PRESSURE GROUPS
USA
Unit 3 The Politics of the USA
The US political system is the most pluralist of all
democratic systems – there are more pressure groups,
operating at more levels of government and with more
impact than in any other political system.
Issue based politics
Civil rights
Abortion
Gun control
Environmental protection
Key concepts
Pluralism
Elitism
Lobbying
Access points
Single issue groups
Corporate power
Direct action
Iron triangles
Clientalism
The meaning of pluralism
Types and classifications
Sectional and cause
groups
Methods used. Reasons
for success
Relative power vs parties
Controversies over extent
power exerted
Role and significance of
PACs
Comparisons with UK
Pressure groups
Pressure groups vary in size, wealth and
influence. In the US pressure groups
operate at all levels of government –
federal, state and local – and seek to bring
their influence to bear on all 3 branches of
government – the legislature, the
executive and the judiciary.
Key Terms
Pressure group –
‘an organised interest group in which members hold similar beliefs and
actively pursue ways to influence government. Unlike political parties they
are principally interested in influencing those who determine policy.
Political Action Committee –
Pressure groups that collect money from their members and then give it to
candidates and political parties who support their interests.
527s –
Groups set up in response to 2002 federal law which was designed to limit
amount of money given by PACs. 527 is the section in the law.
Iron Triangle –
Strong relationship between pressure groups, congressional committees
and government agency, which attempt to guarantee policy outcomes to
their benefit.
Trends in US Politics
‘"The political parties are threatened as the number of
interest groups has mushroomed, with more and more of
them operating offices in Washington, D.C., and
representing themselves directly to Congress and
federal agencies," says Michael Schudson in his 1998
book The Good Citizen: A History of American Civic Life.
"Many organizations that keep an eye on Washington
seek financial and moral support from ordinary citizens.
Since many of them focus on a narrow set of concerns
or even on a single issue, and often a single issue of
enormous emotional weight, they compete with the
parties for citizens' dollars, time, and passion."
Context
The US political system is the most
pluralist of all democratic systems
There are more pressure groups working
at more levels of government than any
other political system
Why?
1) Constitutional and institutional
2) Political and cultural
3) Social
Constitutional and institutional
Decentralised
Power dispersed
No single dominant branch of government
Separation of powers
Codified constitution-legal framework
Strength of committees (Philpott / BOB)
Political and cultural
Weakness of major parties
Members of congress individual – ‘folks back
home’
Americans suspicious of governments
No democratic country gives greater rein to
freedom of the individual than USA
Since 1930s growth of government
535 in Congress
Only two main parties
Social
Diverse society
Religious observance is more established
in USA than UK
American media also decentralised..so
local political issues given prominence
Criticisms of interest group
activity
The lobbying industry
often employs former
members of Congress
and administrative
officials. Critics argue that
officials exploit their
position in public office,
so as to earn large sums
of money. i) Of the 100
most senior officials
serving in the Clinton
administration, 51 are
now lobbyists or work for
companies that undertake
lobbying work.
Current NRA campaigns
San Francisco “Proposition H”
In November 2005, 58% of voters in San Francisco,
approved "Proposition H" banning the sale, manufacture
and distribution of firearms and ammunition, as well as
possession of handguns, within city limits effective
January 1, 2006. (The last gun dealer in the city had closed
several years earlier because of a special tax.) San
Francisco thereby became the third major city in the
United States with a handgun ban, after Chicago and
Washington D.C
The day after the election, the National Rifle Association
and other gun advocates filed a lawsuit challenging the
ban, saying it oversteps local government authority and
intrudes into an area regulated by the state. (A previous
handgun ban, adopted in 1984, was successfully
challenged on similar grounds.) On June 12, 2006
Superior Court Judge agreed with the NRA position,
saying that California law "implicitly prohibits a city or
county from banning gun possession by law-abiding
Impact of pressure groups
Recently, pressure groups have had significant
impact in a number of policy areas:
Civil rights for African – Americans
Environmental protection – Sierra Club
Women’s rights – League of Women Voters
Abortion rights
Gun control – NRA
Health – Health Insurance Association of America
PACs
Definition ‘ An umbrella organisation that collects money from lobby
groups who are concerned with the same issue, its sole purpose is
to raise campaign funds and spend them.’
4,000 PACs in USA today
Why are there so many?
Concern over pressure group financing led to law in 1971
Federal Elections Campaign Act 1971 limited personal and group
donations to candidates
Maximum donation is $5000
You can donate to as many PACs as you want
PACs pool to money – so the giver’s influence is greater
PACs can spend as much as they wish on a candidate indirectly –
funding advertising that supports a candidate or opposes the
alternative candidate.
PACS act as a legal intermediary – thus avoiding limits on direct
contribution.
527s
2002 new electoral laws were passed by Bush to
limit the actions of PACs. Money could no longer
be spent on directly supporting or opposing a
candidate or supporting Federal Campaigns.
527 is named after the section in the law where
the loophole is.
They spend their money in 2 ways;
– Voter mobilisation efforts (encouraging people to vote)
– Advertising that appears to focus on an issue
(guns,abortion) but in reality might hail or criticise
views/ voting records.