Interest Groups

1. Interest Groups

2. Interest Group Examples • AARP (American Association of Retired People) • Sierra Club (Environment) • NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) • NOW (National Organization of Women) • ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) • PIRGs (Public Interest Research Groups) • NEA (National Education Association) • AMA (American Medical Association) Thousands of interest groups in the US

3. What Are Interest Groups? • Interest Group (special interests) is an organization of people with similar policy goals that tries to influence the political process to try to achieve those goals. • Interest groups try to influence every branch and every level of government.

4. Interest Groups • Interest groups want to PASS POLICY • BUT don’t run their own candidates for office • Interest groups can “access,” or influence many points and levels of government

5. Remember FACTIONS? • Interest groups have been part of the American political landscape since the country’s founding. • The open nature of the American government invites organized political participation.

6. What do interest groups do? • The most common and effective interest group technique is lobbying or seeking to influence and persuade others to support your group's position. • Lobbyists are hired by your college or university, businesses, foreign countries, trade associations, and anyone else wanting their voice heard on policy matters. • A Lobbyists is someone whose task it is to influence legislation or policymaking.

7. Direct Techniques: Lobbying – Private meetings – Testifying – Drafting Legislation – Social Occasions – Providing Political Info – Supplying Nomination suggestions Interest Groups Techniques • Indirect Techniques: Generating Public Pressure – Groundswell of public pressure – Use Constituents as Lobbyists – Building Alliances with other groups

8. Honest Lobbyists? • A lobbyist must be honest and truthful if he or she wants to remain effective. • Access to lawmakers is critical and if a lobbyist gets a reputation of being untruthful or disingenuous legislators doors will close. • Of course, lobbyists put their group's position in a favorable light but good lobbyists will also make lawmakers aware of the downsides of a bill and the arguments on the other side as well.

9. What makes Interest Groups Successful? • In general three factors tend to lead to interest group success: • 1. Leaders – having a prominent leader aids in the reputation of the group and enhances a group's ability to attain its goals. • 2. Patrons and Funding – funding is critical. Without money, it is hard to get your message out. • 3. Members – a group must have members to be successful. Organizing members allows for strength in numbers and pooling of financial support.

10. Pluralist theory argues that interest group activity brings representation to all. Interest groups compete and counterbalance one another. Pluralism and its Critics • Three criticisms of pluralism are 1. It gives short shift to those who are not organized. 2. It fails to deal with the fact that some interests have more power than others. 3. It seems to leave no room for consideration of transcendent national interests.

11. Hyperpluralist Theory • Hyperpluralists argue that when interest groups become so powerful that they dominate the political decision-making structures they render any consideration of the greater public interest impossible.

12. Criticisms of Interest Groups • Interest Groups have been criticized for – Ignoring the wider interest of society – Producing confusion and deadlock in Congress – Generating so much emotion that they make reasoned discussion difficult – Having too much influence

13. Interest Groups and Pluralism Theory • Many interests and groups prevents one from being too powerful • Linkage Institution – links people and government, gives voice to people • Federalist 10 – factions are bad, but a necessary evil • All groups are not equal, but gives voice

14. Interest Groups and Hyperpluralism • Interest groups causing political chaos • TOO MANY GROUPS • Government trying to please everyone, resulting policies are haphazard and ill-conceived • Ex. – support removing business regulations and support environment protection??? • impossible

15. What makes Interest Groups powerful? • Size • Power of AARP – 25% of the population 50 and over • Intensity – drive or effort put forth (single issue groups fall into this category) • Money • form a PAC (Political Action Committee) – donate money to campaigns and advertising

16. Types of Interest Groups • Economic – Labor unions, agricultural, Business, Professional • Consumer – public interest, environmental • Equality and Justice – racial issues, gender issues, minority issues

17. How Interest Groups Work • Lobby – (aka Buttonholing) influence government policy Ex - call/email officials, meet and socialize, go to lunch, testify at committee hearings, ask for political favors • Electioneering – keep people in office who are sympathetic to group wants and needs Ex. - GIVE MONEY TO CAMPAIGNS

18. How Interest Groups Work • Litigation – (aka amicus curiae – “friends of the court”) (1) File briefs that consist of a written argument for their side OR… (2) groups sue business or gov for action • Appealing to the public – make the group’s own public image look good • The “Ratings Game” – interest groups rate politicians based on voting records

19. How do Interest groups get money? • Donations (YOU!) • Foundations Ex. - Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation • Federal grants and contracts

20. The Revolving Door • Government officials quit their jobs or don’t get reelected • Then take government jobs for a certain lobbying agency • Fear that private interests by business have an unfair influence on gov decisions • Ex- official does favor in return for later job

21. Federal Disclosure Act of 1995 • Defining what is a lobbyist • Defining lobbyist actitivies • Defining lobbyist contacts • Registration procedures • Penalties

22. Federal guidelines for lobbyists • Any person who: • Receives compensation of $5,000 or more per six-month period, or makes expenditures of $20,000 or more per six-month period, for lobbying. • Makes more than one lobbying contact. • Spends 20 percent or more of his or her time over a six-month period on lobbying activities for an organization or a particular client. • Unless each of these criteria is met, there is no registration requirement for that individual. • An organization is required to register

23. Points to consider… • Interest Groups: • Promote interest in public affairs • Provide useful information • Serve as watchdogs • Represent the interest of Citizens

24. Which of the following describes a fundamental difference between political parties and interest groups? A) Political parties are prohibited from sponsoring campaign advertisements, and interest groups are not B) Political parties represent broad arrays of issues, whereas interest groups are more likely to focus on narrow sets of issues C) Political parties are more likely to focus on national politics, whereas interest groups focus on local politics D) Political parties tend to have strength in particular regions, whereas the power of interest groups is more consistent across states E) Political parties are required to disclose their campaign finance activities, whereas interest groups are not

25. Interest groups engage in all of the following activities EXCEPT A) testifying before congressional committees B) sponsoring issue advocacy ads C) lobbying federal agencies D) filing federal lawsuits E) using the franking privilege

26. Which of the following groups would be LEAST likely to maintain a national lobbying organization in Washington, D.C.? A) Environmentalists B) Public housing tenants C) Nurses D) Automobile manufacturers E) Automobile assembly line workers

27. An interest group would likely have the greatest influence on policy matters involving A) narrow issues, only a few interest groups, and technical information B) broad, highly visible national issues C) broad foreign policy issues D) major constitutional questions about civil rights and liberties E) areas in which members of Congress have considerable expertise and commitment