost from last week. We will have the Sabato quiz on political parties tomorrow (11/29) to start things out:

http://www.mtbarclay.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/chapter12politicalparties.doc

Government Jeopardy for Test

US Government Students:

Copy and paste the following link into your browser for Exam Questions and Anwers: http://www.mtbarclay.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/legislativebranchjeapardy.ppt

Good Luck on the Test!

Mr. B.

Interest Group Work on Monday in the Library

Class,

Despite my desire to get back to the lecture material on Monday, I forgot that I set up the day for you to do some work on your Interest Group projects. I would say that you should have your background information already downloaded from home or library computers before Monday. Ideally, you would meet in your groups and map out who is doing what and begin the research/writing portion of the assignment. I placed an outline format on an earlier blog. I also posted a word version that you can find here: http://www.mtbarclay.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/interestgroupassignment.doc
Remember, the websites or most of your interest groups can be found here: http://mtbarclay.tripod.com/mrbarclaysgovernmentclassalisalhighschool200708/id18.html

This is one day in which you can work in class (okay, the library)on the project. Please use your time wisely and don't just use the occasion to socialize. Of course, I will be on hand to provide direction/feedback on your project.

I will check your binders for organzational accuracy therefore on Tuesday. It will be a quick walkaround for 20 points. The order again for the binders is as follows: Title Sheet on top of Binder ("AP Govt" your name and period. my syllabus in front before unit dividers (1) Lecture Notes (2) Pete Pew Notes (2) FRQ Write ups (3) Vocabulary Unit Handouts (4)Any worksheets with graphics (5) All readings related to Units. Unit tabs should be in place. All Testing information should be in back

tomorrow's Sabato

Class,

Check the link below for the Sabato quiz. Reading pages are 419-25. See you manna.
http://www.mtbarclay.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/chapter12politicalparties.doc