 Objectives: Students will be able to identify and explain the purpose and types of interest groups.
 Question: What is the importance of public opinion?
 Agenda: Homework/Notes/Worksheet

Chapter 9

 Private organization that tries to persuade public officials to respond to the shared attitudes of its members.
 Sometimes called Pressure Groups .

 Seek to influence public policy .
 They function at all levels of government.

 IG don’t make nominations to political offices.
 IG primary focus is to INFLUENCE public policy, not make it.
 IG tend to only concentrate on the issues that concern their members , not a whole range of public affairs.

 James Madison warned the new nation against “ factions .”
 Said they could hurt the country as a whole.
 Said they were inevitable and must moderate the extremism.

 Alexis de Tocqueville was impressed by the vast number of organizations in the
U.S.

 Interest groups raise awareness of public affairs, or issues that concern the people at large.
 Interest groups represent people who share attitudes rather than those who share geography.

 Interest groups provide specialized information to government agencies and legislators.
 Interest groups are vehicles for political participation.

 Interest groups keep tabs on various public agencies and officials.
 Interest groups compete.

Interest Group Problems:
 Many push their own special interests without concerning themselves with the greater public good.
 Some are more highly organized and betterfinanced than others =better access to gov.
officials.
 It’s sometimes hard not to tell just who or how many people a group really represents.
 Many groups do not in fact represent the views of all of the people for whom they claim to speak for.
 Some groups use tactics that could undermine the whole political system .

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

 Explain 2 purposes of interest groups

 Objectives: Students will be able to identify and explain the purpose and types of interest groups.
 Students will be able to explain the jobs of a lobbyist.
 Question: What is an example of an interest group and what is the issue that it supports/refutes?

 Most are based on economic issues.
 Labor Groups (write 2 examples)
 AFL (American
Federation of Labor)
 Teamsters Union (Long
Shoremen)
 Fraternal Order of Police
 Agricultural Groups (write 2 examples)
 National Grange
 American Farm Bureau
Federation
 National Farmers Union

 Most are based on economic issues.
 Professional Groups
(write down 3 examples)
 AMA (American Medical
Assoc.) for doctors.
 ABA (American Bar
Assoc.) for lawyers.
 NEA (Nat’l Education
Assoc.) for teachers.
 Society of Civil Engineers
 ALA (American Library
Assoc.)

 Groups that promote causes (write 3 examples & what they do)
 ACLU (Am. Civil Liberties
Union)
 National Wildlife
Federation
 Sierra Club
 National Right-to-Life
Committee
 Planned Parenthood
 NRA (National Rifle
Assoc.)
 Handgun Control, Inc.
 With your partner discuss which you might support and the importance of the group to you

 Groups that promote the welfare of certain groups.
(Write 3 and what they do)
 VFW (Veterans of Foreign
Wars)
 AARP (Am. Assoc. of
Retired Persons)
 NAACP (Nat’l Assoc. for the Advancement of
Colored People)
 Nat’l Assoc. of Arab
Americans
 With a partner Discuss the importance of these groups and what they do for their members

 Religious Organizations
(Write down 3)
 Christian Coalition
 National Council of
Churches
 Americans for the
Separation of Church and
State
 Nat’l Catholic Welfare
Council
 American Jewish
Congress
 Anti-Defamation League

 Public Interest
Groups
 Ralph Nader’s Public
Citizen
 Common Cause
 League of Women
Voters

Rank order most influential
1 Most -10 Least
 National Association of
Realtors
 American Federation of
Labor- Congress of Industrial
Organizations AFL-CIO
 American Israel Foreign
Affairs Committee
 American Association of
Retired People-AARP-
 National Federation of
Independent Business
 National Association of
Manufacturers
 Association of Trial Lawyers of America
 Chamber of Commerce of the
United States of America
 National Beer Wholesalers of
America
 National Rifle Association

 National Association of Realtors (No. 9)
 American Federation of Labor- Congress of Industrial
Organizations AFL-CIO (No. 6)
American Israel Foreign Affairs Committee (No.4)
 American Association of Retired People-AARP- (No.2)
National Federation of Independent Business (No.3)
National Association of Manufacturers (No. 10)
Association of Trial Lawyers of America (No. 5)
Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America (No. 7)
National Beer Wholesalers of America (No. 8)
National Rifle Association (No. 1)

The following series of social issues have important roles in functioning societies. You must develop a list that orders each issue based on your evaluation of how important each issue is to creating the best society possible. What preference should be given to the sometimes competing aspects of citizenship and community?
 Society Goals
 Controlling crime
 Giving citizens the opportunity to make a living
 Freedom of the media/ availability of information
 Equality of opportunity
 Safety net programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid
 Being able to express yourself and make choices
 Having order and the rule of law
 Offering education and instruction to improve skills

 Which issue did you list as the most important? Why?

