Interest Groups

Chapter 13

In this discussion you will learn about

• The various roles interest groups play in the U.S. political system and the ways they organize.

• The many types of interest groups and the kinds of interests they represent.

• How interest groups attempt to exert their influence through lobbying and campaign activities.

• The resources that different interest groups bring to bear on influencing government decisions.

• The relationship of citizens to interest groups in American politics—and the question of whether interest group politics is biased in favor of certain groups in society.

Interest Groups

• Interest group:

– (also called an advocacy group, lobbying group, pressure group, or special interest) is a group, either loosely or tightly organized, that is determined to encourage or prevent changes in public policy without being directly elected. In other words, an organization of people with shared ideas and attitudes who attempt to influence public policy.

Similar to Interest groups

• Faction: a group of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or minority of the whole, united and actuated by some common impulse of passion or interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.

• Political action committee (PAC): the fundraising arm of an interest group– Mitt Romney's political action committee raised $1.4

million in the first quarter of 2010, blowing away the total of $400,000 raised by Sarah Palin in the same period, while Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty raised over $560,000.

– 2010-2012 (2010 9m, 2012 3.5m as of 11/11)

Roles of interest groups

• Represent specific public or private interests – Lobbying: interest group activities aimed at persuading

policymakers to support the group’s positions• “educate” lawmakers and citizens as to why their

position is correct• Influence the agenda of lawmakers

– Can include donations

• Present opinions showing why their program or policy alternatives are best alternatives

• Can be a watch dog “monitor” of current programs

The Interest Group Problem

• Interest groups help with public education, campaigning, donations, and even with the crafting of legislation.

• Are seen to influence legislative behavior– Local example of the

Builders Association writing the City zoning code.

– Express Scripts and parties in Jefferson City

The co-opt

• When a special interest group benefits from “distortionary” economic/public policies.

– The general public suffers from such policies, but the government implements these policies anyway and feels forced to implement such policies or face the loss of outside assistance.• Taxing the wealthiest Americans?

– Depending on the domestic political environment, the implementation of such policies may end up being effective, unnecessary, or even counterproductive.

The Interest Group Dilemma

• Campaigning in the modern age is almost constant. Candidates need interest group support for money and for information as issues become more complex.

• However, candidates cannot seem associated with interest groups or the public will feel like interest group concerns dominate citizen/constituent concerns.

Popular Interest Groups

Left1. Greenpeace USA

2. NARRAL - National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League

3. NAACP - National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

4. The Sierra Club

Right

1. National Rifle Association

2. National Right to Life Committee

3. Family Research Council

4. The Christian Coalition

5. The John Birch Society

Popular Interest Groups

• Focus is the “interest”; can sometimes seem left or right

• AARP - American Association for Retired Persons• American Civil Liberties Union (defends free speech

rights of any ideology – anti gun restrictions, and anti Defense of Marriage Act)

• Amnesty International USA (focus is on human rights violations)

• For a list if U.S. Interest Groups

Good and Bad• Interest Groups, when they seem to promote “your” special

interest, are seen as good. When they oppose your interest, are seen as bad or unfairly influencing political outcomes

Formation of interest groups

1. When there is a common problem or threat

2. When there is leadership– Interest group entrepreneurs

• E.g., Cesar Chavez, Ralph Nader, Candy Lightner

Interest Group Leaders

Cesar Estrada Chavez founded and led the first successful farm workers' union in U.S. history. When he passed away on 23 April 1993, he was president of the United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO

Interest Group Leaders

• Candy Lightner founded MADD in 1980 after her daughter, Cari, was killed by a repeat drunk driving offender

Free rider problem

• Free rider problem: A recruiting difficulty groups face because potential members can gain the benefits of the group’s actions whether or not they join

• Free riders often receive a collective good.• Collective good: a good or service that, by its

very nature, cannot be denied to anyone who wants to consume it– E.g., Public safety, clean air, national defense

Overcoming the free rider problem

• Selective incentives: benefits available only to group members as inducements to get them to join– Material benefit: selective incentive in the

form of a tangible reward (mug, t-shirt, name printed in newsletter)

– Solidary benefit: selective incentive related to the interaction and bonding among group members (friendship, sense of belonging and well being)

Overcoming the free riderproblem, cont’d.

• Selective incentives, cont’d.– Expressive benefit: selective incentive that derives

from the opportunity to express values and beliefs and to be committed to a greater cause (warm fuzzy feeling; sense of righteousness)

• Interest groups use a mix of incentives to encourage group membership

Types of interest groups• Economic interest groups: organize to

influence government policy for the economic benefit of members– Corporations and business associations

• E.g., National Association of Manufacturers, Chamber of Commerce, Tobacco Institute, General Electric

– Unions and professional associations• E.g., AFL-CIO, (The American Federation of

Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) Teamsters, AMA (American Medical Association), ABA (American Bar Association), NEA (National Education Association).

