Download Interest Groups File

Interest Groups
 Private organizations
(not govt owned)
 Goal is to persuade
the public & officials
 Get them to respond to
their shared interests
 Use of Propaganda and
Lobbyists
Interest Groups
 Private organizations (not govt owned) - try to persuade
the public & officials to respond to their shared interests
 Create effect of getting citizenry & Govt to respond
 Falls under 1st Amendment concepts of:
 Freedom of Assembly, Petition, Association
 aka: Pressure Groups & Special Interests
 Variety of labels:
 Leagues, Clubs, Federations, Unions, Committees, Associations
 Interest in influencing establishment /application of
Public Policy
Interest Groups interested in Influence
Differences from Political Parties
 I .G. do not nominate people for public office … they are
interested in supporting candidates that are “like-minded” to
them on a specific issue - no matter party affiliation
 I. G. not interested in range of political issues / policies –
just their own … thus, they do NOT have to compromise
 I. G. leadership is NOT voted on
 Willingness to use Litigation (court cases) as “Trump Card”
Involvement is actually growing!
Valuable functions of Interest Groups
 Raise awareness of potential problems/situations (Public Policy)
- Desiring a definitive response to issues
- NAACP (Discrimination) … NOW (Women’s Rights)
 Provide specialized, detailed information to public & to govt
- research, petitions, surveys, etc…
 Vehicles for political participation (rallies, petitions, etc…)
- Grassroots Organizing
 Pooling of resources that can be focused on specified issue
- Fundraising Campaigns & Events
- Sponsoring Ad Campaigns
Setting the Precedent …
Corporations have right to Free Speech
The Future of Campaigning …
Economic based Interest Groups
 Business – Attempt to persuade government to produce
legislation that stimulate business activity or protect
business interests…tariffs (taxes on imported products)
 Examples = Nat Assoc of Manufacturers; Business Roundtable;
Chamber of Commerce
Labor Groups
 Organizations of workers who share the same type of job –
press for government policies that benefit workers (wages, safety
standards, benefits, retirement packages, etc…)
 Examples = AFL-CIO, Teamsters, Fraternal Order of Police,
United Auto Workers (UAW), United Mine Workers (UMW)
Agricultural Groups
 Associations that work to influence the government to develop
policies (subsidies, trade pacts, programs, etc…) that assist farmers
to more effectively produce their commodities
 Examples = National Grange, American Farm Bureau Federation,
National Farmers Union, National Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc,
California & Florida Citrus Growers
Hmmm … interesting???
Criticisms of Interest Groups
 Influence over & above voters (often issues are not elected)
- does this run counter to idea of Majority Rules/Minority Rights?
 Typically, the highly-organized & well-funded groups -
have the most influence over government officials
 How “transparent” are these organizations? … who exactly
are they representing & how much $ is being pushed in campaigns?
 Questionable tactics:
- Propaganda … is media influence (advertising) over done?
- Lobbyists … are these ex-govt officials or are these “experts”?
- PAC $ … is it being used to “buy” representation/voice in govt?