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 Groups
Economic 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
C oop e r ati v e C or p or ate w i th ou t s toc k
Lab or T r ad e / M e m b e r s h i p / H e al th
N on c on n e c te d C or p or ate
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
I n c u m b e n ts C h al l e n ge r s O p e n S e ats
M
illi
ons
of
Do
lla
rs
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/schmidtbrie
f2004
? 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
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 Groups
Economic 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
C oop e r ati v e C or p or ate w i th ou t s toc k
Lab or T r ad e / M e m b e r s h i p / H e al th
N on c on n e c te d C or p or ate
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
I n c u m b e n ts C h al l e n ge r s O p e n S e ats
M
illi
ons
of
Do
lla
rs
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/schmidtbrie
f2004
? 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
