1. Interest Groups
The “iron triangle” (interest groups, members of Congress, and federal agencies)

2. Interest Groups
“in no country of the world has the principle of association been more successfully used or applied to a greater multitude of objectives than in America.”
Interest Groups
An organized group of individuals sharing common objectives who actively attempt to influence policy makers
Often spawned by social movements
Lobbyists
An organization or individual who attempts to influence legislation and the administrative decisions of government
Hyperpluralism
The ability of interest groups to mandate policy or to defeat policies needed by the nation
Detriment to effective government?
More than 2/3 of Americans belong to at least one group or association – many are not purely )political) interest groups
Ex. PTO, BSA, ACLU, NEA
Federalist #10
blah, blha, blah……blah, blha, blah……blah, blha, blah……
……blah, blha, blah……blah, blha, blah ……

3. Why so many interest groups?
1st Amendment - guarantees facilitate group formation
Right
Assemble
Petition to redress grievances
Groups amplify individual opinions
Many pressure points in our federal system
Diversity gives rise to many views
Ethnic, religious, economic, etc.
Social changes, economic pressures and technological developments disturb the status quo, leading to group formation
Examples: industrialization, urbanization, civil rights movement
Pressure points:
local, state, federal
ex, leg, jud

4. Why join an interest group?
Latent interests – public-policy interests that are not recognized or addressed by a group at a particular time
Many people wait for “collective good” to be addressed rather than join a group – “free rider problem”
When benefits can be obtained without joining the group
People generally join when they perceive that their effort will make a difference
Small groups seeking benefits for a specific group are more successful in recruiting members
Latent interest of young people  Social Security
How many students join groups such as the US Student Association? – lobbies for increased financial aid
Large groups have more free riders – women’s movement or ACLU for example

5. Why join an interest group?
Incentives
Solidary
Companionship, sense of belonging, pleasure of associating
Ex. National Audubon Society
Material
Discounts and opportunities
Ex. AARP
Purposive
Satisfaction of taking action with a group an individual agrees with
Ex. NRA
National Audubon Society founded to save the snow egret from extinction – most people today join because they like and want to learn more about birds – though it has a political agenda
AARP is the largest (over 40 million) – and very powerful- interest group in the US (very low dues around $20)

6. Fortune Power 25 2005 Rank Organization Website 1
National Rifle Association 2
AARP 3
National Federation of Independent Business 4
American Israel Public Affairs Committee 5
Association of Trial Lawyers of America 6
American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) 7
Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A. 8
National Beer Wholesalers Association 9
National Association of Realtors 10
National Association of Manufacturers
(2001)

7. Types of Interest Groups
Economic*
Business
Umbrella groups represent types of business or industry
Ex. US Chamber of Commerce
Ex. National Association of Manufacturers
Ex. American Pet Products Manufacturers
Ex. Better Business Bureau
Agricultural
Small by population but very influential
Ex. American Farm Bureau Federation
Ex. The Peanut Growers Group
Ex. American Farmland Trust
Labor
About 12% of the workforce belong to a union
Ex. AFL-CIO
Public-Employee
more public-sector members than private-sector members
Ex. NEA
Professional
Many different groups represented
Ex. American Bar Association
Ex. American Medical Association
Not every interest group actively lobbies Congress, but they all at least take positions on policies
US Chamber of Commerce – over 200,000 member companies
National Association of Manufacturers has a staff of over 60 in Washington
Business interest groups generally agree on less regulation, but often disagree on other policies
Ex. large corporations worry about increased regulation of corporate boards and insider arrangements while small businesses may be more troubled by increased regulation of immigration/foreign workers (large companies have professional employment practices)
Farmers and employees are less than 2% of total US population, but successful in gaining influence
Agricultural interests are geographically dispersed – have many places to exert pressure
Active in immigration, international trade matters (apples), preserving natural resources (water and land)
AFL formed in 1886 and joined CIO in 1955 – major split in 2005 led to loss of 1/3 members to Change to Win Coalition
Unions 15.3 million workers in 2009 (12%)
Almost all public employees have the right to strike
NEA = 2.8 million members
AMA = 300,000+ members through more than 2,000 state and local chapters
Poor/Unorganized/non-voters are overlooked a lot – mostly represented indirectly by workers/organizations
*largest category of interest groups

8. About 13% of workers now represented by a union (down from 35% in 1955)

9. Types of Interest Groups
Environmental
National Audubon Society
Sierra Club
National Wildlife Federation
Environmental Defense Fund
Greenpeace
First Earth Day in 1970

