Elections Test

Hard Money: given directly to candidates
Soft Money: money contributed directly to political parties for voter registration and organization.
Media Bias: opinions and views based on what the media has to say about political events
Political Action Committees (PACs): A private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns
Voter Turnout: the percentage of eligible individuals who can actually vote
Political Parties: an organization that typically seeks to attain and maintain political within government usually by participating in electoral campaignes educational outreaches or protest actions

What does it take to get elected in today's political environment and is that method truly democratic?

What it takes to be elected in today’s political environment is huge! It takes years for candidates to run for president. And the background behind the job is detailed. The candidates running have campaigns and they have a lot to do before the actually presidential election. Modern national political campaigns are fueled by great amounts of money. In a national race, millions of dollars are spent on media network time, media consultants, or public opinion polls. Money is spent on everything. In 2004, Kerry and Bush raised nearly $500 million in private contributions during the presidential primary season. Both the Democratic and Republican candidates in 2004, received $150 million in public funds to run their general campaigns. This money is what helps elections take place and what not.

Political Action Committees also known as PACs are organizations established by corporations, labor unions, or interest groups to channel the contributions of their members into political campaigns. PACs are supposed to contribute to the campaigns of at least 5 different candidates and may contribute as mush as $5,000 per candidate in any given election. This is more than an individual is allowed to contribute per candidate. An individual can contribute as much as $2,000. PACs are important in elections today because they help candidates so much. PACs have raised hundreds of millions of dollars for political campaigns, but while their organizations have been conspicuous fun-raising material to have to lean on to , the money from PACs are being overruled by something called soft money. Soft money is the national parties being prohibited from raising campaign funds to be transferred to state party organizations. In 2000, as many as three soft-money dollars were spent for every dollar of “hard money” that is given directly to candidates and PACs. Money is a huge part of elections in today’s political environment. Money gets the candidates even further in their campaign because what they put in is what they get out. That’s how I’ve always thought. The more one puts in and the more one wants, the more one will get out of it and the more he will earn from what he fought for. In 1996, commercials sponsored by Democratic Party organizations looked just like commercials for Bill Clinton. They praised the president’s record while criticizing the GOP. Although, because these ads didn’t specifically ask the viewers to vote for Clinton or against his opponent, the ads were considered issue ads rather then campaigns appeals. Later in year 2000, both the Democratic and Republican parties raised nearly $1 billion in soft money. The money was mostly from Corporate and professional interests. All of this means that money is a huge part of being able to get elected because of all the money that is put in to certain things to make the campaigns work.

Politicians have so much to do to be elected as president. Since politicians need large amounts of money to do so, they tie their interests to the interests of the groups which forces that to provide the money. In a nation as large as the United States, as diverse as our country is, campaign contributors must be 100% sure that they are representing all groups. Business groups, environmental groups, labor groups, pro-choice and right to live forces all contribute millions of dollars to political campaigns. All different groups in the world will contribute money for different reasons. Weather is be insurance companies contributing money to Democrats to win because of their help and support for changed in health care system, or the physicians contributing millions of dollars to prevent the same changes from becoming a law. Each group in our society has a different reason to contribute to the electing of a president and this is why politicians have to interest everyone.

Candidates do their best to be known by everyone. They want to get their images, names and ideas announced among future potential voters. Candidates seek television and radio talk show appearances and they buy television and radio advertisements to get their name out there because they want to be number one. They participate in mass mailing and telephone callings to target publics because everyone listens to their messages. I remember receiving a message from someones daughter saying how we should vote for her dad becasue of certain reasons. I think that goes way over the line, but I guess he thought it was right to have his daughter speak on everyones message machine. They also hold a number of fund-raising dinners to help get the people to vote for them. Candidates use the engineer media to print coverage for them. Basically, all of this is used to send out a positive message out to all the people in the nation to see who they are and what they will do to our country to make our world a better and safer place. I think this has something to do with Media Bias because the media is taking control over campaigns are how candidates are being elected and how they are being shown throughout the world. The media is very bias on what they say about the candidates and their opinions weather it is on the news, in the paper, on the radio, or at a fund-raising event. I also think that this has to do with political parties because of the way they are doing the campaigns and the way that the parties are helping out with everything. Since Political Parties are organizations that typically seek to maintain political power within government and it's usually by participating in electoral campaigns, educational outreaches or protest actions, i think that they are a huge help to the candidtates running for president. I think that that without these parties, there would be no educational outreaches or protest actions or any of the important electoral things.

According to the text,“Democracy is not to force peoples to follow the USA”. In American democracy, a high value is placed on active participation of the citizens in selecting their representatives. In 2000, vice president Al Gore received two-thirds of votes from Hispanics and Latinos have traditionally voted Democratic. This has to do with voter turnout because it is the percentage of each culture that is allowed and eligible to vote. This depends on age and if they know what and who they are voting for. This states that there are so many different types of culture and religion in the world that it is hard to please everyone.


Fianally, I think that what it takes to get elected is so much it has to do with money, media, political backgrounds, religion and culture issues, how to fundraise and more. I think that what it takes to make it to the top is so much more then everyone thinks and we should congratulate and praise each one of the candidates because of all the hard work they do put in. I think its more then just the political background too, I think that it has to do with alot of personal parts too. I think this method is truley Deomcratic, because it has alot to do with the free electoral system, and this is all saying that the government should be directed by the people. And most of this is based on the people in society and what their feelings are toward each candidate.