Chapter 11

Interest Groups

• Interest Groups: An organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy.

• Interest groups

Lobbyist

• a person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of a special interest;

Why so many interest groups in the USA?

• The more divisions within society the greater variety of interests that will exist.– Many regions, traditions, religions, economic

industries, businesses, etc. (many factions as Madison said in Federalist 10)

• Federalism allows interest groups many places they can access government and influence policy.

• Weak political parties– Where parties are strong interest groups work though

the parties but if parties are weaker interest groups work directly with the government.

Rise of interest groups has risen rapidly from 1960. Why?

1. Broad economic developments create new interests

– Example: farmers used to produce only for themselves but when farming became a cash crop for sale in markets interests developed.• Free trade vs. tariffs • Country of origin packaging• Inspections• Farm subsidies

– Example: Mass production of products created unions and thus interest groups

– Example: Credit cards created interest groups to protect lenders.

2. Government policy creates interest groups.– War create veteran organizations and interests– Unions flourished after the 1930’s after laws were

passed allowed unions to be organized.

3. Social circumstances sometimes create interests. For whatever reasons, people start to support a cause and that in turn creates special interests

– Antislavery– Abortion– Civil Rights– Environment

4. The more activities that government undertakes the more groups will become interested in (or affected by) those activities– As government becomes “bigger” groups are

made to influence it.

Types of Organizations

• Institutional Interests – Individuals or organizations that represent

other organizations– Like professional lobbyists

• Membership Interests– Americans are more likely than Europeans to

join religious or political organizations• Christian Coalition• NAACP• Sierra Club

Incentives to Join an interest group

• Incentives protect against “free riders”, people who benefit without actually contributing.

• Solidary incentives– Companionship

– Examples: American Legion, PTA

• Material Incentives– Services readily valued in monetary terms

– Offer things only to its members

– AARP (American Associations of Retired Persons) offer lower cost life insurance, tax advice, and more

• Teachers union (NEA)– Negotiations committee

– Insurance (liability)

– Legal representation

• Purposive Incentive– The appeal of their stated goal– Ideological interests groups that principally

benefit non members (Sierra club)

Interest Groups and Social Movements

• Social movement: a widely shared demand for change in some aspect of social or political order.– Social movements may spawn interest groups – Feminist Movement

• NARAL (National Abortion Rights Action League• NOW (National Organization of Women)

– Environmental Movement• Sierra Club• Environmental Defense Fund

Where do interest groups get money?• Foundation grants

– Money from private foundations like Rockefeller Family Fund or Ford Foundation

• Federal Grants and Contracts– The government sometimes gives money to

projects that interest groups may undertake– National Alliance for Business received $20

million in 1980 for youth job programs and the like

– Lutheran Social Services run various community projects

• Direct Mail– Send appeals for money through the mail

• Usually need at least 2% to give money or they lose money on the cost of mail.

Activities of Interest Groups

• Information– Supply credible information to government– Must be credible information or will lose

chance to influence that legislature in the future

• Sometimes elected officials will take the side of the interest group.

• A Conservative senator may take whatever side the NRA takes or a Liberal may take whatever side the NAACP takes

• Ratings• Interest Ratings

Public Support• Insider Strategy

– Work closely with a few key members of congress.

– Meet with them privately to exchange information and favors

• Outsider Strategy– Get the public involved by putting the issue on

the radio, TV, internet and encouraging people to contact the Congressmen.

– NRA, AARP

PACs• Political Action Committee

• Almost any kind of organization can form a PAC– Corporations sponsor over half of the PACs.

From FEC website

• PACs by issue

• Information on PACs from the FEC website

• Campaign finance laws

The “Revolving Door”

• People leave Congress and then get high paying jobs as lobbyists

• “Revolving Door” information

Lobbying Government

AP Government

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: Individuals who work for governmental agencies regulating interests eventually end up working for interest groups or business with the same policy concern.

• Lobbying statistics

Iron Triangle

• A mutually supporting relationship among interest groups, congressional committees, and governmental agencies that share a common policy concern.