10. Types of Interest Groups
Public-Interest
Many different “publics” in a country of 300m+
“Nader Organizations”
“Nader’s Raiders”
ACLU
League of Women Voters
Common Cause
MoveOn.org
1965 book Unsafe at Any Speed about GM and the Corvair
Nader ran on Green Party ticket in 1996 and 2000 (2.7% or 2.9m votes/0 electoral), and 2004 and 2008 as an independent
Common Cause – founded in 1970  goal is to make government more responsive to the people – over 300,000 members
1. 26th Amendment -18 year olds
2. greater voter registration in states
3. withdrawal of forces from South Vietnam
4. passing campaign finance reform
MoveOn.org – founded 1998 – wanted Clinton to be censured instead of impeached and move on to more important issues  now an umbrella organiztion with over 3 million members
ACLU – from WWI era to defend draft evaders, now about Bill of Rights issues
League of Women Voters – 1920, non-partisan (though did support ERA)

11. Types of Interest Groups
Other
Single issue groups
More focused
Members more passionate
Less complex goals
Ex. NRA, MADD
Foreign
Over 300 foreign entities represented by lobbyists
Ex. Coalition to Save Darfur
AARP – supported Medicare, Medicaid, colas for Social Security, Medicare prescription drug coverage (part D), Affordable Healthcare Act
GlaxoSmithKline – based in England, spends extensively in the US to influence Medicare legislation
Saudi government hired lobbyists after 9/11 when it became clear Saudi Arabian citizens participated in attacks

12. Contemporary Interest Groups

13. What Do Interest Groups Do?
Inform
Lobby
Campaign Activities
Political Action Committees
Issue Advocacy

14. Keys to an Effective Interest Group
Size and Resources
Leadership
Cohesiveness

15. Interest Group Strategies
Direct
Lobbying
Ratings
Building alliances
Campaign assistance
Indirect
Generating public pressure
Climate control
Using constituents as lobbyists
Unconventional
Marches, boycotts
Lobbying – engaging in activities aimed at influencing public officials, especially legislators, and the policies they create.

16. Techniques for Exerting Influence
Publicity, Mass Media, and the Internet
Influences votes during elections
Motivates constituents to contact representatives
Mass Mailing/ ing
Increases reach and effectiveness of interest groups
Direct Contact with Government
Government agencies publish proposed regulations in the Federal Register and invite responses from all interested person before rules are finalized
Litigation
Initiate lawsuits
Amicus curiae briefs
Protest
Organized to raise awareness
Astroturf lobbying
Contributions to Campaigns
Through PACs/Super Pacs or bundling – collecting individual donations and presenting together
Candidate Support/Opposition
endorsements
New Political Parties
Often just to publicize a cause
Cooperative Lobbying
Like-minded groups form cooperative groups
Federal Register – official document, published every weekday, that lists the new and proposed regulations of executive departments and regulatory agencies
Amicus curiae brief – friend of the court brief – filed by an individual or organization urging the SCOTUS to hear a case (or not to) or at the merits state to present arguments in addition to those presented by the immediate parties to a case
Free-Soil Pary in mid 1840s and Prohibition Party, Green Party

17. Who are lobbyists? Often former public servants Lobbying?
Revolving Door
Employment cycle in which individuals who work for government agencies that regulate interests eventually end up working for interest groups or businesses with the same policy concern
33% of those who lost seats in Congress following 2010 election employed by lobbying firms
20% employed by lobbying clients
2007 Honest Leadership and Open Government Act
More disclosure of employment history for lobbyists
Stricter limits on lobbying activities
Longer cooling off period
Many participate in issue networks
Relationships among interest groups, congressional committees and subcommittees, and the government agencies that share a common policy concern
Specialized knowledge often allows them to wield tremendous influence
Demographics: 30,000 registered in Washington
1/3 women
200 black
60 Hispanic
2007 law strengthened 1995 law
-also requires mandatory disclosure of earmarks in expenditure bills
Lobbying?

