Transcript Prentice Hall Political ScienceInteractiv

Prentice Hall
PoliticalScienceInteractive
Magleby et al.
Government by the People
Chapter 6
Interest Groups: The Politics
of Influence
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A Nation of Interests
Interest Groups
Movement
A collection of people who
share some common interest
or attitude and seek to
influence government for
specific ends. Interest
groups usually work within
the framework of
government and employ
tactics such as lobbying to
achieve their goals.
A large body of people
interested in a common
issue, idea, or concern that
is of continuing significance
and who are willing to take
action. Movements seek to
change attitudes or
institutions, not just politics.
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Types of Interest Groups: Economic
Interest Groups
Business
Trade and other associations
Labor
Professional associations
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Union Membership in the United States
Compared to Other Countries
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Types of Interest Groups: Ideological or
Single-Interest Groups
The Christian
Coalition distributes
voter guides before
elections as one
means of
influencing politics
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Types of Interest Groups: Public
Interest Groups
Ralph Nader
Unsafe at Any Speed
(1965)
Founded Public Citizen; “Nader’s Raiders”
Ran for president as Green Party candidate in
1996 and 2000 and as independent in 2004
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Types of Interest Groups: Foreign Policy and
Public Sector Interest Groups
Foreign Policy Interest
Groups
Council on Foreign
Relations
American-Israel Political
Action Committee
Public Sector Interest
Groups
National Governors
Association
National League of Cities
National Educational
Association
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Interest Groups: Size and Resources
Resources can be used to provide selective
benefits, which can be used to overcome
organizational barriers
Material benefits
Solidary benefits
Purposive benefits
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Interest Groups: Cohesiveness
Types of members in an organization
Small
number of
formal
members
People intensely involved
with the group
People who are members in
name only
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Interest Groups: Leadership
Inspirational leadership can
be instrumental in building
membership
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Interest Groups: Techniques
Mass Mailing
Publicity and Mass
Appeals
Influence on Rule Making
Litigation
Election Activities
Forming a Political Party
Cooperative Lobbying
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Who are the Lobbyists?
The Iron Triangle
Interest groups
Congress members
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Bureaucratic leaders
and experts
What Do Lobbyists Do?
Techniques
Socializing
Providing information
Grass-roots mobilization
Protests and demonstrations
Coalition building
Boycotts
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Money and Politics
PAC
Soft Money
The political arm of an
interest group that is legally
entitled to raise funds on a
voluntary basis from
members, stockholders, or
employees in order to
contribute funds to favored
candidates or political
parties
Money raised in unlimited
amounts by political parties
for party-building purposes
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Hard Money
Political contributions given
to a party, candidate or
interest group, that are
limited in amount and fully
disclosed
PACs that Gave the Most to Federal
Candidates, 2000-2004 (Millions of Dollars)
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How PACs Invest Their Money
EMILY’s List
An effort to support
liberal Democratic women
candidates by infusing
early money into their
campaigns
Stands for Early Money is
Like Yeast because “it
makes the dough rise”
Senator Barbara Milkulski was an early
beneficiary of EMILY’s LIST
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Soft Money and Issue Advocacy
The 1996 election was a watershed in the
involvement of interest groups and
individuals in financing campaigns
•Use of soft money for candidate-specific
electioneering
•Use of ads that avoided the words “vote
for” or “elect” but which were clearly for
one candidate
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BCRA and Interest Group
Electioneering
The Bipartisan
Campaign Reform
Act was passed and
signed into law by
President George W.
Bush in February,
2002
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Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Sen. Russ
Feingold, D-Wisc., and Rep.
Christopher Shays (R-Conn.)
The Effectiveness of Interest Group
Activity in Elections
Tendency of PACs to give money to incumbents
has meant that challengers face real difficulties
in getting their campaigns funded
“Too often, members’ first thought is not what is
right or what they believe, but how it will affect
fundraising. Who, after all, can seriously
contend that a $100,000 donation does not alter
the way one thinks about--and quite possibly
votes on--an issue?” - Former U. S. Senator Alan
Simpson (R-WY)
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Federal and State Regulation
Serious campaign finance reform began
in the 1970s with the Federal Election
Campaign Act (1971)
Buckley v. Valeo challenged the
constitutionality of campaign finance
limits
Now, politicians must get small amounts
of money from many sources, with an
exception for “soft” money
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