Pressure Groups Flashcards
Biggest PG?
AARP- American Association of Retired Persons with 40 m members
Sierra Club slogan?
‘explore, enjoy and protect the planet’
NRA membership rise post-Parkland?
rose to 5m members (up 500k)
Why are there so many PGs in the USA reasons?
Political/cultural
Social
Constitutional/institutional
political/cultural reasons for PGs?
- Congressional comittees and sub committees are powerful
- Gov has grown since FDR: this means that Congressmen and their staff can no longer master every policy area
- Americans are suspicious of big gov: it is a conservative country
- Members of Congress are influenced by the ‘folks back home’ and locality rule
- Weakness of major parties
- Existence of PACs
- Polarisation gives PGs scope to promote views of key issues
- Issue based nature of politics (rather than party) strengthens their significance)
Social reasons for PGs?
- american media is decentralised therefore local issues gets prominence
- Religion is a big part of every day life
- Society is diverse in terms of ethnicity, religion, region, income etc
Constitutional/institutional reasons for PGs?
- No single branch of gov is dominant
- Power in the US is very decentralised and dispersed
- Direct democracy in some states e.g. initiatives provide other access points
- Federal, state and local elections
- There are 535 members of Congress
- Only 2 major parties
- The constitution guarantees citizens freedom of speech and the right to assemble
Role of PGs?
- They enhance democracy, allowing citizens to participate in politics between elections
- They allow people to pressurise the 3 different branches of gov
- Theoretical reasons lie in theory of pluralism
What is pluralism?
Power being devolved across many groups
Which areas of politics allow pluralism (according to Robert Dahl)
Political party nominations
Urban development
Public education
What is a pressure group?
An organised group in which members hold similar beliefs and actively pursue ways to influence gov
Unlike parties- which try to win electoral power- PGs are principally interesting in influencing those who determine policy
They operate at federal, state and local level to try and influence the 3 branches of government
Two categories of pressure groups
Institutional- represent organisations and groups
Membership- represent individuals rather than organisations
Institutional groups?
Business/trade group
Labour unions and industrial groups
Professional groups
Intergovernmental groups
Membership groups?
Single-issue groups
Ideological groups
Group rights groups
Public interest groups
Egs of business/trade groups?
American Business conference, National Automobile Dealers Association
The US Chamber of Commerce
National Farmers’ Union
Labour union groups?
United Auto Workers
Professional pressure groups>
American Medical Association
Intergovernmental groups? Role and e.g.?
They lobby one level of government on behalf of another
Eg the National Governors’ Conference
Single issue PG?
MADD or NRA
Ideological PG?
American Conservative Union
American Civil Liberties Union
A groups-right group?
Representing individuals with something in common e.g. NAACP, the National Organisation for Woman, the Christian Coalition of America
A public interest group?
Friends of the Earth
What do think tanks do?
Conduct research, write reports and articles, organise conferences and give evidence o congressional committees
Egs of Conservative think tanks?
the Heritage Foundation
Eg of Liberal think tank?
The Brooking Institute
Functions of a PG
- Representation
- Citizen Participation
- Public Education
- Agenda building
- Programme monitoring
How do PGs ensure representation
- They act as a means by which citizens can have their views represented (i.e. a link between the people and the politicians)
- Senators and reps have lots of things to do, so a PG is an appealing way of dealing with lots of views in one sitting
How do PGs ensure citizen participation?
- They provide away for people to participate in politics between elections (national elections only every 2 years)
- PGs also allow the public the chance to participate in specific policy issues- e.g. abortion, guns, the environment
How do PGs ensure public education?
-PGs often try and educate, warning people of the potential danger if certain issues aren’t addressed (they can make people aware of the problems and solutions)
How do PGs help agenda building?
- They can try and influence the agendas of parties, legislators, and those involved in the decisions
- Thye might attempt to collate a variety of groups to achieve a common interest
How do PGs ensure programme monitoring?
- They can hold gov into account re the implementation of policies
- Some PGs will bring cases to court asking the judiciary to monitor the effects of legislation e.g. National Federation of Independent Businesses vs Sebelius (2012)
Eg of PGs helping with programme monitoring?
Following the McCain-Feingold Act of 2002 (campaign finance reform), the Campaign Finance Institute commissioned several experts report on its impact
Reasons for joining a PG?
- Material benefits (i.e. what you can gain)
- Purposive benefits (i.e. what’s in it for others)
- Solidarity benefits (i.e. interacting with other people with similar beliefs)
Egs of material benefits of PGs?
