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Politics > Participation > Flashcards

Participation Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 3 types of interest groups?

A

Single-issue
Professional
Policy

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2
Q

What are some single-issue interest groups?

A

National Rifle Association (NRA)
- fight for un ownership rights
⤷ funded the SC case District of Columbia v Heller 2008
⤷ court ruled that individuals could keep and bear arms for self defence within the home

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

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3
Q

What is amicus curiae?

A

Groups who can put forward a case in support in court

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4
Q

What are some professional interest groups?

A

American Farm Bureau Federation
- campaigned on immigration, tax, energy

American Family Association
- supports Christian values
- opposes LGBTQ, abortion
- currently 3-4 million members

American Medical Association
- 270,000 members (2022)
- varied donations to parties
⤷ 1996 - 75?% to rep
⤷ 2008 - 55% to dem

AFL-CIO
- largest federation of unions in the US
- more than 12million active retired workers

American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
- issues affecting those 50+
- 2018 - 38million members

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5
Q

What are some policy interest groups?

A

Environment America
- champions concerns over global warming and wildlife reservation

League of Conservation Voters
- environmental protection group
- specialises in affecting electoral outcomes
- hold politicians to account
- campaigned to protect Clean Air Act and Endangered Species Act

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6
Q

Why do people join interest groups?

A
  • Material reasons - what’s in it for them
    ⤷ e.g. information - NRA members get magazines
    ⤷ e.. AARP offers health insurance
  • Purposive - what’s in it for others
    ⤷ e.g. Amnesty International - puts pressure on govt to improve how they treat people
    ⤷ usually for the more wealthy
  • Solidarity - interacting with like-minded people
    ⤷ e.g. National Audubon Society for bird watchers
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7
Q

How do PACs contribute to elections?

A

2010 - National Association of Realtors PAC gave $3.8m to candidates (biggest)

EV: No proven link between PAC money and how congressmen vote
⤷ direct lobbying has more of a proven impact

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8
Q

How can publicity be used to campaign by interest groups?

A
  • Can change public opinion
  • Influence actual voting behaviour
    ⤷ i.e. contacting potential voters
  • Publicity stunts
    ⤷ e.g. NRA used adverts to stop Obama introducing gun controls after the Sandyhook murders 2012
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9
Q

Who have interest groups endorsed as candidates?

A

2008 - AARP put questions to all candidates on their website
⤷ Kissel answered all questions which favoured AARP and won the House seat from incumbent Hayes
2012 - National Right to Life endorsed Mitt Romney
2020 - Focus on Family endorsed Trump

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10
Q

How are interest groups successful with their lobbying?

A

K Street corridor - area of Washington where all the HQs are
- many have members who are ex-executive branch members
⤷ e.g. The Ashcroft group was set up by W Bush’s attorney general
- More serious groups are looked to by parties
⤷ e.g. Democrats look to the NAACP and AFL-CIO for voting cues
⤷ e.g. Republicans look to US Chamber of Commerce

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11
Q

What is a ‘grassroot’ activity?

A

Activities used by movements to create change on a local/regional/national level

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12
Q

What grassroots activities do groups use?

A
  • Groups aimed at legislators
    ⤷ e.g. postal ‘blitz’ on Congress
  • Marches and demonstrations
    ⤷ when lobbying is inappropriate
    ⤷ usually for controversial issues - i.e. abortion or gun control
  • violence
    ⤷ Oklahoma 1995 - bombing of a federal building by the far right
    ⤷ murder of Tiller (doctor who vocally performed abortions)
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13
Q

What makes interest groups successful?

A
  • Effective organisation
  • Wealth
    ⤷ worth $3.5bn in 2010
    ⤷ 2024 election cycle cost interest groups $14.7bn
  • Large membership
  • Status
  • Achievability of goals
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14
Q

How have interest groups been impactful to women’s rights?

A
  • NOW campaigns helped introduce Equal Rights Act in 70s and 80s
    ⤷ still campaigning for equality in workplace - harassment and pay
  • pro-life and pro-choice groups
    ⤷ pro-choice - Roe v Wade 1973, Clinton’s refusal to ban partial abortions + SC’s refusal to let states ban them 2000
    ⤷ pro-life - Bush’s partial birth abortion ban law allowed by SC in 2007, Dobbs v Jackson 2022
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15
Q

How have interest groups been impactful to the economy?

A
  • Occupy Wall Street movement
    ⤷ ‘We are the 99%’ captured political debates
    ⤷ demanded $15min wage after the financial crash 2008
    ⤷ heavily supported by the Service Employees International Union (SEIO)
    ⤷33 cities have increased minimum wage to $15 since
    ⤷ unheard of by 2009
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16
Q

How have interest groups been impactful to marijuana?

