1. What is the purpose of interest groups?
Economic interest groups
• Corporations
• Business associations (a.k.a. industry groups)
• Labor unions
• Professional organizations
Equal opportunity interest groups
Public interest or single-issue groups
Associated Builders and
Contractors (ABC) is a
trade association
representing the
interests of construction
companies.
2a.
What category of
interest group is
this?
Public Citizen is a
consumer advocacy
group that works to
protect Americans from
corporate abuses, such
as unsafe products and
rampant
commercialism.
2b.
What category of
interest group is
this?
The Human Rights
Campaign works to
achieve lesbian, gay,
bisexual and
transgender equality.
2c.
What category of
interest group is
this?
Earth Justice works to
preserve wildlife and
wilderness, ensure a
toxic-free environment,
and promote clean energy
over fossil fuels to combat
global warming.
2d.
What category of
interest group is
this?
The American Council of
Life Insurers (ACLI)
represents 300 life
insurance companies.
2e.
What category of
interest group is
this?
The National Council of
La Raza – the largest
national Hispanic civil
rights and advocacy
organization in the
United States – works to
improve opportunities
for Hispanic Americans.
2f.
What category of
interest group is
this?
The United Farm
Workers of America
(UFW) represents
agricultural laborers
who work for wages.
2g.
What category of
interest group is
this?
The American Medical
Association (AMA) is the
largest association of
physicians and medical
students in the United
States.
2h.
What category of
interest group is
this?
The American Civil
Liberties Union
advocates on behalf of
Americans’ civil
liberties, such as free
speech, voting rights,
and freedom of religion.
2i.
What category of
interest group is
this?
The American Institute
of Certified Public
Accountants (AICPA)
represents accountants
who work in business
and industry, public
practice, government,
education, and other
fields.
2j.
What category of
interest group is
this?
# 1 Campaign finance
#2 Direct lobbying
– Gifts, travel
– Lobbying
#3 Indirect lobbying
– Issue advocacy (TV and
radio ads, print
advertisements, etc.)
– Grassroots mobilization
(petitions, letters to
elected officials, etc.)
– Legislative scorecards
#4 Litigation
The CEO of The Boeing Company “bundles”
together campaign contributions from
several dozen executives at the company for
a member of the House of Representatives.
3. What category of interest group activity is
this?
A bill that would raise the gasoline excise
tax is being considered by the Senate Ways
and Means Committee. Airlines for
America, an industry group representing
major airline companies, hires a team of
lobbyists to pressure committee members
to vote to reject the bill.
4. What category of interest group activity is
this?
5. What category of interest group spends
the most on direct lobbying?
Most economic interest group PACs tend to
contribute relatively evenly to Republican
and Democratic lawmakers.
6. What kind of candidate do economic
interest group PACs tend to favor? Why
do you think that is?
7. Name one kind of economic interest
group that tends to contribute campaign
funds to candidates in the Democratic
party. Why do you believe they do this?
8. Name one kind of single-issue group that
tends to contribute campaign funds to
candidates in the Democratic party.
9. Name one kind of single-issue group that
tends to contribute campaign funds to
candidates in the Republican party. Why
do you believe they do this?
10. Many congresspersons and
congressional staff members are
employed as lobbyists when they leave
Congress. What do you call this
phenomenon?
11. Why are many political observers
critical of this trend?
12. What is one way that interest groups
try to influence a U.S. Supreme Court
decision?
13. Identify one major restriction on direct
lobbying enacted in the last twenty
years.
14. Identify three features of the U.S.
Constitution that protect interest
group activity.