Interest Groups Overview

Interest Groups

• Interest groups are often viewed with suspicion, as exemplified by James Madison's concern about "factions" in Federalist #10.
• Madison believed the Constitution's separation of powers could moderate these factions' influence.
• Interest groups play crucial roles, including raising awareness, representing members to the government, and supplying information for policy-making.
• They also provide avenues for citizens to collaborate and achieve shared objectives.

Types of Interest Groups

• Economic Interest Groups: Promote the interests of organized labor (e.g., AFL-CIO, Teamsters), businesses (e.g., Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers), professionals (e.g., NEA, AMA, ABA), and agriculture (e.g., National Grange, National Farmers' Union).
• Groups Promoting Causes: Focus on specific issues like civil liberties (e.g., ACLU), gun rights (e.g., NRA), or the well-being of specific groups (e.g., AARP, NAACP, VFW). Groups also exist for religion-related causes (e.g., National Council of Churches, American Jewish Congress).
• Public Interest Groups: Address broader issues like environmental protection, consumer rights, crime, and civil rights (e.g., Common Cause, League of Women Voters, Mothers Against Drunk Driving).

Strategies of Interest Groups

• Influencing Elections: Encouraging members to vote, influencing party platforms, campaigning, and donating money through PACs.
• Lobbying: Attempting to sway policymakers by offering data and evidence.
  • Direct lobbying: Using personal connections.
  • Grassroots lobbying: Engaging members and the public to contact policymakers.
  • Coalition lobbying: Multiple groups with shared goals collaborate.
• Litigation: Taking legal action when legislative efforts fail (e.g., NAACP's fight against segregation).
• Going Public: Campaigning for public support through media and PR efforts.

Political Action Committees (PACs)

• PACs are political arms for interest groups, formed in response to 1970s campaign finance reforms.
• They are regulated by federal law, requiring registration, diversified funding sources, contributions across multiple candidates, and strict accounting.

Regulation of Interest Groups

• The Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946 initially regulated lobbyists, requiring registration for those with a principal purpose of influencing legislation.
• The Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 strengthened regulations, requiring broader registration (including lobbying efforts directed at executive branch officials) and expanded disclosure of lobbying activity and clients.

Political Parties

• Party in the Electorate: All those associating with a party.
• Party in Government: Officials (appointed and elected) representing the party.
• Party in Organization: Party workers managing operations between elections.

Party Systems

• One-Party System: Only one party exists or dominates, often dictatorial.
• Two-Party System: Only two major parties compete, often promoting stability and consensus.
• Multi-Party System: Multiple parties compete, often resulting in coalition governments, potentially promoting instability.

What Political Parties Do

• Recruit Candidates: Identifying and encouraging individuals to run for office.
• Nominate and Support Candidates: Raising funds and supporting candidate campaigns.
• Educate the Electorate: Providing voters with information about candidates.
• Organize Government: Organizing legislative bodies, making political appointments.

Party Identification and Membership

• Membership in American parties is voluntary and based on identification.
• Factors contributing to party identification include ideology, education, income, occupation, race/ethnicity, gender, religion, family traditions, region, and marital status.

The Two-Party Tradition in America

• The Constitution did not mandate political parties, and the Founding Fathers initially opposed them.
• Historical conflicts (Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists) contributed to party development.
• Washington warned against the "baneful effects" of political parties in his farewell address.

Rise of Political Parties

• Early party development occurred during Washington's administration.
• Key figures like Hamilton (strong national government) and Jefferson (states' rights) shaped party formation.
• The election of 1800 marked a pivotal shift, with Jefferson defeating Adams.

Democratic Domination (1800-1860)

• The Democratic-Republicans dominated, later fractured.
• Andrew Jackson's faction (Jacksonian Democrats) gained prominence.
• The Whigs served as the main opposition.

Republican Domination (1860-1932)

• The Republican Party emerged from a Whig split, attracting commercial and antislavery groups.
• Abraham Lincoln's election marked the party's rise to power, dominating politics into the Civil War.

Return of Democrats (1932-1968)

• The Great Depression led to electoral shifts, with Democrats regaining power.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal coalition united diverse groups (African Americans, city dwellers, labor unions, Catholics, Jews, women) which brought significant power to the Democrats.

Divided Government (1968-Present)

• Divided government (one party controlling the presidency, another controlling Congress) has become a common feature of American politics since 1968.

Electoral Dealignment and Realignment

• Dealignment: Voters become less loyal to parties, increasing the number of independent voters.
• Realignment: Shifts in voting patterns and coalition building bring about changes in dominant party. Historical examples include 1860 and 1932.

Third Parties

• Third parties have played a role in US political history but have faced difficulty being elected.
• Factors that lead to temporary decline in support include, successful adoption of major party platform's ideas.
• Types of third parties include ideological, splinter, single-issue, and protest parties.

Structure and Organization of Political Parties

• American political parties have a decentralized structure.
• National Conventions select candidates and write party platforms.
• National Committees manage party activities between conventions.
• National Chairpersons lead daily operations.
• Congressional Campaign Committees focus on electing party members.
• State and local parties operate under state laws.

Future of Political Parties

• The future of political parties is uncertain, faced with declining party loyalty in recent decades.
• Possible contributing factors, include third-party challenges, rise in independent voters, split-ticket voting.

Mass Media

• Mass media encompasses various communication forms reaching the public.
• In addition to politics, they also convey culture, news, entertainment, and advertisement messages.
• Media development reflects growth, technological advancements, and changing societal views.

Development of Modern Media

• Newspapers: Evolved from expensive, limited-circulation sources to widespread daily papers in major cities by the 1890s, with "yellow journalism" becoming an increasingly influential tool.
• Magazines: Had smaller circulation, less frequency, featuring "muckrakers" (investigative journalists) and eventually, news magazines like Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report gained prominence.
• Radio: Became dominant in the 1920s, allowing for direct, large-scale communication.
• Television: Increased the visibility of journalists, allowing politicians to gain support and visibility.
• Internet: Enabled media organizations to utilize the internet as a crucial source of communication.

Roles of Media

• Informing the public, shaping public opinion, and connecting citizens with their government.
• Media acts as a watchdog by investigating government policies and personalities.
• Media has significant influence on establishing what issues become public matters.

Media Ownership and Government Regulation

• US media are privately owned, promoting political freedom while making them reliant on advertising revenues.
• Regulations impact broadcast media more than print media.

Reporting and Coverage

• News is typically defined as important events within the last 24 hours.
• Editors determine what constitutes “news” and how to present it.
• “Horse-race journalism” emphasizes candidate standings over issues.
• Media organizations have journalists in key locations, with Washington, D.C. having the largest press presence.

Media and the President

• The White House permits exclusive journalist access.

Media and Congress

• Congress receives less media attention compared to the Presidency.
• C-SPAN offers expanded coverage of legislative procedures to enhance transparency and accessibility.

Biases in Media

• Critics argue media bias (liberal bias of journalists, conservative bias of owners and editors).
• Studies show that reporters tend to have a liberal orientation. Generally against political incumbents.