A

Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)
- Arizona - MPP got over 150,000 signatures to get marijuana legalisation on the ballot in Nov 2016
- Initial success
- Defeated 51% to 48%

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17
Q

How have interest groups been impactful to gun control?

A
  • NRA
    ⤷ helped District of Columbia v Heller 2008
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18
Q

What is the iron triangle?

A

A relationship which develops between congressional committees, the federal bureaucracy, and interest groups during policy creation

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19
Q

What is the relationship between Congress and Bureaucracy in this triangle?

A
  • Congress gives funding and political support
  • Bureaucracy gives policy choices in return
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20
Q

What is the relationship between Congress and Interest Groups?

A
  • IGs provide electoral support
  • Congress gives friendly legislation in return
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21
Q

What is the relationship between IGs and Bureaucracy?

A
  • Bureaucracy gives low regulation and special favours
  • IGs give congressional support in return
22
Q

How do IGs impact the president?

A
  • Lobbies to bring legislative change
  • Campaign for/against their election
    ⤷ Super-PACs raise funds
    ⤷PACs make direct donations
23
Q

How do IGs impact Congress?

A
  • Lobby leaders/ committees
  • Propose/ introduce legislation through a congressman
24
Q

How do IGs impact the SC?

A
  • Litigate by taking cases to SC
  • Lobbies
  • Influence senate about SC nominations
25
Q

Are IGs undemocratic?

A

Yes
- IGs don’t campaign for national interest
⤷ American Life League- 61% men and 64% of women support legal abortion in the US as of 2024
-⤷ NRA - 65% of Americans support stricter gun laws
- They are ran by unelected officials
- Highly unregulated
- Revolving-door politics
⤷ politicians constantly moving between jobs as legislators and lobbyists
- Too much money
- Aggressive lobbying methods

No
- Some interest groups are in national interest
⤷ Environment America - 53% of Americans oppose fracking
⤷ National Wildlife Federation - 87% said commitment to conservation is important
- Provide legislators with useful information
- Increases participation
- Enhances free speech

26
Q

Are IGs too powerful?

A

Yes
- too much influence over SC
⤷amicus curiae
⤷ NRA - District of Columbia v Heller 2008
- funding/wealth
⤷ USCC (biggest PAC) - 2010 93% of funds to republicans

No
- there is little research which correlates a relationship between PAC money and Congress voting

27
Q

How have democrats changed/ stuck with their party platforms?

A

Death penalty
- 2012 - no promise to abolish
- 2016 - declared to abolish it (as it is a 8th amendment violation)
- 2024 - not mentioned, previously defended by Harris

Abortion
- 2024 - every woman should have reproductive control
⤷ mentioned due to Dobbs v Jackson 2022

Taxes
- wealthiest Americans must pay fair taxes

Healthcare
- since 2016 - healthcare is a right not a privilege

28
Q

How have republicans changed/ stuck with their party platforms?

A

Death penalty
- 2016 - Condemned SC’s dial back of this
- 2024 - not mentioned

Abortion
- 2024 - an unborn child has fundamental right to life

Gay marriage
- 2012 - uphold DOMA
- 2016 - condemns US v Windsor
⤷ removal of marriage

Taxes
- 2012 - oppose tax cuts which divide Americans
- 2024 - tax cuts for the wealthy

Healthcare
- since 2012 - repeal Obamacare

29
Q

How has the significance of parties changed?

A
  • Party-line voting is easy to identify
    ⤷ Bush’s appointment of Kavanaugh to SC - senators voted in favour of him (50-48) despite sexual assault accusations during the vote
  • Factions emerging
  • More partisan laws
  • Public becoming more polarised
30
Q

How is the significance of parties limited in Congress?

A
  • Constituents
    ⤷ congressmen must be mindful of their constituents’ views - legal obligation and personal (i.e. re-election)
  • Congressional caucuses
    ⤷ members from opposing parties can unite on common interests (bipartisanship)
  • Interest groups
    ⤷ congressmen must take into account interest groups who fund their campaigns
31
Q

What is the difference between a caucus and a faction?

A

Faction - small organisation within a larger one
Caucus - smaller groups/conferences within the faction

32
Q

What are the 3 main factions of the Republican party?

A

Social Conservatives
Fiscal Conservatives
Moderates

33
Q

What are the beliefs of the social conservatives?

A
  • focus on social and moral issues
    ⤷ gun ownership, (anti) LGBTQ rights, abortion, immigration
  • evangelical beliefs
  • plans to defund planned parenthood (2016/17)
  • increasing in size
  • members: Rush Limbaugh and Ted Cruz
34
Q

What do fiscal conservatives believe?

