Interest Groups and Political Action Committees Flashcards
What role do interest groups play in the American political system?
Interest groups represent members of the public who share similar beliefs or attributes before the government. Interest groups can lobby members of Congress and the president, electioneer for candidates, and engage in litigation in support a claim of importance to their members.
What do economic interest groups do?
More interest groups are economic interest groups and represent the financial interests of their membership. For instance, the largest interest group, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) focuses on policies affecting the well being of older Americans, while the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) advocates for policies of concern to janitors, health care workers, and security officers.
What type of interest group is the fastest growing of all interest groups?
In the last few years, the number of environmental interest groups has been rapidly increasing.
Some of these groups, such as the Sierra Club, advocate for the environment as a whole. Others focus on specific environmental concerns. For instance, Trout Unlimited is dedicated to preserving, protecting, and restoring North America’s coldwater fisheries.
What types of policies are advocated for by equality interest groups?
Equality interest groups advocate for policies, which they believe advance the causes of civil rights and increase opportunities for women and minorities. Examples of equality interest groups include the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
What types of interest groups represent the interest of the public at large?
Although all interest groups represent members of the public, public interest groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving represent the public as a whole.
What role is played by single issue interest groups?
Single issue interest groups focus only on one issue. The best known of the single issue interest groups (and the largest) is the National Rifle Assocation, which focuses on issues related to firearms.
What single factor is most likely to lead to an interest group becoming powerful?
The most significant factor leading to an interest group’s success is financial. An interest group with deep pockets can contribute to candidates, air television and radio advertisements, and spend heavily on lobbyists and attorneys.
What is lobbying?
Lobbying is the most common activity of interest groups and consists of persuading elected officials and bureaucratic officers to support a given policy.
Some of the larger interest groups hire lobbyists, many of whom are former members of Congress or the bureaucracy.
What does a lobbyist do?
Lobbyists perform many functions, including drafting memoranda for Congress or the bureacracy advocating a certain policy position, raising campaign funds, drafting potential legislation, testifying in front of Congress or an executive agency regarding proposed legislation, or advising their clients to orchestrate their membership to contact Congress.
What is direct lobbying?
Direct lobbying takes place when lobbyists use personal connections with politicians or bureacrats to meet and advocate a policy position.
Many successful lobbyists are former members of Congress or the bureaucracy and have an extensive contact list in their field of expertise.
When members of the public are urged to contact their congressman or congresswoman, this is referred to as _____ _____.
grassroots lobbying
Grassroots lobbying can take the form of calls, emails, faxes, letters, or petitions. Politicians often use grassroots lobbying to help decide which position to take on a given issue. The tactic is also helpful in making politicians aware of issues of concern to their constituents.
_____ _____ takes place when different interest groups cooperate in approaching politicians.
Coalition lobbying
Coalition lobbying often occurs when a policy affects numerous groups; for instance, both the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund may co-operate on policies affecting same-sex parents.
In an effort to reduce the influence of lobbyists, what act required paid lobbyists to register with the federal government?
The Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act, passed in 1946, requires that all lobbyists who directly communicate with members of Congress on proposed legislation register with the clerk of the House and the Senate.
Among other things, lobbyists are required to disclose how much they receive to advocate for a position and their employer.
What restrictions are placed on former members of Congress and the executive branch by the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2005?
With the goal of limiting lobbyists’ influence among their former collegues, the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act lengthened the already existing “cooling off” period for former members of Congress and the executive branch. Depending on the office held, congressional and executive branch officials are barred from acting as lobbyists for as long as two years after they leave office.
The act also established a number of other rules, such as limits on congressional gifts, in an attempt to limit lobbyists’ influence.
Define:
electioneering
Electioneering refers to the endorsement and advocacy of a political candidate. Interest groups often engage in electioneering through political action committees.
