Interest Groups, Lobbying & Money
I. Intro
II. Interest Groups: Definition
III. Types
A. Public & Private
• NRA, AARP
IV. Tactics
A. Direct Lobbying
B. Indirect Lobbying
• Civil Disobedience
C. $$$: Limits & Loopholes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Key Terms
Interest Groups
Telephone Tree
Mailings
PAC
MoveOn.org
EMILY’s LIST
McCain/Feingold
527 Accounts
Citizens United
Negative Spending
Definition
Interest Group
A group that tries to get the government to
pass laws to help their cause.
Types of Interest Groups
Public Interest Groups:
Lobby for causes to try to benefit all of
society.
Types of Interest Groups
Public Interest Groups
Environmental Groups
– PETA
– Sierra Club
Religious Organizations
– Christian Coalition
– Operation Rescue (Single Issue)
Other
– National Rifle Association (Single Issue)
Types of Interest Groups
Private Interest Groups:
Lobby for causes to try to benefit
members of their organization
(MEMBERS ONLY).
Types of Interest Groups
Private Interest Groups
• Professional Organizations
American Medical Association
American Bar Association
National Education Association
• Other Organizations
“Older Americans”
• AARP
Businesses
Foreign Governments
Tactics of Interest Groups
Direct Lobbying
Lobbyists speak directly
with elected officials or
members of their staff.
Tactics of Interest Groups
Indirect Lobbying
• Groups mobilize average Americans to shape
public opinion & place pressure on politicians
Telephone Tree
Mailings
Civil Disobedience
$$$$
AARP
Tactics of Interest Groups
Civil Disobedience
Violation of what is perceived to be an immoral
law and accepting the punishment for violating
those laws.
Why?-- to bring about publicity & hopefully
change.
Bus Boycott
(Montgomery, AL, 1955-56)
Rosa Parks
(1913-2005)
Money & Lobbying
PAC = Political Action Committee
A private group (corporation, labor union, interest
group, etc.) that raises and spends money for use
in elections.
PACs Raising a lot of Money
January 1, 2007- December 31, 2008
•
MoveOn.org
– Supports Liberal Democrats
•
EMILY’s LIST
– Goal: Elect pro- choice women (primarily
Democrats) to public office
•
NRA Political Victory Fund
Source: fec.gov press release 6/4/09
EMILY’S LIST
http://www.emilyslist.org/
•
•
•
•
•
Early
Money
Is
Like
Yeast
EMILY’S List Frontpage: 3/17/09
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/168449/may-132008/better-know-a-lobby---gun-control
Federal Elections Commission
http://www.fec.gov/
McCain/Feingold
(2002 Reforms)
Russell Feingold
D-WI
John McCain
R-AZ
McCain/Feingold-Contribution Limits
1. Individuals may directly
contribute up to:
• $2,000 to a candidate
• $5,000 to a single PAC
2. PACs may directly contribute up
to:
• $5,000 to a candidate
Contributions & 2008 Election
(Hard Money: contributions to political parties & to
individual House & Senate Candidates)
• Democrats raised: $780.5 million
• Republicans raised: +$640.8 million
$1,421,3 ($1.42 billion)
For the 1992 election they
combined to raise:
$514 million
The money was raised between 1/07-12/08
Source: fec.gov disclosure map
http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/mapHSApp.do
Loopholes In The System
• “527 Accounts”
– No limits on contributions to
527 Account organizations
– But only “independent”
advertisements are allowed
•
Citizens United Decision
– Supreme Court decision
allowed corporations to
spend money on
“independent”
advertisements
Opponents of Supreme
Court decision gather
outside the Court
building
NPR Story
(10/14/2010)
• http://www.npr.org/pl
ayer/v2/mediaPlayer
.html?action=1&t=1
&islist=false&id=130
569589&m=130572
270
The Impact
Negative Spending
•
Spending money to attack the credibility or
political stances of an opponent
2008 Election
(Anti-McCain)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2reDdPPCQ0
2008 Election
(Anti-Obama)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHXYsw_ZDXg
1964 Election (Lyndon Johnson)
“Daisy Ad”
Interest Groups, Lobbying & Money
I. Intro
II. Interest Groups: Definition
III. Types
A. Public & Private
• NRA, AARP
IV. Tactics
A. Direct Lobbying
B. Indirect Lobbying
• Civil Disobedience
C. $$$: Limits & Loopholes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Key Terms
Interest Groups
Telephone Tree
Mailings
PAC
MoveOn.org
EMILY’s LIST
McCain/Feingold
527 Accounts
Citizens United
Negative Spending