Unit 3:Interest Groups, Political Parties, Media

Linkage Institutions

Linkage Institutions (remember?)

• Political Channels through which people’s concerns become political issues and political policy.

• Examples:– Interest Groups– Political Parties– Mass Media

Interest Groups

What Are Special Interest Groups?

• A group of like-minded people who want to influence public policy

WHY DO SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS EXISTThe Theories : Pluralism

• Pluralism Theory (growth of interest groups prevents the concentration of excessive power in the hands of a few and thus enhances democracy)– Groups provide a key link between the people and

the government.– Groups compete and no one group will become too

dominant.– Groups play by the “rules of the game.”– Groups weak in one resource may use another.

• i.e. all legitimate groups can affect public policy. – Lobbying is open to all so is not a problem.

Disturbance Theory• Most pluralists subscribe to disturbance theory as an explanation

for the formation of interest groups• The Theory:

– Groups form as a result of changes in the political system

– One wave of groups is replaced by another wave of groups offering a different perspective.

– Thus the voices of these groups act as a counterbalance to each other.

– Basically: the more activities the government undertakes, the more interest groups form as a response to those activities.

Elite Theory

• Elite Theory and the Denial of Pluralism– Real power is held by relatively few.

– The largest corporations hold the most power.

– Elite power is fortified by a system of interlocking and concentrated power centers.

– Groups are unequal in power because elites prevail when it comes to big policy decisions.

– Lobbying is a problem because it benefits the few at the expense of the many.

Elitism and Transactions Theory• Transactions Theory

– Elitists tend to reject pluralist disturbance theory as an explanation of the formation of interest groups

• The Theory– Argues that public policies are the result of narrowly

defined exchanges between political actors (elites)– It is irrational for people to mobilize into groups

• Collective action will benefit members and non-members alike– Groups that do not mobilize represent elites

• It is more cost efficient and effective for wealthier elites to mobilize than poorer non-elites.

Hyperpluralism• The Hyperpluralist Critique

– Groups have become too powerful as the gov’t tries to appease every interest.

– Results in contradictory policies.• Hyperpluralism & “Interest Group

Liberalism”– Government tries to please every interest =

hodgepodge of conflicting regulations, and agencies

– The more groups that arise the more stuff they will ask for and get.

– Creates a dysfunctional government.– Government needs to plan, it needs to be sure

there is justice, and “interest group liberalism” allows neither.

#^$%!

What Are Iron Triangles?• Sub-governments

– Networks of groups that exercise a great deal of control over specific policy areas.

– Consist of interest groups, government agencies (bureaucracy), and congressional committees that handle particular policies

– Also known as…

IRON TRIANGLES

Iron Triangles

Interest Groups: Organizing to Influence (video and guide 30 mins)

Fundamental Goals of Interest Groups

1. Influence public- Stimulate interest in issues- special interest groups will publicize issue and go on the news to air their concerns2. Influence Congress/government3. Testify at hearings4. Change laws to have their interests preserved or paid attention to5. Vehicle for Voter Participation*6. Watchdog function

Examples of Interest Groups

- AARP(American Association of Retired People) (social)- American Federation of Labor (AFL) (labor)- American Dental Association (professional) - National Rifle Association (NRA) (single issue interest group)- National Association for the advancement of Colored

People (NAACP) (civil rights)- Christian Coalition (religious) - Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) (single interest

group)

Why Join an Interest Group?1. Solitary Incentives: enjoyment, companionship

– Solitary incentives require organizations to structure themselves as coalitions of small local units– Helped by the importance of local governments in the U.S.– Examples: League of Women Voters , NAACP, PTO, PTA American Legion

2. Material Incentives: money, services – Organization may also influence how laws are administered to bring benefits to members– Examples: Farm Organizations, AARP

3. Purposeful Incentives: goal/purpose of the organization– They are passionate about the goal(s) of the organization– They have a strong sense of civic duty– Cost of joining is minimal– Examples: MADD

How Do Interest Groups Try to Shape Policy?1.) Lobbying

– Communication by someone other than a citizen acting on his own behalf, directed to a governmental decision maker with the hope of influencing his decision.

•Cooperative Lobbying: groups with a similar purpose combining their efforts. E.g. liberal interest groups joined forces to put pressure on the Senate to reject the nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court

•Grassroots lobbying: organizing lobbying efforts at the local level

•Netroots lobbying: political activism organized though blogs and other online media

Functions of Lobbyists (See What are the goals of interest groups)

• Influence Government• Provide information to government• Testify at hearings• Help write legislation

– They often help politicians plan political strategies for legislation

– They also help politicians plan political strategies for reelection campaigns.

