Interest Groups

A Necessary Evil?http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-april-3-2013/you-stuck-what-where-now-

Learning ObjectivesAfter studying this topic, students should be able to:•Distinguish the essential differences between interest groups and political parties•Understand three basic theories of interest group politics:

– Pluralist theory,– Elite theory, – Hyperpluralist theory.

•Determine the factors that tend to make an interest group successful.•Differentiate between a potential group and an actual group, and determine how the

free-rider problem applies.•Explain how interest groups try to shape public policy and how lobbyists represent

interest groups in influencing the legislative agenda.•Describe 4 types of interest groups: Economic, Business, Labor, Public Interest Groups•Analyze the appropriate role of interest groups within a democratic environment.

Opener• Jon Stewart Interviews Grover Norquist,

President of Americans for Tax Reform, a taxpayer advocacy/interest group

Daily Show: Grover Norquist

Those Who Have Taken the Pledge

•238 Representatives•41 Senators •Only 1 Democrat

60 Minutes: Grover Norquist

Interest Group• Definition: Organization dedicated to a certain unified

cause with the primary goal of influencing public policy to their benefit– Present at every level of government

• How do political parties and interest groups differ?– Parties: nominate candidates, contest elections, and seek to

gain control of government v. IG: seek to support public officials & influence public policies

– Parties: Policy generalists v. IG: Policy specialists– Parties: Responsible to voters v. IG: resp. to members

Daily Show--Interest Groups

Colbert--Better Know A Lobby (Meat Industry-start video at 1:45)Colbert--Democrats, Republicans, and Lobbyists

Over 22,000 I.G….Why Are There So Many?

• Variety of Divisive Issues= Many interests• Federalism?• Dealignment/Weakening Political Parties• Campaign Finance Reform Act?

– Made It Legal to Form PACs (FECA of 1974)

• 1st Amendment?• Expanded Role of Govt

– Billions in federal $ available

Basic Functions• Represent Specific Interests

– Educate; Raise Awareness

• Linkage Institution• Agenda Setting• Influence Actions of

Government– What bills/laws are written; how

they are written; if they’re passed

– Enforcement of Laws

What Determines the Effectiveness of Interest Groups?• Common Characteristics:

– Financial Resources• Hire lobbyists, support PACs, write amicus curiae briefs

– Organizational Skills– Intensity

• Often single issue groups w/ narrow focus able to mobilize intensely committed members; smaller demands

– Size of the group?• A large group may have a lot of sway, but more subject to the Free-Rider problem• Small groups are easier to organize/rally

• Business I.G.– Many financial resources; Contribute heavily to campaigns– Many been around long so connections w/ Congress– Push for narrow, minute tax laws most don’t notice

Categories/Types of I.G.• Business/Labor/Agricultural Groups (Economic):

– Form to promote/protect economic interests– Well funded/either rep. large constituencies or employs one

• Professional Associations• Environmental groups• Public Interest & Single Issue

– Org. around well defined set of policy issues– Some Single Issue: Powerful b/c intensity of supporters– P. I. Groups: Usually concerned w/ environment, consumer protection, civil

rights

• Government Interest Groups:– States/cities now employ lobbyists…why?

• What role might mandates play in this?

AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organization) [ranked #5] American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) [ranked #1] American Bankers Association [ranked #11] American Farm Bureau Federation [ranked #21] American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) [ranked #22] American Israel Public Affairs Committee [ranked #4] American Medical Association [ranked #13] Association of Trial Lawyers of America [ranked #6] Chamber of Commerce [ranked #7] Credit Union National Association [ranked #18] Health Insurance Association of America [ranked #25] International Brotherhood of Teamsters [ranked #23] Motion Picture Association of America [ranked #17] National Association of Broadcasters [ranked #20] National Association of Home Builders [ranked #16] National Association of Manufacturers [ranked #14] National Association of Realtors [ranked #15] National Beer Wholesalers Association [ranked #19] National Education Association (NEA) [ranked #9] National Governor's Association [ranked #12] National Federation of Independent Business [ranked #3] National Restaurant Association [ranked #10] National Right to Life Committee [ranked #9] National Rifle Association (NRA) [ranked #2] United Auto Workers (UAW) [ranked #24]

History• Madison:

– Why did Madison argue the Constitution would protect against the effects of factions/special interests?

