Methods And Tactics Used By Pressure Groups

Question 1

How are PGs involved in electoral campaigning?

Answer 1

-they endorse candidates, make campaign donations + release voting ‘scorecards’
-encourage their members + public to vote for candidates

Question 2

How are PGs involved in electric, campaigning in terms of funding?

Answer 2

-PGs donate funds to political campaigning
-amount candidates’ official campaigns can raise limited to PGs give money to PACs + Super PACs

Question 3

What is an example of PG funding electoral campaigns?

Answer 3

-2018 league of conservation voters spent $85m on campaigning
-able achieve aim winning house of reps back for Dems with nearly 60 of their new congressional candidates elected

Question 4

How do PGs influence electoral campaigns through scorecards?

Answer 4

-release them to show voters how candidates score on certain key policies
-analysis of voting record, comparison of positions with other candidates

Question 5

What is an example of a voting scorecard?

Answer 5

-NRA allocates each candidate grade from A to F based on their voting record on gun rights

Question 6

What is lobbying?

Answer 6

-PGs influence members executive or legislature by meeting with them
-try to convince executive + legislators adopt positions that align with their aims

Question 7

How is the right to lobby protected?

Answer 7

-protected by the constitution
-first amendment right to ‘petition gov for a redress of grievances’ - complaint
-for PGs ‘grievance’ is area of gov wish to change

Question 8

How do PGs lobby?

Answer 8

-through insider contacts
-professional lobbyists
-revolving door syndrome

Question 9

How do PGs have insider contacts?

Answer 9

-PGs have offices in Washington DC allow them access federal gov + Congress

Question 10

What are these insider contacts?

Answer 10

-develop relationships with members of Congress who may be persuaded introduce laws to help their cause
-meet with key gov officials connected to policy area incl cabinet officers, etc.

Question 11

How else is this building of insider relationships helpful?

Answer 11

-building relationships with staff of important players in Congress or WH a way to win influence

Question 12

What is an example of a pressure group using insider contacts?

Answer 12

-NRA works closely with law makers + gov officials to influence gun legislation
-lobbied law makers pass gun control act 1968 opposing stricter regulations
-after mass shooting Sandy Hook Elementary School - used influence push back against gun control measures

Question 13

What are professional lobbyists?

Answer 13

-PGs with sufficient financial resources uses professional lobbying firms
-firms are clustered around ‘K street’ DC (‘K street corridor of influence’

Question 14

How much was spent in federal lobbying on 2019?

Answer 14

-$3.47b spent on federal lobbying
-companies + business PGs lobbied gov regarding Trumps new trade deal with Mexico + Canada
-pharmaceutical companies opposed price controls on medical drugs

Question 15

What is an example of a PG using professional lobbyists?

Answer 15

-AMA employs team professional lobbyists to influence healthcare legislation + policy
-lobbied for provisions to benefit physicians + improve patient care in affordable care act 2009

Question 16

What is the revolving door syndrome?

Answer 16

-lobbying firms try to hire lobbyists who previously worked in executive branch of Congress
-Congress a ‘revolving door’ for politicians + lobbyists

Question 17

What does the revolving door allow firms to take advantage of?

Answer 17

-take adv of ready made contacts within exec or legislature
-60% Congress leave to take up lucrative jobs as lobbyists

Question 18

What is an example of a high profile ‘revolver’?

Answer 18

-lawyer Eugene Scalia became sec of Labor 2019
-he first worked for G.W Bush admin before lobbying behalf of US chamber of commerce + rep companies like Chevon + Facebook

Question 19

What is the iron triangle syndrome?

Answer 19

-Large scale expenditure projects most likely to succeed when there is support from certain areas

Question 20

Where does the support come from?

Answer 20

-gov deps that want initiate + manage project
-interest groups want to profit from providing goods + services
-members congress which stands benefit electorally from deal

Question 21

What is an example of the iron triangle syndrome in action?

Answer 21

-PG American Farm Bureau Federation works closely with agri dep
-collaborate to shake farm subsidies, regulations + policies that benefit farmers

Question 22

How has Congress tried to regulate lobbying to avoid it becoming too elitist?

Answer 22

-through legislation such as Lobbying Disclosure Act 1995 + Honest Leadership and Open Gov act 2007
-tight restrictions on gifts from lobbyists to members of Congress

Question 23

How is it argued that the lobbying industry is elitist?

Answer 23

-wealthy PGs able buy influence
-e.g. US chamber commerce spends more on lobbying they other organisations $77m 2019)

Question 24

What was one of the US chamber of commerce’s aims in 2019?

Answer 24

-to convince Congress to pass US-Mexico-Canada agreement which it achieved with 36 members of Congress
-77m helped achieve this

Question 25

Why isn’t wealth always helpful?

Answer 25

-US chamber commerce couldn’t convince trumps admin reverse tariffs on goods from china + EU despite the negative impact of tariffs on US businesses

Question 26

How did Trump impact the lobbying Ind making it elitist?

Answer 26

-hired 281 lobbyists work in gov
-4x lobbyists Obama appointed in 6 years
-Trump also had close ties to no. professional lobbyists allowing them access to admin

Question 27

How did this contrast to trumps earlier view?

Answer 27

-2016 presidential campaign he said he would ‘drain the swamp’ in DC
-but once pres he didn’t show any inclination to ‘drain the swamp’ of lobbyists