PGs US Flashcards
Examples (classifications) x8
- Business groups – American Business Conference, Meta, Amazon etc.
- Labour Unions – AFL-CIO, Teamsters
- Professional – AMA
- Single issue – NRA
- Ideological – ACLU, Lincoln Project
- Public interest – Sierra Club, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty
- Think Tank – Brookings institute, Heritage Foundation
- Civil Rights/common characteristic – AARP, NAACP
Pluralism vs Elitism
- Pluralism – PGs have wide focus, all aiming to advance their rights
- Elitism – Samll group with undermocratic power because of wealth or status
Functions of IGs x4
Representation, citizen participation, agenda building, programme monitoring
Representation
ACLU for minorities,unions for their workers
Citizen participation
Alternative way to campaign on issues
- Sierra club on environment
- NAACP/BLM marches and advocacy training
- Organising mass write ins – 1500 IGs wrote in to end the Trans-Pacific Partnership – withdrawn in 2017
Agenda Building x2
Influence parties and legislative - SEU advocating for $15 min wage - Dem platform, NY and CA law
Coalesce different IGs on one issue
Abortion bills - 70 bills passed copied from IG’s bills (pre-Roe)
Programme monitoring X3
McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Institute reporting
Sierra Club - monitored Clean Air Act (sued EPA for failing to enforce it)
ACLU challenging Muslim Ban EO and Patriot Act measures
Methods x5
Electioneering
Candidate Endorsement/voting cues
Lobbying
Grassroots campaigns
Legal challenges
Electioneering
PACs - limited to 5k individual - 15k to national party
S PACs - unlimited
NRA PVF 15 mil spending
50 mil by Super PAC
2.8bn in 2024 spending
Candidate Endorsement/issue divides
o Abortion divide – NARAL (pro choice), NRL ( pro life)
o League of Conservation Voters – Dirty dozen list (1/2 defeated in 2024)
o Media campaigns – issue ads
- (Voting cues)
o AFL-CIO, NRA, Susan B Anthony list
Lobbying
o 12000 lobbying offices
o Spent 4.4bn – realtors spent 84mn
o Part of democracy inherently
o Most on DoD spending
o Biggest spenders are pharma (200 million), Electronics (117 million – close to Trump)
Grassroots
o Direct letter writing
o Protests
o Stacy Abrams’ Fair Fight 2020’ – Georgia turned blue – 800,000 people registered
o Can be faked by bots
- Legal challenges
o ACLU
o 2019–20 term, the justices cited amicus briefs in 65 percent of argued cases
Why successful/unsuccessful
- Wealth – NRA spending 50 mil in 2016, Emily’s list £600 million since 1985
- Status of opposition
- Achievability
- Large membership - AARP 37 million
- Organisation – Occupy dying out
Impact of different IGs x6
eco, women x2, guns x2, banks
Sierra Club - most successful environmental initiative - beyond Coal campaign
- Failure of women’s IGs to pass ERA – Emily’s list
- Abortion – lobbying over Gorsuch, Dobbs 140 amicus briefs
- Gun control – NRA against Brady Bill, owning congress, DC v Heller
o Giffords and Everytown for Gun Safety
- Occupy – large media attention
Arguments for IGs
- Provide expertise
- Aggregate views
- Increase Participation
- Enhance Accountability
- Extend representation
- Support freedoms
Against IGs X5 (inc two keywords)
- Revolving doors – 466 former members of congress
- Iron triangles – relationships between IGs, committees, agencies that benefit each of them – not the public good
- Inequality between groups – business groups dominating environmental or civil rights org
- Buying political influence
- Direct Action – Occupy violence
