Interest Groups Chapter 16

Assignment 10 pts. Within your policy groups Choose an interest group Answer the following questions: What type of interest group is it? Explain. How many members does the group have? What are its key issues? What are three ways that it lobbies or tries to influence politics? How is it funded? How much does it spend? On what? Is it successful? See measures of success.

Example: AFT Type: Membership Economic Also: Public Interest 1.4 million members 3,000 local affiliates nationwide 43 state affiliates Teachers Professors School employees Public employees Health care professionals

AFT Key issues: From the mission statement to improve the lives of our members and their families to give voice to their legitimate professional, economic and social aspirations to strengthen the institutions in which we work to improve the quality of the services we provide to bring together all members to assist and support one another to promote democracy, human rights and freedom in our union, in our nation and throughout the world. Translation: wages, benefits, education and health care issues http://www.aft.org/newspubs/reports/ specific issues, information

AFT Lobbying efforts Activist committees to meet with legislators Activists for Congressional Education (ACE) committees Encourage members to contact legislators directly http://www.aft.org/getinvolved/legislative_action.cfm Phone banking and canvassing for elections Campaign contributions: http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000083&cycle=2010 (this is a great site for you to potentially use for your project!) Testifying before committees Professional connections AFT Teachers Honored at White House Event: http://www.aft.org/newspubs/news/2010/010710.cfm President of AFT Randi Weingarten Superdelegate at Democratic Convention Has a NY Times topics page! When she talks, it’s news: evaluation process for teachers At the state level: a legislative liaison/ lobbyisthttp://wa.aft.org/index.cfm?action=article&articleID=828b5a75-3092-472c-a728-1aab41bd005b

AFT Funded through union dues 2008: Spent: Success $167 million, ($141 million from dues) Spent: $11 mil on gov’t relations dept. Communications, organizing, office of the president, general operations and more. Success Strong leadership Strong membership who pay dues But free riders Are they delivering the goods? NJ family leave act 30,000 letters to support Recovery Act Voice: on the issue of teacher evals for example Still a long way to go Other volunteer efforts in Haiti, scholarships, resources for teachers: Black History month Sources: www.aft.org www.wa.aft.org , NY Times

Types of Interest Groups Public interest groups (i.e. NARAL, NRA) Benefits all Economic interest groups (i.e. AFL-CIO, NAM) For the economic interest of members Governmental units, who lobby for earmarks State and local governments PACs: Political action committees Influence elections

Table 16.1- Interest Group Profiles  Back

Lobbying efforts Target Congress through research, money, or testimony. Also target bureaucratic agencies and the president. Lobby courts through sponsorship or amicus briefs. Can use grassroots techniques, such as petitions. May also resort to protests and activism.

Table 16.2- Lobbying Techniques 

Election Activities Recruiting and endorsing candidates Get out the vote efforts Rating candidates and office holders Establishing PACs 4,000 registered with FEC $359 million spent on Congressional candidates PACs also can spend as much as they want independently to help candidates—for example, with heavy television advertising—as long as they do not coordinate their actions with the candidates' campaigns. http://corporate.cq.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=233 The 2002 law, usually called McCain-Feingold, banned the broadcast, cable or satellite transmission of “electioneering communications” paid for by corporations or labor unions from their general funds in the 30 days before a presidential primary and in the 60 days before the general elections.

Table 14.1- Individual Contribution Limits  BCRA Banned broadcasting a candidate ad 30 days before an election if it was financed with corporate funds. The decision came in a case brought by a conservative nonprofit group that made a film attacking Hillary Clinton and wanted to run it in a day shortly before the presidential primary campaign. The court agreed today that the film was an attack ad, not an issue ad. But it says that the group should have been able to run the ad as it wished In this case, the nonprofit organization that wanted to use corporate money to fund its ad campaign already had a political action committee of regulated and legal donor funds that could have been used right up to Election Day to fund TV ads. Instead, it wanted to use corporate general treasury funds and for the first time today, the Supreme Court said it could. Prof. HASEN: This is an activist court. It reached out and grabbed this case and used it as a vehicle for transforming First Amendment law. Corporations and unions may not contribute directly to federal PACs, though they may pay for the administrative costs of a PAC affiliated with the specific corporation or union. The 2002 law, usually called McCain-Feingold, banned the broadcast, cable or satellite transmission of “electioneering communications” paid for by corporations or labor unions from their general funds in the 30 days before a presidential primary and in the 60 days before the general elections. Back

AV- Interest Group Ratings 

Honest Leadership and Open Gov Act, 2007 Gifts banned Disclosure requirements increased for campaign contributions 2 years before you can move from gov’t to becoming a lobbyist

What Makes a Group Successful? Leaders, to inspire membership. Patrons, for funding. Members, who are involved at varying levels. Membership helps to overcome the free rider problem. Particularly true for groups that provide collective goods.

Jack Abramoff Clients: Indian Tribes, Christian Coalition, Online Gambling business, Mariana Island textile companies. Issues? Conflicts of interest? $4.5 million went to Congress and staffers in illegal gifts and donations

The 527 Loophole Advocacy may only be paid for with hard money. Soft money is banned under BCRA. 527 political committees emerge to fill void. Cannot advocate for candidates, only causes and policy. 501(c)3 committees also can educate voters.

AV- 527 Groups  BCRA Banned broadcasting a candidate ad 30 days before an election if it was financed with corporate funds. The decision came in a case brought by a conservative nonprofit group that made a film attacking Hillary Clinton and wanted to run it in a day shortly before the presidential primary campaign. The court agreed today that the film was an attack ad, not an issue ad. But it says that the group should have been able to run the ad as it wished In this case, the nonprofit organization that wanted to use corporate money to fund its ad campaign already had a political action committee of regulated and legal donor funds that could have been used right up to Election Day to fund TV ads. Instead, it wanted to use corporate general treasury funds and for the first time today, the Supreme Court said it could. Prof. HASEN: This is an activist court. It reached out and grabbed this case and used it as a vehicle for transforming First Amendment law. Corporations and unions may not contribute directly to federal PACs, though they may pay for the administrative costs of a PAC affiliated with the specific corporation or union. The 2002 law, usually called McCain-Feingold, banned the broadcast, cable or satellite transmission of “electioneering communications” paid for by corporations or labor unions from their general funds in the 30 days before a presidential primary and in the 60 days before the general elections. Back