Interest Groups and Lobbying

Organizing for Influence and Access

Interest Group Show & Tell

• Bring an artifact that represents an interest group– What is name of group?– What public policy are you trying to influence?– What issue(s) are you promoting?– Who are you lobbying?– Which Presidential candidate will your group

be supporting? Why?

Federalist #10 - James Madison

• Warned of “mischief of faction”

• Argued that the best way to control it was through the proliferation of groups so that no one group could get hegemony over other groups.

• Questions to think about: Was he right?

Does the “proliferation of groups” keep a balance in the system? Keep one group

from becoming too powerful? Has $$ corrupted the whole theory?

Interest Group

• Used to be called pressure groups

• Interest seen as less forceful

• An organized body of individuals who share some goals and who try to influence public policy

Formation of Interest Groups• Form when the need arises: when a

group of unorganized people are adversely affected by change

• Success of group is usually determined by the quality of its leadership – Martin Luther King - benefits outweigh the

costs

• Quality of group membership– Well educated, understand the system

• 30% of all I.G. formed 1960-1980.

• Common Cause, Public Citizen

• Devoted to interests of blacks, women, elderly, poor, consumers, environment

• Influenced by NAACP, ACLU, Civil Rights Movement

1960’s - 1980’s: Rise in Public Interest Groups

Conservative backlash 1980’s

• Religious and ideological conservatives

• Moral Majority - Jerry Falwell contributed to Reagan’s presidency

• Pat Robertson - 700 Club, Christian Coalition– Ban on abortions, repeal marriage penalty,

constitutional amendment allowing prayer in school

Offices in DC Lobbyist in DC

Corporations 20.6% 45.7%

Trade Assoc 30.6% 17.9%

Foreign Corp .5% 6.5%

Prof. Assoc 14.8% 6.9%

Unions 3.3% 1.7%

Citizen Grps 8.7% 4.1%

Civil Rts/Min. 1.7% 1.3%

Soc Welfare 1.3% .6%

Govern. 1.4% 4.2%

1st Amendment• Petition government is a constitutionally

protected activity– Guarantees the right to be heard

• Special interest can not be regulated

• Advocacy groups - special groups– 1st amendment protection

What Interests are Represented?

• Economic interests of their membership– Wages, tariffs, jobs, insurance etc.– Largest groups are associated with business

and industry• Better financed than labor interests

– Professional Associations; AMA• Mix between economic interests and non-economic

interests

– Ethnic Associations - NAACP• Mix between eco and non-eco interests

• Non-economic Groups– Public interest groups

• Membership working for the greater good of the public

• “Unsafe At Any Speed” - Ralph Nader• AARP-nations largest & most powerful• League of Women Voters

–Work to get citizens registered to vote

–Voter guide on issues

–Promoting democracy

• Do not receive any economic benefit

Single Issue Group• Narrow in focus

• Organizations that are about one issue only

• Membership tries to influence political system on this issue only

• Number of these groups increasing over last 40 years

• Also constitutionally protected

• Often will go against a candidate’s entire platform based on the one issue

Activities Interest Groups Engage In

1. Information– Try to get their interest heard

– Some feel $ is used - most important

– Information most important resource interest groups can provide• Oil price crisis - Petroleum Institute, an

interest group of oil companies

• 2. Lobbying– Late 19th century groups had to wait

outside of Congress “in the lobby” to speak with a Congressman

– Role: to influence congressional actions– Testify in front of Congress– Help with drafting of legislation

• Provide the language needed

– Performed with all 3 branches of government - usually associated with Congress

– Revolving door - Senator must wait 2 years before being able to lobby old job-Rep 1 yr

• Regulation of lobbying has been demanded, but very little has been done– Lobbying Disclosure Act 1995

• Public access to lobbying groups• Definition of lobbyist - one who devotes at least

20% of a client’s or employers time to lobbying activities

• Requires registration with the clerk of the House and secretary of the Senate

• Report their clients and issues and the agency or house they lobbied

• Estimate the amount they are paid by each client

• 2006 The Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act– Result of scandal involving a lobbyist Jack

Abramoff– Bars lobbyists from buying gifts and meals

for legislators• Loophole: firms they work for were not barred

– Lobbyists were to file more frequent and more detailed reports on their activities and post on a public domain

The New Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (S. 1)

Congressional regulations on lobbying activities

All of the following interest group activities require registration with the government

1. Anyone who spends 20% of his or her time influencing legislation

2. Any organization spending $1000/quarter or more on influencing legislation

3. Any individual who is paid more than $2500/quarter for his or her work as a lobbyist

2009 Recovery Act: Lobbying Rules

Restrictions extended to all persons, not just federally registered

lobbyists• Anyone influencing the process

– Expansion of information posted on Internet for all American’s to see

• http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/

• Watchdog group - open secrets

– Allows public access to who or what is behind a lobby’s agenda

– 2010 $2.6 billion was spent on lobbying for Congress

- 12,484 registered lobbyists who have actively lobbied Congress

-2011 - $2.47 billion / 12,192 registered

$ Spent and Who is Spending it

http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/index.php

• Figures on this page are calculations by the Center for Responsive Politics based on data from the Senate Office of Public Records. Data for the most recent year was downloaded on January 2011.

• Executive Branch lobbying– Departments set up for different

interests

– Influence policy decisions at the beginning stages• Pharmaceutical corporations concern

with drugs being purchased oversees• Appeal to Fed Drug Agency

–Safety issue–Lack of control

• Judiciary Branch lobbying– Amicus curiae: friend of the court briefs

• Legal argument filed by someone who is not part of the suit but has an interest in the outcome

– Lobbying of the courts has increased over last 30 years by interest groups

• NAACP: had trouble getting anything through Congress due to Southern influence

• Executive branch somewhat sympathetic, but African-Am population = 12% voters

• Court system best alternative to pursue it’s interests using 14th Amendment

3. Elections

• Try to influence election outcomes• PAC’s ability to raise and spend $ for

political purposes• Funnel $ into campaigns that support

interest group’s interests• Endorse candidates - can deliver a vote• Encourage membership to take action

– Flood Congress with letters, e-mails etc.– Grassroots campaigns

Unconventional Means

• Protests

• Civil disobedience

• Demonstrations– Operation Rescue: surrounded abortion

clinics trying to prevent patient from entering

– Congress passed a law restricting how far away protesters must be and can not touch

– Civil Rights Movement

Pluralism v. Elitism• Who runs the country?

• Many influences or just a few

• Pluralists: Interest groups– Vast majority of Americans do have their

interests represented– Flaw: what about those people who are

not organized? Ex: poor• Those who are not organized do not have any

influence

• Citizens United v F.E.C. 2010– Supreme Court ruled allowing corporations

and unions to tap their treasuries to spend unlimited amounts on campaign ads that call for the election or defeat of federal candidates.

– What do you think?

The End