1. AP Government “Interest Groups”

2. Interest Groups

3. Interest groups Interest groups
Organized groups of individuals who seek to influence public policy (play video)
Cram for the Exam- 4:00
Lobbying
The act of promoting a cause with gov’t officials to try to influence public policy
conducted by lobbyists

4. Federalist #10 on Interest Groups
James Madison warned of the dangers of factions (see how this course is all coming together…)
Interest groups are factions formed from the divisions in society
Only natural for some groups to oppose others due to their conflicting interests
farmers v. merchants
Rich v. poor?
Madison argued that each group would do what it could to prevail over other groups
It was the role of gov’t to mediate between these factions

5. Spending on Lobby Efforts
Which organization spent the most on lobbying over the last decade?
US Chamber of Commerce
How much would an organization have to spend to make it in the top 10 list of top spenders?
Over $100 million

6. Lobbyists Good or Evil? They are evil argument:
Each group promotes its own selfish interests, which may not be in the best interest of all Americans
Whoever spends the most money wins?
Cell phone company vs. better business bureau?
Banks vs. better business bureau?
Anyone vs. the better business bureau?
They are good argument:
Play the video (2:41)

7. Interest Groups
What is the difference between an interest group and a political party?
Remember the Theories
Traditional Democratic Theory
Pluralism
Madison & Factions
Groups serve as linkage institutions
Elitism
Hyperpluralism
Ties to problems of sub-governments (iron triangles)
Interest groups tend to have narrower range of interests (not always) whereas Political Parties usually present general platforms and then leave the specifics up to interest groups and political actors; also, interest don’t put up their own candidates – they use PAC’s to raise money to support candidates instead
Right to organize supported by 1st Amendment
Generally target legislature, but also use courts, pressure agencies etc. (remember Iron Triangles)
Traditional Democratic Theory Emphasizes:
Equality of persons
Participation
Necessity of Compromise
Citizen Control, individual freedom
Must practice Majority Rule, Minority Rights
Pluralism Theory Emphasizes:
Policy-making process is open to participation of all groups w/shared interests
No single group dominates
As a result, public interest prevails
Elitism Theory contends…
Upper-middle class elite holds all the power
Upper-middle class makes all the policy, regardless of formal government organization
Hyperpluralism Theory
Groups are so strong that government, which gives in to many different groups, is weakened

8. Roles of Interest Groups
Representation
Participation
Education
Agenda building
Program monitoring
Interest groups articulate their interests or members concerns directly into the political process
Representation
Interest groups represent people (faction of them) over gov’t
Participation
Interest groups provide opportunities for individuals to participate in politics
Education
Interest groups educate their members, gov’t officials, and the public at large
Agenda building
They make gov’t aware of problems and push them to solve them
Program monitoring
Interest groups keep track of gov’t programs in areas they are concerned about

9. They provide detailed info about their cause that may not be readily available otherwise

10. How Interest Groups Form
When individuals are (or feel) threatened by change they band together in an interest group
There tends to be an equilibrium of groups until some type of disturbance forces new groups to form
Usually an effective leader is necessary for a successful group to form
Interest group entrepreneurs – are people who start interest groups
They need something “attractive” to market in order to convince people to join
Benefits of joining must outweigh the costs
Organizers must convince potential members that the group can effectively lobby the gov’t to achieve their particular goals
Coalition Building: Sometimes, interest group will have a “sub-interest” in order to gain members with cross-cutting cleavages. So if someone is active in LGBT rights, Black Lives Matter might adopt a pro-LGBT stance in order to pull already active people into their group as well.

11. United Farm Workers Example
Cesar Chavez,
organizer of the
United Farm
Workers
Started as a union of men and women who picked crops in California who were mostly poor Mexican-Americans
They used strikes, boycotts, and nonviolent protests to achieve their goals
They won better wages and benefits
This is who Stephen Colbert testified for in the clip we watched 

12. Factors Promoting IG Success
Wealthy, educated, and politically experienced people are more successful in organizing interest groups than those who are not
They believe that their actions can make a change, which gives them more incentive to devote time and resources to interest groups

13. Attracting and Maintaining Members
Attracting members
Competition is high in most policy areas, so groups need to differentiate themselves by showing they are the most involved and knowledgeable
Direct mail and internet sites are common tools for recruiting
Maintaining members
Groups must convince their members that they are doing a good job
Through newsletters and s groups inform members of their successes and keep their interest in the group’s concerns up

