1. Interest Groups and Political Parties
Chapter 7
Interest Groups and Political Parties

2. What is an Interest Group?
an organized group of individuals
who share common goals or objectives
who attempt to influence policymakers in all three branches of government, and at all levels
When a person contacts a representative about a proposed change in the law, that person is Lobbying, or attempting to influence, the government

3. What is a political party?
a group of activists who organize to win elections, to operate the government and to determine public policy
Differences: Interest Groups sharpen the issues
Political Parties blur the issues

4. Types of Interest Groups
Economic Interest Groups – groups formed to promote economic interests (These are among the major interest groups)
Business Interest Groups – business and trade organizations that attempt to influence government policy to their benefit
Agricultural Interest Groups- advocate for farm interests
they enjoy disproportionate influence
Labor Interest Groups – groups that represent the working class interests
Public Employee Interest Groups – interest groups that represent employees of governments, including the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and teachers
Public-sector unions are the fastest growing labor organizations
Interest Groups of Professionals – interest groups that advocate for professional associations, like the American Bar Association and the American Medical Association

5. Types of Interest Groups (cont.)
Environmental Interests – groups that advocate for pro-environmental policies, including the Sierra Club, the National Audubon Society and the Nature Conservancy
Public Interest Groups – groups that advocate the interests of the collective, overall community
It is hard to define because there are so many publics
Common Cause – largest, to reorder national priorities toward “the public”
Special, or Single-Issue Interest Groups – narrowly focused interest groups
Examples include abortion interest groups and groups that advocate for individuals who share a racial, ethnic or age association
AARP – The strongest lobbying group in the United States
Foreign Govts. and private foreign interests have lobbyists (EU)

6. Interest Group Strategies
They try to cultivate long-term relationships with legislators and government officials.
Direct Techniques
Lobbying – meeting officials and attempting to convince of your position on an issue; Lobbying also entails
testifying before congressional committees
testifying before executive rulemaking agencies
assisting in the drafting of legislation
entertaining legislators
providing information to legislators
assisting in nominating individuals o government posts
Ratings – scoring legislators based on their votes in congress, then making interested constituents aware of those scores
Campaign Assistance – providing workers for political campaigns
Political Action Committees –a committee that raises money and gives donation on behalf of organizations to political candidates or political parties.

7. Indirect Techniques
Generating Public Pressure – trying to influence the government by using public opinion on an issue. The use of polling data
Using Constituents as Lobbyists
shotgun approach means having large numbers of constituents act in concert by writing, ing, phoning or sending postcards to a legislator
rifle approach involves having an influential constituent contact a legislator on a particular issue
Building Alliances – forming alliances with other diverse groups who share a policy goal

8. Attempts at Regulating Lobbyists
Lobbyist: Any person or organization that received money to be used principally to influence legislation before Congress (1946)
Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946
provided for public disclosure (“register”)
failed because it did not have an enforcement mechanism
United States v. Harriss (1954) confirmed the constitutionality of the Legislative Reorganization Act: “Influencing federal legislation directly”
Some regulations on lobbying that passed in included:
defining “lobbyist” as anyone who spends 20 percent of his/her time lobbying members of congress, congressional staffs, or executive branch officials
requiring lobbyists to register with the Secretary of the House or clerk of the Senate
requiring semiannual reports on the nature of lobbying activities

9. Functions of Political Parties in the United States
A group that seeks to win elections, operate the government, and determine public policy
Factions are subgroups within parties that try to obtain certain benefits for themselves
Parties are permanent, factions are not. Parties do the following…
Recruiting candidates for public office
Organizing and running elections
Voter registration drives, work at polls, campaign workers
Presenting alternative policies to the electorate
Accepting responsibility for operating the government
Acting as the organized opposition to the party in power
The “out” party is supposed to articulate its own policies and oppose the winning party when appropriate
The party functions are usually carried out by a small “cadre” of party activists which is different from Europe’s mass-membership party organizations

10. Why Do We Have a Two-Party System?
It’s been around since the early 1800s…
historical foundations of the system
class politics
sectional politics: East/West then North/South then Northeast/South and West then National Politics
But, there has always been some form of class politics
self-perpetuation of parties
Political socialization
commonality of views among Americans
Shared beliefs, values and principles of our governmental system
the winner-take all electoral (plurality) system
This makes it tough for minor parties
state and federal laws favoring the two party system
Major parties need fewer signatures to place candidates on ballots
Not eligible for federal matching funds for elections, debates

11. Minor or Third Parties in the United States
most successful minor parties have been splinter parties, parties that broke from a major party
Examples on Page 175
Bull Moose Progressives of 1912 (from the Republicans)
the American Independent Party of 1968 (from the Democrats)
often, minor parties’ platforms are adopted by major parties
sometimes minor party candidates can have an impact on the outcome of an election

12. Hot Links to Selected Internet Resources: