Interest+Groups

Editor: Tom Dupont, by Tom Dupont, Ethan Lonardelli and Nick Wagner

VOCAB:


 * free rider - An individual who does not contribute to or participate in a group but nonetheless benefits from the existence and activities of the group.
 * group benefits - Incentives, e.g. mementos (calendars, mugs, etc.) or financial benefits (insurance discounts, etc.), given to people who join a group. These benefits are often unrelated to the primary purposes and goals of the group.
 * interest group - Group of individuals who share common goals or objectives which the group is organized to pursue.
 * lobbying - The practice of talking with members of Congress to persuade them to support a particular position or pieced of legislation. Often conducted in the "lobbies" just off the House and Senate chambers.
 * political action committee (PAC) - The officially registered arm of an interest group authorized to contribute money to candidates in federal elections

Do interest groups have too much influence over our electoral process?

[|__http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/i/interest_groups.asp__]

Interest groups can play a major role on election day. Their power over the voting block can make or break a candidate's chances of being elected.

[|__http://www.twyman-whitney.com/americancitizen/links/lobbies.htm__]

=== Section I: What is an Interest Group? (ethan) ===

__**What is an interest group? **__

An interest group (also called an advocacy group, lobbying group, pressure group, or special interest) is a group, however loosely or tightly organized, that is determined to encourage or prevent changes in public policy without trying to be elected. yea gonna cite it (Debbie Twyman and Craig Whitney).

Interest groups have become more popular over the years because of many things including the separation in race, religion, the Constitutional system, and the decline of political parties. The differences in race, religion, and wealth have made interest groups more popular because those minorities want to have their voice heard and they think that interest groups can do that for them, that is why people join the interest groups. The American Constitutional system has made interest groups more popular because they make interest groups appealing because of separation of powers, there are a lot of areas in the government that have power, therefore interest groups can try to gain power in many different areas of the government. The decline of political parties has lead to the incline in interest groups since the political parties have lost power, so that power had to go somewhere, and it fell in the hands of interest groups, a likely choice because people don’t agree with every one of the political parties platform ideas, so it would be better to give their vote to one issue that they strongly believed in.

Interest groups started to become popular in the 1960’s, but they do not become more popular just because, they became popular during certain movements, such as the big business movement, and the environmental, consumer, and political-reform movements. They continue to grow because of those reasons and have no sign of slowing down. There were movements before they were actually called interest groups, such as in the 1770s (pro independence groups), the 1830s and 1840s (religious and anti-slavery groups), the 1860s (trade unions), the 1880s and 1890s (business organizations), the 1900s and 1910s (a vast array of organizations), and the 1960s (environmental, consumer, and political-reform organizations) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Those time periods led to more people joining interest groups because of certain events that were happening and people felt insecure enough about what was going on, that they needed to join groups to protect their interests.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.twyman-whitney.com/americancitizen/links/lobbies.htm__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.ushistory.org/gov/5c.asp__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/APGOV_Interest_Groups.htm__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/APGOV_Interest_Groups.htm__]

** Section II: Classification and the Setup of Interest Groups **
__**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Theories of Interest Groups: **__

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There are theories revolving around linkage institutions including interest groups regarding their power in the political process.Three stand out regarding their influence on the government (Swanson).

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Pluralist Theory__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- Pluralist theory or group theory states that there are such a variety of interest groups focusing on a bunch of different issues that it is nearly impossible for one to become dominant. They continue competition and therefore lobbying is not an issue in the political process (Swanson).

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Elite Theory__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- Elite theory states that the power in lobbying is held by a few individuals. Rather than the competition being maintained as the group theory states, it is eliminated by large corporations that invest huge sums of money to maintain control. The rich have more money to spend for lobbying and control the lobbying industry through the few, not he many. The bigger groups make the big decisions. As a result, interest groups are not equal but gain their power through wealth (Swanson).

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Hyperpluralism__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> - Hyperpluralism classifies interest groups as a side in an iron triangle in a sub government. A sub government or an iron triangle, is a network of an interest group, a congressional committee, and a government agency who have control over a certain issue in government (Swanson).