Regulation of Lobbying• 1946 Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act: required anyone whose

“principal purpose” was to influence the passage or defeat of legislation in Congress to register Congress and file quarterly financial reports. However, the Regulation Act was widely perceived as poorly drafted and ineffective with many loopholes.

• Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995: Tightened up registration and financial disclosure requirements. Placed restrictions on gifts, meals and expense paid travel that members of Congress may receive from lobbyists. Former agency employees must wait 1 year before lobbying that agency

• Honest Leadership and Open Government Act 2007: Ban on gifts and honoraria to members of Congress and their staff. Tougher disclosure requirements, longer time limits on moving from government jobs to private lobbying jobs

• The “Revolving Door”: Should former members of Congress be allowed to become lobbyists??

The Ethics in Government Act (1978)

• President Obama updated these regulations in his 1st day in office:– Aides leaving the White House could not lobby executive

agencies for 2 years– Members of the administration cannot accept gifts from

lobbyists.

The Pros and Cons of Lobbyists• They provide useful information

to government• They provide a means of

participation for people• They provide a means of

representation on the basis of interest rather than geography.

• A linkage mechanism between people and government

• A 3rd House of Congress• As Madison pointed out in

Federalist #10, the remedy of curing the evils of factions by eliminating their causes is worse than the disease. Potential loss of liberty is worse than the abuses of lobbyists.

• Rich and powerful interests are over-represented

• Average and poor people are under-represented

• By safeguarding liberty, equality is sacrificed

• Single issue lobbies especially contribute to political polarization

• Lobbies contribute even further to diffusion of power making it even more difficult for government to get things done

• National interest is sacrificed for narrow interests with loud voices.

How Interest Groups Try to Shape Policy

2. Campaign Contributions (“electioneering”)

– Recruit/endorse candidates who support their positions

– Speak for those who need representation or buy candidate support.

– Provide testimony, and get members to work for candidates; some form Political Action Committees (PACs) (more later)

How Interest Groups try to Shape Policy

3. Litigation– Usually a last resort used if other tools fail– Interest groups can file amicus curiae briefs to

influence a court’s decision.• “friend of the court”• Raise additional points of view • Present information not contained in the briefs

of the formal parties– Class Action lawsuits permit a small number

of people to sue on behalf of all other people similar situated.

How Groups Try to Shape Policy4. Grassroots Lobbying/Mass Mobilization

– Because public opinion makes its way to policymakers, groups primarily use the media:• cultivate a good public image to build a

reservoir of goodwill with the public (Think Thank You for Smoking)

• Use marketing strategies to influence public opinion

• Advertise to motivate and inform the public about an issue and get them to act (Mass mobilization)

• Also called indirect lobbying because the goal is to get the general public to contact legislators and government officials concerning the issue at hand.

What are PACs?POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEEs

The political arm of special interest groups that raise and give away money

Why have they grown?

•Explosive Growth since 1970s

•Factors:•Scandals: Watergate

WHY HAVE PACS GROWN?

YEAR # of PACS SPENDING1976 1,000 PACs $19million2000 4,500 PACS $900million (32% of all spending)2000 $1mil. Primary2008 $14mil.Primary

•Grown Significantly since 1974 Federal Election Campaign Act

Over-All Spending Sources (2010)

• Industry Grand Total %Dem %Repub• Lawyers/LawFirms $46,557,623 77% 23%• Retired $38,610,407 50% 50%• Securities & Investment $28,671,624 56% 44%• Real Estate $21,426,989 51% 49%• Misc Business $12,497,50 067% 33%• Business Services $12,016,066 62% 38%• Misc Finance $9,798,635 47% 53%• HealthProfessionals $9,714,655 55% 45%• Education $8,511,935 75% 25%• TV/Movies/Music $7,981,956 82% 18%

WHY FUNDRAISING?

$$$$$ for Ads

Fundraising vs. Campaigning

2008- ~$5 billion for national elections

2012- > $6 billion

Campaign Finance RulesFederal Election Campaign Act 1974 McCain-Feingold BCRA 2002

Old law said: What new law does:

-Created the Federal Election Com. -Bans National Parties from

-individual can give $1,000 in Raising and Spending “soft money” primary Election -Prohibition on “soft money” solicitation

