Deck 9: Political Parties in Texas

Question 1

When was the last time a Democratic presidential candidate won Texas' electoral votes?

A) Lyndon Johnson in 1964
B) Jimmy Carter in 1976
C) Bill Clinton in 1992
D) Bill Clinton in 1996

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Who was the first Republican elected to statewide office in Texas since the 1870s?

A)John Tower
B)Phil Gramm
C)Lyndon B.Johnson
D)Bill Clements

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Whose election as governor in 1978 marked the real beginning of two-party politics in Texas?

A)John Tower
B)Phil Gramm
C)Lyndon B.Johnson
D)Bill Clements

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What alliance allowed the Democratic Party to dominate state politics in Texas from the later nineteenth century until the mid-twentieth century?

A) merchants and small farmers
B) small farmers and African Americans
C) merchants and landowners
D) oilmen and businessmen

Question 5

What is the proper time sequence of the following three political movements/parties,from earliest to latest?

A) Populist Party, Greenback Party, Progressive movement
B) Progressive movement, Populist Party, Greenback Party
C) Populist Party, Progressive movement, Greenback Party
D) Greenback Party, Populist Party, Progressive movement

Question 6

In Texas,the Tea Party is most closely aligned with the

A) Democratic Party.
B) Republican Party.
C) Libertarian Party.
D) American Independent Party.

Question 7

The total number of congressmen and senators that represent Texas at the federal level is ________.

A) 31
B) 36
C) 38
D) 181

Question 8

In the 1952 and 1956 presidential elections,many Yellow Dog Democrats broke with tradition and voted for

A)Earl Warren.
B)Adlai Stevenson II.
C)Lyndon B.Johnson.
D)Dwight D.Eisenhower.

Question 9

Labor-intensive politics historically included all of the following EXCEPT

A) broadcast advertising.
B) selecting candidates.
C) organizing campaigns.
D) printing election ballots.

Question 10

In 2014,the losing Democratic nominee for governor of Texas was

A) Wendy Davis.
B) Joaquin Castro.
C) Julian Castro.
D) Greg Abbott.

Question 11

________ is the basic belief system that guides the party.

A) Party ideology
B) The party line
C) The party platform
D) Party identification

Question 12

During the time of the Republic of Texas,which individual advocated for annexation and peaceful relations with the Native American tribes of Texas?

A) Davey Crockett
B) Sam Houston
C) Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar
D) Edmund Davis

Question 13

In 1983 Phil Gramm was elected as a senator from Texas in a special election called by

A) John Tower.
B) Phil Gramm.
C) George H. W. Bush.
D) Bill Clements.

Question 14

Today in Texas,what are the two main factions in the Republican Party?

A) social value conservatives and business value progressives
B) business value progressives and business value conservatives
C) business value conservatives and social value conservatives
D) social value conservatives and evangelical conservatives

Question 15

What embittered most Texans and left them hostile to the Republican Party following the Civil War?

A) Abraham Lincoln
B) the Emancipation Proclamation
C) U.S. military rule from 1866-1869
D) Edmund J. Davis's governorship

Question 16

One-party Democratic dominance occurred from Reconstruction until the

A) 1930s.
B) 1940s.
C) 1950s.
D) 1960s.

Question 17

Why has factional fighting inside the Texas Democratic Party diminished since 2000?

A) conservative defections to the Republican Party
B) the need to present a united front to the Republican majority
C) better state Democratic Party leadership
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 18

Texas Republicans captured their second seat in the U.S.Senate with the election of ________ in 1992.

A) Ann Richards
B) Clayton Williams
C) Kay Bailey Hutchison
D) George W. Bush

Question 19

In 1996,Governor George W.Bush was reelected with ________ percent of registered voters voting for him.

A) 18
B) 49
C) 51
D) 69

Question 20

When was the first period of one-party Republican politics in Texas?

A) Reconstruction
B) the gay '90s
C) the roaring '20s
D) the Republican revolution of the 1990s

Question 21

The Texas presidential preference primary is held in what month?

A) February
B) March
C) April
D) May

Question 22

Which third party emphasizes the importance of social justice and ecological sustainability?

A) Libertarian Party
B) Green Party
C) Natural Law Party
D) Reform Party

Question 23

The Pendleton Act of 1883 established a class of federal government positions that would be filled as a result of

A) political appointments.
B) competitive examinations.
C) a random lottery.
D) nomination by the president and approval by the U.S. Senate.

Question 24

Explain how Phil Gramm "converted" from a Democratic senator to a Republican.

Question 25

Discuss the fragmented political party system it the United States and why the national parties are so weak.

Question 26

How long after the precinct convention is the county convention held?

A) 2 days
B) 1 week
C) 2 weeks
D) 1 month

Question 27

The newest element of capital-intensive politics is the use of ________ to communicate directly with likely voters.

A) e-mail
B) the Internet
C) social media
D) autodialing apps with prerecorded messages

Question 28

In Texas the Democratic state executive committee consists of __ members,equally divided between men and women.

A) 30
B) 62
C) 150
D) 302

Question 29

What is the likelihood that Democrats will "Turn Texas Blue"? What would be the national political ramifications of such an achievement?

Question 30

What is the lowest level of the permanent party organization in Texas?

A) ward chair
B) district chair
C) county chair
D) precinct chair

Question 31

Political parties in the United States were stronger in the past than they are today.Explain why,giving specific examples with an emphasis on labor intensive politics.

Question 32

Discuss the reasons why Texas's one-party Democratic era ended in the 1860s and why it resumed in the 1870s.

Question 33

Has Texas always been a predominantly conservative state? How does this question tie in to the state's shift from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party since the 1960s?

Question 34

To maintain ballot status in Texas,a third party must garner at least __ percent of the vote in a statewide election.

A) 0.5
B) 1.5
C) 2.0
D) 5.0

Question 35

Compared to primary system,the caucus system requires more

A) professional organization.
B) local organization.
C) guidance from the national party.
D) mass media buys.

Question 36

Which third party emphasizes the importance of small government and personal responsibility?

A) Libertarian Party
B) Green Party
C) Natural Law Party
D) Reform Party

Question 37

What were the main positions of the Greenback Party,the Populist Party,and the Progressive movement? What impact did they have on the two main political parties and Texas in general?

Question 38

The state party chair is selected by

A) the national party chair.
B) mail-in ballots from all precinct chairs.
C) the state's top ranking office holder.
D) the state convention.

Question 39

What is the most important function of the precinct convention?

A) selection of delegates to the county convention
B) election of permanent officers
C) selection of candidates for local offices
D) nominating local delegates to the Electoral College

Question 40

The Texas Election Code has its most profound impact on political party activity in what area(s)?

A) party organization and fundraising
B) candidate selection
C) conduct of primary elections
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 41

First discuss labor-intensive politics.Then examine the rise of capital-intensive politics and why it has weakened political parties.

Question 42

What factors make it so difficult for third parties to achieve major party status? What reforms would make it more likely third parties would be successful?

Question 43

Compare and contrast the presidential primary system to the caucus system for selecting delegates to the national convention.Why might civic and religious groups prefer the caucus system?

Question 44

Discuss the important aspects of party organization in Texas,starting with the precinct level and ending with the state chair.

Question 45

What political reforms have weakened political parties?