__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Types of Interest Groups:** __

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Interest groups have many different goals and there are various types as a result. For example, Economic interest groups lobby for various economic interests including labor, agricultural, and business. Some of these groups are labor unions, such as the National Education Association (NEA), agricultural interests, such as the United States Agricultural Information Network (USAIN), and business interests, such as the Chamber of Commerce (Swanson).

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Other interest groups include environmental interests, groups that lobby for the environmentand conservation. Some include Greenpeace, The Sierra Club, and Ducks Unlimited (Swanson).

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Equality interests are groups that lobby for civil liberties and equality for citizens. One famous group, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), lobbied for disadvantaged black citizens during the civil rights movement and continue to do so today. Other groups include the Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF), which is committed to, “advocacy of political, economic, and social equality for women” (Swanson) (“About Us”).

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Public interest lobbies or consumer interests, are groups that promote the general interest of the nation. They often support legislation believed to be for the benefit of the entire nation. These groups include Freddie Mac, chartered in 1970 to, “provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation's housing market” (Swanson) (“Company Profile”).

__**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What makes Interest Groups Successful? **__

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Surprisingly, the success of an interest group is not inherently attributed to its size. In fact, the larger a group is the more problems its can run into. The success of a group can be determined by a some factors. A potential group is the possible size a group can become if formed. The actual group is the size of the group when it is formed. In addition, the collective good, something that can not be withheld from the group’s members. An example of this might be a business-owner getting a tax break because he joined and supported the Chamber of Commerce (Hackbarth). Both of these, size and motivation to join, are imperative to a group's success (Swanson).

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">However, groups run into many problems that could be detrimental. The free-rider problem is where people don’t join the group but still benefit from its political action. One example might be a gun owner not joining the NRA but still benefits from its lobbying to pass a concealed-carry law in that gun owners state (Swanson).

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As mentioned before, too high membership could result in difficulty, as large groups are difficult to organize. Smaller groups have less difficulty. They can organize well and get much more done. The National Governors Association (NGA) is ranked 21 on the Power 25, the 25 most powerful interest groups in the country, even though it has only 55 members, all of which are governors (“Fortune Magazine”). The political power held by its members make it a much more legitimate force than other groups and they can easily decides what they need to get done (Swanson).

====** Section III: Interest Groups In Action ** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(tom) ====

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Interest groups are more likely to be active when a government policy affects that group’s particular goals. When politically active, an interest group may use a number of techniques that provide a means to altering, or even creating an entirely new governmental policy. The most common strategy used by interest groups is lobbying. Lobbying is used by groups that seek to persuade political leaders to support their position on an issue. Lobbying occurs in a context involving political office holders that have the power or influence that is capable of changing a policy implemented by the government. An interest group may lobby by testifying at hearings, contacting legislators, filing lawsuits or “amicus curiae” briefs to a court, or even participating in a protest. (Roots and Reform) Some groups may influence a particular case or policy by providing information that decision makers may not have the time to gather on their own.


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Interest groups & Congress__ **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Interest groups often make members of Congress their targets for lobbying efforts. They may try to persuade a Congressman to support the group’s position by putting up campaign contributions or directly contacting office holders. There are also a number of documented instances in which Congressmen were paid illegally by interest groups to advocate for a certain cause in Congress. Some Americans think there is too much foul play within our government. Just say no Mr. Congressman!

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Today, many effective lobbyists are former members of Congress, or just people who have been in and around Washington long enough to understand how “the game” is played. A lobbyist’s effectiveness is heavily correlated with his or her reputation for abiding by the rules and ability to provide accurate information. (Roots and Reform)

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">One example of an interest group directly trying to persuade Congress occurred in 1869, when women marched on Capitol Hill during the second annual meeting of the National Woman Suffrage Association. They were attempting to persuade Congress to pass legislation to allow women to vote. It didn’t work, but this historical event is a trademark example of how interest groups will go to great lengths to try to influence Congress in a particular direction.


