Interest Groups To Influence Government Policies

Interest Groups

I. What is an Interest Group?
II. Why do people Join Interest Groups?
III. Types of Interest Groups
IV. Interest Groups Incentives
V. Interest Group Strategists
VI. Regulating Lobbyists

I. Interest Group
Interest Group- An organized group of individuals having common goal and actively attempting to influence government policies.
II. Why have interest groups been so successful in the United States?
Variety of interest due to economic social cleavages among the members of the American society
Efficient Democracy
Accessible Government- Multiple points of access
III. Types of Interest Groups
Economic Interest Groups
Business
The US Chamber of Commerce
The Business Roundtable
Agriculture
The American Farm Bureau
National Farmer's
Bureau
Labor
AFL- CLO
Public Employee
American Federation of State, County Municipal Employees
American Federation of Teachers
National Education Association
Professional Organizations
American Bar Association (ABA)
American Medical Association (AMA)
Environmental Interest Group
Sierra Club
National Wildlife Federation
Public Interest Groups
Nader Organizations
Common cause
League of Women's Voters
Special Interest Groups
NRA
National Abortion Rights Action League
Foreign Government
IV. What makes an Interest Group Powerful?
Size and Resources
Leadership
Cohesiveness (solidarity)
V. Types of Incentives
Solidarity Incentives- reason or motive that follows from the desire to associate with others and share with others particular interest or hobby
Material Incentives- a reason or motive based on the desire to enjoy a certain economic benefits or opportunities
Purposive Incentives-
VI. Interest Group Strategies
Direct Strategies
Lobbying (a private meetings, providing draft legislation, testifying before committees, social gatherings)
The ratings game
Campaign Assistance
Political Campaigns
Indirect Techniques
Generating Public Pressure
Using Constituents as Lobbyists
Building Alliances
Protests
VII. Regulating Lobbyists
Title III of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act)
Lobbyists- any person or organization that received funds to be used principally to influence legislation before Congress
The Reforms of 1995
The Lobbying Disclosure Act(LDA) of 1995
Lobbyist- anyone who spends at least 20 percent of his or her time lobbying members of Congress, their staff, or executive branch officials\
The Senate and the House also adopted new rules on gifts and travel expenses provided by lobbyists:
The House adopted a flat ban on gifts, and the Senate limited gifts to $50 and to no more than $100 in gifts from a single source in a year.
Both chambers banned all-expenses-paid trips, golf outings, and other such junkets,
An exception applied for “widely attended” events, however, or if the member is a primary speaker at an event.
These gift rules stopped the broad practice of taking members of Congress to lunch or dinner at high-priced restaurants, but the various exemptions and exceptions have allowed much gift giving to continue

Political Parties
I. What is a Political Party?
Political Party-A group of political activists who organize to win elections, operate the government, and determine public policy.
Functions of Political Parties in the United States
Recruiting candidates for public office
Organizing and running elections...(political parties do not write state laws)
Presenting alternative policies to the electoral
Accepting responsibility for operating the government- cannot simply just quit their job
Acting as the organized opposition to the party in power- acting as the “watch dog” to the opposite in power
II. The Three Faces of a Party
Party-in-the-Electorate- Those members of the general public who identify with a political party or who express a preference for one party over another. Does not necessarily mean they have to show who they are for, but in their “heart” they have a preference.
Party Organization- The formal structure and leadership of a political party, including election committees; local, state, and national executives; and paid professional staff
Party-in-Government- all of the elected and appointed officials who identify with a political party. Example) President, Vice President, Congress; Federal Judges are not part of a party, goes for State Judges as well.
III. Why do we have a Two-Party System?
Historical foundations (Federalists v. Anti federalists)
Self-Perpetuation of the two-party system
Political culture of the United States
The winner-take-all electoral system
Plurality- the most
Majority-more than 50%+1%
Proportional Representation- example depending of the percentage of the votes, is the percentage of what they will take in the Parliament.
IV. Political Ideologies
Republicans- Economical and Social Conservative
Conservatism
Conservatives generally support the Republican Party
Oppose massive government intervention in politics, economics, and looks instead to market mechanisms, states localities and voluntarism to resolve the country's problems.
Endorse liberty as the primary political value
Support traditional moral, religious, and family values and ask government to enforce the
Democrats- Economical and social Liberal
Liberals
Generally support the Democratic Party
Support government intervention in politics and economics to protect and expand civil rights and civil liberties and improve the conditions of the poor, minorities and women,
Endorse “equality” as their primary and political value
Favor politics of inclusion that seeks representation and participation for all

V. The Role of Minor(Third) Parties (Look at Table 8.2)
Act as barometers of changing political mood
Act as safety valve for dissident groups (Greens splitting from the Democrats)
Affecting the outcome of an
Libertarians- Economical Conservative and Social Liberals
Want to shrink the size of the government to the bare necessities because big government is wrong and non-effective (They agree with Conservatives on that)
On individual liberties and social issues they agree with liberals.
Greens-Nader
Left to Center
Pro Environmental
Anti Corporations
Anti Globalization

