Interest Groups PDF

INTEREST GROUPS Dr. Pierce Ekstrom POLS 100  WHICH OF THESE INTEREST GROUPS SPENT THE MOST IN 2020? [POLL] A. National Association of Realtors B. US Chamber of Commerce C. Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America D. National Rifle Association (NRA) ...

INTEREST GROUPS Dr. Pierce Ekstrom POLS 100  WHICH OF THESE INTEREST GROUPS SPENT THE MOST IN 2020? [POLL] A. National Association of Realtors B. US Chamber of Commerce C. Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America D. National Rifle Association (NRA)  HIGHEST-SPENDING INTEREST GROUPS IN 2020 Rank Organization $ Spent Who are they? 1 National Assn of Realtors $84,113,368 Realtors 2 US Chamber of Commerce $81,910,000 Advocates for business 3 Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America $25,946,000 Drug Companies 4 American Hospital Assn $24,348,466 Hospital Honchos 5 Blue Cross/Blue Shield $23,622,720 Health Insurance Company 6 Facebook Inc $19,680,000 Geriatric Social Media Platform 7 American Medical Assn $19,275,000 A trade association for doctors 8 Amazon.com $18,685,000 …A large corporation 9 Business Roundtable $16,970,000 Represents certain CEOs 10 NCTA The Internet & Television Assn $15,460,000 Trade Assn for Cable Companies https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/top-spenders?cycle=2020  INTEREST GROUPS Interest group = a politically-oriented organization of people who share common interests and make demands on others in society with respect to those interests Related to core democratic principles: 1st Amendment rights Political freedom  INTEREST GROUPS VS. POLITICAL PARTIES INTEREST GROUPS POLITICAL PARTIES Don’t run political candidates Run political candidates Narrow focus Broad focus Private Quasi-public Can restrict membership Cannot limit membership  POLITICAL RESOURCES Membership Money Leadership and expertise  WHY DO PEOPLE JOIN? Three primary reasons: 1. Material benefits – tangible rewards 2. Solidary benefits – social rewards 3. Purposive benefits – finding “meaning” in the activity; expressing values  WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MAIN REASON PEOPLE JOIN INTEREST GROUPS? [POLL] A. Material B. Solidary C. Purposive  POLITICAL TACTICS Lobbying – person/group tries to influence policymaking on behalf of themselves or someone else Professional lobbyists Direct Lobbying vs. Indirect Lobbying  RESTRICTIONS ON LOBBYING Limits the kinds of activities in which interest groups may engage Requires that lobbyists and organizations disclose their identity and certain basic facts about their operations Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act (1946)  INTEREST GROUP REGULATION Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA; 1971) Allowed the formation of political action committees (PACs) Created the Federal Election Committee (FEC) Placed limits on how much a candidate could spend Buckley v. Valeo (1976) - the Supreme Court held that mandatory limits on campaign spending violated the First Amendment Hard money vs. soft money  INTEREST GROUP REGULATION Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRFA; 2002) / “McCain-Feingold Act” Raises limits on hard money contributions during each election cycle Ban on soft money contributions Restriction on “issue ads” immediately before an election Struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional restriction on free speech Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) Supreme Court ruled that corporations and labor unions have a First Amendment right to spend unlimited amounts of money from their general treasuries to advocate for political candidates. (overturned portions of BCRFA/McCain-Feingold)  CONSEQUENCES OF CITIZENS UNITE D DE CIS ION ( DATA F RO M C E N T E R F O R R E S P O N S I V E P O L I T I C S / OPENSECRETS.ORG AS OF 01.27.2021) Total outside spending (1990-2020) Outside spending by party (1990-2020) https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/cycle_tots.php  TYPES OF PACS Political action committees (PACs) - corporations, labor unions, etc. can form PACs to raise funds and make contributions on a group’s behalf limits on individual donations ($5000) and donations to candidates ($5000) and parties ($15000) regulated by FEC Other 527 groups- cannot make contributions directly to campaigns or candidates so are not regulated by the Federal Election Committee (FEC) can raise unlimited funds, have to disclose donors to IRS  SUPER PACS Outcome of 2010 Citizens United decision… Super PACS = “independent expenditure-only committees” can raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations, and individuals (includes “dark money”) they do have to report to FEC can spend unlimited sums to overtly advocate for or against political candidates but, can’t coordinate directly with candidates  SPENDING IN THE 2020 ELECTION 2020 GENERAL ELECTION 2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY Source: Center for Responsive Politics (opensecrets.org); LSE blog, William CR Horncastle ELECTION 2020 – TOTAL $ RAISED Source: Center for Responsive Politics (opensecrets.org) IDENTIFYING THE ROLE OF “DARK MONEY” IN 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION  BUT… HOW MUCH MONEY IS IN POLITICS?  DISCUSSION: CAMPAIGN SPENDING Should we limit the money individuals and/or organizations can contribute to political campaigns? Come up with at least one NO argument + a direct counterpoint Come up with at least one YES argument + a direct counterpoint Come up with at least one question that would help inform your stance. What information would help you decide YES or NO?  INTEREST GROUPS SUMMARY Pros Promote political freedom Promote inclusion of more preferences Cons Not all interest groups participate equally Growth of single-issue groups, moralization of issues Concerns about regulation, campaign finance issues