Iron Triangle

Federal Program or Agency

Congressional Committee or Subcommittee

Industry/Interest Group 1

Agriculture Committee

Dept. of Agriculture

American Farm Bureau

Lobbying Congress

• Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act (1946)• Lobbying Disclosure Act (1995)

– Defines a Lobbyist: A person who devotes at least 20% of a clients or employers time to lobbying activities. Also requires lobbyist to:

• Register with the clerk of the House and secretary of the senate

• Report their clients and issues and agency they lobbied• Estimate the amount they are paid by each client

Lobbying reforms of 2007

• No gifts of any value from registered lobbyists or firms that employ lobbyists

• No reimbursement for travel costs from lobbyists or firms that employ lobbyists

Interest Groups Activity

• What methods would you use to support the cause of the following interests groups?

• Litigation

• Congress

• President

• State Legislature

• How would you get people to help you?

Same Sex Marriage

• Litigation

• Congress

• President

• State Legislature

• How would you get people to help you?

Gun Control

• Litigation

• Congress

• President

• State Legislature

• How would you get people to help you?

Pro Life groups

• Litigation

• Congress

• President

• State Legislature

• How would you get people to help you?

The Oil Industry

• What would the oil industry want?

• Litigation

• Congress

• President

• State Legislature

• How would you get people to help you?

Pharmaceutical Industry

• What would the Pharmaceutical Industry want?

• Litigation

• Congress

• President

• State Legislature

• How would you get people to help you?

Chapter 12

The Media

Amendment I (1791)

• Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Why is a free press so important in a democracy?

• “When the press is free, and every man able to read, all is safe” – Thomas Jefferson

• “Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army”– Edward Everett

• “The press is to serve the governed, not the governors.”– Hugo Black

Why is a free press so important in a democracy?

• How, when, and why does the media help the public to control the government?

• The United States has one of the most free presses in the world

• Almost all of the radio and TV stations in the USA are privately owned. (They are required to be licensed by the government)

Journalism in American History• Party Press

– Early years parties and factions created their own press

– Citizens has choices of papers but rarely could they find one that presented both sides of an issue.

• Popular press– With the creation of the telegraph (1840’s)

and rotary press allowed – AP (Associated Press) was created. They

couldn’t be biased because they sold their stories all over

– Newspapers no longer needed political patronage to prosper.

• Read the history of the press pg 288-293

The National Press

• NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, CNN, MSNBC

• Time, Newsweek,

• New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today

The National Media• Gatekeeper

– The press can influence what subjects become national political issues and for how long.

– The more attention the press gives a topic the more likely that topic will become a national issue

• Water pollution, automobile safety, prescription drugs.

• Scorekeeper– National media keeps track of and help make political

reputations, note who is being “mentioned” as a presidential candidate and help decide who is winning and losing in Washington politics.

• Watchdog– Watch what government and officials are

doing and report those stories (Watergate, waste in Washington)

– Are usually harder on the leading candidates than the underdogs.

– Herman Cain, John Edwards

Candidate Watch: Good or bad?

• Good• force corrupt people

out• Help weed out poor

choices

• Bad• Eliminate people who,

even with their flaws, could be great leaders

• May prevent very good people from running for office

How many great leaders have had less than perfect pasts

• John Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Thomas Jefferson,

Rules Governing the Media• Newspapers are completely free of

government regulation (no license is required).

• Prior Restraint: – The government preventing something from

being published because they believe it will cause harm. (censorship of the press)

– Only allowed under very narrowly defined circumstances

• Libel: – Defamatory speech (lies that cause harm)– The person must show not only that what was

printed was wrong, but that it was printed Maliciously.

• Essentially, that they meant to cause harm.

Confidentiality

• Courts decide on a case by case basis if the reporter must reveal their source.

• Only will be required to reveal their source if it is evidence in a criminal investigation.

Regulations on Broadcast Media• Radio and TV must be licensed through the

FCC.• Telecommunications Act of 1996 allowed one

company to own as many as 8 stations in a large market area and unlimited nationally.

• Equal Time Rule– If a station sells time to one candidate it must

be willing to sell time to their opponent.– Must charge equal rate.– Can’t charge higher rate than for commercial

broadcasting.

Does the Media Affect Politics?• It is hard to prove that it does.

• Commercials can sell products but people choose their elected officials more seriously than we do our a candy bar.

Why a senator may use TV more than HR?

• Why would a candidate for the Senate use media more than a candidate for the House of Representatives?

Cost effective

• A survey in North Carolina did find that the amount of coverage issues received did effect the importance that people attached to those issues.

• Media had less effect on issues that people are more familiar about (economy, food prices, taxes, etc)

• The media helps set the political agenda on matters in which citizens have little personal experience but has little influence on issue that touch peoples lives directly.

