Ch t 16
Chapter
I t
Interest
t Groups
G
American Government: Continuity and Change
9th Edition
What are Interest
G
Groups?
?
† An organized group that tries to influence
public policy ~ several “names”
names
„ Special interests, pressure groups, organized
interests, nongovernmental organization
(NGO ) llobby
(NGOs),
bb groups, etc.
t
† David B. Truman ~ Political Scientist
„ Disturbance Theory ~ Interest groups form in
part to counteract the efforts of other groups
† Robert Salisbury ~ Political Scientist
„ Groups form when resources are inadequate or
scarce ~ Clean air, women’s rights, etc.
p.584
What are Interest
G
Groups?
?
† An organized group that tries to influence
public p
p
policy
y ~ several “names”
„ Special interests, pressure groups, organized
interests, nongovernmental organization
(NGOs), lobby groups, etc.
† David B. Truman ~ Political Scientist
„ Disturbance Theory ~ Interest groups
g
form in part to counteract the efforts of
other groups
† Robert Salisbury ~ Political Scientist
„ Groups form when resources are inadequate or
p.584
scarce ~ Clean air, women’s rights, etc.
Kinds of Organized
I t
Interests
t
† Generally
Generally, “interest
interest group
group” is a term used to describe
the numerous organized groups that try to influence
govt policy
† Public
bl Interest Groups ~ Seeks
k the
h collective
ll
good
d
„ Activities won’t selectively or materially benefit the
organization or its members
„ MoveOn.org ~ A family of organizations
† Reform the media
p the war in Iraq
q
† Stop
„ Focus on the Family ~ Colorado Springs, CO
† Faith based
† Sexual abstinence
† Gambling
p.584
Kinds of Organized
I t
Interests
t
† Economic Interest Groups ~ Primary
purpose is to promote the economic
interests of its members
„ Usually the best organized & most effective
„ Labor Unions (e.g., AFL-CIO)
„ Professional Orgs (e.g., AMA)
† Governmental Units ~ State & local govts
want their fair share
„ National Governors Association
† Political Action Committees
„ It’s My Party Too ~ Centrist Republicans
p.584-585
Kinds of Organized
I t
Interests
t
† Economic Interest Groups ~ Primary
purpose is to promote the economic
interests of its members
„ Usually the best organized & most effective
„ Labor Unions (e.g., AFL-CIO)
„ Professional Orgs (e.g., AMA)
† Governmental Units ~ State & local govts
want their fair share
„ National Governors Association
† Political Action Committees
„ It’s My Party Too ~ Centrist Republicans
p.584-585
Kinds of Organized
I t
Interests
t
† Multi-Issue
Multi Issue vs.
vs Single-Issue
Single Issue Groups
„ While founded around a single issue, as as the
NAACP, a group may morph into a Multi
Multi-Issue
Issue
group with broad interests
† Christian Coalition ~ Education, TV ratings, abortion
„ Si
Single-Issue
l I
groups have
h
a narrower focus
f
and
d
more intensity
† National Right
g to Life Committee
„ Pro-life
† National Rifle Association
„ Keep and bear arms
p.585-586
Kinds of Organized
I t
Interests
t
† Multi-Issue
Multi Issue vs.