• Federalism/Separation of Powers– Theory: Power decentralized/balanced– Practice: creates divisions and access points

• Federalists & Anti-Federalists • Growth of Interest Groups

– 1830s: Most, single issue…Abolitionists– 1890-1920s: Progressive Era…groups for reform– 1950-1970s: Groups form in support of minorities, the poor, elderly, &

consumers (Nader)

Fundamental Goals of Interest Groups

1. Gain access to policymakers2. Influence public policy3. Support sympathetic policymakers

I.G. Strategies• Lobbying: Process by which interest groups attempt

to influence the decisions of policymakers– Carried out by “Lobbyists”– Approx. 30,000 lobbyists; spend $2 billion/yr. lobbying

Congress…alone

• Target govt. officials, esp. legislators/ bureaucrats– Key Target: Undecided leg. or bureaucrat…Why?– Regulatory Agencies

• Goal: pursue their leg. Agenda; influence appt.

NRA Stands Its Ground v. Surgeon General Nominee

I.G. Strategies• Testify before Congressional

Committees & executive agencies = experts

• Provide members of Congress with information– Must appear

reliable/trustworthy; provide accurate credible info…but biased

– Help craft/write legislation

• Bring influential constituents to D.C. to meet w/ reps.

• “My boss demands a speech and a statement for the Congressional Record for every bill we introduce or co-sponsor—and we have a lot of bills. I just can’t do it all myself. The better lobbyists, when they have a proposal they are pushing, bring it to me along with a couple of speeches, a Record insert, and a fact sheet.”—Congressional Aide

I.G. Strategies• Amicus Curiae Briefs• “Social Functions”

– “Fine Dining Experiences”

• Endorsement– Publicly announce support

• Rally membership/grassroots– Get public involved & organized

I.G. Strategies• Contributing $ to Candidates

– Financial support to candidates & parties that support their cause/interest

– Political Action Committees (PAC)• Formed by business, labor, or I.G. to raise money and make contributions

to the campaign of political candidates whom they support.• Goal: Influence elections to gain better access to politicians

– Make large contributions to incumbent members of the House– Contribute to House members who serve on

committees/subcommittees that consider legislation affecting the I.G.

– Limited to $5,000 direct contributions…but Citizens United

Power of Lobbying

I.G. Strategies

• Shaping Public Opinion– Use expensive P.R. campaigns to bring issues to

public’s attention– Use ads to promote their image– May use grass roots strategies

• i.e. visible protests (civil rights orgs)

Oil/Natural Gas Commercial

Lobbying the Executive and Courts• Executive:

– Most presidents have a staffer to act as a gateway between interest groups and the administration.

– Interest groups pay close attention to gaining access to regulatory agencies of the exec. branch

• Courts: – Judicial branch designed to be free from public opinion, but…

• Submit amicus curiae briefs• Use of litigation to achieve goals (NAACP)• Prominent role influencing nominees to Supreme and Federal

Courts

Discussion Prompt

• Are lobbyists buying access to our politicians and having undue influence on our elections? How are these groups impacting policy?

• How does the influence of special interests impact our federal deficit and debt? Why?

Accessing Lawmakers: The Revolving Door

• Contacting officials…meeting privately…How do lobbyists gain access?– Revolving Door

• The movement of individuals between roles as legislators/staffers/regulators and the industries affected by the legislation and regulation

• Over 5,800 congressional staffers and former lawmakers have left Capitol Hill to become federal lobbyists in the past 10 years

– Why are so many people on Capitol Hill recruited as lobbyists?

– What is the impact of the revolving door? How does this influence legislation?

Revolving Door at Work…

60 Minutes: Under the Influence

Revolving Door at Work• “As Bush Sr.'s Secretary of Defense, Dick

Cheney steered millions of dollars in government business to a private military contractor [Brown and Root Services] -- whose parent company [Halliburton] just happened to give him a multi-million dollar job after he left the government.”

