Pressure Groups Flashcards
What society was the US intended to be since its inception?
A pluralist society which many voices were heard
What are some American insider groups?
American Medical Association, the US Chamber of Commerce and the NRA
What is an example of direct action by an outsider group?
In 2016 Climate Direct Action ran ‘valve turner’ protests in which members turned off the valves on 15% of US crude oil imports for nearly a day
What are promotional groups?
Pressure groups which promote a cause they beehive will benefit society
What are some examples of promotional groups?
Greenpeace USA, Everytown Gun Safety and the ACLU
What are interest groups?
Groups that campaign for the interest of the members of the group
What are some examples of interest groups?
Unions such as AFL-CIO
Business or trade groups like the US Chamber of Commerce
Professional organisations like American Bar Association
Groups that resent individuals from the same social group like the NAACP
Religious groups like Christian Coalition of America
How can pressure groups play an important role in election campaigns?
By endorsing candidates, making campaign donations and realising voting scorecards
Why do pressure groups often tend to give money to political action committees (PACs) and Super PACs?
Because the amount that candidates official campaign can raise is limited
In 2018 who much did the League of Conservation Voters spend on electoral campaigning?
$85 million and achieved its aiming with the House of Representatives back for the Democrats, with nearly 60 of their new congressional candidates being elected
What is EMILY’s list?
A US pressure group that aims to get pro-choice Democratic women elected, set up in 1985 to the acronym ‘Early Money Is Like Yeast’
What is a scorecard realised by a pressure group?
It scores candidates in certain policies
What are some pressure groups that use scorecards?
The US Chamber of Commerce release a ‘How they Voted’ scorecard for each member of Congress
The NRA allocate each candidate a grade from A to F based on their voting record on gun rights
The League of Conservation voters realise a ‘dirty dozen’ list of politicians who have the worst environmental records
What amendment protects the right to lobby?
First, the right to ‘petition the government for a redress of grievances’
How do many pressure groups get directly to the politicians?
Through insider contacts, with offices in Washington, DC that allow them to access the federal government and congress with J.P Morgan and Goldman Sachs meeting over 350 times with federal agencies from 2010 to 2012
Where are professional lobby groups normally located?
Around ‘K-street’ in Washington, D.C.
In 2019 who much was spent on federal lobbying?
More than $3.47 billion
What is ‘revolving door syndrome’?
When their is a rotation of personnel between government and lobbying firm, for example lawyer Eugene Scalia became the secretary of labor in 2019, though before lobbied to W.Bush’s government for US Chamber of Commerce
What are some legislation trying to regulate lobbying?
The Lobbying Disclosure Act 1995 and the Honest Leadership and Open Government Disclosure Act 2007
What is an example of pressure groups not achieving their aim?
The Chamber could not convince Trump’s administration to reverse tariffs on goods from China and the EU, despite the negative impact on tariffs on US businesses
After two years in office how many lobbyist had trump hired?
281 lobbyist to work in government, one former lobbyist for every 14 political appointments, four times more than Obama in 6 years
