Chapter 7

Interest Groups and Political Parties

Defining Interest Groups and Political Parties

What is an Interest Group?• an organized group of individuals• who share common goals or objectives• who attempt to influence policymakers in all three

branches of government, and at all levels

What is a political party?• a group of activists who organize to win

elections, to operate the government and to determine public policy

Types of Interest GroupsEconomic Interest Groups – groups formed to promote economic interests • Business Interest Groups – business and trade organizations that

attempt to influence government policy to their benefit• Agricultural Interest Groups- advocate for farm interests

• enjoy disproportionate influence• Labor Interest Groups – groups that represent the working class

interests• Public Employee Unions – interest groups that represent employees

of governments, including the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and teachers

• Interest Groups of Professionals – interest groups that advocate for professional associations, like the American Bar Association and the American Medical Association

Types of Interest Groups (cont.)

• Environmental Interests – groups that advocate for pro-environmental policies, including the Sierra Club, the National Audubon Society and the Nature Conservancy

• Public Interest Groups – groups that advocate the interests of the collective, overall community

• Single Interest Groups – narrowly focused interest groups

• Foreign Governments

Interest Group Strategies

• Direct Techniques– Lobbying - meeting officials and

attempting to convince of your position on an issue; Lobbying also entails

– Ratings – scoring legislators based on their votes in congress, then making interested constituents aware of those scores

– Campaign Assistance – providing workers for political campaigns

Interest Group Strategies (cont.)

• Indirect Techniques – Generating Public Pressure – trying to

influence the government by using public opinion on an issue

– Using Constituents as Lobbyists • shotgun approach means having large numbers of

constituents act in concert by writing, emailing, phoning or sending postcards to a legislator

• rifle approach involves having an influential constituent contact a legislator on a particular issue

 PAC Growth, 1977 to Present

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

1977 1980 1983 1986 1989 1992 1995 1998 2000

Cooperative Corporate without stockLabor Trade/Membership/HealthNonconnected Corporate

SOURCE: Federal Election Commision, 2001.

PAC Contributions to Congressional Candidates, 1986

to 2000

$0

$50

$100

$150

$200

1985-1986

1987-1988

1989-1990

1991-1992

1993-1994

1995-1996

1997-1998

1999-2000

Incumbents Challengers Open Seats

Mill

ion

s of

Dol

lars

SOURCE: Federal Election Commision, 2002.

Attempts at Regulating Lobbyists

Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 • provided for public disclosure• failed because it did not have an enforcement

mechanism

Some regulations on lobbying passed in 1995-96 include • defining “lobbyist” as anyone who spends 20 percent of his/her

time lobbying members of congress, congressional staffs, or executive branch officials

• requiring lobbyists to register with the Secretary of the House or clerk of the Senate

• requiring semiannual reports on the nature of lobbying activities

Functions of Political Parties in the United

States • Recruiting candidates for public office• Organizing and running elections• Presenting alternative policies to the

electorate• Accepting responsibility for operating the

government• Acting as the organized opposition

to the party in power

The Theoretical Structure of the American Political Party

County Committees Precinct and Ward Organizations

(including active, paid, and unpaid workers) Party Members

(those who vote the party ticket)

State Conventions and Committees

National Convention

(including a national chairperson and a

national committee)

National Party Organization

State Party Organization

Local Party Organization

Why Has the Two Party System Endured?

• historical foundations of the system (the dichotomous nature of early American conflict)

• self-perpetuation of parties

• the winner-take all electoral system

• The state and federal laws favoring the two party system

Minor Parties in the U.S.

• Current Minor Parties– Usually enduring parties have a strong ideological foundation

at odds with the majority mindset– Examples include the Libertarian Party, the Green Party

• Splinter Parties- most successful minor parties have been splinter parties, parties that broke from a major party

• often, minor parties’ platforms are adopted by major parties

• sometimes minor party candidates can have an impact on the outcome of an election

Hot Links to Selected Internet Resources:

• Book’s Companion Site: http://politicalscience.wadsworth.com/schmidtbrief2004

• Wadsworth’s Political Science Site: http://politicalscience.wadsworth.com

• The Internet Public Library: http://www.ipl.org/ref/AON

• Democratic National Committee: http://www.democrats.org/index.html

• Republican National Committee: http://www.gop.org