Interest Groupsrevised[1].pptx

Bell Assignment

 Please pass forward your web quests

(if you didn’t already turn yours in).

 Think of a time when you tried to

influence someone to do something.

 What methods did you use? Were

they effective?

 To what degree do you think

members of Congress should be influenced?

 West Wing Carnival – lunch request

Why do we have

them?

 Seek to shape public policy.

 exist at every level of government  Educate public officials – provide

Interest Groups

some political purpose.

 Try to impact the outcome of

elections.

 They are not accountable to the

public – only their members.

http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer

Interest Groups



Almost always focus on those

issues that most directly affect the

interests

of their members.



UK – calls them “pressure

Are they good or

bad?

 James Madison warned against the

dangers of “competing factions”.

 He didn’t believe they should be

Functions of Interest

Groups

 Help to

stimulate interest in

public affairs.

 Represent

their members on the basis of shared

attitudes rather by

geography – by what their

members think as opposed to where they

Functions of Interest

Groups



Provide useful,

specialized, and detailed

information to

Functions of Interest

Groups

 A way for like-minded citizens to

pool their resources and channel their energies into collective

political action.

 Make sure

Criticisms of Interest

Groups

 Some interest groups have an

influence far out of proportion to their size or importance or

contribution to the public good.

 It is sometimes hard to tell just

Criticisms of Interest

Groups

 Some groups use tactics that , if they

were to become widespread, would

undermine the whole political system. Ex. Bribery, threats of revenge,

Types of Interest Groups

 Business Groups  Ex. National

Association of Manufacturers – represents 14,000 firms

 Pharmaceutical

Companies – one of the largest

 Labor Groups –

organization of

workers who share the same type of job or work in the same industry

 ALF-CIO –

represents 13 million members

http://www.csuchico.edu/~kcfount/

http://www.aflcio.org/

Founded: 1886

Members 9,000,000+ (2006) Country United States, Canada

Key people John J. Sweeney, pres.

Office location

Washington, DC

Types of Interest

Groups

 Agricultural

Groups – The Farm Bureau – “champion of the dirt farmer”

 Professional

Groups – medicine, law and teaching – maintain

organizations to

protect and promote their interests

 American

Medical Assoc.

 American Bar

Assoc.

 NEA – National

Groups that Promote

Causes

 Groups that exist to

promote a cause or an idea.

 ACLU – fights to

protect civil and political rights – 400,000

members

 Sierra Club

 National Right-to

Life Committee

 Planned

Parenthood

 National Rifle

Association

Groups that Promote the

Welfare of Certain Groups

Foreign Wars

 American

Legion

 AARP

 NAACP

 National Urban

League

 National

Association of Arab

Americans

Religious

Organizations

 Try to influence

public policy in several

important areas.

• National Council of

Churches

• Christian Voice

• Christian Coalition • _{National Catholic}

Welfare Council

• American Jewish

Congress

• Anti-defamation

How do Interest

Groups Influence

Public Opinion?



Supply the public with

information they think the

people should have.



Build a positive image for a

How do Interest

Groups Influence

Public Opinion?



Promote a particular

public policy.



Use propaganda to make

Influencing Political

Parties

 Keep close ties

with the party

 Major source for

campaign funds.

 Have their

members

become active in the party and win posts in

party

organizations.

Consider how its

actions on behalf or against a

PACs

 Political Action Committees:

raise and distribute money to

candidates who will further their goals.

 Most of them are single-interest

groups – they support or go against a candidate solely on their stance on one issue. Ex. Abortion, gun

Lobbying

 Major task is to work for those

matters that benefit their clients and against those that may harm them.

 Provide information, testify in front

of Congress, rally grass roots

Example – Law Regulating the

sale of Guns

 Impacts many groups who have

different, and competing interests:

 Companies that make the guns,

Lobby Regulation

to register with the clerk of the House and the secretary of the Senate –

describe in

detail who they are, who they

represent and a description of their activities

in a semi-annual report.

 States have

their own laws regulating

It’s Your Turn To Be A

Lobbyist!

 Your government class legislators have

found that they have a candy surplus and have drafted several bills to

distribute the surplus.

 You will join one of four interest groups

and together, decide at least three

reasons why your group deserves the candy surplus.

 Your group will choose one lobbyist to

represent your interest group and

convince the legislators to give your group the candy surplus.

 You may use any method(s) of lobbying

your group feels is necessary to

These Are The Groups…

 “The Cords” – those who regularly

earn Renaissance Cords

 “The Jocks” – those who participate

in sports at MRHS

 “The Artists” – those who participate

in band, dance, theatre or other art programs at MRHS

 “The Helping Hands” – those who