18 Ch. pr test 3
9. Summarize the major parts of the McCain-Feingold Act. Do you think this law has effectively curtailed
u nregulated large gifts to candidates and parties?
I t set limi ts on contr ibutions. (But i t went all the way to the Supreme Court because various groups believed
restrictions on contr ibutions abridged their freedom of speech.
Soft Money : National political parties are prohibited from accepting large, unlimited contributions from
corporations, unions, and individuals. State and local party commit tees can accept up to $10,000 from
i ndividuals for get-out-the-vote and voter registration efforts in federal elections, as long as those efforts
dont rfer to any clearly identified federal candidate and all the money is raised locally.
H a rd Money : Individuals can now give a total $95,000 in each two-year election cycle to all federal
candidates, political parties, and political action committees (PACs) combined. That includes maximum
contributions of $2,000 per election directly to a candidate and $25,000 to a political par ty per year.
Issue Advertising : Advertising in support of a specific candidate must be paid for only with regulated
h ard money. Ads that fall into this category cannot be broadcast within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of
a general election.
11. How did Howard Dean use the internet in the Democratic primaries?
12. The major issue of the 2004 presidential election was the activities of the 527s. Explain what these groups
a re and how they operated during the election.
527s are partisan independent organizations. 527 refers to Section 572 of the Internal Revenue Code, which allows
t hem to retain nonprofit status while running issue ads as long as they are not directly coordinated with the
n ational political parties or candidates they support. In addition, 572s could not directly endorse a political
candidate.
The Democratic party was the first party to use a 527 group.
13. Why do government agencies engage in public information efforts instead of public relations activities?
A re there any laws involved?
The government needs to inform i ts citizens and i t is against the law to use appropriated money for the employment
of publicity experts.
15. Discuss the objectives of government information efforts.
1. inform the public about the publics business. (communicate the work of government agencies)
2. improve the effectiveness of agency operations through appropriate public information techniques. (explain agency
operations so that citizens understand and can take actions necessary to benefit from them)
3. provide feedback to government administrators so that programs and policies can be modified, amended, or
continued.
4. advise management on how best to communicate a decision or a program to the widest number of citizens.
5. serve as an ombudsman. Represent the public and l isten to i ts representatives. Make sure that individual
p roblems of the taxpayer are satisfactorily solved.
6. educate administrators and bureaucrats about the role of the mass media and how to work with media
representatives.