vs Single-Issue
Single Issue Groups
„ While founded around a single issue, as as the
NAACP, a group may morph into a Multi
Multi-Issue
Issue
group with broad interests
† Christian Coalition ~ Education, TV ratings, abortion
„ SingleSingle
Si
l -Issue
I
groups have
h
a narrower
focus and more intensity
† National Right
g
to Life Committee
„ Pro-life
† National Rifle Association
„ Keep and bear arms
p.585-586
p.587
The Origins & Development of
American Interest Groups
† National
N i
l Groups
G
E
Emerge (1830
(1830-1889)
1889)
„ Improved communications enabled group nationalization
„ First were single-issue
g
groups
g
p deeply
p y rooted in the
Christian religious revivalism
† Temperance, Peace, Education, Anti-Slavery
„ Others emerged after the Civil War
† Women’s Christian Temperance Union
„ One of the most effective ~ Central Pacific RR
† 1861 ~ Sent lobbyist to DC
† Gained right of way land & subsidized loans
† Lobbyists ~ Interest group representative who seeks
to influence legislation that will benefit his/her
organization thru political persuasion
p.587-589
The Origins & Development of
American Interest Groups
† The Progressive Era (1890-1920)
(1890 1920)
„ Grew out of concern for impact of rapid
industrialization, influx of immigration,
monopolistic business practices,
practices crime,
crime poverty,
poverty
poor working conditions
„ 1886 ~ American Federation of Labor
† F
Founded
d d by
b S
Samuell G
Gompers ~ 1st “real”
“
l” lb
lbr union
i
† AFL lobbying led to the Clayton Act ~ Allowed
unions to organize free from prosecution &
guaranteed their right to strike
„ Business Groups & Trade Associations
† 1912 ~ US Chamber of Commerce & other trade
associations unable to defeat the Clayton Act
„ 1928 ~ Fed Trade Commission found extensive
illegal lobbying ~ Lavish entertainment
p.589-590
The Rise of the Interest
Group State
† 1960
1960s & 1970s
1970 ~ Rebirth
R bi th off the
th
Progressive Spirit
„ Civil & women’s
women s rights
rights, elderly
elderly, poor,
poor
consumer rights, the environment
† Many groups gained new vigor
„ Am Civil Liberties Union, NAACP, Mexican Am
Legal Defense Fund, Native Am Rights Fund
† Public Citizen,
Citizen Inc.
Inc ~ Ralph Nader
„ Unsafe at Any Speed ~ General Motors Corvair
„ He testified before Congress that the car would easily
flip over at avg speeds on curves
„ GM caught spying on him & paid $250k out-of-court
settlement
p.590-591
The Rise of the Interest
Group State
† 1960
1960s & 1970s
1970 ~ Rebirth
R bi th off the
th
Progressive Spirit
„ Civil & women’s
women s rights
rights, elderly
elderly, poor,
poor
consumer rights, the environment
† Many groups gained new vigor
„ Am Civil Liberties Union, NAACP, Mexican Am
Legal Defense Fund, Native Am Rights Fund
† Public Citizen,
Citizen Inc
Inc. ~ Ralph Nader
„ Unsafe at Any Speed ~ General Motors Corvair
„ He testified before Congress that the car would easily
flip over at avg speeds on curves
„ GM caught spying on him & paid $250k out-of-court
settlement
p.590-591
The Rise of the Interest
Group State
† Conservatives
Conservatives, concerned about the
success of the liberal groups of the 60s &
70s, began organizing
† 1978 ~ Rev Jerry Falwell ~ The Moral
Majority
„ Widely credited w/ electing R
R. Reagan in ’80
† 1990 ~ Pat Robertson ~ The Christian
Coalition
„ Played role in winning Republican control of
Congress in ‘94 & electing GWB in ‘04
† NRA ~ Membership
M
b
hi has
h risen
i
in
i recentt
years ~ $20M to re-elect GWB
p.590-591
The Rise of the Interest
Group State
† Conservatives
Conservatives, concerned about the
success of the liberal groups of the 60s &
70s, began organizing
† 1978 ~ Rev Jerry Falwell ~ The Moral
Majority
„ Widely credited w/ electing R
R. Reagan in ’80
† 1990 ~ Pat Robertson ~ The Christian
Coalition
„ Played role in winning Republican control
of Congress in ’94 & electing GWB in ‘04
† NRA ~ Membership
M
b
hi has
h risen
i
in
i recentt
years ~ $20M to re-elect GWB
p.590-591
p.593
Business Groups, Corporations,
and Associations
† In addition
dd
to h
having their
h
own
governmental affairs departments, large
corporations employ DC based lobbyists to
keep them apprised of legislation & lobby
for their interests
„ Formerly gave substantial soft money
„ Still use PACs & 527s, & thus contribute a
great deal of $ to favored candidates
p.591-592
Business Groups, Corporations,
and Associations
† In addition
dd
to h
having their
h
own
governmental affairs departments, large
corporations employ DC based lobbyists to
keep them apprised of legislation & lobby
for their interests
„ Formerly gave substantial soft money
„ Still use PACs & 527s, & thus contribute a
great deal of $ to favored candidates
p.591-592
Business Groups, Corporations,
and Associations
† In addition
dd
to h
having their
h
own
governmental affairs departments, large
corporations employ DC based
lobbyists to keep them apprised of
legislation & lobby for their interests
„ Formerly gave substantial soft money
„ Still use PACs & 527s, & thus contribute a
great deal of $ to favored candidates
p.591-592
Organized Labor
† Began to emerge as powerful player in the
early 20th century
„ Could turn out their members to vote
„ Focus on labor issues, & other issues as well
† Political clout has been waning in recent
years ~ Membership
M
b
hi down
d
† 2005 ~ Seven unions broke away from the
AFL-CIO to form the Change to Win Coalition
„ Disagreement of the millions $ spent on losing
candidates in the 2004 elections
„ 84% of members live in only 12 states ~ Hard to
be a national force
p.592-594
p.593
½ Way Mark
Ch t 16
Chapter
I t
Interest
t Groups
G
American Government: Continuity and Change
9th Edition
What Do Interest
Groups Do?
