Unit 2: Choosing Government Leaders Interest Groups Unit 2: Choosing Government Leaders

Interest Groups Groups of people organized to promote the interests or concerns of their members by influencing public policy: Laws and regulations established by government that determine who gets what, when, and how

Similar to political parties: Influence elections Passionate about public issues Different from political parties: Interest groups have no legal status Interest groups have a narrow focus

Kinds of Interest Groups Work-Related Groups: National Education Association American Medical Association Personal-Interest Groups: NAACP NRA Right to Life

Membership: Can be open or closed Nonmembers can also benefit (cattle ranchers) People can be members of more than one group American Cattleman’s Association

Activities of Interest Groups 1. Influencing Elections Members join and work within political parties Members donate to parties and candidates Urge certain votes

Blue democrats Red republicans

2. Lobbying (trying to influence those who make or carry out public policy) Lobbyists are “intermediaries” between interest groups and elected officials Phone calls Petitions Letters to newspapers Write bills Testify before congress

3. Going to Court They provide information to lawyers to help bring suits on certain issues

Political Action Committees PACs are organizations that collect contributions from members and direct that money to political candidates “Any independent group cannot be stopped from giving money to a political candidate as long as the group does not have legal ties to the candidate” Political Action Committee (PAC) — A popular term for a political committee organized for the purpose of raising and spending money to elect and defeat candidates. Most PACs represent business, labor or ideological interests. PACs can give $5,000 to a candidate committee per election (primary, general or special). They can also give up to $15,000 annually to any national party committee, and $5,000 annually to any other PAC. PACs may receive up to $5,000 from any one individual, PAC or party committee per calendar year. A PAC must register with the FEC within 10 days of its formation, providing name and address for the PAC, its treasurer and any connected organizations. Affiliated PACs are treated as one donor for the purpose of contribution limits. PACs have been around since 1944, when the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) formed the first one to raise money for the re-election of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The PAC's money came from voluntary contributions from union members rather than union treasuries, so it did not violate the Smith Connally Act of 1943, which forbade unions from contributing to federal candidates. Although commonly called PACs, federal election law refers to these accounts as "separate segregated funds" because money contributed to a PAC is kept in a bank account separate from the general corporate or union treasury. Many politicians also form Leadership PACs as a way of raising money to help fund other candidates' campaigns. Since June 2008, Leadership PACs reporting electronically must list the candidate sponsoring the PAC, as per the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007. Leadership PACs are often indicative of a politician's aspirations for leadership positions in Congress or for higher office. (A breakdown of spending by Leadership PACs is available on this web site.)

PACs may support multiple candidates in an election, or even those unopposed So, not taking PAC money, means the opposition likely wins

A new type of PAC was formed in 2010 known as a Super PAC Their contributions are unlimited but they have to contribute much more indirectly ($609,417,654 in the 2012 cycle) Super PACs Super PACs are a new kind of political action committee created in July 2010 following the outcome of a federal court case known as SpeechNow.org v. Federal Election Commission. Technically known as independent expenditure-only committees, Super PACs may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations and individuals, then spend unlimited sums to overtly advocate for or against political candidates. Super PACs must, however, report their donors to the Federal Election Commission on a monthly or quarterly basis -- the Super PAC's choice -- as a traditional PAC would. Unlike traditional PACs, Super PACs are prohibited from donating money directly to political candidates. As of July 23, 2013, 1,310 groups organized as Super PACs have reported total receipts of $828,224,700 and total independent expenditures of $609,417,654 in the 2012 cycle. See more on Outside Spending.