1. Interest Groups

2. Interest Groups
An organized membership that pursues policy goals that stem from members’ shared interest.

3. Lobbying = big business K Street 20,000 Washington Lobbyists
More than $1billion annually

4. “Inside lobbying”-- Iron Triangles
Small, informal, stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who seek to develop policies beneficial to a particular interest.
i.e., Department of Agriculture (bureaucrats) -> legislators -> and farm groups (i.e., Association of Wheat Growers of America)

5. “Inside lobbying” --Issue Networks
Temporary “iron triangles”
Same players coming together for a particular issue then disbanding

6. “Outside Lobbying”—grassroots lobbying
Goal=gathering popular support for specific policy

7. “Outside lobbying”—electoral action
“talking to politicians is fine...but with a little money, they hear you better”
PACs =Political Action Committees

8. Madisonian Dilemma
We have a system of checks and balances to ensure that the majority does not trample the minority
Do we have a system in place to keep the minority from blocking action by the majority.

9. Are interest groups simply a necessary evil of a democracy?

10. -Fox Business News -Colbert Super PAC