Interest Groups
AP Government
Unit 4
What is an Interest Group??
•“An interest group is an organization made up
of people who share common objectives and
who actively attempt to influence government
policymakers through direct and indirect
methods.”
•“Interest Group is an organization of people
with similar policy goals that tries to influence
the political process to try to achieve those
goals.”
What do Interest Groups do?
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Try to influence public policy
Lobbyists try and persuade public officials to
believe a specific view
 Every branch and every level of government
is affected by interest groups
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The Roots and Development
of American Interest Groups
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National Groups Emerge (1830-80)
Progressive Era (1890-1920)
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Organized Labor – the American Federation of Labor
(AFL) (1886)
Business and Trade Associations – The National
Association of Manufacturers (NAM) (1895)
The Rise of the Interest Group State (1960s and
1970s)
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Religious and Ideological Groups
Business Groups, Trade and Professional Associations
Organized Labor
The Development of
American Interest Groups
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Interest groups have been part of the
American political landscape since the
country’s founding.
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James Madison in Federalist #10 argued for a
proliferation of groups so that no one group
could get hegemony over the other groups.
The open nature of the American
government invites organized political
participation.
Interest Groups should:
• Promote interest in public affairs
• Provide useful information
• Serve as watchdogs
• Represent the interest of Citizens
Why People Join Interest Groups
1. Solidary Incentives
• For the social contacts
• League of Women Voters, NAACP,
PTSA, American Legion
2. Material Incentives
• For economic reasons
• AARP, Farmers Groups, Labor Unions
3. Purposive Incentives
• For moral causes / crusades
• Right to-Life, Pro-Choice, Greenpeace
Who Joins Interest Groups?
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Upper class interest groups- Big Business
More affluent join and are active
 White collar workers
 Professional groups
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Working class interest groups- Big Labor
Labor unions have been very powerful in past
 The AFL-CIO broke up in 2004, cutting big
labor’s power
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Political Parties vs. Interest Groups
Political Parties
• Nominate
candidates
• What to win
elections
• Concerned with
many issues
Interest Groups
• Don’t nominate
• Want to influence
policies
• Concerned with
one issue
Economic Interest Groups
• Most interest groups are based on
economics
• Businesses (create favorable environment for
business to prosper)
• Agriculture (work for price supports from gov’t, but
also limit gov’t influence)
• Labor (Call public attention to the legitimate needs
of working people. Accomplishments …eight-hour
work day …child labor laws …minimum wage laws
...workplace health & safety laws)
• Professional (protect and advance their
professional field -- to do this, they...publish
journals…give awards for excellence ...communicate
their opinions to gov’t officials)
Other Types
• Cause-based
• (National Wildlife Federation, League of Women
Voters, National Rifle Association, MADD)
• Concerned with the welfare of people
• (AARP – senior citizens, NAACP – African
Americans)
• Religious Organizations
• (Christian Coalition, American Jewish Congress)
Honest Lobbyists
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A lobbyist must be honest and truthful if he
or she wants to remain effective.
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Access to lawmakers is critical and if a lobbyist
gets a reputation of being untruthful or
disingenuous legislators doors will close.
Good lobbyists will also make lawmakers
aware of the downsides of a bill and the
arguments on the other side as well.
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And I have some swamp land in Florida for
sale…
Lobbyists
A Lobbyist is someone whose task it is to
influence legislation or policymaking
 Lobbyists are hired by:
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Businesses
 Trade associations
 Colleges or universities
 Foreign countries
 Anyone else wanting their voice heard on policy
matters (Health issues, parent issues…)
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Interest Group Techniques
Direct Techniques:
Indirect Techniques:
 Lobby at Capitol Hill
 Generating Public
Pressure
 Have private meetings
 Meet at social occasions  Use public pressure on
“hot button” issues
 Testify at hearings
 Use constituents to call
 Drafting legislation
lawmakers
 Providing political info
 Build alliances with other
 Supply nomination
groups
suggestions
Interest Groups have been
criticized for…
 Ignoring
the wider interest of
society
 Producing confusion and deadlock
in Congress
 Generating so much emotion that
they make reasoned discussion
difficult
 Having too much influence
What Makes an Interest
Group Successful?
1.
2.
3.
Leaders – having a prominent leader aids in
the reputation of the group and enhances a
group's ability to attain its goals.
Patrons and Funding – funding is critical.
Without money, it is hard to get your message
out.
Members – a group must have members to
be successful. Organizing members allows
for strength in numbers and pooling of
financial support.