If you donate money, you can get…
Information- e.g. Sierra Club’s magasine, Sierra
(alongside discounts to merchandise, outdoor trips etc)
Duffel bag- NRA (and a free subscription to magazine of your choice e.g. Shooting Illustrated)
Discounts to shops- e.g. NRA and United&Hertz
Service benefits- American Farm Bureau Federation in CA offers reduced insurance
Egs of purposive benefits of pGs?
Who tends to be attracted by these?
Many want to make their country better
Eg membership to Amnesty International- altruist; highlighting the abuse to human rights and hoping to foster pressure about this on public opinion
Generally it is wealthier members
Egs of solidarity benefits?
Groups with these tend to hold local meetings where members attend (these form what are known as local chapters)
- You might join a press group to meet local fellow enthisiasts
Methods used by PGs?
- Electioneering and endorsement
- Lobbying
- Publicity
- Grassroots activity
What are PACs and how are they linked to PGs?
Organisations tha collect money from members and give to candidates/parties that support their interests
They can give 5k per candidate per election and up to 15k annually to any party committee
PACs are basically PGs
PACs funding strategy?
They want to get the most out of their money- esp business group PACs give an overwhelming proportion of their money to incumbents
Labour groups do the same while ideological groups might not
candidate endorsement?
PGs actively supporting/opposing candidates in policy areas they’re directly interested in
Eg of 2016 candidate endorsement?
National Right to Life endorsed Trump while NARAL endorsed Clinton
List ways PGs express views on a candidate?
Eg The League of Conservation Voters publishes, every 2 years, its ‘Dirty Dozen’ list of Congressional candidates with the least environmentally friendly records
Success of the dirty dozen list? Analysis?
in 2016- four out of 12 of the people in the list were defeate
BUT correlation or cause and effect? i.e. names were only added to the list after candidates were known to be likely to be defeated
Other way PGs express views on a candidate
In 2008, the American Association of Retired Persons put 10 Qs to all presidential and congressional candidates
How successful was American Association of Retired Persons 2008 10Q?
In NC 8th District, the Democratic Challenger Larry Kissler answered all the questions in line with the AARP stance and so received their endorsement and won the election
Why is lobbying important for PGs?
PGs provide accurate, detailed and up-to-date info to those who need it (legislators need to seem knowledgable)
How many lobbyists?
11k in Washington alone (K Street)
Who are lobbying firms made up of? Eg
Built up aroundd former politicians and aides who have visibility and contacts
Eg the Podesta Group is built around Tony Podesta (the brother of John Podesta who was Clinton’s CoS and ran Hillary’s 2016 campaign)
How PGs also help legislators?
Providing them with reassurance they are taking the right stance
Eg liberals will look to NAACP
Conservatives with look to the US Chamber of Commerce
How PGs create publicity?
They often launch PR campaigns- e.g. tv advertising (issue advertising)
Merchandise- bumper stickers; T shirts
Eg of issue advertising
Moms Demand Action- gun v kinder egg poster
NRATV saying gun control is only for the rich
Why do PGs use grassroots?
Very effective- esp at local legislators
Eg of grassroots method?
Postal ‘blitzes’- PGs asking members to send pre-prepared letters or cards to certain representatives; email campaigns; online petitions etc
Marches- esp at state and federal level e.g. outside courtrooms
Good e.g. of grassroots?
Occupy Wall Street - for the 99%
Why is America fertile for grassroots?
Federalism
access points- power devolved therefore lots of people yield it near you
Also local interests more prominent due to each state’s unique culture
Eg of PG with a state offshoot?
Socialist Alternative MN is the Minnesota Branch of Socialist Alternative, intially formed to elect Kshama Sawant to Seattle City Council in 2014
How does structure of Congress help PGs?
The Congressional Committee system provide more access points for PGs to appear as witnesses, make written submissions, amend legislation and scrutinise activity
How can PGs directly influence the exec (access points)
They can access the White House, executive departments, agencies and regulatory commissions of the federal bureaucracy
What is astroturfing?
A pg pretending to have lots of grassroots support when they dont
Example of astro turfing?
The Western States Petroleum Association (huge lobbyist for big oil) ran 14 supposed grassroots consumer movements to promote big oil companies(e.g. the California Drivers’ Alliance) …but they weren’t acc grass roots
Factors effecting PG success?
Effective organisation and leadership Wealth Large membership Achievability of the goal Status of opposition
Effective organisation and leadership egs?
