What are Interest Groups? Private Organizations that try to persuade public officials to respond to the shared attitudes of their members They are not like political parties because they are not concerned with winning or holding office

Why are interest groups beneficial? 1.They let the public know what the issues are 2.They represent people across the country not just in your city 3.They provide facts and information that the government may not have time to find out

1.They are a way for people to become involved 2.They act as a watch-dog on the government. If the government is not meeting a standard they have by law promised to meet, an interest group may inform the public

Why are Interest Groups bad? 1.They may have influence out of proportion to their size 2.They may try to mislead you as to how many people are in their group based on their name “Americans for a….” “People United Against….”

1.The group may not represent the views of all of its members 2.Some of the tactics that some Interest groups have used are unethical. (Bribery, exchange of gifts)

Types of Interest groups (copy only what is in bold) Business and Professional Groups- These are often industry specific but they do not have to be –Chamber of Commerce, American Trucking Association, National Restaurant Association, American Medical Association, American Bar Association Labor Unions- Share the same type of job or work in the same industry. Unions pressure the government for policies that will help their members. –AFL-CIO- made up of 100 separate unions with 13 million members –Fraternal Order of Police

Other Groups (just the bold) Groups that Promote causes- ACLU, Sierra Club, NRA, NOW, NAACP, AARP, Moveon, Veterans of Foreign Wars Religious Organizations- Religious groups also have groups that try to influence public policy.

Lobbyists (copy all) It is estimated that some 20,000 lobbyists exist in Washington D.C. at any given time There are lobbyists stationed in all 50 State Capitals when State legislatures are in Session The goal of the lobbyist is to influence the politician and therefore public policy

How do lobbyists work? Lobbyists are hired by the political action committee (PAC) to influence policy makers They will often provide information in the form of testimony for Congress as “experts” in their field. Lobbyists will mount “grass roots” campaigns for or against politicians based on the position of the politician

What is a grass roots campaign? A campaign that comes from the people and moves upward. Lobbyists may use clever propaganda, s, mass-mailed postcards and the media to get their message across.