How they effect public policy
Ch. 9, Sec. 3

Interest groups reach out to the public for these reasons:
1. To supply information in support of the group’s interests
2. To build a positive image for the group
3. To promote a particular public policy

 Propaganda is a technique of persuasion aimed at influencing individual or group behaviors .
 Its goal is to create a particular belief which may be true or false.

 Objectives: Students will be able to identify and explain the purpose of lobby groups.
 Question: What amendment did you identify with the article yesterday on inmates rights?
 Agenda: Notes/Videos/Discussion

 Propaganda disregards information that does not support its conclusion.
It is not objective. It presents only one side of an issue.
 Propaganda often relies on namecalling and
inflammatory labels.

 All of the methods by which group pressures are brought to bear on all aspects of the public-policymaking process.

Lobbyists use several techniques.

 They bring “grassroots” pressures to bear through email, letters, or phone calls from constituents.
 They rate candidates and publicize the ratings.
 They make campaign
contributions.

 Supply the public with information to support their interests.
 They bring “grass-roots” pressures to bear through email, letters, or phone calls from constituents.

 Supply the public with information to support their interests.
 Try to build positive reputation in society.

 Supply the public with information to support their interests.
 Try to build positive reputation in society.
 Work to persuade the public to adopt their views on policy issues.

Interest groups help and make use of political parties.
 Try to secure the support of one or both parties.

Interest groups help and make use of political parties.
 Try to secure the support of one or both parties.
 A lot of campaign money comes from IGs.

Interest groups help and make use of political parties.
 Try to secure the support of one or both parties.
 Much campaign money comes from IGs.
 Single-interest groups often campaign hard against candidates who oppose their stand on an issue, or might campaign for candidates that favor their issues.

 Legislative
 What types of legislation will be passed or defeated. Give Cg. info. on issue.
 Most influential here.

 Legislative
 What types of legislation will be passed or defeated. Give Cg. info. on issue.
 Executive (includes reg. agencies)
 How strictly a law is enforced &/or regulated.
 What bills to sign or veto.

http://cagle.com/news/SCHIP/4.asp

 Legislative
 What types of legislation will be passed or defeated. Give Cg. info. on issue.
 Executive (includes reg. agencies)
 How strictly a law is enforced &/or regulated.
 Judicial
 How laws are interpreted in court cases.
 File amicus curie (friend of the court) briefs.
 Who gets nominated & confirmed to sit on the bench.
 Less influential here because of independent federal courts.

Amicus Briefs in the v. search) case.
(student strip
 National School Boards Association, and the American Association of
School Administrators in Support of Petitioner
 United States of America in Support of Reversal
 The Urban Justice Center, Asian American Legal Defense and Education
Fund, Advocates for Children of New York, and The National Youth
Rights Association, in Support of Respondent
 The National Association of Social Workers and Its Arizona Chapter, the
National Education Association, the National Association of School
Psychologists, the American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry, and the
American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children in Support of
Respondent
 The Rutherford Institute, Goldwater Institute and the CATO Institute in
Support of Respondent www.scotusblog.com

 They “buy” off candidates through campaign contributions, gifts, and travel.

 They “buy” off candidates through campaign contributions, gifts, and travel.
 They get all the access to lawmakers, unlike the average citizen.

Why doesn’t Congress reform the system and place bigger limits on contributions and access by lobbyists?
 Would you cut off the hand that fed you?

 “What the heck is the Iron Triangle”, you ask?

An example: Cut funding for troops in Iraq.
House & Senate
Committees on
Armed Services
For: Americans
Against
Escalation in
Iraq
Against: Military
Contractors
U.S. Department of Defense

An example: Abolish the income tax
House Ways &
Means
Committee
For: Americans for a Fair Tax
Against:
Certified Public
Accountants
IRS

 There were
43 iron triangles to break through! =didn’t happen!
 Will President Obama be able to truly reform the healthcare system???
 What Interest Groups are lining up in support? In opposition?