Transcript File

Magleby & Light
Government by the People
Chapter 4
The U.S. Political Landscape
Pluralism is an idea that many at the
Constitutional Convention held that
envisioned a number of groups competing
with one another in the government, so no
one group was always in total control.
James Madison, in his Federalist #10, argued
that “factions”, individual groups with
common interests, were often caused by the
unequal distribution of property. However,
he believed the size of our republic would
prevent any one faction from becoming
dominant over time.
Today, when people share a common attitude
toward an issue the organization they may
form to influence the government and its
policies is known as an interest group.
The leaders of an interest group who
represent that group’s opinions to the
government are called “lobbyists”.
Most of the larger interest groups “try” to be
non-partisan.
The relationships among interest groups,
Congressional committees, etc. that share a
common policy concern is an “issue network”.
If James Madison returned to our time, he
would likely be concerned about the power of
many factions (especially in finances) and
would really worry that factions today often
seem to foster instability and injustice.
Lobbyists often are found to illegally try to
influence government policy makers.
One example is Jack Abramoff who pled
guilty to tax evasion, 3 counts of fraud, and
conspiracy to bribe public officials. He was
able to reach a plea bargain with prosecutors
after agreeing to provide evidence against
members of Congress.
A labor union is an organization of workers
whose purpose is usually to work with their
employers for a variety of concessions.
Compared to most other industrialized
nations, the United States is LESS unionized.
The American Federation of Labor –
Congress of Industrial Organizations is the
union that speaks for about 2/3 of U.S. labor.
Some do not want to pay the union dues. If
they don’t, but receive benefits obtained by
the unions, they are called “free riders”.
The Women’s Christian Temperance
Union, a movement dedicated to the
prohibition of liquer, succeeded when the
18th Amendment was passed, outlawing
the sale and manufacture of alcoholic
beverages.
The 18th amendment was repealed by the
21st Amendment as the attitudes of
society changed toward this issue.
Ideological groups often organize around
single issues.
One of these would be any number of
environmental organizations, the largest of
these, with over 1,300,000 members is the
Sierra Club.
Greenpeace is an activist organization that
does NOT officially lobby the government.
When groups find the normal political process
unresponsive to their needs, they may turn to
litigation, often filing amicus curiae briefs –
friend of the court – briefs concerning a case.
Interest groups often try to influence the
government through the electoral process.
In order to do this, a legal mechanism known
as the Political Action Committee, PAC, was
formed to contribute money to candidates
and to political party committees.
PAC’s tend to contribute more to incumbents
and their contributions to federal candidates
has steadily increased over the past years –
from under $50 million in the 1970’s to more
than $350 million today.
Interest groups generally make Presidential
elections their highest priority.
Recent studies have shown that the donations
to candidates by interest groups directly
affects how political resource are allocated.
Interest groups vary in number from the very
large Sierra Club to the Republican for Clean
Air, which consisted entirely of two Texas
businessmen.
A person often moves from a government job
to a job with an interest group, this practice is
called the “revolving door”.
Interest groups mount their own campaigns
for or against certain candidates. Groups like
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth are called 527
organizations because they are tax-exempts
under section 527 of the IRS Code and can
spend unlimited amounts within 30 days of
primaries and 60 days of the general election.
Interest groups also use other sections of the
tax code to involve themselves in elections.
Section 501 (c) permits some groups to
organize and donations to these
“nonpartisan” organizations are tax
deductible.