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Interest groups & the Executive branch__ **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lobbying within the executive branch has increased in frequency as of late. This is probably due to the fact that there are a number of different kinds of people within the branch that an interest group can exploit to get what they want. The most notable access point for interest groups into the Executive branch is the President, but there are plenty of people under him that can help advocate for a specific cause. The effectiveness of a group often depends on its ability to provide policy makers with information regarding how the public feels about a particular issue.


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Interest groups & the Courts__ **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">An interest group can attempt to influence a court decision (usually the supreme court) in a few possible ways. One method is direct sponsorship, which involves providing financial or human resources to “shepherd” a case through the judicial process. Another method is the filing of amicus curiae briefs. These briefs are supposed to inform the justices of the group’s policy preferences and maybe provide information that the court may not have on hand that could change the court’s concurring opinion. Interest groups often petition and advocate for some possible candidates to be put into the supreme court over others. Also, it has become increasingly common for an interest group to pay for judges to attend events sponsored by the group so they can lobby for their interests in a more persuasive manner (anybody would probably agree with you if they are playing a round of golf on your tab). (Roots and Reform)


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Grassroots lobbying & Mobilization__ **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Grassroots lobbying and mobilization of supporters within an interest group can be a very effective method of influencing policy makers. By showing decision makers that a large number of the people want to see a change in policy, they will be more likely to listen and consider the changes the people seek to enact. Leaders of interest groups often encourage their supporters to contact their local representatives in Washington which can be very convincing for decision makers who are in office to implement laws and policies that the people want. For example, the NRA may try to convince their supporters to call their senator to support or oppose an upcoming bill regarding gun control.


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Protests & Radical activism__ **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Protests are often used by interest groups that are trying to appeal to the emotional and moral sides of decision makers and the rest of the public. "the opposite of war is not peace. It is construction."

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Some groups that are known for using protests as a means to change the policy they want to see altered include anti-war movements, animal rights activists, and pro-life advocates. (Roots and Reform) Many groups even resort to extremely forceful or illegal methods of getting their point across. The Boston Tea Party is the most notable of these types of groups, in which protesters dumped ship fulls of tea into Boston Harbor to show their disapproval of the tax Parliament implemented on tea that was imported by the East India Company.


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Campaign Contributions, PACs, & beyond__ **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Interest groups often try to influence elections by giving money to incumbents or new candidates that they think will/continue to support their goals as a group. Organized groups are allowed to directly give financial resources to candidates in national elections by forming PACs (Political Action Committees). Interest groups often endorse candidates that they think will help influence policy decisions in the group’s favor, and they also encourage their supporters to get out to the polls on election day so that the candidate that the group supports is more likely to be elected. Oftentimes an interest group will use TV ads to persuade voters to cast their ballot the way that will most benefit the group.

__<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Current news: __

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.nationaljournal.com/blogs/influencealley/2012/12/interest-group-rallies-against-social-security-medicare-cuts-12__]

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-30/interest-groups-press-fiscal-cliff-agendas-with-tv-ads.html__]

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://articles.latimes.com/2012/nov/01/business/la-fi-mo-top-lobbyist-employers-20121101__]

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/04/women-are-not-an-interest-group-obama-says/__]


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Section Review__ **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Why has the number of interest groups in America increased?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What are three examples of “movements” in the history of the U.S. (interest groups before they were called interest groups)

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What is the most common method of interest groups getting what they want?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What is the free rider problem?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Give two examples of an economic interest group.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Works Cited

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"About Us." Feminist Majority Foundation. Feminist Majority Foundation, 2012. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Company Profile." Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac, 2012. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Fortune Magazine “Power 25 Survey for 2001”: The Top 25 Interest Groups." Congress Link. The Dirsken Center, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Hackbarth, Sean. "Small Businesses and Economists Agree: Higher Taxes Is a Bad Idea." Free Enerprise. N.p., 12 Dec. 2012. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Swanson, Matthew. "Linkage Institutions: What Is an Interest Group." AP Government and Politics, Period 4. Cheshire High School, Cheshire, CT. Dec. 2012. Lecture <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">O'Connor, Karen, Larry Sabato, and Alixandra B. Yanus. "Interest Groups." American Government: Roots and Reform. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.