Chapter 9 Interest Groups

1
Chapter 9Interest Groups

• The Nature of Interest Groups
• Private organizations
• try to persuade public officials to respond to
  their members
• Unlike political parties
• do not nominate candidates, focus on winning
  elections
• Stimulate people to be involved in public affairs
  and to participate in politics
• Problem
• influence disproportionate to size and
  occasionally use unethical tactics

2
Role of Interest Groups

• 1st Amendment
• the right of the people to peaceably to
  assemble, and to petition the government for a
  redress of grievances
• Allows for creation of interest groups
• Gun control?
• Prayer in public school?
• Increase in minimum wage?
• Abortion?
• Gay rights?

3
Political Parties and Interest Groups

• Both consist of people who unite for a purpose
• Overlap
• Important differences
• Nominations
• Political parties pick
• Interest groups influence
• Primary focus
• Political parties who, noun
• Interest groups what, issue
• Scope
• Range of public affairs

4
Interest Groups Good or Bad

• James Madison
• Thought factions were bad
• Undo influence of the few over the many
• How stop?
• Eliminate factions, eliminate freedom
• Balance, many factions
• Necessary evil

5
Positive attributes

• Stimulate interest in public affairs
• Why is this interest important?
• Represent based on shared ideas not geography
• Teachers
• Farmers
• Provide the govt with info
• Employment, price levels,
• Vehicles for political participation
• One mom vs MADD
• Checks and Balances
• Keep tabs on public agencies
• Compete
• Limit power of each other
• Clean air act?
• Auto industry -vs- environmental

6
Negative Attributes

• Influence
• Proportion to size?
• Dependant on how organized and financed not size
• Representation
• Who and how many?
• The world will never know
• Views
• Not all ways represent views of all their members
• Normally driven by a small active few
• Tactics
• Bribery, threats, violence
• abortion

7
Shapes and Sizes

• Membership
• Thousands, millions, hand full
• Foundation
• Economic interest
• Business
• labor
• Ideas
• Gay rights
• Welfare
• Protections of certain groups
• Veterans, seniors, homeless
• Multiple
• Can belong to many groups

8
Groups based on Economic Interests how people
make their money Part One

• Business
• Examples
• NAM National Association of Manufacturers
• Big business
• Chamber of Commerce
• Smaller businesses
• Business Roundtable
• 150 chief executive officers
• Trade Associations
• American trucking association, American
  Restaurant Association

9
Groups based on Economic Interests how people
make their money Part Two

• Labor
• Examples
• AFL American Federation of Labor
• FOP Fraternal Order of Police
• Chapters in each state
• Not always see eye to eye with National chapter

10
Groups based on Economic Interests how people
make their money Part Three

• Agriculture
• Examples
• National Grange
• Oldest, Most conservative
• Focus on welfare of families
• North east and Mid Atlantic States
• American Farm Bureau
• Largest, Most powerful
• Midwest
• opposing govt regulation
• Let us do our job
• National Farmers Union
• Strength from smaller less fortunate farmers
• Dirty Farmers
• Upper Mid West and West

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Groups based on Economic Interests how people
make their money Part Four

• Certain professions
• Require extensive training and specialization
• Medicine, law, teaching
• Examples
• AMA American Medical Association
• Doctors
• ABA American Bar Association
• Lawyers
• NEA National Education Association
• Teachers
• True impact
• Why would these organizations have influence upon
  public policies disproportionate to their size?

12
Groups based on Economic Interests how people
make their money Part Five

• Promote Causes
• Welfare of Certain Groups
• American Legion vets (police action)
• Veterans of Foreign Wars Vets
• NAACP National Association for the Advancement
  of Colored People
• Religious organizations
• NCC National Council of Churches
• protestants
• ADL Anti-Defamation League
• Jews
• Public Interest Groups
• Unlike other groups focus on benefiting all
  Americans
• Public Good, health