In recent years, the government has placed limitations on the amount of money one individual can contribute to a political campaign. One of the consequences of this ruling has been the increased use of bundling. Bundling is when one individual or organization campaigns for and collects contributions from a large group of people within a community.

When it comes to assessing a particular interest group’s chances of success, three factors are key: funds, intensity, and size. Adequate funding is quite naturally necessary in order for a group to promote its goals among both governmental figures and the larger public audience. But financial wealth alone is not enough to guarantee victory, especially in the competitive world of lobbying. Intensity is also crucial– members of a group must truly believe in the issue for which they are advocating. The law of intensity applies to the public as well, because if a group chooses a topic which has great emotional resonance (such as abortion or gun control), regular citizens are more likely to offer their support and are more willing to navigate the messy avenues of politics to promote their cause. A group’s size is also key but, contrary to common perception, larger groups are not in fact necessarily more effective. Practice has proven that it is quite difficult to adequately mobilize massive numbers of people, both in terms of gleaning participation and in sustaining enthusiasm. Interest groups with smaller membership rosters actually tend to achieve their goals more often, because it is much easier for them to organize themselves, to continually generate intensity, and to share in the benefits of success together.

While interest groups employ many tactics to accomplish their goals, the four most popular (and proven effective) tools of their trade are: direct public appeals, lobbying, litigation, and electioneering. Corporate welfare, on the other hand, is instead one of the benefits which interest groups sponsored by corporations reap as a result of their efforts to win over members of Congress. Common examples of corporate welfare include tax exemptions, fee rebates, and loopholes written into bills passed by Congress, all advocated for and put forward by those Congressional members who gratefully received corporate interest group support and now are motivated to return the favor.

The bases of support for the Republican and Democratic Parties have shifted significantly in the past seventy five years. While more conservative political interest groups have flocked to the Republican Party, groups like Labor Unions and Community Organizations have found a home in a Democratic Party that has increasingly focused on governmental solutions, civil rights, and liberal social issues. Labor Unions are one of the older, pre-New Deal Era coalition members that has remained firmly Democratic in the modern era.

One of the key elements of modern campaigning is the television campaign commercial, which by its very nature has certain attributes. Among these are simplified appeals to a party base, attacks against opponents, simplified messages, and a focus on images. The one thing a short television advertisement cannot do is delve into a substantial discussion of the major issues in the campaign.

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s "fireside chats" were deeply important and influential to the people of the United States, particularly during World War Two. It was a means for the President to communicate directly with the American people to keep them informed about the war effort and the state of the economy. Roosevelt realized the great potential for mass media in keeping in contact with the masses, and it was a contributing factor to his overwhelming popularity (although not the greatest contributing factor—recovering economy and war patriotism were far more valuable).

Libel, also known as defamation or slander, is the practice of publishing or communicating false information designed to specifically target and weaken the reputation of another group or individual.

Yellow journalism focused on sensationalism- violence, romance, patriotism, and exposes of government, politics, business, and society. The four incorrect answers deal with everyday news events, despite the exclamation points at the end. "Yellow journalism" would encourage reporters to investigate any scandals regardless of their validity, and if higher officials could be connected with outrageous headlines would be all the more sensational.

The term "Yellow Journalism" refers to a type of reporting that presents sensationalized (and often inaccurate) accounts of events in order to attract readers and sell more papers.  The sensationalized and potentially inaccurate accounts of the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine in newspapers published by William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer helped to lead to the Spanish-American War at the end of the 19th Century.

 "Common-carrier role" refers to the idea that the media acts as a vehicle through which political leaders can communicate with the general public. The "watchdog role" refers to the idea that the media acts as a servant of the people by keeping an eye on politicians, making sure they are not corrupt or negligible in office. Both of these terms relate to the role that the media plays in connecting the government to the people.