Important Interest Groups to Know
AARP- American Association of Retired
persons
 NRA- National Rifle Association
 ACLU- American Civil Liberties Union
 NAACP- National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
 Sierra Club- Environmental advocate
group
 AFL-CIO- American Federation of Labor
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AFL-CIO
Alliance for Justice
American-Arab AntiDiscrimination Committee (ADC)
American Association for
Affirmative Action (AAAA)
American Association for People
with Disabilities (AAPD)
American Association of Retired
Persons (AARP)
American Association of
University Women (AAUW)
American Bankers Association
(ABA)
American Bar Association
American Civil Liberties Union
American Chemical Society
American Conservative Union
American Farm Bureau
Federation
American Federation of State,
County, and Municipal
Employees (AFSCME)
American Federation of Teachers
(AFT)
American Hellenic Educational
Progressive Association (AHEPA)
American Israel Public Affairs
Committee
American Legion
American Petroleum Institute
American Postal Workers Union
(APWU)
American Public Welfare
Association (APWA)
Americans Against Political
Corruption
Americans for Democratic Action
Amnesty International
Animal Rights Coalition
Catholics United for Life
Center for Democracy and
Technology
Center for Public Integrity
Center for Science in the Public
Interest (CSPI)
Children's Defense Fund
Child Labor Coalition
Child Welfare League of America
Christian Coalition
Citizens Against Government
Waste
Citizens for Budget Reform
(CBR)
Citizens for Tax Justice
Communications Workers of
America (CWA)
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Others- and Links!
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ConflictNet
Concord Coalition
Congressional Accountability
Project
Contract with America
Bowling Green State University
Coalition Against the Contract [
"Contract on America" (book by
Ann-Marie Rosato)
Council for Responsible Genetics
Death Penalty Information Center
EcoNet
Electronic Frontier Foundation
EMILY's List
Empower America
Environmental Defense Fund
Family Farm Alliance
Federation For American
Immigration Reform (FAIR)
Feminist Majority Foundation
Online
Friends of the Earth
Fund for Constitutional
Government
Generation X Coalition
Government Purchasing Project
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GreenNet (environmental)
Greenpeace International
Habitat for Humanity
Hollywood Women's Political
Committee - HWPC
International Association of
Machinists & Aerospace Workers
International Brotherhood of
Teamsters
International Union of Bricklayers
& Allied Craftworkers
LaborNet
League of Conservation Voters
League of Women Voters' Voter
Education Project
Majority '96
Militia Watchdog
National Abortion and
Reproductive Rights Action
League (NARAL)
National Air Traffic Controllers
Association
National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP)
National Association for Public
Interest Law
National Association of Arab
Americans
National Association of Baby
Boomers
National Association of
Broadcasters
National Association of
Community Action Agencies
National Association of Home
Builders (NAHB)
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National Association of Home
Builders (NAHB)
National Coalition for the
Homeless
National Education Association
(NEA)
National Endangered Species Act
Reform Coalition
National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force
National Organization for Women
(NOW)
National Recycling Coalition
National Resources Defense
Council
National Right to Life
National Rifle Association
National Rural Electric
Cooperative Association
National Water Resources
Association
Nuclear Waste Citizens Coalition
Office & Professional Employees
International Union (OPEIU)
PeaceNet
People For the American Way
People for the Ethical Treatment
of Animals
Physicians for a National Health
Program
Planned Parenthood
Public Citizen
Public Interest Research Groups
Service Employees International
Union
Sheet Metal Workers
International Association
Sierra Club
Society for Electronic Access
(SEA)
Society for Human Resource
Management
Taxpayers Against Fraud
Teledemocracy Action News +
Network
United Autoworkers Workers
(UAW)
United Food and Commercial
Workers (UFCW)
United Mine Workers of America
(UMW)
United States Space Foundation
Vietnam Veterans of America
Women's Legal and Public Policy
Information
WomensNet
Political Action Committees
PACS are the so-called “political arms” of
interest groups
 Support candidates with campaign money
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½ sponsored by corporations; 1/10 by unions
 1/3 liberal and 2/3 conservative (2001)
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Incumbents get most PAC money
 The “revolving door”
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PACS hire former members of Congress to
lobby their old friends, committees, etc…
 This is legal but …Is this Ethical???
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Where does ALL the $$ Come
From??
Member dues
 Federal grants
 Direct mail appeals for cash
 Internet sites
 Dinners and fundraisers
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Money Limits
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Individuals can give up to $2000 to a
candidate but PACS can give $10,000 to a
candidate
Federal money will match presidential
campaign money but….
 Parties need at least 5% of vote in previous
year for presidential candidate to receive funds
 If that doesn’t happen you need PAC’s!!!
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Interest
Group
Mantra
If you give…
you shall
receive!!
And now for a bit of fun….