- Issue Ads (ads that can mention

-1000 limit an individual can give in a name but not mention who to vote General Election for) are to be treated as campaign

ads

-PACs give $5000 to indiv - Issue Ads cannot be aired 30 days before a primary and/ or 60 days

-Indiv. Can give $5000 to PACS before a general election by advocacy or interest groups

-Indiv can give $20,000 to party - Hard money donations to Senators and the President is raised to $2,700 which is indexed for inflation

-Donation to Party raised to $32,000

Election Law Loopholes

In the 1999-2000 election cycle, corporations, unions, and interest groups spentmore than $493 million on political campaigns for federal offices through soft money, a practice that was outlawed by the campaign-financing reform legislation of 2002.

Federal Election Campaign Act:Loopholes in the Law-Soft Money (2002- $421 million)

-Independent Campaign Spending

-- Issue Ads

--Buckley vs. Valeo (1976)

Shays- Mehann/ McCain- Feingold Reform:Loopholes in the Law-Donors could re-route the soft money they now give to the national parties and sent it to the state and county level

-- Party activists could form new local party committees for the primary purpose of accepting soft money contributions.

-- An individual could pay for radio and TV “issue ads” that praise or denigrate a candidate.

-- Advocacy groups (527s) or individuals could broadcast “teaser” ads that don’t mention a candidate’s name, yet point in his direction. (e.g.- Texas has one of the worst pollution problems of all the states. Would you want the U.S. to have the same problem?)

--Politicians can win friends and gain influence by urging their loyal donors to chip in money for their favorite non- profit advocacy groups. These groups would then help the candidate get elected through et out the vote drives, etc.Soft money

527s

THE NEW PACS/POLITICAL PARTY?

Special Interest Ads

The NAACP Voter Fund grabbed attention, with this graphic ad in which the daughter of James Byrd recalls the aftermath of his dragging death in Texas.

So when Governor George W. Bush refused to support hate- crime legislation, it was like my father was killed all over again.

The race was so tight in some states in 2000 that Democratic interest groups are tried to blunt the appeal of Green Party candidate Ralph Nader

NARAL: Voting for Ralph Nader helps elect George W. Bush.

"We won't be dragged away from our future."

What is new in the last ten years is What is new in the last ten years is the proliferation of issue advocacy ads the proliferation of issue advocacy ads during political campaigns. During during political campaigns. During campaigns, interest groups and trade campaigns, interest groups and trade associations create, pay for, and then associations create, pay for, and then air hundreds of advertisements. These air hundreds of advertisements. These ads call attention to the positions or ads call attention to the positions or voting patterns of a candidate but do voting patterns of a candidate but do not tell the voter to "vote for" or "vote not tell the voter to "vote for" or "vote against" that person. Thus, the against" that person. Thus, the advertising is protected as "free advertising is protected as "free speech" under the First Amendment speech" under the First Amendment rather than regulated as campaign rather than regulated as campaign advertisingadvertising.

Special Interest Ads (cont.)

Recent Campaign Finance Events

Super Pacs - independent expenditure committee - prohibited from coordinate with candidates - unlimited donations - must disclose donations over $200

Citizen’s United v. FECCorporations and Unions can spend $ in elections (and broadcast advocating a candidate) because they’re protected by the 1st Amendment’s freedom of speech

Recent Campaign Finance Events

Super Pacs - independent expenditure committee - prohibited from coordinate with candidates - unlimited donations - must disclose donations over $200

Citizen’s United v. FECCorporations and Unions can spend $ in elections (and broadcast advocating a candidate) because they’re protected by the 1st Amendment’s freedom of speech

II III Commercials II

501 (c) (4)Social Welfare non-profit organization - political activity OK as long as not “primary purpose”

- must disclose amounts of spending - ***does not have to disclose donors names****

McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission-

Can individual’s contributions to committees be limited or is protected by free speech?

Some Facts:$970 million The estimated amount spent by outside groups during the 2012 cycle

$874.6 million The amount that went toward Obama's re-election this election cycle, with the Obama campaign burning through $553.2 million, the DNC spending $263.2 million, and the biggest Obama Super PACS spending $58 million. 

$844.6 million The amount that went toward Romney's candidacy this cycle, with the campaign spending $360.4 million, the RNC adding $284 million, and Super PACs adding $200 million.

$265 million The gap between the amount President Obama and Mitt Romney spent on TV ads