interest groups - ms. trent social studies & global science · political parties interest...
TRANSCRIPT
Warm Up1. Finish up Political Party posters
2. If done, continue working on Realignment (map) activity
3. Pick up papers from folders!!
Current Event #5 & Significance of Third Party - Has anyone seen Utah’s polls?
(http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2016-election-forecast/utah/)
- Why is this significant?- What about all the third party candidates?
http://2016.presidential-candidates.org/?other=other
What is an Interest Group?× A group of individuals with common
interests and seek to influence the government in some way (“Special Interests”)
× James Madison called them “factions”... he didn’t like them!
How do Interest Groups Begin?
× Usually begins as a social movement× Examples: abolitionists, civil rights,
women’s rights, animal rights, etc.
Political Parties Interest Groups
BOTH are made up of people who unite for some political purpose!
● Nominate Candidates
● Elections● Controlling Govt● Interested in the
“who” of govt● Accountable to
the public● Focus on voters
and their candidate
● Influence policies of govt
● Interested in the “what” of govt
● Private Organizations
● Focus on issues and what directly affects the interest of their members
Types of Interest Groups...× Economic× Ideological/Single Issue× Public Interest× Foreign Policy× Government Itself**Not all interest groups are mutually exclusive, some overlap into different types!
Economic interest Groups× Businesses - large corporations to individual
owners× McDonald’s, Coke, AT&T, Microsoft,
Amazon× Trade and Other Associations - businesses
with similar interest join together× Chambers of Commerce
Labor Interest Groups
Labor - workers associations or unions× Represent workers’ interests× Membership is low in the US compared to other
industrialized countries× Examples: Fraternal Order of Police,
International Longshore, etc...
Professional Associations
× Professionals form of a union × Can be national or state or local× American Bar Association, National
Education Association, AMA
Ideological/Single Issue
× Ideological: set pattern of beliefs× Conservative, liberal, libertarian
× ACLU, Christian Coalition, Moral Majority
× Single Issue (more specific)× Very adamant about position (right or
left) and unwilling to compromise× NRA, Pro-Life, Pro-Choice
Public Interest Groups
× “For the public good”× Focus on public policies that benefit all
or most Americans× Examples: AARP (focused on elderly
rights)
Foreign Policy Interest Groups
× To promote or oppose certain foreign policies
× Council on Foreign Relations, American-Israel Political Action Committee, National Association of Arab Americans
Government Interest Groups
× Government employees want to be organized and heard
× National Governors Association, National Education Association
Interest Group Search + Activity
- Work in groups (of 2 or 3) and complete the interest group search
- Then work (on your own) and create an interest group bumper sticker!
- If you happen to finish this all extremely quickly, continue working on realignment activity
Some articles to look at...- CNN Student News- Hillary Campaign Slogans Wikileaks- NY Times Election Prediction
Interest Groups have 3 Goals
1. Supply the public with information an organization thinks the people need
2. Try to build a positive image for a group3. To promote a particular public policy
Propaganda × Is a technique of persuasion aimed at
influencing individual or group behavior× Interest Groups use propaganda to create the
public attitude they want× Mass media encouraged the use of propaganda× http://www.p2016.org/igads/igadsgeneral.html
INterest Group Ads!
For Trump:- NRA: Kristi’s Story,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICmL50-0APA , Your Voice, American Dream, 2016 Committee, Dead Broke, More of the Same, Newest NRA Ad
For Hillary:- His Words, Respect for
Women, Trumpublicans, Watching, Enough, Smart
Oh and Johnson too…- The Honorable Choice,
Imagine
Other Tactics of Interest Groups
× Interest Groups use litigation as a tactic to pursue the interests of their members× Bring a lawsuit to pursue interests× Example: Brown vs. Board of Education and the
NAACP× Interest Groups use lobbying as a tactic to pursue the
interests of their members, but individuals, too, can lobby
What do Lobbyists Do?× Use a variety of techniques to try to persuade
legislators to share an interest in a group’s point of view/cause
× Provide two types of information× Political (who supports what)× Substantive (impact of proposed
legislation)
What are Lobbyists?× Employees of an association that try to influence
policy decisions and positions in the government× Revolving Door - moving from a government
job to a lobbying job (common-good contacts already made)
× A former govt worker cannot directly lobby their former agency or office
Iron Triangles× Revolving Doors produce networks of people
involved with certain issues× These networks are called IRON
TRIANGLES× Mutually supporting relationships among
interest groups, congressional committees, and govt agencies
What are Pacs?
× Political Action Committee is the political part of an interest group
× Can legally raise money for candidates or political parties from members, stockholders, or employees (of interest group)
PAC Limits× Federal Elections Campaign Act (1971) limits
PACs to $5000 per election or $10,000 per election cycle (primary and general election)
× “Bundling” helps PACs get around the limits× Form of political fundraising; one person/small group
convince friends, coworkers, and other donors to write checks to a candidate for public office
More about Campaign MoneyHard Money
- Money raised and spent to elect candidates for Congress and White House
- Given directly to candidates
- LIMITS on these amounts
Soft Money - no limits!
- Funds given to party organization → candidate recruitment, voter registration, get-out-the-vote drives
- Money from wealthy people, PACs, party national organizations
More about PAcs and Money- Until 2002, there were no limits to Soft Money funds- **Important: although no PAC can give more than
$5,000 to any one federal candidate in an election or $10,000 in an election cycle…- There is no overall limit on PAC giving to candidates- Ex. Each PAC can give up to $5000 per election
to as many candidates as it chooses
Let’s look at Fast Food PACs- http://www.eater.com/2016/9/26/13028698/fast-food-trump-clinton-donations - http://www.eater.com/2016/2/8/10904984/restaurant-PACS-political-donations