1. INTEREST GROUPS

2. What Are Interest Groups? An interest group is an organization of like- minded people who influence government.

3. What groups are Democrat or Republican Democratic PartyRepublican Party WomenMen MinoritiesWhites and Cubans Midwest and NorthSouth and West PoorerRicher LaborBusiness Owners CatholicProtestants Lawyers & TeachersDoctors Lower EducationHigher Education

4. Business Groups –American Petroleum Institute & Chamber of CommerceChamber of Commerce Labor Groups –Major League Baseball Players Association MLB Players Webpage –United Auto Workers & AFL-CIO Agricultural Groups –American Farm Bureau & National Cotton Council Cotton Council Webpage Kinds of Interest Groups

5. Professional Groups –American Medical Association & American Bar Association Religious Groups –Christian Coalition & National Catholic Welfare Council Single Issue (Cause) Groups –NRA NRA Web page

6. What Do Interest Groups Do? Lobby: process of influencing government. Who are lobbyists? Lobby three branches of government on behalf of members. Organize and mobilize members to influence government: grassroots lobbying Organize members to contribute to political action committees. Organize members to work for party.

7. Rise of Political Action Committees –1974 Federal Election Campaign Act Allowed for PACs –Over 5,000 PACs today COPE: Committee on Political Education of AFL- CIO American Bankers Association –Bank Pac Beer Distributers – Six PAC Political Action Committees

8. Who gets most of the PAC campaign money?

9. The End