Occupy didn’t have effective leadership or organisation and so quickly faded away
Wayne La Pierrre hs led NRA since 1991- slick org with a clear message
Basically about having clear and firm priorities which are well-communicated so people know what is on the agenda
Why are some PGs easier to organise than others
Easier to organise producers over consumers
Wealth?
Money brings the ability to do more lobbying and campaigning etc
2014 paper from Princeton findings re effect of wealth on PGs?
In cases where a proposed policy had low support amongst wealthy (only 1/5 in favour) the policy was adopted 18& of time vs when 4/5 wealthy supported the plan, the prospect of adoption rose to 45%
Large membership?
When a group has lots of members, it can more persuasively claim to represent a larger- and so more influential section of society
Also the more members= the more subscriptions= the more donations
Issue effective PGs?
The more popular an issue the more pressure can be put on legislators
e.g. MADD started I 1988 by Candice Lightener after her 13 y/o daughter was killed by a. drunk driver
Success of MADD?
1984 federal law, the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, that introduced a federal penalty for states that didn’t raise the minimum legal age for the purchase and possession of alcohol to 21; court case South Dakota v. Dole (1987) upheld this
In 2010- finally Guam raised in to 21
Effectiveness of the opposition?
The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence unlikely to be successful due to NRA (its website claims it is ‘dedicated to taking on the NRA and their toxic agenda’)
Achievability of the goal?
The easier the goal to attain, there likely it will succeed
Changes over time
Eg capital punishment is gradually being eroded- 23 states don’t impose it atm because its been abolished or because of a gubernatorial moratoria (11 of these decisions taken post-2007)
Environmental pressure groups?
Sierra Club- formed at the end of the 19th cent during industrialisation and westward expansion
Wilderness Soc
Women’s rights pressure groups?
Groups like the National Organisation for Women
They have failed to pass an equal rights amendment but have remained very active re issues like equal pay and sexual harassment
Attempts to get more women into Congress- e.g. EMILY’s List which supports women early on in the process
Success of EMILY’s list?
. Since founding, it has elected over 100 pro-choice Democratic women to the House, 23 to the Senate, 12 to governors’ seats, and hundreds of women to state and local office.
What is EMILY’s list?
A PAC
Abortion pressure group?
Many since 1973 Roe v Was
NARAL- labelled Neil Gorsuch as ‘an existential threat to legal right to abortion’ while National Right to Life claim ‘he will protect the lives of unborn children
Abortion legislation in 90s-00s
Clinton vetoed Congressional attempts to ban partial birth abortions (96 and 97) BUT GWB signed them into law, upheld by the SC in 2007
Gun control PGs?
NRA- initially began to teach Americans how to use guns, but since 19s has campaigned against tougher gun laws
NRA activity?
Opposed the 1993 Brady Bill which mandated federal background checks on firearms purcharers
Filed amicus briefs in District of Colombia v Heller (2008) where the SC ruled that a DC ban on keeping handguns disassembled in the home was unconstitutional
NRA support/opposition demonstrating partisanship?
Congressional Ds claims it is ‘owning Congress’ while R Congressmen describe it as ‘the best single-issue lobby group in politics, bar none’
Economic equality PG?
Occupy movement-
First protest Sept 2011 in Wall Street; within a month there were protests in every state
Obama claimed ‘we are on their side’
Why did Occupy fail?
Leadership was fragmented and disparate, protests became more violent
Why are standing committees useful for PGs?
They have the power to amend legislation as they consider it, giving lobbyists a key access point
Membership to standing committees= fairly small (40 n house and 16 in senate) therefore lobbyists can build lasting relationships with members
Impact of PGs on Congress?
direct contact
telling members how to contact congressmen
contacting relevant congress committee
publishing voting records of house and senate members, offering their own rankings
can fundraise/advertise on their favourites’ behalves
Eg of executive seeking pG support?
GWB when he wanted Christinan Right group to support his nominee Harriet Miers (they backed her opponent and she withdrew0
How do PGs influence exec?
Strong ties with departments, agencies and regulatory comittees- esp when it comes to regulatory work of gov e.g. health and environment
Producer groups e.g. companies and labour unions can find themselves close to relevant gov department who seek to implement poiicy
How do PGs influence judiciary?
They take an active interest in the nomination of new SC judges- e.g. Neil Gorsuch abortion
They uses amicus briefs to try and influence the court
Example of PG using amicus briefs?