“Identity Politics” in the 2008
Presidential Election
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“Identity politics”: Identification with a
particular candidate because of personal
attributes
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Barack Obama & Blacks
Hillary Clinton & women
Mike Huckabee & evangelical Christians
Mitt Romney & Mormons
A Land of Diversity
Political Socialization
The process by which we develop our political values,
beliefs, and attitudes
Reinforcing Cleavages
Cross-Cutting Cleavages
Divisions within society
that reinforce one
another, making groups
more homogeneous or
similar
Divisions within society
that cut across
demographic categories to
produce groups that are
more heterogeneous or
different
Ethnocentrism
Belief in the superiority of one’s nation or ethnic group
Regional Differences
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Sectional differences in the United
States are primarily geographic,
not ethnic or religious
The most distinct section of the
United States remains the South,
although the differences are
diminishing
State and Local Identity
Reinforced by method
of electing the
president and
members of Congress
More than one out of
eight Americans is a
Californian
Who We Are:
Religion
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Constitution
 Separation of church and state
 Protection of religious freedom
Still, America is a very religious country, and religion has
had a large influence on politics
Fundamentalists: Conservative Christians who as a group
have become more active in politics in the last two
decades, and were especially influential in the 2000 and
2004 presidential elections
Who We Are:
Family Structure
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Marriage
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Used to be essential to be a family at all
From 1996 to 2002, the number of U.S. adults who
live with someone of the opposite sex without being
married increased by 50 percent
The divorce rate has nearly doubled since 1950
People also now marry later
Birthrates
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Have been falling for decades
Who We Are:
Social Class
Most Americans, when asked what class
they belong to, say “middle class.” Very few
see themselves as lower class or upper class
Magleby & Light
Government by the People
Chapter 5
Interest Groups: The Politics
of Influence
Interest Groups Past and Present:
The “Mischiefs of Faction”
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Faction: A term the founders used to refer to political
parties and special interests or interest groups
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Madison believed that factions were “united and actuated by
some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the
rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate
interests of the community.”
He argued that “the causes of faction cannot be removed,
and…relief is only to be sought in the means of controlling its
effects.”
Pluralism: A theory of government that holds that open,
multiple, and competing groups can check the asserted
power by any one group
A Nation of Interests
Interest Groups
Movement
A collection of people who share
some common interest or attitude
and seek to influence government
for specific ends. Interest groups
usually work within the
framework of government and
employ tactics such as lobbying to
achieve their goals.
A large body of people interested
in a common issue, idea, or
concern that is of continuing
significance and who are willing
to take action. Movements seek
to change attitudes or institutions,
not just politics.
Types of Interest Groups:
Economic Interest Groups
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Business
Trade and other associations
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Labor
Professional associations
Labor
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Open shop: A company with a labor agreement
under which union membership cannot be
required as a condition of employment
Closed shop: A company with a labor agreement
under which union membership can be a
condition of employment
Free rider: An individual who does not join a
group representing his or her interests, yet
receives the benefit of the group’s influence
Types of Interest Groups:
Public Interest Groups
Ralph Nader
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Unsafe at Any Speed
(1965)
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Founded Public Citizen; “Nader’s Raiders”
Ran for president as Green Party candidate in 1996 and
2000, and as independent in 2004 and 2008
Types of Interest Groups: Foreign Policy and
Public Sector Interest Groups
Foreign Policy Interest Groups
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Public Sector Interest Groups
Council on Foreign Relations
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National Governors
Association
American-Israel Political Action
Committee
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National League of Cities
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National Educational Association
Interest Groups:
Cohesiveness
Types of members in an organization
Small
number of
formal
members
People intensely involved
with the group
People who are members in
name only
Interest Groups:
Techniques for Exerting Influence
Mass Mailing
Publicity, Mass Media,
Internet
Direct Contact with
Government
Litigation
Campaign
Contributions
Forming a Political Party
Cooperative Lobbying
Who are the Lobbyists?
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Lobbyist: A person who is employed by and acts
for an organized interest group or corporation to
try to influence policy decisions and positions in
the executive and legislative branches
Revolving door: An employment cycle in which
individuals who work for government agencies
that regulate interests eventually end up
working for interest groups or businesses with
the same policy concern
Who are the Lobbyists?
