Interest groups- organizations that try to achieve their goals with government assistance

Lobbying- the effort of an interest group to influence government decisions

Lobbyist- a consultant or lawyer who lobbies

First Amendment- the freedom to speak, assemble, and petition government. This facilitates group formation.

Checkbook members-contribute to a group’s cause by writing the occasional check but don’t interact, face to face, as members of the group.

Private interest groups- seek economic benefits for their members or clients.

Labor unions- seek government policies that protect workers’ jobs, wages, and benefits and ensure the safety of work places.

Public interest groups- those that work for a cause that extends beyond the members of a group.

Christian Right- sometimes referred to as the “religious right”, are the most potent religious force in American politics.

Single-issue groups- groups with an intense concern for a single issue

Political action committees- raise and donate money to election campaigns

527 organizations- raise and spend money on political advertising

Coalition- a network of interest groups with similar concerns that combine forces to pursue a common goal.

Government contracts- agreements to provide goods or services to government.

Gaining access- the ability of lobbyists to reach policy makers to make their case.

Going public- the process in which Congress or its members carry an issue debate to the public via the media.

Grassroots lobbying- the mass mobilization of an interest group to apply pressure to public officials, usually in the form of a mass mailing.

Civil disobedience- peaceful but illegal protest activity in which those involved allow themselves to be arrested and charged.

Netroots- grassroots mobilized by political websites

Pluralism- the theory that groups represent citizens and compete for the attention of and influence over government.