14. Definitions Free-rider problem
When people benefit from the activities of an organization (interest group) but do not participate in the activities of the group
Trade associations
Organization that represents firms within a particular industry
They organize conventions where members can learn about new business practices and socialize

15. AP Government “Lobbyists & Lobbying”

16. Lobbyists Responsibilities
Lobbyists represent interest groups
They make sure that gov’t officials know what their membership wants
Path of a lobbyist (picture)
They let the members of the group know what gov’t is doing in relation to their organization’s goals
Direct Lobbying
It is aimed directly at policymakers
Lobbyists perform the following functions:
Keep ongoing relationship with elected officials through frequent meetings
Constantly provide elected officials with data supporting their groups goals
Testify at committee hearings
Legal advocacy – achieving policy goals through litigation in courts
Grassroots Lobbying
Rank-and-file members of the interest group use tactics to reach regular citizens
These tactics include letter-writing campaigns (or or phone call campaigns
Information Campaigns
Organized efforts to gain public-backing by bringing their views to the public’s attention
Tactics include sending speakers to meetings, producing pamphlets and handouts, taking out print ads, and establishing websites
Foreign Lobbying
They lobby foreign gov’ts to pass policies better for the business interests they represent
They sometimes hire foreigners that are well-connected in their country to help them gain access to foreign gov’t officials
Some foreign gov’ts hire lobbyists in the US
Citizens groups occasionally lobby foreign gov’ts on issues that cross borders
Next Slide- review of PACs

17. Review: PACS What are PAC’s? (opensecrets.org)
PAC’s Explained (Mr. Shulman explains PAC’s- remember him?!)
A PAC can only donate up to $5,000 to each candidate for any one election

18. Support of Incumbents
When PACs have given a lot of money to a member of Congress, they expect the officeholder will someday have to make a critical vote to the PAC, and they will give in to the influence of the PAC and vote their way
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
PACs cultivate relationships with members of Congress
The longer a person is in office the more money the PAC has given them
If new candidates are elected the PACs have to start completely over in building up influence with that elected official
Does the NEA give money to Democratic Candidates because they support NEA or do Democratic Candidates support the NEA because they receive money from them?
Does the NRA give money to Republican Candidates because they support the NRA or do Republican Candidates support the NRA because they receive money from them?

19. When Conventional Lobbying Fails
Interest groups try conventional tactics first
When they fail they resort sometimes to public political protests
These protests are to attract media attention to change public opinion related to the issue they care about in order to make policymakers accept their demands
Main drawback is that policymaking is a long-term process, and it is hard to maintain protests which are usually short-term

20. Agreement on Interest Groups
Despite criticism against interest groups, most people agree with two notions related to their existence:
All significant interests in the population should be adequately represented by interest groups
Gov’t should listen to the views of all major interests as it develops policy

21. Even Representation?
Are all Americans represented equally by interest groups?
Those in business or professions, with higher educations and higher incomes are represented far more than the poor
How can you argue that all Americans are represented by them even if it is not equal?
Some interest groups supported by corporations and the wealthy support the needs of the poor

22. Difficulty of Regulating
Limiting the activities of interest groups is difficult
James Madison argued in Federalist #10 that eliminating factions would require the limiting of Constitutional rights
Lobbying is a form of organized petitioning of gov’t and use of speech (both protected in the 1st Amendment)

23. REVIEW: Campaign Finance Reform
Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002 (McCain-Feingold Act) made it illegal for corporations, unions, and other organizations to give unlimited “soft money” contributions to political parties (as opposed to the PAC limits to individual candidates)
527s were created to get around this ban (non-party supposedly independent groups)
527s
PACs

24. Super PACs
Citizens United v. FEC (2010) – allowed corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited funds on direct advocacy for or against candidates (classified corporations and unions as people and as such eligible for 1st amendment rights)
SpeechNow v. FEC (2012) – a case involving a non-profit organization that sought to:
accept contributions in excess of $5000 from individual contributors (not corporations) for the exclusive purpose of running independent expenditures
not register as a political committee or be subject to PAC reporting requirements

25. Combined these cases opened the door to unlimited spending by corporations, unions, and individuals (if they are to these non-profit independent expenditure organizations)
Spending in 2012 elections set new highs

26. Story of Citizens United
Against the decision
Against the argument against the decision
Final rebuttal