Issue network: Relationships among interest groups, congressional committees and
subcommittees, and the government agencies that share a common concern
The Iron Triangle
Interest groups
Members of
Congress
Bureaucratic leaders
and experts
Money and Politics
PAC
Soft Money
The political arm of an interest
group that is legally entitled to
raise funds on a voluntary basis
from members, stockholders, or
employees in order to contribute
funds to favored candidates or
political parties
Money raised in unlimited
amounts by political parties for
party-building purposes
Hard Money
Political contributions given to a
party, candidate, or interest group
that are limited in amount and
fully disclosed
Money and Politics
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Bipartisan Campaign
Reform Act (2002)
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Largely banned party
soft money; restored
long-standing prohibition
on corporations and
labor unions for using
general treasury funds
for electoral purposes
Narrowed the definition
of issue advocacy
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz)., second left, and
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc) smile during a
news conference following the signing of the
BCRA
Other Methods of Influence
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Mobilizing employees and members
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Soft money contributions
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Now largely illegal
Issue ads
Other Methods of Influence
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Independent expenditures
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No limits, but must be disclosed to FEC
Campaigning through other groups
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Issue advocacy: Unlimited and undisclosed
spending by an individual or group on
communications that do not use words like
“vote for” or “vote against”
How Much Do Interest Groups Influence
Elections and Legislation?
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Tendency of PACs to give money to incumbents has
meant that challengers face real difficulties in getting
their campaigns funded
“Too often, members’ first thought is not what is right or
what they believe, but how it will affect fundraising.
Who, after all, can seriously contend that a $100,000
donation does not alter the way one thinks about—and
quite possibly votes on—an issue?” - Former U. S.
Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY)
Continued Concerns About “Factions”
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Interest groups do not represent people
equally
Use of money to influence politicians
Many attempts at reform, but unclear
effect
Some fear that interest groups may control
parts of the government through financial
means. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
warned in his Farewell Address of the
increased power of the “military-industrial
complex” that endangered the operation of
the government.
The view that the United States is unique
among nations, morally superior, and
should use its military power in pre-emptive
wars is called “American Exceptionalism”.
The study of population characteristics is
called “demographics”.
A major difference between the U.S. and
other countries is the large immigrant
component in the U.S. population brought on
by a variety of reasons which include:
Religious and political freedoms;
Economic opportunities;
More open to accepting others;
Influence of our culture felt abroad.
Alexis de Tocqueville observed the United
States in the 1830’ and concluded that the
United States was unique in that it had no
experienced a great war because it lacked
powerful neighbors on its borders.
The distinctive elements that were unique to
the United States were qualitatively different
from other developed nations. This
perception was first used by Alexis de
Tocqueville in his phrase “American
Exceptionalism”.
Using demographic data, the most rural
areas of the United States are found in the
South and the Midwest, while the most
urban areas are found in the West and
Northeast.
Since the 1950’s, the largest population
movement in the U.S. has been to the urban
areas.
Population growth in the West has been
driven by younger people and in the South
by those age 65 and older.
Deciding the boundaries between
jurisdictions (cities, suburbs, and rural
areas) has implications for:
Tax revenues;
Zoning laws;
Governmental priorities;
Legislative representation.
Since 1960, the Republican Party vote has
seen an increase in its representation in the
U.S. increase by about 30%.
According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census,
non-Hispanic White Americans will decline
to 50% of our population by 2050.
By 2050 the American Hispanic population
will increase to about 24% and the Asian and
Pacific Islander population will increase to
twice what it is today (4.3 to about 9 %).
Despite the surge in Hispanic population,
there has not yet a similar surge in their
political participation and representation in
government. This may be because at this
time they are not a solid voting bloc and their
political clout has been diminished by
redistricting after the 2000 census.
The highest poverty rates occur within Native
American, Inuits, and Aleuts.
Because of Hurricane Katrina the population
of New Orleans has declined by 50 %.
Women gained the right to vote in 1920
through the 19th Amendment.
Today 2/3’s of Cuban Americans are found
in the state of Florida and tend to support
the Republican Party.
The textbook cites the increase in the
number of Black state legislators between
1970 – 2004 as evidence of growing Black
political power.
A shift in the Black voting trends can be
clearly seen as virtually all Black votes were
for Lyndon Johnson (D) in 1964.
The major difference between a 527 and
501(c) is that some things the 501 (c)’s do
make “individual” donations to the group
tax deductable – not just the organization
being tax exempt, but the individual
donations as well.
Women gained the right to vote in the
nation by the 19th Amendment which was
passed in 1920.
Associations that cannot get
legislation passed often attempt to
gain a forum for their views
through amicus curiae briefs.
Manifest destiny is the idea that the
United States should a continent
expanding nation.