Group Member Names (Max 3):
American Government
Mr. Bekemeyer
Interest Groups
Instructions: Choose a recorder for the group. Use this answer document to respond to the questions.
Read and watch “Interest Groups” as a team and discuss the questions together before your recorder
responds. You only need to turn-in one document per group, however for examination purposes, each
group member may want an individual copy.
Interest groups (also known as special interest groups) are organizations of people with shared policy
goals that enter the political process at several points to try to achieve those goals. Like the news media,
interest groups are examples of linkage institutions, which connect "the people" to the government.
This online activity explores the various ways that interest groups attempt to influence public policy.
After an overview of interest group categories, the focus of the lesson will be on three categories of
activity: direct lobbying, indirect lobbying, and litigation.
Interest Group Categories
Step 1: Examine the overall interest group picture in the United States.
1.
Which of the categories of groups above do you think have the most influence over the political
process? Why?
2.
According to the table, what kind of people have the highest level of representation? The lowest?
Do you think this matters? Why or why not?
3.
Examine this data related to labor unions in the United States. What are the general trends?
4.
Examine the information contained in the PAC section of opensecres.org (HERE). What is a
PAC? What groups tend to give to Democrats and which to Republicans. Why do you think this
occurs? What categories of interest groups have the most influential political action committees?
The least?
Step 2 - Professional Lobbying
Spending on Lobbyists
5.
Describe the trend in total lobbying spending since 1998. What do you think accounts for this
trend?
6.
What are the lobbying firms that make the most money?
7.
Click on one of the firms. What category of special interest groups (see step 1 above) are most
represented by lobbyists?
8.
What do you learn about each of the categories? What industries spend the most money lobbying
the government?
9.
Return to the "Ranked Sectors" link. Click on "Ideological/Single-Issue." Who are the biggest
spenders on lobbyists in this category? Who spends the least?
10.
What kind of interest groups spend the most on lobbying: economic groups, equal opportunity
groups, or public interest/single-issue groups? The least? What do you think accounts for this
difference?
11.
How does this data compare to campaign contribution data compare with the data you explored
under the PAC tab of opensecrets.org (Q. #4)?
The Revolving Door: Who Are These Lobbyists?
12.
Read this article describing the revolving door phenomenon between Congress and lobbying, then
write a definition of the revolving door.
13.
Why do you think lobbying firms prefer to hire former congresspersons and staff members?
14.
Have a look at the destination of "Former Members of the 112th Congress." What percentage of
these departing congresspersons became lobbyists?
15.
Each member of Congress is given a staff. Also, each congressional committee has a staff to assist
its work as well. Read and summarize "Almost 400 Former House Staffers Registered to Lobby in
Last Two Years," which focuses on participation by congressional staff members in the revolving
door.
16.
Go to pages 4-19 of this report about the most powerful lobbyists who are also former members of
Congress. Read any three (3) profiles. How much money did these lobbyists' firms earn
representing special interest groups? What kinds of interest groups do they tend to represent?
17.
This web page lists the industries that employ the most former government officials as lobbyists.
What kinds of interest groups are most prevalent here?
18.
Read and summarize "While Candidates Decry Lobbying, Ex-Lawmakers Embrace It."
19.
Do you believe the revolving door phenomenon is good or bad for democracy? Explain.
Indirect Lobbying - "Going Public" and "Grassroots" Activism
Step 3
20.
In 2010, the New York State legislature considering passing a tax on sugary drinks to encourage
consumers to buy less of them as a way of addressing childhood obesity. What is the purpose of
the ads? How do they attempt to persuade?
21.
The following web links illustrate indirect activism in response to the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act of 2010 (a.k.a. Obamacare), published as the law was being debated in
Congress. Describe the message of the ads? Are the ads effective? Why or why not?
22.
Check out this "Health Care Action Kit" put together by Freedom Works, an interest group that
involved itself in the fight against the health care reform bill. In what ways does the organization
suggest people can impact government action? How is this an example of grassroots activism?
23.
Read "The Return of the Dirty Dozen" about the actions of an environmental group. This is an
example of a "legislative scorecard." What does the article describe? How successful was the
group in achieving its goals?
24.
The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has established this web page. Have a look
around. What is the purpose of the page? What proposed legislation is highlighted on this page,
and why do you think members of the AARP might be concerned about this legislation? How
effective do you think the AARP's website might be in influencing legislation?
Litigation
Step 4
26.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has been working to oppose this law. Read the
ACLU's "About Us" web page, then read this description of actions taken by the organization
against the law.
•
(a) What is the purpose of the ACLU? What kind of interest group is it?
•
(b) What is the ACLU doing in response to the Arizona state law?
•
(c) What are the ACLU's arguments against the law?
•
(d) Do you agree or disagree with the ACLU's arguments? Explain.
27.
One option for interest groups interested in the outcome of a U.S. Supreme Court case is to file an
amicus curiae brief. Latin for "friend of the court," an amicus curiae is a person or group that is
not directly involved in a case before the Supreme Court but that offers written information or
legal arguments in support of one side of the case. This web page contains documents related to
the Citizens United ruling. Scroll down to the "Briefs and Documents" section. What kinds of
organizations filed amicus curiae briefs for the Citizens United case?
28.
Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act of 2010, also known as Obamacare. Read this article and summarize the
actions of special interest groups before the Court reached its decision.