Political
Interest
Groups
Interest Groups in Texas
Politics and Government
• Topical Scenario
• Interest Groups
• Members and Goals
• Types and Influence
• Political Activities
• Media
Topical Scenario
• Medical Liability
– Tort Reform
– New Judges
• Proposition 12 – Amending the
Constitution in 2003 limiting civil liability
• Trial Lawyers and Consumer Groups
– Save Texas Courts
• Medical Industry
– Texas Medical Association (TMA)
– TEXPAC
• Proposition passed – 51% to 49%
Interest Groups
• A group of people who share an interest
and organize to influence government.
• Heritage
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Slow Developing
Agriculture
Business
Ethnic and racial
Public Interests - Consumer rights, and
environment
• Regulation
– 1957 and 1973 lobbying laws
• Register and provide activity information
– Constantly amended
• Lobbyist expenses and gifts
• Pleasure trips and honoraria
• Conflict-of-interest issues
Interest Group Goals
• Primary goal - influencing the formation
of public policy
• Secondary goals – Changing policy process (target government)
+ Enhance group legitimacy
+ Decentralize political authority
+ Increase opportunity for policy input
– Change social values (target society)
+ Consumer awareness
+ Parental awareness
Types of Interest Groups
• Business and Trade Associations
– Texas Association of Business
– lower taxes, favorable regulation
– reduce labor union influence
• Professional Associations
– Texas Trial Lawyers Association
– influence profession specific regulation
• Labor groups
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Texas AFL - CIO
Rights for collective bargaining
Occupational safety issues
minimum and increasing wages
More Types of Groups
• Racial and Ethnic Groups
– Freedom from discrimination
– MALDEF - TAAS testing discrimination
– NAACP - Education, segregation,
employment
• Public Interest Groups
– Common Cause
– Broad spectrum of social issues benefiting
the public at-large
+ Environment
+ Consumer protection
+ Homeless, poor, elderly, disabled
Ideological Classification
Favor
NAACP
AFL-CIO
Equality MALDEF TSTA
Regulation
Abortion Rights
TX Assoc of Bus
Right to Life
Take Back Texas
Oppose
Govt
Regulation
Christian Coalition
Favor
Order
Regulation
Interest Group Influence
• Money - staff salaries, research
• Expertise, Skill, Information
– Understand political situation and
government
– How it all relates to group goals
• Cohesiveness - actively mobilize
membership
• Reputation - credibility, trustworthiness
and political power
Direct Lobbying
• Lobbyists provide information about
groups concerns to government.
• Influence through direct contact
– 1521 registered lobbyists in 2005
– Spent $95 - 210,000,000
– Professional lobbyists increasing
– More ethnic and gender diversity
– Electoral activities
– Campaign contributions (PACs)
– Get out the vote
– Administrators to legislative staff
– Research information
• “Revolving door”
– From government to lobby groups
Indirect Lobbying
• “Grassroots lobbying”
– Mobilize member contact of officials
• Use of TV for PR ads (issue advocacy)
• Push polls
• Use of online web sites
Other Group Activities
• Electioneering
– Campaign contributions (PACs)
+ $54,000,000 in 2000
+ Primarily to incumbents
– Get out the vote
• Litigation
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Becoming more common
More expensive tactic
Used as last resort
Use to slow changes taking place
Political Communication:
The Media
Political Role of the Media
• Provides information public needs but
wont research
• Media performs three roles
– Provides information about political events as
as gatekeepers
– Provides conduit for public - government
communication
– Performs watchdog function
• Adversarial or Symbiotic Relationship?
– Conflict of communication and watchdog
– More interdependent than antagonistic
Factors Shaping the News
• Exactly what is news worthy
– Has to be relevant, exciting, familiar, timely
– Timeliness, proximity and conflict most
important
• Values of Journalists
– Liberals who vote democratic, although in the
South they tend to be more moderate.
• Journalist Creed
– Independence
– Objective
– Impartiality
Conflict Between Beliefs and
Journalists Creed
• Tendency to pursue own agenda
– Agendas usually liberal in nature
• Economics versus objectivity
– Need for drama and problematic coverage
– Need for novel and current stories not those
isolated and unrelated to audience
– Entertainment, sensational value rather the
objective policy discussion
– Crime, disaster, and war are favorites
The Media in Texas
• 618 newspapers, 532 radio stations, 102
TV stations, 91 cable systems
• TV most popular and trusted news
source - 73% national & 53% local
• Local news leaves room for improvement
– KVUE is the one exception
• Local news shows:
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Don’t use multiple sources
Are usually not objective
Don’t plan ahead for issue coverage
Lack the research staff
• Cable News Growth
Local News Schedules
7-8 minutes of Commercials
4-5 Minutes of Weather and Sports
17-19 Minutes of News
National 7-9 Minutes
Local 10-12 Minutes
More Texas Media
• Newspapers second most popular 33%
– Only one in each major market
– Nationally controlled ( Cox, Hearst, Gannett)
– Daily circulation decreasing
• Radio - less than 10% use as source
– Shift to talk show format
– Predisposed ideological objectives
• Magazines least used source
– Used by those actively involved
– Texas Monthly excellent example
• Internet newest source
– 95% of campaigns in 2006