– Agricultural interest groups• E.g., American Farm Bureau, Altria, ConAgra

Economic Interest Groups

Teamsters

National Association of Manufacturers

Types of interest groups, cont’d.

• Equal opportunity interest groups: organize to promote the civil and economic rights of underrepresented or disadvantaged groups– Age

• E.g., AARP (Am. Assoc. of Retired Persons), Children’s Defense Fund

– Race and Ethnicity• E.g., NAACP (Nat. Assoc. for the

Advancement of Colored People), LULAC (League of Latin Am. Citizens), AIM (American Indian Movement)

Types of interest groups, cont’d.

– Gender• E.g., NOW (National

Organization for Women), EMILY’s List, Eagle Forum (Phyllis Schlafly)

– Sexual orientation• E.g., GLAD (Gay and

Lesbian Advocates and Defenders)

• , PFLAG (Parents, Families And Friends Of Lesbians And Gays), Log Cabin Republicans

Equal opportunity interest groups:

Types of interest groups, cont’d.

• Public interest groups: organize to influence government to produce collective goods or services that benefit the general public– Environmental groups

• E.g., Sierra Club, Greenpeace

– Consumer groups• E.g., Public Citizen,

Consumers Union, MOPIRG

– Religious groups• E.g., Christian Coalition, Anti-

Defamation LeagueAnti-Defamation League

Public Interest Groups

Types of interest groups, cont’d.• Public interest groups, cont’d.

– Second Amendment groups• E.g., NRA, Brady Campaign to

Prevent Gun Violence

– Reproductive rights groups• E.g., National Right to Life

Committee

– Human rights• E.g., ACLU (American Civil

Liberties Union), Amnesty International

– Animal rights• E.g., Humane Society, PETA

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

Public Interest Groups

Types of interest groups, cont’d.

• Government interest groups: organize to lobby the U.S. federal government to influence national policy– Foreign governments

• E.g., China

– State and local governments• E.g., National Governors

Association, National Conference of State Legislatures, U.S. Conference of Mayors

– Intergovernmental interests• East_West Gateway

Interest group politics

• Direct lobbying: direct interaction

with public officials for the purpose

of influencing policy decisions– Professional Lobby Firms

• Indirect lobbying: attempts to influence government policymakers by encouraging the general public to put pressure on them

– Recall: Direct lobbying of the Supreme Court is illegal, but indirect lobbying is common. With the Supreme Court, the form may be in terms of public opinion or via amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs, which often are drafted by interest groups.

Direct lobbying: Congress

• Strategies for congressional lobbying– Personal contacts– Campaign contributions

• PACs – recent regulations and loopholes coalition

– Providing expert testimony• Accurate information to Congress

– Use of professional lobbyists• Revolving door: tendency of public officials, journalists, and

lobbyists to move between public and private sectors• Starting salaries have risen to about $300,000 a year

(2005 figure) and for former administrators, $600,000 to 1 million per year.

Interest Groups and Lobbying

• Although federal law requires lawmakers to wait a year after leaving office to lobby Congress, former Congress members can “advise” lobbyists and clients.

– Republican Official turned Lobbyist

30

Congressmen turned lobbyistsFor example, of the 39 ex-lawmakers rejected by voters in the 2006 Congressional elections, 3 immediately landed jobs at firms that seek to influence Congress. The hires include two Republicans — Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania and Conrad Burns of Montana — who lost in part because of allegations of ethical lapses

Bart Stupac

• Democrat Turned Lobbyist• NYT Coverage

Direct lobbying: Congress, cont’d.

• Lobbying reform– Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995

• lobbyists are required to register with the Clerk of the House of Representative and the Secretary of the Senate. Anyone failing to do so is punishable by a civil fine of up to $50,000. The clerk and secretary must refer any acts of non-compliance to the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.

Obama Campaign Promise

• Tougher rules against revolving door for lobbyists and former officials– "No political appointees in an Obama-Biden

administration will be permitted to work on regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years. And no political appointee will be able to lobby the executive branch after leaving government service during the remainder of the administration.“• William Lynn, deputy secretary for defense, was a

lobbyist for the defense contractor Raytheon. • Current status via PolitiFact 

Astroturf political campaigns• Grassroots lobbying: indirect lobbying

efforts that spring from widespread public concern

In contrast to:• Astroturf lobbying: indirect lobbying

efforts by interest groups that manipulate or create public sentiment, “astroturf” being artificial grassroots

• Pure grassroots lobbying is becoming increasingly rare, but astroturf public interest lobbying is growing

• Lobbying moving away from Congress to public, but this may not be any more democratic– Only 13 percent of American voters say

they are part of the Tea Party movement