A
  • Economy is the focus
    ⤷ reduce govt role - i.e. less taxing, expenditure cuts, deregulation
  • Dominant faction
    ⤷ Main cause for opposing Obama’s policies
    ⤷ seen in the Freedom Caucus (furthest right group - members of Tea Party and MAGA)
  • Represented by
35
Q

What do moderates believe?

A
  • Support fiscal and social beliefs but less extreme
  • More bipartisan
  • Some success with past 2 rep presidents
    ⤷ Bush - high expenditure
    ⤷ Trump - proposed $1tr infrastructure plan
  • Members: Susan Collins
    ⤷ RINOs (republicans in name only) - rose during Trump due to his extremist views
    ⤷ Dick Cheney’s endorsement of Kamala
36
Q

What are the 3 main factions of the democratic party?

A

Liberals
Moderates
Conservative Democrats

37
Q

What does the liberal faction believe?

A
  • Promote main values of the democrats
  • More critical of capitalism and corporations
  • Want govt to expand their role in the economy
  • More partisan
  • Represented by Elizabeth Warren, Pelosi etc
    Recently - vocal about dangers of free trade, i.e. need for workers’ rights and opposing the TPP
38
Q

What do moderates believe?

A
  • Less intense
  • Less critical of capitalism and corporations
  • More bipartisan
    ⤷ e.g. Clinton’s balanced budget
  • Favour free trade
    ⤷ e.g. Obama’s TPP support
  • More supportive of military intervention and expenditure
  • Represented by Obama and Clintons
39
Q

What do conservative democrats believe?

A
  • ‘Blue Dog Democrats’
  • Shrinking
    ⤷ 2020-22 only 19 and 10 in 2024
  • Originated from civil rights movements in the south in the 50s and 60s
  • More conservative on social on moral issues
    ⤷ e.g. favour gun ownership and strong immigration control
  • Represented by Jim Costa
    ⤷ voted in favour of restricting Syrian refugee entry, and reluctant to support Obamacare
40
Q

What is the caucus which fights for civil rights?

A

Congressional Black Caucus
- Officially non-partisan
- Policy focused on ensuring civil rights
⤷ e.g. Justice in Policing Act 2021 after George Floyd
- African American members
- First popular after Nixon refused to meet with them after their boycott of the State of Union 1971

41
Q

Which caucus supports women’s rights?

A

Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues
- Bipartisan membership
- House of Rep
- Represented Congress at UN world conferences
- Helped get the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Violence Against Women Act passed

42
Q

What was the gender exit poll in 2024 compared to 2020?

A

2020
Men - 53% republican
Women - 57% democrat
2024
Men - 55% republican
Women - 53% democrat

43
Q

What was the ethnicity exit poll in 2024 compared to 2020?

A

2020
White - 58% republican
Black - 87% democrat
Hispanic - 65% democrat
(Non-white - 71% democrat)

2024
White - 57% republican
Black - 86% democrat
Hispanic - 51% democrat
(Non white - 64% democrat)

44
Q

What was the age exit poll in 2024 compared to 2020?

A

2020
18-29 - 60% democrat
30-44 - 52% democrat
45-64 - 50% republican (1% neither)
65+ - 52% republican

2024
18-29 - 54% democrat
30-44 - 51% democrat
45-64 - 54% republican
65+ - 50% republican (1% neither)

45
Q

What was the education exit poll in 2024 compared to 2020?

A

2020
No degree - 50% republican (2% neither)
Degree - 55% democrat

2024
No degree - 56% republican
Degree - 56% democrat

46
Q

What was the economy exit poll in 2024 compared to 2020?

A

2020
Good/excellent - 78% republican
Not good/poor - 80% democrat

2024
Good/excellent - 92% democrat
Not good/poor - 70 % republican

47
Q

How do demographics link to the UK?

A

Left wing: Atlee’s NHS and FDR’s New Deal
Right wing: tax cuts

Difference:
- Socialism never took over in US
⤷ mainly stops at liberalism
- Voter alignment more set in the UK

48
Q

What are rational comparisons between democracy and participation in UK vs US?

A
  • Voters choose the party which gives them the best outcome
    ⤷ seen through the increasing party dealignment
  • Party-line voting is determined by the career aspirations of those in the party
49
Q

What are cultural comparisons between democracy and participation in UK vs US?

A
  • Expectations that socioeconomic groups stick to a certain party
50
Q

What are structural comparisons between democracy and participation in UK vs US?

A
  • Access points for pressure groups are determined by the political structure of the country
  • Constitutional framework determines the electoral processes

Politics (5 decks)

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