Parties and Organized Interests Chapter 8 Parties and Organized Interests

The Development of Political Parties in Texas Though entrenched in the rest of the United States, political party labels were not used in Texas until prior to the Civil War. Texas has had little true political party competition: Democrats dominating for most of Texas history Republicans dominating in contemporary Texas history

Political Parties in Texas Models of political party standards”: “Responsible Party” model “Electoral Competition” model Parties in America and Texas fit neither model perfectly Functions of parties: Recruit candidates Support candidates by providing logistical support and campaign staff training as well as cash contributions and advertising Mobilize voters

Party Organizations Temporary party versus permanent party organizations Local parties: Precinct chairs, county chairs, county executive committee State parties: Party platform, state party chair, executive committee Nominating presidential candidates The state parties and national parties: Autonomous, not a “top-down” structure

Organized Interests Organized interest—an individual, group of people, or group of businesses that organizes its efforts to influence public policy. They step into the vacuum left by a lack of party competition in Texas. Interest groups in Texas benefit from the part-time nature of the legislature. With little professional staff available, legislators come to rely on lobbyists for information.

Types of Interests in Texas Economic Interests Trade Associations: Example: Texas Hospitality Association (THA) Professional Groups: Example: Texas State Teachers Association; Texas Medical Association Labor Unions: Example: the AFL-CIO

Types of Interests in Texas Non-economic interest groups: Public interest groups Some single interest groups might be considered public interest groups Intergovernmental lobby—the lobbying that occurs between the state and national government or between local governments and the state government

What Texas Organized Interests Do Lobbying Electioneering—method used by organized interests to try to shape public policy by influencing who is elected to office, especially by serving as sources of campaign funding Contributions pass through interest groups via political action committees (PACS), the fund- raising arms of interest groups that have been organized to meet the requirements of state and federal campaign finance laws.

What Texas Organized Interests Do Grassroots lobbying—attempts by organized interests to influence legislators through public opinion Organized interests supplement campaign contributions by spending money on their own advertising and producing materials such as “voters guides.” Organized interests may provide volunteers to help staff phone banks, stuff envelopes, provide door-to-door campaigning, and other kinds of campaign assistance (“pitching-in”). Astroturf lobbying—a simulation of grassroots support, usually by specialized law firms, involving spending large sums of money to generate the appearance of public support to advance a group’s agenda.

Lobby Regulation Lobby Registration Act (1957) Texas law does not allow contributions from thirty days before the start of a legislative session to twenty days after the session ends. The Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) regulates the state’s lobbying activities. The TEC is an eight-member board with no more than 4 members from the same party. The governor appoints four members, and the lieutenant governor and Speaker of the House each appoint two. An executive director is selected by the commission. The TEC meets roughly every two months.

Lobbying Issues in Texas The amounts of money spent by companies and some organized interests indicate their interest in Texas policy. Revolving door—the phenomena of legislators and members of the executive branch moving easily from government office to lucrative positions with lobbying firms.

Winners and Losers There is debate in the area of organized interests. The pluralist perspective argues that democracy is best practiced when citizens participate through groups. The greater number of organized interests means wider participation and a healthier democracy. Critics (including C. Wright Mills and E.E. Schattschneider) argue that wealthy and powerful interests are better represented. Most Texans don’t hire lobbyists or contribute to an interest group.

Winners and Losers Hyperpluralism is another perspective that holds the view that the system today has evolved beyond simple pluralism. So many narrow interests are represented it makes it difficult to formulate public policy that will serve the broader public interest. Another argument in the area of organized interests is that some interests make it impossible to get rid of a program that is no longer needed because those interests supporting the program wish to protect their own spending.

Winners and Losers “The ability of some groups to effectively organize while others remain unorganized produces clear winners and losers in the state.” “While organized interests often support political parties, there are times when narrow interests will abandon the broader goals of the political parties and divide the parties.”