Campaigns, Elections, and the Media
I. Why do they run?
II. Who is eligible?
III. The strategy of winning
IV. Financing the Campaign
V. Why some Americans do not vote?
VI. How do voters decide?
VII. What are the Functions of the Media in the US
Democrat or Republican?
Socio-Economic and Demographic Factors

I. Why do they run?
Self Starters:
To further their careers
To carry out specific political programs
Example: Americans with Disabilities Act
In response to certain issues or events
Example: Anti Obama or Anti Bush
Ambition, Power
Recruited:
To fill the slate of candidates

II. Who is Eligible?
President:
A natural born citizen
At least 35 years old
A resident for 14 years
Vice President:
A natural born citizen
At lesat 35 years old
Not a resident of the same state as the candidate for president
Senator:
a citizen for at least 9 years
At least 30 years old
Be a resident of the state from which selected
Representative:
A citizen for at least 7 years
At least 25 years old
A resident of the state from which elected
III. The Strategy of Winning
Professional Campaign
Candidate Visibility and Appeal
The use of Opinion Polls and Focus Groups
P.A.C-
Citizens United v. FEC (2010)
Corporations, Unions, and Non-Profits may spend freely to support oppose a candidates
They can spend whatever they wish on issue ads
IV. Turning out to Vote
The effect of Low Voter Turnout
Some feel low voter participation is a threat to representative democratic government
Others feel it represent satisfaction with the status quo
V. Why don’t People Vote?
Political Withdrawal- Fewer citizens feel involved enough in their community to be interested in voting
Bowling Alone, R. Patterson- Social Capitalism, individualism is one of the reasons for low voter turnout
Rational Ignorance- people chose not to inform themselves on issues because they do not believe their vote is likely to e deciding factor
Campaign Effects- the length of campaigns and negative advertising may drive voters away
VI. Factors Influencing Who Votes:
Age(The older, more vote) in
Education (the more educated, the more vote)
Income Levels (the wealthier, the more vote)
Two-Party Competition(The more competitive, the more vote)
Who Votes Democrat, Who votes Republican?
Republican:
More education(college degree)
More Income, Business people, White Collars
Protestants
Anglo-Saxon and Northern European, Chinese Americans
Male
Older
Democratic
Less Education- 51%
Less Income, Manual laborers, union members 63%
Catholics and Jews 73%
Irish, Slavic, Polish, Italian heritage, African Americans 93%
Women, gays, and lesbians
Younger
VII. What are the functions of the Media in the US
Entertainment- although there is no direct linkage between entertainment and politics, network dramas often introduce material that may be politically controversial and that may stimulate public discussion
Reporting the News the media provide words and pictures about events, facts, personalities and ideas the protections of the First Amendment are intended to keep the flow of news as free as possible, because it is an essential part of the democratic process
Identifying Public Problems
Public agenda- issues that are perceived by the political community as meriting public attention and governmental action
The media have influenced the passage of legislation such as Megan's law
Socializing new Generations
The social media helps the younger generation and immigrants to gain perspective on the “American Life” and also helps them gain insight on what is going on around the world politically
Providing a Political Forum
The media also keeps track of what the president is doing
The media also offer ways for citizens to participate in public debate, through letters to the editor, blog posts, and other channels
Making Profits
Most news stations also need to make profit and one way they do it is through advertising
News stations have to go hand in hand with their advertisers
VIII.
Why and does TV dominate other Media outlets?
The increase in News-Type Programming
The media has increased its news type programs since the 80's
Television Influence on the Political Process
The impact of Video- a picture or a video can only capture so much about a certain story
Sound Bite- a brief, memorable comment that can easily be fit into news broadcasts
Cable News Channels
The "CNN effect" forces leaders to make decisions more rapidly and can also complicate delicate diplomatic negotiations and compel nations to take positions on controversis they might prefer to avoid
IX. The Media and Political
Campaigns
Television Coverage
Political Advertising- broadcast television still dominates media spending during campaigns, however, and the amounts spent continue to rise
Negative advertising
Management of News Coverage
Although political advertising to get a message across to the public is a very expensive tactic, coverage by the news is free.
Spin- An interpretation of campaign events or election results that is favorable to the candidate's campaign strategy
Spin Doctor- A political campaign adviser who tries to convince journalists of the truth of a particular interpretation of evenets
Going for the Knockout Punch-Televised Presidential Debates
Candidates view the debate as a strategic opportunity to improve their own images or to point out the failures of their opponents.
They also know that the morning-after interpretation of the debate by the news media may play a crucial role in what the public thinks
The Internet, Blogging, and Podcasting
Blogging
Podcasting- method of distributing multimedia files, such as audio or video files, for downloading onto mobile devices or personal computers
Government Regulation of the Media
Controlling Ownership of the Media
Media Conglomerates own larger and larger shares of television networks, newspapers, and radio outlets
Increased Media Concentration
Big corporations own news media outlets
The media concentration has led to the decline of localism in the news
Government Control of Content
The court held that the government could restrict "indecent" programming based on the "pervasive" presence of broadcasting in the home. On this basis the FCC gas authority to fine broadcasters for indecency or profanity
Bias in the Media
Mainstream media are easily biased toward stories that involve conflict and drama
Media are biased against the
“losers”
Maria Elizabeth Grabe has concluded that “image bites” (as opposed to sound bites) more often favor the Republicans.