Interest%20Groups

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Interest Groups
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The Influence of Lobbyists

• Who are the Lobbyists?
• A person or persons employed by and acting for an
  organized interest group or corporation to try to
  influence policy decisions and positions in the
  executive and legislative branches.
• What do Lobbyists Do?
• Engage in activities aimed at influencing public
  officials, especially legislators and the
  policies they enact. Lobbyists primarily provide
  money for campaigns.

The Iron Triangle
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The Influence of Lobbyists

• Who Are the Lobbyists?
• Lobbyists are former public servants.
• Lobbyists are experienced in government.
• Lobbyists often go to work for one of the
  interests they dealt with while in government.

• What Do Lobbyists Do?
• Many lobbyists participate in issue networks or
  relationships among interest groups,
  congressional committees, subcommittees, and
  government agencies that share a common policy
  concern.
• Interest groups provide money for incumbents or
  people already in office.
• Interest groups provide information of two
  important types.

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The Influence of Lobbyists

• What Do Lobbyists Do? (cont.)
• Interest groups sometimes attempt to influence
  legislators and regulators by going directly to
  the people and urging them to contact public
  officials.

Money and Politics

• Interest groups seek to influence politics and
  public policy by spending money on elections in
  several ways.
• to candidates for their election campaigns,
  especially in contested races.
• to political parties.
• to other interest groups.
• to the members of their group, including
  employees.

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Regulation of Lobbying

• -Past activities of lobbyists have been
  questionable
• Congressmen taking bribes, people not getting
  their rights
• -government regulation
• -stop bribery
• -special interest groups
• -reporting lobbying activities
• -effects of Lobbying
• Have been successful historically of influencing
  legislation

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Money and Politics

• The Growth of Political Action Committees PACs
• PACs Political Action Commitee-the political
  arm of an interest group that is legally entitled
  to raise funds on a voluntary basis from members,
  stockholders, or employees in order to contribute
  to favored candidates or political parties.
• Types of PACs
• Corporations
• Trade and health organizations
• Labor unions
• Ideological organizations

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PAC Contributions to Congressional
Candidates 19982008.
Contributions to Candidates for U.S. Congress,
19752008 (in Millions).
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Influencing your vote

• Interest groups are political organizations that
  have a particular goal or idea in mind
• Examples are NRA, United Auto Workers (UAW), NEA-
  National Education Association (teachers)
• https//www.youtube.com/watch?vG1q30kfi_5M

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Major Organized Interest Groups
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Other Techniques
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AARP The Nations Most Powerful Interest Group
The National Rifle Association

• 36 million members
• Offers a wide array of material benefits like
  insurance and magazines
• One of the most influential lobbying groups in
  D.C.

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Other Interest Groups - Some Environmental
Groups and How They Do Business
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Public Opinion

• -Public Opinion
• Generic term for what the majority of the public
  may believe about an issuecan be very misleading
  as a majority may represent only 51
• Opinions about government officials, candidates,
  and issues
• -Often misleading
• Can manipulate questions to get the answers they
  want

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Forming Opinions

• -Many Factors Influence Opinions
• -Mass Media
• TV, radio, newspapers, Internet
• Provides powerful images to the public
• -Public Officials
• Voters elect those they trust to public office
  voice of the people
• -Special Interest Groups
• Persuade people to their point-of-view

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Measuring Opinion

• -Public Opinion Polls
• Individuals answer questions to see how the
  general public feels
• -Random Samples
• -poll methods where attempts are made to include
  a wide segment of the population in the poll
• Reflect the entire population
• -Effects of Polls
• Make public officials respond to what the people
  want
• Set the public agenda

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Interest Groups

• -Interest Groups
• Believe that by putting together time, money, and
  resources, they can influence decision-makers
• -Bias
• -term that refers to a one-sided opinion on an
  issue
• Interest groups usually biased
• -Impartial
• -having no opinion on an issue

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Role of Media in Politics

• Each news station has political opinions that
  favor certain people.

• Fox News- Conservative republican
• CNN- impartial opinion
• MSNBC- More liberal democrat

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Types of Groups

• -Economic Groups
• Business Organizations
• Professional Associations
• Labor Unions
• -Particular Groups of People
• Ethnic NAACP (National Association for the
  Advancement of Colored People)
• Age AARP (American Association of Retired
  Persons)
• Sex NOW (National Organization of Women)
• -Particular Causes
• ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)