• People tell pollsters that they get most of the news from Television and they regard TV as more reliable than newspapers.

• In Presidential election it is unlikely that newspaper editors endorsement makes much of a difference

• The question is: Do the views of the reporters bias the news?

Are the National Media Biased?

• Many studies dating back to the 1980’s all conclude that members of the national press are more liberal than the average citizen.

• In 1992, 91% of medial members interviewed said they voted for a Democratic candidate for President. By contrast only 43% of the public voted that way.

• 1/5th of all Americans listen to radio talk shows every day. Talk radio is predominately conservative.

Types of stories• Routine stories

– Public events regularly covered by reporters– A bill passes, President takes a trip, Supreme

Court Case, etc.– Covered the same by almost all media– Very little potential for bias in these types of

stories.– They could be reported incorrectly. (wrong or

incorrect facts)

• Feature Stories– Public events knowable to any reporter who

cares to inquire but involving acts not routinely covered by reporters.

– The reporter must take the initiative to select the particular story and act on it.

– These stories must be selected so there is a possibility they could be biased.

– Does the news choose to print only negative stories?

– George Meade in the Civil War

• Insider story– Information not usually made public becomes

public because someone with inside knowledge tells a reporter.

– “Investigative reporting” or “Leaked Information”

– The question “what is the motive?” can be asked as to why a story was run.

– Could it be run because there is a bias by the reporter or editor?

If you had a view on the war in Afghanistan

• How could you be biased if …

• You were in favor of the war?

• Opposed to the war?

Government Health Care

• For health care? • Against health care?

Should the media always give equal coverage to both sides of an issue?

• Racism?

• Child porn?

• Scientifically proven information– Smoking is harmful to your health?– Drinking is bad for pregnant women?– Vaccines and Autism– Global warming?

Why does the newspaper choose its story?

• Conservative paper• Increase in Crime• Drug abuse• Welfare cheats

• Liberal Paper• Soaring cost of

healthcare• Global Warming• Civil rights

Is the job of the media to make the news or to report the news?

• 60 Minutes: Bush’s national guard service

• FOX news: Promoting the Tea Party movement

• What danger is there to the United States if people no longer trust the press?

Studies

Study of Fox News

• Compared of cities with FOX news to cities without FOX news.

• 3-8% increase of vote for Republican candidates for Congress in cities with FOX news.

• ½ % increase for President for Republicans

Washington Post vs Washington Times

• Free subscriptions were given to a sample of people in Virginia

• Washington Post (Liberal newspaper)

• Washington Times (Conservative newspaper)

• Next election: People who received the Post were more likely to vote for Democratic candidates.

Leaks

• American government is the “leakiest” in the world.

• Because of our separation of power each branch competes with the other for power. One way to compete is to use the press to advance your cause.

• Officials will leak information as a way of keeping members of the press on their “side”

• Since the Vietnam war the press has become “Adversarial”. Suspicious of the government and looking for embarrassing stories.

How do politicians use the media in elections?

1. Sound bites– a sound bite is characterized by a short

phrase or sentence that captures the essence of what the speaker was trying to say, and is used to summarize information and entice the reader or viewer

– The average sound bite of a presidential contender speaking dropped from 42 seconds in 1968 to 7.3 seconds in 2000

How do politicians use the media in elections?

2. Campaign Commercials

3.Political Talk Shows

4.Non Political Talk Shows

How do political parties and elected officials use media to

help govern?1. News conferences

2. Interviews

3. Leak information

4. Op-ed

5. Twitter or other social media sites- Does this count as media?

6. How else?

Media Attention: President vs. Congress

• President is one voice Congress is many.

• Press corp. located in White House

• President represents nation rather than just district

• People are more willing to listen to President because he is more powerful and any ONE member of Congress

How does the public use the media to communicate with

elected officials?1. Interest Group Commercials

1. NRA

2. AARP

2. Political Polling1. Same sex marriage

3. Social Media?

4. Opinion section of newspapers?

5. Other?

• How visible is public opinion?

• What segments of public are give the most media attention?

• The least media attention?

The government sometimes attempts to communicate with the people through media,

gives examples of each of the following:

• Assisting the message

• Impeding the message

• Transforming the message

Partisan Press vs. Penny Press

• Which made it easier to manipulate information and mislead the public