Media, Political Parties Campaigns Ppt

Media, Political Parties, Campaigns and Elections

Ben Bagdikian “The Media Monopoly”

Media (newspapers, magazines, books, movies, television, radio) is concentrated in fewer and fewer hands (multinational corporations).

This forms public opinion

Is the free press really free?

Bagdikian's excerpt:

Media is Needed to Win Elections

Image Making

What’s a serious candidate?

Is all advertising informative?

Interest Groups

Shape public opinion

Raise money through PACs

Send mailers out to members

Pay for TV ads, print ads, etc.

Avoid affiliation with political party (or do they)?

Buckley v. Valeo money = free speech

Why Form an Interest Group?

Pass laws

Get candidates elected who can help with your agenda

Change laws

What is a lobbyist?

Remember “Thank you for Smoking?”

Talk to politicians

write legislation

Express the needs of the interest group

1974 Reform (Fair Political Practices Commission)

Donors in California

What is an Independent Expenditure?

Interest groups can run ads and send mailers as long as they don’t coordinate specifically with the campaign

VOTER REGISTRATION

Population in California is 36,756,666

Of this, 23,385,819 (or 73.4%) are eligible to vote

Of the 73.4% that are eligible to vote, 73.35% actually registered.

Of those, 28.4% voted in May 2009

79.4% voted in Nov. 2008

Political Party Registration May 2009 (Updated after Textbook)

Democratic Party 44.55% 7,642.108

Republican Party 31.05% 5,325,558

Decline to State 20.03% 3,435, 870

Other 3.66%

What is Other?

Third Parties

Green Party 3.93% Mendocino (state 0.66%) 113,922

American Independent 4.36% Lassen (state 2.19%) 376,278

Libertarian Party 1.11% Calaveras (state 0.49%) 83,363

Peace and Freedom Sacramento 0.58% (state 0.32%) 55,590

*Note: To stay on ballot, statewide candidate of party must get at least 2% of the vote.

**May 2009 figures

How do Parties Get on the Ballot? Two Ways:

1% of amount of people who voted in last General Election (every two years in November) must fill out voter reg. form and under “Other” put the name of the new party; OR

10% of the # of people who voted must sign petition asking to put new party on the ballot

What is a Primary Election?

Before the November General Election there is a Primary Election for the parties to decide which of all the candidates in their party that are running for an office will be The One.

Can you vote in a Primary if you are not a member of a political party?

Yes. We have a Modified Closed Primary. Some parties allow this. In 2009 Democrats, Republicans and American Independents allowed you to pick their party and vote in their primary. But you had to pick just one.

Primary is where...

Party Privately Picks Preferred Person to represent them

General Election - November

The Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years

State and national office

The parties picked their private candidate

Now you vote for one person for each office. You can choose any party but only one candidate for each office. If you want you can vote for a Republican President, a Democratic Governor and a Green State Treasurer.

Local Elections (City Council, County Board, etc.)

Local elections are non-partisan

Parties were designed to be weak in California

Candidate must get 50% + 1 - usually goes to runoff

Who Votes?

Wealthier people vote more often

Educated people vote more often

Older people vote more often

Anglos vote more

Participation rates by year

Per Election Limits on Donations to State Candidates *Does not control independent expenditures **updated 2009 Contributor Legislature Statewide Officers Governor Person (or corp or pac) $3,900 $6,500 $24,900 Small Contributor Comm. $7,800 $12,900 $25,900 Political Party No Limit No Limit No Limit

Political Donations in California are staggering