† Lobbying
„ Activities that seek to influence legislation &
persuade political leaders to support a group
group’s
s
position
† Origin
g of the word
„ People often waited in the “lobby” outside the
House/Senate to speak to congressmen
„ President Grant often spoke to people in the
lobby of the Willard Hotel (1401 Pennsylvania
Ave) just two blocks from the White House
(1600 Pennsylvania Ave)
p.596
What Do Interest
Groups Do?
† Lobbying
„ Activities that seek to influence
legislation & persuade political leaders to
support a group’s position
† Origin
g of the word
„ People often waited in the “lobby” outside the
House/Senate to speak to congressmen
„ President Grant often spoke to people in the
lobby of the Willard Hotel (1401 Pennsylvania
Ave) just two blocks from the White House
(1600 Pennsylvania Ave)
p.596
What Do Interest
Groups Do?
† Lobbying can take many forms (23 ways)
„ Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts ~ Political?
† Reps testified in Congress asking to remain
single-sex clubs
„ Augusta National Golf Course ~ No women
† N
National
ti
lC
Council
il off W
Women’s
’
Organizations pressured sponsors
of the Master’s Golf Tournament
† 2003 ~ Tournament held wo/
sponsors
† Women can play as a guest of a
member
p.597
p.597
p.599
p.599
Lobbying Congress
† Congresspersons are the targets various
lobbyists activities
„ Testimony, letters, campaign contributions, speaking
fees etc
fees,
etc.
† Many of most effective lobbyists are former
Cong members, et.al.
„ Might “drop
drop in
in” for lunch,
lunch or to go golfing
† Many lobbyists & Congresspersons develop
symbiotic relationships
„ C
Congresspersons sometimes
ti
rely
l on th
the llobbyists
bb i t ffor
information
„ “Information is the currency on Capitol Hill”
† C
Capitol
it l Hill iis often
ft
a stepping
t
i
stone
t
tto a career
as a lobbyist
p.598-601
Lobbying Congress
† Congresspersons are the targets various
lobbyists activities
„ Testimony, letters, campaign contributions, speaking
fees etc
fees,
etc.
† Many of most effective lobbyists are
former Cong members,
members et.al.
„ Might “drop
drop in
in” for lunch,
lunch or to go golfing
† Many lobbyists & Congresspersons develop
symbiotic relationships
„ C
Congresspersons sometimes
ti
rely
l on th
the llobbyists
bb i t ffor
information
„ “Information is the currency on Capitol Hill”
† C
Capitol
it l Hill iis often
ft
a stepping
t
i
stone
t
tto a career
as a lobbyist
p.598-601
p.600
Lobbying the
E
Executive
ti
B
Branch
h
† As the scope of fed govt has expanded,
expanded so has
lobbying of the executive branch
„ Because there are several access points, groups target
more than one level ~ President, Staffers, etc.
