Paper #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Paper #2 - Essay Example For instance demonstrations against the war in Iraq, or campaigning on environmental issues by the environmentalist lobby shows that there is plenty of political activity in the United States that bypasses the main political parties. The Democrats and Republicans have made efforts in recent elections to increase voter turnout particularly in marginal states or the larger states such as California and New York. The political parties sometimes target particular social groups to increase their share of the popular vote, for instance African – Americans, Hispanic –Americans, and women. In marginal states or close elections extra turnout in these groups makes all the difference between victory and defeat. The actual electoral system for presidential elections came under greater scrutiny in the wake of the 2000 election which hung in the balance for weeks whilst judges considered the validity of spoilt ballot papers in Miami. Even the strongest supporters of the Electoral College have never claimed it is a proportional system, though the candidate with the largest number of votes generally wins. However neither of the main political parties would support another electoral system, as they would not expect such a close result again. Another problem is related to the time between the presidential election and the inauguration of the next president, there is only three months for legal decisions to be made in. Patterson notes that pressure groups, the media, and television coverage can have a profound affect on American politics and society. Those influences can sometimes be regarded as beneficial and sometimes detrimental (the category chosen can depend on personal subjective opinion). Patterson is not alone in suggesting that some pressure groups seem to have an unhealthy influence upon American society and politics. The media has great influence over public opinion, and has the power to