18. American Legislative Exchange Council – ALEC
What Do Lobbyists Do?
Provide money for reelection campaigns
Also provide volunteers for campaign activities
Sometimes just their failure to support opposition is enough to increase reelection odds
Provide information
Political information
Ex. Who supports/opposes legislation
Substantive information
Ex. Impact of proposed laws, technical assistance drafting bills, identifying persons to testify at hearings
American Legislative Exchange Council – ALEC

19. Regulating Lobbyists 1946 – Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act
Provided for disclosure
Defined lobbyist
Any person or organization that received money to be used principally to influence legislation before Congress
Lobbyists had to register their clients and purpose of their efforts
Disclosed quarterly
Limited effectiveness
Only some lobbyists registered (only full-time)
Only if they were directly influencing Congress
Not required to register if lobbying the executive branch, federal agencies, courts, congressional staff, etc.
Lobbyists have a negative public image, but they perform useful functions for government: they provide information fro decision makers in all three ranches of government, help educate and mobilize public opinion, help prepare legislation and testify before legislative hearings, and bear a large share of the costs of comapaigns
1946- Title III of the Legislative Reorganization Act
United States v. Harriss (1954)
-did not violate due process, speech, press, petition – but narrowly ruled that it was only permissible for lobbyists who were influencing federal legislation directly
Under the act a large group such as the NRA could register a few lobbyists – the ones principally trying to influence Congress members

20. Regulating Lobbyists 1995 – Lobbying Disclosure Act Redefined lobbyist
Anyone who spends at least 20% of their time lobbying members of Congress or staff, or executive branch officials
Must register with House or Senate within 45 days of first contact or being hired
Reports (now quarterly) disclosing
General nature of lobbying, specific issues and bills, estimated cost of campaign, list of branches contacted (not names)
Representatives of US owned subsidiaries of foreign-owned entities must register
Grassroots and tax-exempt organizations exempted
Registration only applies if the organization spends more than $20,000 or the individual is paid more than $5,000 annually (punishment is fine up to $50,000)
House- flat ban on gifts
Senate – under $50 in value and total of $100 from single source in a year
Home-state exceptions (t-shirts)
Both banned travel (golf) except to “widely attended” events or if the person was a primary speaker
After recording, the records are maintained by the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate. Due to severe understaffing, these two offices are unable to check for illegal activities or corrupt practices, which is the most glaring shortcoming of the legislation.
During a hearing before the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, Senator Christopher Dodd stated that “[s]ince 2003, the Office of Public Records has referred over 2,000 cases to the Department of Justice, and nothing’s been heard from them again”.

21. Regulating Lobbyists 2007 – Honest Leadership and Open Government Act
Tightened reporting rules
Longer waiting period
2 years for Senators
1 year for Rep.
Limited lobbying spouses
Only trips pre-approved by Ethics Committee
Loop hole in 2007 law: lobbyists could donate to a campaign, then the member could go to the dinner and have the campaign pay the tab

22. Recent Lobbying Scandal: Jack Abramoff
Abramoff is a former lobbyist serving time for fraud and the corruption of public officials. He was convicted of defrauding Native American tribes of tens of millions of dollars related to gaming interests. The corruption investigation also involved White House officials, members of Congress, aides and other lobbyists.
© 2006 Time, Inc./Getty Images. Reprinted by permission. 22

23. NOTE: Figures are on this page are calculations by the Center for Responsive Politics based on data from the Senate Office of Public Records. Data for the most recent year was downloaded on January 27, 2014.
*The number of unique, registered lobbyists who have actively lobbied.

24. Interest Groups and Representative Democracy
Interest Groups: Elitist or Pluralist?
The existence of interest groups would appear to be an argument in favor of pluralism. However, interest groups are often led by upper-class individuals, which argues for elite theory.
Interest Group Influence
Even the most powerful groups do not always succeed in their demands.
The most successful groups focus on single issue
Single issue interest groups include NARAL Pro-Choice America, the National Right to Life Committee, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the National Rifle Association.

25. Interest Groups and the Policy Process

26. Web Links The Center for Public Integrity
Opensecrets.org-Money in Politics Data
Common Cause—Holding Power Accountable
Federal Election Commission
Public Citizen
The Center for Public Integrity
A nonprofit center dedicated to government accountability, ethics, and campaign finance reform. The center’s research includes investigative reports, newsletters, and databases.
The Center for Responsive Politics
A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that tracks money in politics and its effects on public policy and elections. Contains extensive data about lobbyists, soft money contributions, PACs, presidential and congressional races, and political donors.
Common Cause
A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes government accountability. Provides a database of soft money contributions through the 2002 congressional elections to the Republican and Democratic Parties by donor name, donor location, or industry, as well as news about a wide range of government agencies and topics. After 2002, Congress banned soft money contributions.
Federal Election Commission
The branch of the federal government that oversees federal elections. Provides a citizens’ guide to elections, including current rules for upcoming campaigns, how to support a candidate, and FEC publications.
Public Citizen
Founded by Ralph Nader in 1971, Public Citizen calls itself “the consumer’s eyes and ears in Washington.” Its searchable database includes information about auto safety, congressional voting, and First Amendment issues, as well as the organization’s publications. 26