„ Lobbyists seek influence at the formulation &
implementation stages
„ Most Pres’s estab staff positions to provide access points
† Lots of consumer, minority, environ, & women’s issues
„ Strong link exists between interest groups & regulatory
agencies ~ DC attorneys & lobbying firms often deal
directly w/ the reg agencies – Often highly technical
„ G
Groups
oups often
o te monitor
o to the
t e implementation
p e e tat o of
o the
t e laws
a s or
o
policies they advocated
† Natl Women’s Law Center Æ Title IX suits
p.601
Lobbying the
Federal Courts
† The
h courts are a useful
f l target
† Methods generally take two forms
„ Direct litigation (sponsoring) of a case
† Tab 16.2 ~ 72% of DC based groups surveyed
participated
p
p
in litigation
g
as a lobbying
y g tool
„ Filing amicus curiae briefs
† Brief that informs the court of the group’s policy
preferences generally in guise of legal arguments
preferences,
† Interest groups also attempt to influence
who is nominated & confirmed
„ Both pro & con pressure
p.601-602
Lobbying the
Federal Courts
† The
h courts are a useful
f l target
† Methods generally take two forms
„ Direct litigation (sponsoring) of a case
† Tab 16.2 ~ 72% of DC based groups surveyed
participated
p
p
in litigation
g
as a lobbying
y g tool
„ Filing amicus curiae briefs
† Brief that informs the court of the group’s policy
preferences generally in guise of legal arguments
preferences,
† Interest groups also attempt to influence
who is nominated & confirmed
„ Both pro & con pressure
p.601-602
Grassroots
L bb i
Lobbying
† A form
f
off pressure-group activity that
h
attempts to involve individuals who
contact their representatives directly in an
effort to influence policy
† Interest groups try to inspire their
members & “ordinary” voters to act as the
group’s
g
p advocates
† Media advocates like Rush
Limbaugh try to stir up listeners
& urge them to contact their reps
p.602
Grassroots
L bb i
Lobbying
† A form
f
off pressurepressure-group activity
i i that
h
attempts to involve individuals who
contact their representatives directly
in an effort to influence policy
† Interest groups try to inspire their
members & “ordinary” voters to act as the
group’s
g
p advocates
† Media advocates like Rush
Limbaugh try to stir up listeners
& urge them to contact their reps
p.602
Protest &
R di l A
Radical
Activism
ti i
† S
Some groups resortt to
t more forceful,
f
f l legal
l
l as
well as illegal measures to attract attention to
their cause
„ Protests are older than the nation itself
† Boston Tea Party
„ Civil Rights Movement
† Marches with permits legal
„ Illegal protest activities
† People
P
l for
f Ethical
Ethi l Treatment
T
t
t off Animals
A i
l (PETA)
† Animal Liberation Front
„ Stole credit cards from
wife
if off pharmaceutical
h
ti l
exec & made $20k of
charitable donations
p.602-604
Attempts to Reform
Congressional Lobbying
† 1946 ~ Federal
F d
l Regulation
R
l ti
off L
Lobbying
bb i
Act
A t
„ Required registration & financial reports ~ Ignored
† 1995 ~ Lobbying Disclosure Act ~ Tracking
„ Defines lobbyists (20% of time lobbying)
„ Requires lobbyists to…
† …register w/ the Clerk of the House & the Sec of the
S
Senate
t
† …identify their clients & issues & the agency or house
they lobbied
† …estimate
estimate the amount they are paid by each client
† Jack Abramoff ~ Plead guilty to extensive corruption
charges
„ G
Grossly
l overcharging
h
i
& accepting
ti
clients
li t w// conflicting
fli ti
interests
p.604-605
Lobbying of the Exec Branch by a former Exec
Branch employees is constrained by the 1978
Ethics in Govt Act
p.605
Lobbying of the Exec Branch by a former
Exec Branch employees is constrained by the
1978 Ethics in Govt Act
*
p.605
Election Activities
EMILY’s List
† Some interest groups recruit & endorse
candidates
„ Early Money Is Like Yeast (EMILY’s List), it
makes dough rise supports female Democratic
candidates
„ Women In the Senate & House (WISH List) is
the Republican counterpart
† Getting Out The Vote
„ Interest groups produce newspaper, radio, TV
ads to educate & increase voter turn-out
turn out
p.605-606
Election Activities
† Rating
R ti
th
the C
Candidates
did t or Offi
Office H
Holders
ld
† Political Action Committees
„ Financial support for candidates
p.606
What Makes An Interest
Group Successful?
† Leadership ~ Critical
„ Must attract members & sell the cause
† Funding/Patrons
„ Adequate funding is imperative
„ Govts, foundations, & wealthy individuals serve as
patrons ~ Those who finance groups & individuals
† Members ~ Various levels of involvement
„ Drawn mostly from high income & education
„ Those who do belong to groups often belong to
more than one ~ divides loyalties
„ Free Riders ~ Don’t join because they can get the
benefits wo/ the commitment
p.608-611
p.609
Ch t 16
Chapter
I t
Interest
t Groups
G
American Government: Continuity and Change
9th Edition