Pressure Groups Flashcards
Roughly how many members does the American Association of Retired People have?
40 million
Roughly how many members does the NRA have?
4 million
Who is Wayne LaPierre?
Head of the NRA
Which PG is “Trump’s biggest ally”?
The NRA
Define pluralism.
Where political power is distributed among a number of groups representing widely different interests.
Define elitism.
Where political power rests with a small, privileged group
What are institutional PGs?
Those which represent organisations and groups.
Give three examples of institutional PGs.
American Business Conference, the Teamsters (truck drivers’ union), National Farmers’ Union, American Medical Association.
What are membership PGs?
Those which represent individuals rather than organisations.
Give three examples of membership PGs.
NRA; American Conservative Union; Sierra Club; Heritage Foundation (Conservative think tank).
What are the five major functions of PGs?
Representation; Education; Monitoring; Agenda building; Participation. (Mnemonic: REMAP.)
What three reasons might bring someone to join a PG?
Material benefits (what’s in it for me?); purposive benefits (what’s in it for others?); solidarity benefits (I can join up with like minded people).
What four main methods do PGs use to advance their aims?
Electioneering and endorsement; lobbying; publicity; grassroots activity.
What freebies do you get if you join the NRA?
A heavy-duty duffel bag and a free subscription to a gun-related magazine.
What is the difference between a PAC and a SuperPAC?
PACs are limited to donating $5000 per candidate per campaign, but the money can go directly to the candidate. SuperPACs have no limits on the amount they can spend, but they cannot contribute directly to candidate campaigns or parties.
How much did PACs contribute to the 2015-16 election cycle? Which was the top contributor?
£1.4bn (fec.gov) in total; top contributor was National Association of Realtors (almost $4m - opensecrets.org).
Why do PACs tend to give most of their money to incumbents?
Because that gives them the best chance of backing a winner, and therefore getting their agenda raised in Congress.
NARAL and NRL endorsed who in 2016?
NARAL (pro-choice): Clinton. NRL (National Right to Life): Trump.
What are the Dirty Dozen?
The League of Conservation Voters’ twelve most environmentally unfriendly Congressmen in areas where LCV voters might be able to unseat them.
How much did 2016’s top spending lobbying firm dispense, and who was it?
Akin Gump et al; $36m.
What is significant about the Podesta Group’s founder?
His brother is John Podesta, Bill Clinton’s Chief of Staff who also ran Hillary’s campaign - so it is an incredibly well connected lobbying firm.
Which Senator has never voted in line with AFL-CIO (like our TUC) views?
Ben Sasse, Nebraska.
Why is America such a fertile place for grassroots activity?
There are many access points: devolved power means there is local, state and federal government to lobby, as well as state and federal courts and the executive itself; the congressional committee system.
What is astroturfing, and give an example.
Pretending to have grassroots support when none exists. Western States Petroleum Association is said to have run 14 supposed grassroots consumer associations to exaggerate public support for its member companies (BP, Shell, Exxon).
