G ROUPS AND I NTERESTS (I NTEREST G ROUPS ?)

I NTEREST G ROUPS Interest group- an organized group of individuals or organizations that makes policy related appeals to the government. Interest groups = lobby People who work on their behalf = lobbyists 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.

W HAT ’ S THE D IFFERENCE BETWEEN PAC S AND I NTEREST GROUPS ? Difference between interest groups and PACs PACs focus on winning elections Interest groups focus on influencing elected officials PAC focus on personnel of government Interest groups focus on the policies of government acs/toppacs.php acs/toppacs.php ndustries/ ndustries/

S UPER PAC S FEC: Federal Election Commission Administers the campaign finance laws and enforces compliance with their requirements Super PAC : A PAC to which corporations, unions, and other organizations can donate. Can take in and give out unlimited amounts of money. Did not exist prior to Citizens United v. FEC Citizens United decision, in which the Supreme Court ruled that corporations must be treated as individuals in terms of having "protected speech", including the right to spend money on political causes. SpeechNow.org v. FEC, a D.C. Circuit Court decision holding that contribution limits could not apply to political committees that do not make direct contributions to or coordinate their activities with federal candidates.

P UT IT ALL TOGETHER What can a SuperPac do in America today and what can it not do?

HACK Do you think that private organizations should be allowed to spend as much as they want to try and get someone elected or not elected? Why or why not?

W HY DO WE HAVE THEM ? 1. Help organize and represent people’s interests in government 2. Become a knowledge shortcut for voters 3. Become a knowledge shortcut for policy makers 4. Encourage democratic participation from their members 5. Monitor government programs and report progress

N OT SO BENEFICIAL Madison warns, “The public good is disregarded in the conflict of rival (factions), …citizens…who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.” “Good for all” vs. “Good for me” Solution for Madison, “Take in a greater variety of parties and interest (and) you make it less probable that a majority of the whole will have a common motive to invade the rights of other citizens… (Hence the advantage) enjoyed by a large over a small republic

HACK Do you agree with Madison’s view of how the greater variety of parties and interests fixes the problem?

U SUALLY ECONOMICALLY FOCUSED 1. Producer or Manufacturing based American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity 2. Labor unions AFL-CIO, United Mine Workers 3. Professional lobbies American Medical Association 4. Sometimes public good is addressed Union of Concerned Scientists

N EEDS 1. Money 2. Leadership Revolving Door in Washington Name for the ability of electoral losers and former government “big wigs” to be hired into interest groups as lobbyists or into major corporation

N EEDS C ONTINUED 3. Members Upper-class bias, Have money, free time, and education 4. Respond to changes in the political environment at a moments notice

P ROBLEM WITH GROUPS The Logic of Collective Action Some groups don’t form or are counter active Why? Main reason: Someone thinks that someone else will take care of it. Another version of the Free Rider problem

S ELECTIVE B ENEFITS OF G ROUP M EMBERSHIP Informational benefits -special newsletters, periodicals, training programs, conferences, and other information provided to members of groups to entice others to join.

S ELECTIVE B ENEFITS OF G ROUP M EMBERSHIP Material benefits - special goods, services, or money provided to members of groups to entice them to join.

S ELECTIVE B ENEFITS OF G ROUP M EMBERSHIP Solidary benefits- selective benefits of group membership that emphasize friendship, networking, and consciousness-raising

S ELECTIVE B ENEFITS OF G ROUP M EMBERSHIP Purposive benefits- selective benefits of group membership that emphasize the purpose and accomplishments of the group

H OW THEY INFLUENCE Direct Lobbying- an attempt by a group to influence the policy process through persuasion of government officials 7,000 groups are registered to lobby congress. Provide information to busy elected officials Most retain good relationships with both parties, others have better relationships with one Regulations Lobbying is no longer a tax write off for businesses Trade associations must report the proportion of their dues which go to lobbying Gifts limited to $50 and no more than 100$ a year

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Think, Pair, Share- Is direct lobbying a good thing? Is there a way to make it better or “fix” it?

C OURTS Use the courts to win policy arguments ACLU does this very often Affect public policy in 3 ways 1. By bringing suit directly on behalf of the group 2. By financing suits brought by individuals 3. By filing a companion brief as amicus curiae to an existing court case.

M OBILIZING P UBLIC O PINION Interest groups appeal to the public to pressure government Going Public- the act of launching a media campaign to build popular support. Using advertisements and media outlets to reach the public and urge them to act. a8brzNA

U SING E LECTORAL P OLITICS Watergate scandal- Nixon’s campaign received millions from corporate executives. Individual contributions are now limited to $2600 to any candidate for federal election. A (regular) Political Action Committee can contribute $5000 as long as it contributes to at least 4 different federal candidates each year. shtml

I NITIATIVES Many Interest Groups support initiatives in states to by-pass local government and get their issue directly on the ballot. Initiatives were originally designed in the late 19 th century as a reform to allow the people to govern directly. Ironically, it was originally seen as a way to limit interest group’s influence on the legislative process. om/watch?v=s87O7J m8VH8

EXIT PASS Write your name Write how you felt about your understanding Write one thing you learned about interest groups. Answer these questions 1. Name one kind of benefit that interest groups provide members 2. What is it called when interest groups try and inform citizens about an issue? 3. Name one interest group 4. Explain how interest groups use the courts