The Good, The Bad, the Purpose INTEREST GROUPS The Good, The Bad, the Purpose

What IS an Interest Group? A private organization that tries to persuade government to pursue favored policies. Protected by the 1st Amendment “Lobbies” – convince members of Congress to support or oppose an issue IGs lobby at the national and the state levels Opposing IGs compete for attention Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life

Examples of Interest Groups NRA - National Rifle Association NAACP – National Association for the Advancement of Colored People – protect against civil rights (discrimination) violations ACLU – American Civil Liberties Union – civil liberties (rights violations) NARAL – National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League NRLC - National Right to Life Committee

GOOD Things about Interest Groups Raise awareness of public issues Represent the views of their members Provide useful information to politicians Provide a means for citizens to participate in the political process Checks and Balances Power of political officials Influence of other interest groups

BAD Things about Interest Groups Some become too powerful Some are “fronts” for radical political philosophies Some do not represent the interests of their members Many use money as political “bribes” – NOT LEGAL Campaign contributions - LEGAL

3 Ways to Influence Public Opinion 1. Supply the public with information 2. Build a positive image for the group Groups Accomplishments Positive press coverage Politicians vote in desired manner 3. Promote a particular public policy Trailer for movie “Thank You for Smoking” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBELC_vxqhI

Use of Propaganda Try to shape public opinion about a particular topic Does not use objective logic Begins with a conclusion Only provide supporting evidence Simple, yet interesting delivery of information Lobbyists master this “craft” Trailer for movie “Thank You for Smoking” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBELC_vxqhI

Lobbying What…. How (TACTICS)…. Testify before Congress Pressuring politicians to vote a certain way on issues Lobbyist – a person hired by an interest group to convince members of Congress to support or oppose a particular issue Testify before Congress One-on-one meetings Political contributions To re-election campaigns “Rate” members of Congress Publish ratings Can NOT Bribe

Political Parties GOAL(s) – to win elections and control government Made up of : people who unite for some political purpose What they do: Focus mostly on getting their candidate elected Nominate candidates for public office Concerned with: everything that concerns voters (many issues) Accountable to: voters from their party TACTICS (how they do it): Campaign: Advertising, Conventions Debates, Rallies/Speeches

Interest Groups GOAL – to influence government policy (laws) Made up of: people who unite for some political purpose What they do: - Focus on their issue - Don’t care which party, only that their cause is advanced Do not nominate candidates for public office Concerned with: only about issues that affect their members Accountable to: accountable to their members TACTICS: Lobbying: (One on one meetings with elected officials, contribute to campaigns, testify before Congress), Publish information, Advertise

Media Influence Influence political opinions of voters Determining the behavior of candidates and officials Setting the public Agenda