An Inside Look into the Revolving Door “If retiring from the Senate meant the same thing it meant in the

real world – moving to Florida, buying a condo and playing golf – Coats could be excused for wanting to return to his more exciting old life. But senators rarely leave the esteemed body because they want to sit by the pool and work on crossword puzzles.

No, senators retire for three possible reasons. First, they’re

frustrated with the Senate: the travel, the long days and, often, though not in Coats’s case, the difficulty of passing legislation from the minority party. Second, they think they’re going to lose, and they don’t want to face a lengthy and difficult reelection bid. Third, they wish to parlay their power and influence into financial gain.” Brian Sumers

Attempted Limits on Lobbying• Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act

– Require lobbyists register & disclose salaries, their employers, expenses, nature of activities (bills/issues lobby on behalf)

– Defined who was considered a lobbyist

• Ethics in Government Act 1978– created the U.S. Office of Independent Counsel

• investigate government officials

– Increased length of time an individual must wait between leaving government position/office and lobbying privately the govt. agency he or she worked for to 2 years

– Currently ONLY 1 YEAR…How might this open door for corruption?• Loopholes?: “Consultant”

• Lobbyists Disclosure Act of 1995– Extends def. of lobbyist to include part-timers

Should there be stronger regulations to curb the revolving door?

Monetary “Limits”• McCain Feingold: Citizens Limited to $2,300 per

candidate in primary & general fed. Elections– $20,000 to pol. parties; $5,000 to PACS– Adjusted for inflation…

• PACs limited to $5,000 to any one candidate; $15,000 to national party

• But…Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission has changed the game…How?

Membership/Negatives

• Typical Members Are:– Above average income and education– Generally white collar

• But represent a lot of blue collar interests?

– Free rider: get benefits without the effort

• Negatives to Membership– “Selfish…”—Promote self-interests of the group – Expensive—costs to lobby & promote interests– Legalized Bribery?

Who Has Power and Influence in the U.S.?

• Elitist Theory– Small # of super rich individuals, powerful corporate interest

groups, and large financial instit. dominate key policy areas– PACs encourage close connection b/n money and politics

(Business PACs undue influence over policymakers)

“Citizens with lower or moderate incomes speak with a whisper

that is lost on the ears of inattentive government officials, while the advantaged roar with a clarity and consistency that policymakers readily hear and routinely follow” –American Political Science Association

Who Has Power and Influence in the U.S.

• Pluralist Theory– Many interest groups compete for power in large number of

policy areas; thus, public policy emerges from bargaining and compromise

– Argue 1 group can’t dominate system b/c system of federalism and sep. of powers provides many points of access and influence

– Argue I.G. that lacks financial resources can turn to courts

• Hyperpluralist Theory– Too many interest groups trying to influence policy– Efforts to appease competing I.G. leads to confusing and

contradictory policies or officials avoiding hard choices

Discussion Questions• Do interest groups promote the public interest? In your

response discuss elitism, pluralism, or hyperpluralism.

• Do interest groups lead to gridlock or do they serve as an unofficial part of checks and balances?

• The essence of democracy is civic participation and I.G. embody such participation. If a few such groups dominated, there would be a problem, but Madison in Federalist 10 says the U.S. and federal system are too big for that to happen. Agree or Disagree?

To consider:

• Do interest groups promote the public interest? In your response discuss elitism, pluralism, or hyperpluralism.

• How do the various components of the iron triangle work together to set public policy?

Iron Triangle/Subgovernments

• Shared web of interests that connect Cong. Committees/sub-committees; exec. branch agencies; and interest groups

Iron Triangles

Interest Group

•Offers political support & $ to appointees & elected officials

•Needs laws and regulations benefiting members

Executive Agency

Needs political support, appropriations, and info

Congressional Committee

Needs info, votes, campaign contributions

Review: Political Parties v. Interest Groups

Political Parties• Policy Generalists• Goal:

– Elect people to office– Gain control of govt.

Interest Groups• Policy Specialists• Goal:

– Influence public policy– Influence Congress/Govt.

Colbert--Better Know A Lobby (Meat Industry-start video at 1:45)