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Chapter Seven:
Interest Groups and
Political Parties
Learning Outcomes
LO 1 Describe the basic characteristics of interest groups, and explain
why Americans join them.
LO 2 List the major types of interest groups, especially those with
economic motivations.
LO 3 Discuss direct and indirect interest group techniques, and
describe the main ways in which lobbyists are regulated.
LO 4 Cite some of the major activities of U.S. political parties, and
discuss how they are organized.
LO 5 Explain how the history of U.S. political parties has led to the two
major parties that exist today.
LO 6 Give reasons why the two-party system has endured in America,
and evaluate the impact of third parties and independents on
U.S. politics.
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A Nation of Joiners
 Interest Groups and Social Movements
 Reasons to Join—or Not Join
 Three reasons to join
 Solidary incentives
 Material incentives
 Purposive incentives
 Those who do not join
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Types of Interest Groups
 Economic Interest Groups
 Business
 Agricultural
 Labor
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Decline in Union Membership, 1948 to Present
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Types of Interest Groups
 Economic Interest Groups
 Public employee unions
 The political environment faced by labor
 Interest groups of professionals
 Unorganized poor
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Types of Interest Groups
 Environmental Groups
 Today’s environmental groups
 Global warming
 Greenhouse gases
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Types of Interest Groups
 Public-Interest Groups
 The consumer movement
 Other public-interest groups
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Types of Interest Groups
 Additional Types of Interest Groups
 Ideological Groups
 Identity Groups
 Foreign Interest Groups
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Interest Group Strategies
 Direct Techniques
 Lobbying techniques
 The ratings game
 Campaign assistance
Georgia governor Nathan Deal (on the
left) meets with a lobbyist during a
session of the state’s legislature. Why
would he willingly be photographed
with lobbyists?
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These women are leaders of a new lobbying firm called
Chamber Hill Strategies. Do lobbyists spend their time
supporting political candidates? Why or why not?
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Interest Group Strategies
 Indirect Techniques
 Generating public pressure
 Using constituents as lobbyists
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Interest Group Strategies
 Regulating Lobbyists
 Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act 1946
 The Lobbying Disclosure Act
 Recent legislation
 Honest Leadership and Open Government Act
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Governor Scott Walker Confronts
Protesters in Wisconsin
Click picture to play video
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Governor Scott Walker Confronts
Protesters in Wisconsin
Taking a closer look:
1. These demonstrators represent which type
of interest group?
2. Why do the Democratic senators appear to
be sympathetic to the protestors?
3. What other tactics might be successful for
this interest group?
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Political Parties in the
United States
 Functions of Political Parties in the United
States
 Recruiting candidates
 Organizing and running elections
 Presenting alternative policies to the electorate
 Accepting responsibility for running the government
 Acting as the organized opposition to the party iin
power
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Political Parties in the
United States
 Party Organization
 The national party organization
 Convention delegates
 The national committee
 The state party organization
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Political Parties in the
United States
 Party Organization
 Local party machinery: The grassroots
 Patronage
 The party-in-government
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A History of Political Parties in the
United States
 The Formative Years: Federalists and Anti-
Federalists
 Federalists and Republicans
 One-Party Interlude
 Democrats and Whigs
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A History of Political Parties in the
United States
 The Civil War Crisis
 The Post-Civil War Period
 Cultural politics
 The triumph of Republicans
 The Progressive Interlude
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A History of Political Parties in the
United States
 The New Deal Era
 An Era of Divided Government
 The parties in balance
 Red state, blue state
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A History of Political Parties in the
United States
 The Parties Today
 Wave elections sweep out the Republicans
 Democrats in trouble
 Republican overreach
 The 2012 elections
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Governor Susana Martinez (R.,
N.M.) addresses the Republican
National Convention in 2012.
Why do political parties often
choose governors as presidential
candidates?
U.S. senator Kirsten
Gillibrand (D., N.Y.) attends
Lifetime Television’s 2012
“Every Woman Counts”
campaign at Hofstra
University. Why are an evergreater number of women
serving in Congress?
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The 2012 Presidential Election Results by State
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Why Has the Two-Party System
Endured?
 The Historical Foundations of the Two-
Party System
 Political Socialization and Practical
Considerations
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Why Has the Two-Party System
Endured?
 The Winner-Take-All Electoral System
 Presidential voting
 Electoral College
 Popular election of governors and the
president
 Proportional representation
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Why Has the Two-Party System
Endured?
 State and Federal Laws Favoring the Two
Parties
 The Role of Minor Parties in U.S. Politics
 Ideological third parties
 Splinter parties
 The impact of minor parties
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Gary Johnson, a former Republican governor of New Mexico, ran
as the Libertarian Party presidential candidate in 2012. How much
support do minor parties usually receive?
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Why Has the Two-Party System
Endured?
 The Rise of the Independents
 Party identification
 Straight-ticket voting
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Party Identification from 1944 to the Present
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Tea Party Express: Party or Movement?
Click picture to play video
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Tea Party Express: Party or Movement?
Taking a closer look:
1. What distinguishes a political party from an
interest group?
2. In recent months, does the Tea Party
movement appear to be growing or
declining?
3. Which demographic groups are
underrepresented in this movement?
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