UNIT 3: POLITICAL PARTIES AND INTEREST GROUPS 1. Interest Groups

Interest Groups A group that holds a particular interest and appeals to the government for legislation beneficial to their interest. These groups also try to influence public opinion to achieve their goals as well. – Goals/interests of interest groups are often based in a social issue that needs legislation to be resolved.

Interest Groups Chances are there’s an interest group for you, no matter what your opinion is. – Major issues today: world trade, the environment, immigration, taxes, equal rights, gun control, education, etc. – There are multiple interest groups that exist for each of these issues and more, as well as for the many opinions about them.

Lobbying So what do interest groups do? – They appeal to the government for beneficial legislation. – This is called lobbying. This is how interests groups try to influence the government.

Lobbying Lobbyist: an individual who lobbies. But wait, why are they called lobbyists?

Lobbying The Paradox of Lobbying – Lobbying is essentially protesting for what you think should be done. – This becomes a problem when an interest group appears to be serving its own interests rather than appearing to benefit the people and making sure minority opinions are heard. – Regardless, interest groups and lobbying are seen as an example of corruption.

Lobbying & Law-making Introduction of Bill Committee Action Floor Action Conference Action Sent to President.

Lobbying Introduction of Bill – Idea: Ideas for bills can come from interest groups. Interest groups have the ability to influence the creation of a bill through changing public opinion to create political pressure on Congress. Committee Action Floor Action Conference Action Sent to President.

Lobbying Introduction of Bill Committee Action – Interest groups can influence committees in a number of ways. This is where lobbying comes in. Interest groups or lobbyists might try to influence a committee’s opinion in effort to help a bill move forward, or prevent it from moving forward. Floor Action Conference Action Sent to President.

Lobbying Introduction of Bill Committee Action Floor Action – Interest groups and lobbyists can also try to influence the vote. They can attempt to reach out to individual representatives and senators to persuade or even bribe them to vote in the group’s favor. Their influence on public opinion and other politicians can also impact a vote. Conference Action Sent to President.

Lobbying Introduction of Bill Committee Action Floor Action Conference Action – Lobbyists can try to influences compromises or even bargain for themselves. Congressional representatives can try to bargain for the benefit of their state or their own interest. “Pork” is a type of political favor (money or action) written into a bill that is given in return for a certain vote. Sent to President.

Lobbying Introduction of Bill Committee Action Floor Action Conference Action Sent to President. – By influencing public opinion and/or creating political pressure, lobbyists can also influence the action the president takes regarding a bill.