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Interest Groups and PACS

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1 Interest Groups and PACS
Wilson Chapter 11 AP Government - Mr. Hatch

2 Objectives What makes an interest group? How does James Madison feel about them? What should we do about them? Explain 3 theories about interest groups in America interact with our government What caused the rise of Interest groups? 4 types of interest groups and what they want Explain tactics of interest groups and their effect on the government

3 Objectives Explain Lobbying, how and why it’s done
PACs – what are they, how do you get one, what can/can’t they do, how do they effect governemnt?

4 Interest Groups: Reason for their Growth
Def: Group w/ common interest that seeks to influence government Madison’s Dilemma: Wanting both liberty and order Allowing people the liberty to form groups and express their views could destroy the hope for an orderly society Political factions were inevitable ---Need to control their effects.

5 Interest Groups: Reason for their Growth
Pluralism: growth of interest groups prevents the concentration of excessive power in the hands of a few, and thus enhances democracy Elitism – a few very powerful interest groups (corporations) Hyper Pluralism – SO many groups that government will try to please all/too many thus making government weaker

6 Interest Groups: Reason for their Growth
Specific reasons for growth: Tocqueville: Americans have a propensity to join groups Economic developments (farmers forming the Grange) Govt. agencies create entry point for interest groups Diverse population Diffusion of power Local chapters lure members and raise money

7 Interest Groups: Reason for their Growth
Specific reasons for growth: Weakness of political parties 1970s reforms opened up the government process Conservative reaction to excessive liberalism of the 60s and 70s Interest groups spark the rise of other interest groups to counter them Rise of public-interest lobbies since the 70s. Technology

8 Types of Interest Groups
Traditional (promote economic interests of its members) Agriculture (Am. Farm Bureau Federation - nation’s largest) Labor (AFL- CIO; Teamsters; Union membership on the decline)- on the decline Business (Chamber of Commerce) Professional (AMA)

9 Types of Interest Groups
Nontraditional protest (protest the status of its members and to convince government to take remedial action) NAACP NOW

10 Types of Interest Groups
Single Issue (get the govt. to take action on one overriding issue) Right to Life league National Abortion Rights league NRA MADD Polarizing groups

11 Types of Interest Groups
Public Interest (bring about good policy for society as a whole) Nader Groups League of Women’s Voters Consumer’s Union Sierra Club Strong representation in D.C. since 70s. Led by elites

12 Types of Interest Groups
Ideological (convince govt. to implement policies that are consistent with their philosophies- based upon a coherent set of principles) Christian Coalition ACLU “Think tanks”

13 Reasons for Joining Solidary incentives (companionship)
Organized as small local units (LWV, NAACP, PTA) Material Incentives (Money, farm org.; AARP) Purposive Passion about goal (which groups might encourage this?) Sense of civic duty Minimal costs in joining

14 Tactics of Interest Groups
Use the mass media Boycott Litigation – make issues known in court, get attention Amicus Curiae briefs (Disabled groups filing on behalf of PGA golfer Casey Martin) Campaign Contributions Endorse or target candidate (MoveOn.org; Swift Boat Veterans) Report Card ratings of candidates - influence behavior Initiative, Referendum, Recall Mass Mailings Grassroots/Lobbying – get public involved

15 Ultimate Goal To have the most influence interest groups try to form iron triangles This amount of control can be very influential for interest group agendas

16 Lobbying Attempt to influence government (most effective on narrow, technical issues that are not well publicized) – they provide information! Not Bribing Function of Lobbyists Influence govt. Provide information to the govt. Provide political cues on issues Testify at hearings Help write legislation Can be considered A “third house of Congress”

17 Lobbying Regulations on Lobbying Federal Regulation Lobbying Act Provisions: Defines lobbyist as one whose principal purpose is to influence govt. Requires registration Disclosure of lobbyist’s employer, finances and legislation to be influenced Publication of disclosed information

18 Lobbying Loopholes in Regulations Principle purpose lang. is ambiguous
Disclosure stmts. are filed, not analyzed No enforcement Few check the publications Only covers congressional lobby, not White House (executive branch lobby)

19 Lobbying Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995
Expanded def. to include part-time lobbyists Covered lobbyists of the executive branch Sources of Lobbying funds today: Foundation grants Government grants Direct-mail solicitations

20 Lobbying- good or bad? Pros Provide useful info to govt.
Means of participation Representation based upon interest rather than geography 1st amendment protection Madison in Fed 10- to rid us of factions would cause the loss of liberty Cons Rich and powerful interests over-represented Avg. and poor people under-rep. Safeguard liberty and sacrifice equality Contribute to polarizations Further diffusion of power National interests sacrificed for narrow interests

21 Interest Group Bias? Why is there apparently an upper-class bias?
Are the upper-class a unified, cohesive voice in politics? Who are the combatants in most political conflicts?

22 Political Action Committees
Growth of PACS PAC- group that raises funds for favored candidates 4100 PACS Reason - Congress wanted to “open up” campaign contributions to the masses (as represented by PACs) through 1974 FECA PACs could originally contribute 5x (now 2.5x) what an individual could contribute No limit on independent expenditures on PACs

23 Political Action Committees
Growth of PAC contributions 1998: 50 House candidates raised > $500,000 each (4 lost) 38 Senate candidates raised > $500,000 each (7 lost) 1990: PAC contributed more than $17 million to Senators facing little opposition

24 Political Action Committees
PAC strategies Campaign Contributions (factors influencing who gets PAC money): Incumbents (party affiliation is of little importance) Winners Similar philosophy Likely to grant access and not buy votes Position of special influence Closeness of race Committee assignment of importance to PAC PAC $ makes up higher % of congressional campaign funds than presidential campaign funds

25 Political Action Committees
PAC strategies Voter Education Independent Expenditures, issue advocacy ads

26 Political Action Committees
Who has PACs? Corporations 50% of all PACs Ideological Organizations 25%- rapidly increasing Professional/trade/ health associations 15% Labor Unions 10% Overrepresentation of upper/upper middle classes and under representation of poor.

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