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

2. 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

3. 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

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

5. 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

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

8. Blue democrats
Red republicans

15. 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

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

19. 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 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.)

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

21. 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.