Transcript Interest Groups - Birmingham Public Schools

Interest Groups
Chapter 11
Pluralism and Democracy
1. Political resources are divided among various
groups
2. There are inequalities in resources and power
3. The system does allow for input from most
relevant interests
4. There are various governmental institutions
which exercise policy making power
Interest Groups
Interest Group:
• Any organization that seeks to
influence:
– policy makers
–the public policy making process.
Who are the policy makers?
• Congress –Law making
– Ex. ACA (Affordable Care Act)
• Judicial Branch
– Litigation—court action like a law suit
– Ex. Brown v. Board of Education
• The Regulatory Agencies—makes regulations
– Ex. Environmental Protection Agency
– Ex. Securities and Exchange Commission
• Today’s Research Assistants:
My family’s own child Care Provider:
A. Hugh Nokitov
New School Assistant Principal:
Don Fuller Round
Are interest groups “evil?”
• They pursue their own interests which may
conflict with a broader public interest
– Examples?
Today’s Research Assistants:
• Chief of Audience Seating for Presidential
Debate:
• Wayne Back
• Chief of Astroturff Installer:
• Nomar Wheaton
• Chief Clock Watcher:
• Collete O’Class
Examples of groups:
What are their ideologies?
Where do we classify these?
– National Organization for Women—calls attention to
discrimination and sexism in society/equal rights for
women
– http://www.now.org/
– National Rifle Association
– http://home.nra.org/#/home
– Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
– http://www.bradycampaign.org/
• Conservative Political Action Conference
– http://www.cpac.org/
– Sarah Palin remarks 2015 CPAC
– Sarah Palin
• http://www.teaparty.org/sarah-palin-didnt-build-teaparty-36539/
Three general types of groups
• Business groups
• Unions
• Citizen Groups
Think Tanks see pp. 272-273
• Groups that promote certain policies and
ideologies
• Can be very influential in policy making
• http://www.heritage.org/
• Center for American Progress
Where Lobbyists live
2. Activities of Interest Groups
• Supply Political Cues—a signal to a policy
maker from an interest group
– Tells who is in support/against an issue
• Ex. Does the NRA support back ground checks
for gun sale? If not, I will vote against it because
there are a lot of gun owners in my district!
• Publish Ratings-- How often does the
policy maker agree with the group’s
position?
•The most important resource interest
groups have is information.
•Why?
•Policy making is technical and specific
•Information is often scarce/in short supply
•Getting information take time and effort
•Example from the video:
•Timber company has information on forests
•Sierra Club has information on the
environment
•Both go to the Department of Lands and
Forests—a government agency/and Congress
3. Lobbyists
• Definition: Employees of interest groups whose job it is to
influence the policy making process.
• Campaign contributions provide
decision makers
“ACCESS” to the
• “The Revolving Door”—former government officials
become lobbyists/employees of institutions the
government regulates
– Conflict of interest—using a government position to enrich
oneself
– Budget director Peter Orzak from the White House went to
work for large banks he help bail out.
• Jack Abramoff’s Playbook:
• Abramoff's Playbook 60 Minutes Interview
4. Types of Lobbying
• Inside strategy (lobbying)—direct pressure on
the policy maker. Ex. Member of Congress or
agency
• Outside strategy (lobbying)—linking interested
citizens together to support/oppose a policy
– Grass roots technique—generate public
pressure directly on a decision maker.
• GOTV campaigns—Get Out TheVote campaigns
Lobbyists
• Definition: Employees of interest groups
whose job it is to influence the policy
making process.
• Campaign contributions provide “access” to
the decision makers
• Karen Ignagni
– Look at this Testimony: Ignagni committee hearing
HealthCare 2012
This is from the Brookings Institute:
•WHO are they?
•WHAT is there connection to Interest Groups?
•WHAT tool are they using here?
•What is the message?
•Elmendorf Obamacare assessment
Types of Lobbying
• Direct lobbying—direct pressure on the policy
maker. Ex. Member of Congress or agency
– See bottom p. 253
• Grass roots lobbying—linking interested citizens
together to support/oppose a policy
Types of Lobbying
• Information campaigns
– Use of propaganda to convince public to accept a
specific view point on an issue
– American Petroleum Institute
– Pro-fracking spot
– Try this: Is it good information produced by a
lobby group? Drilling YouTube advocacy piece
– H20 interest group commercial
Policy Making Flow Chart
Grass roots
Technique
Public
Opinion
Lobbyists
Policy
Makers
Feedback/influence
of policy
Public
Policy
Interest Group Video
1.What interests and values are in conflict in this case study?
2. What groups are in conflict with one another?
3.What federal agency is responsible for making decisions about
logging in the national forest?
4. What is an important resource interest groups give decisionmakers?
5. Is there some middle ground the groups can find concerning
the issue?
6. Who are the policy makers in this example?
7. What is a non-conventional way an interest group and its
supporters can get their position out to the public?