Interest Groups

1. Interest Groups How Interest Groups Work

2. Interest Groups • Generally employ 4 strategies for accomplishing their goals

3. Interest Groups: Strategies • (1) lobbying • (2) electioneering • (3) litigation • (4) appealing to the public for support

4. Lobbying • Attempt to influence government policies

5. Lobbying • Term was originally used in the mid 17th century to refer to a large room near the English House ofCommons where people could plead their cases to members ofParliament

6. Lobbying • In the early U.S. history, lobbyists traditionally buttonholed members of Congress in the lobbies just outside the chambers of the House or Senate

7. Lobbying • In the 19th century lobbyists were seen as vote buyers who used money to corrupt legislators

8. Lobbying • Today lobbying is regarded less negatively, but the old stereotypes still remain

9. Lobbying • Today, lobbyists influence lawmakers and agency bureaucrats in many different ways than cornering them outside their work places

10. Lobbying • Some of their activities include: • Contacting government officials by phone or letter

11. Lobbying • Meeting and socializing at conventions • Taking officials to lunch • Testifying at committee hearings

12. Lobbying • Members of Congress have learned to rely on lobbyists for information and advice on political strategy

13. How effective is lobbying?

14. Lobbying • Lobbying clearly works best onpeople already committed to the lobbyist’s point of view, so much of it directed at reinforcing & strengthening support

15. Electioneering • In order to accomplish their goals, interest groups need to get & keep people in office who support their cause

16. Electioneering • Another important part of the work that interest groups do

17. Electioneering • Many groups aid congressional candidates sympathetic to their interests by providing money for their political campaigns

18. Electioneering • Today PACs do most of the electioneering

19. Electioneering • As campaign costs have risen, PACs have helped pay the bills • About ½ of the members of the House of Rep get the majority of their campaign funds from PACs

20. Electioneering • PACs overwhelmingly support incumbents • Although. . they sometimes play it safe by contributing to the campaigns of challengers as well

21. Electioneering • Incumbents, however, have voting records to check & also are likely to be reelected • Most candidates, including incumbents, readily accept PAC money

22. Litigation • If interest groups cannot get what they want from Congress, they may sue businesses or federal government for action

23. Litigation • Environmental groups have used this tactic successfully to force businesses to follow government regulations

24. Litigation • Even the threat of lawsuits may force businesses to change their ways

25. Litigation • Lawsuits were used successfully during the 1950s civil rights groups

26. Litigation • Civil rights bills were stalled in Congress

27. Litigation • So. . .interest groups, such as the NAACP, turned to the courts to gain a forum for: • (1) desegregation • (2) equal housing • (3) labor market equality

28. Litigation • Influence groups may influence decisions by filling amicus curiae (“friends of the court”) brief

29. Litigation • Consist of written arguments submitted to the courts in support of one side of a case or the other

30. Litigation • In particularly controversial cases, many briefs may be filed on both sides of the issue

31. Litigation • For example: In the case of Regents of theUniversity of California v. Bakke • Case challenged affirmative action programs as reverse discrimination

32. Litigation • Over a 100 different groups filed amicus briefings

33. Litigation • Groups may also file class action lawsuits • Enable a group of similar plaintiffs to combine their grievances into a single suit

34. Litigation • A famous example is: Brown v. the Board of Educationof Topeka in 1954

35. Litigation • Case not only represented Linda Brown in Topeka, Kansas, but several other children with similar situations around the country

36. Appealing to the Public • Interest groups may best influence policy making by carefully cultivating their public image

37. Appealing to the Public • Labor groups may want Americans to see them as hardworking men & women . . • The backbone of the country

38. Appealing to the Public • Farmers may favor an image that represents old-fashioned values of working close to the earth in order to feed everyone else

39. Appealing to the Public • Groups that suffer adverse publicity often advertise to defend their products

40. Where Do Interest Groups Get Their Money? • Most interest groups have to work hard to raise money • But. . individual membership organizations have more trouble than most

41. Where Do Interest Groups Get Their Money? • In addition to dues collected from members, groups receive from 3 important sources: • (1) Foundation grants • (2) Federal grants • (3) Direct solicitation

42. Foundation Grants • Public interest groups particularly depend on foundation grants

43. Foundation Grants • Funds established usually by prominent families or corporations for philanthropy

44. Foundation Grants • Rockefeller Family Fund almost single-handedly supports the Environmental Defense Fund

45. Foundation Grants • Bill & Linda Gates Foundation supports many endeavors, including childhood immunizations, public education

46. Federal Grants • Grants that are not granted directly to organizations for lobbying purposes • But. . may be given to support a project an organization supports

47. Federal Grants • Reagan administration reduced grants to interest grants • Partly because much of the money was going to liberal causes

48. Direct Solicitation • Most groups rely heavily on direct mail to solicit funds

49. Direct Solicitation • By using computers, groups can target selected individuals identified by lists developed by staff or purchased from other groups

50. Direct Solicitation • Most groups maintain websites that encourage visitors to contribute to their causes