1. Interest Groups
Madison’s Federalist #10 and the “mischiefs of faction”
Pluralism

2. Types of Interest Groups
Economic (Business, Professional, Labor)
Ideological/Single-issue
Public Interest/Research Groups (PIRGs)
Foreign policy
Government

3. Interest Group Resources
Size
Unity
Organization
Activism & Mobilization
Money

4. Washington’s Big 10 Fortune’s list of most powerful groups: NRA AARP
Nat. Fed. Of Ind. Business
AIPAC
Assn. of Trial Lawyers
AFL-CIO
Chamber of Commerce
Nat. Beer Wholesalers Assn.
Nat. Assn. of Realtors
Nat. Assn. of Manufacturers

5. Purposes & Functions of Interest Groups
Promoting Agenda
Education of Public
Election of Favorable Candidates
Mobilizing Membership

6. Interest Group Strategy
Shape policy to be consistent with group goals, while
Maintaining support within the group and avoiding the “free rider” (Mancur Olson, The Logic of Collective Action)

7. Interest Group Tactics
Lobbying
Revolving door
Iron Triangles
Endorsements
PAC Contributions
Soft money vs. hard money
McCain-Feingold
527s
Initiating Litigation
Amicus curiae

8. Lobbying: A Big Business
In 1968, 62 lobbyists in D.C.
In 2005, 34,000 lobbyists in 4,755 firms
From , $13 billion spent on lobbying
The Revolving Door in Congress
Congressmen make ~$150k year; as lobbyists, former congressmen can count on $300k (after 1 year “cooling off” period)
240 members of Congress have become lobbyists (40 for pharmaceuticals alone)
Currently 6 former members of Fed. Energy Regulatory Commission work for oil companies
China has spent $20 million in direct lobbying efforts since 1997
Numbers are from Lou Dobbs’ War on the Middle Class, 2006, Ch. 3