ACLU has participated in more SC case than any other private org; generally successful
Eg McCreary v ACLU (2005) agreed that a display of the Ten Commandments in a Kentucky court house was unconstitutional
In 2009 their FOI Act compelled the release of documents detailing the extent of the Bush torture program, inc memos justifying waterboarding and other abuses e.g. the Zelikow Memo
How have PGs been regulated?
In the 90s Congress passed legislation which restricted lobbyists by banning gifts to Congress members (inc wining and dining) and the paying of honoraria)
2007- Ds in control of both Houses; GWB signed the Honest Leadership and Open Government act (had bipartisan support)
Provisions of the 2007 Honest Leadership and Open Government Act?
- senators can’t lobby Congress/cabinet officials and senior exec branch members cannot lobby the department/agency they worked in after leaving for 2 years
- Prohbited gifts by lobbyists
- Prohibitd use of private aircraft
- Meetings with lobbyists now take place in Congressional offices/cafes
Eg result of the 2007 HLOGA?
Sierra Club can’t take Congressmen to visit national parks to see the results of environmental regulations/damage
2008 presidential election attitudes to lobbyists?
Obama- ‘Washington has become a place where good ideas go to die because lobbyists crush them with their money and influence’ ; he didn’t accept any donations from registered lobbyists
McCain- agreed and said sovereignty could only be restored by breaking the iron triangles
Arguments for PGs
- They give legislators/bureaucrats useful info and act as a sounding board for policy formulation stage of legislation
- They order policy debate: aggregating views and channelling the wishes of their client
- They broaden opportunities for participation
- They increase levels of accountability
- They increase opportunity for representation between elections
- They enhance the rights of freedom of speech/association
- US political system encourages them: multiple access points, autonomy of committees etc and division of power allows many decisions to made at state/ local level
Arguments against PGs?
- Revolving doors
- Iron triangles
- Inequality of the groups
- Special interest v public interests
- Buying political influence
- Direct action
What are revolving doors?
The practise whereby ex-Congressmen/ex-exec members take up jobs with lobbying firms, and use their expertise and contacts to lobby the institution that they were a member of
why are revolving doors bad?
An abuse of public service- they exploit their knowledge and contacts in Congress/exec branch in the interests of their clients and to make money
Poiticians can favour a particular group in office because they are hoping for a job there when they leave
Stat about revolving door
According to open secrets.org there are 388 former members of Congress currently working as lobbyists
Following the 2014 mid terms, 75 members of Congress left office and nearly half went into lobbying
Out of the 100 most senior people in the Clinton administration, 51 went to work as or for lobbyists
Example of revolving door?
Phil Gringley, a former Republican representative from Georgia, now works for lobbying firm Drinker, Biddle and Reath
Drinker, Biddle and Death have employed 33 people who have benefitted somehow from the revolving door
What are iron triangles?
Describes the strong relationship that can develop between interest groups, executive branch agencies/departments and Congressional committees
Eg of Iron triangles
Eisenhowers military industrial complex
Who is the military industrial complex (Eisenhower) between
The large military corporations who make campaign contributions to Congress, who tax fund the Department of Defence who provide tax funded contracts to the large military corporations
Why are iron triangles bad?
Linked to revolving door
They promote elitism- inside groups are more likely to have links in Congress
What does elitism/iron triangles suggest pressure groups can do?
Concerntra the power int he hands of a few rather than distribute it to the hands of the many
Inequality of the groups?
Right v left argument
While many conservatives suggest that the existence of PGs, bureaucrats, peoples, unions and the media competing for influence makes USA pluralist, critics on the left say that the playing field is now level
Vague Eg of inequality between pressure groups?
Business and industry groups are often ore powerful than the environmental lobby
Specific e.g. of business being more powerful than the environmental lobby
Recently Trump has approved the keystone XL and Dakota oil pipelines
In 2012, at least 50 oil companies, business trade orgs, labour unions, and political groups, with combined lobbying budgets of 178m dollars lobbied Washington in favour of Keystone XL vs 5m of environmental groups
Special interests v private interests being problematic of rpressure groups
Lots of Pgs campaigning for small interests groups rather than the whole of society can lead to atomisation
What is atomistion
Lots of small groups thinking just for themselves ; spending too much time fighting for special interest rathe than the public interest
Eg of special interest PGs
NAACP, the American Jewish Congress, the Organisation of Chinese Americans (all of these groups focused on narrow goals which benefit their members but might not benefit the nation)
Rly good e.g. of how many special interest PGs there are?
In 2016, the org Diverse Best Practises produced an article called ‘21 Native American Organisations You Need to Know’, inc Women Empowering Women for Indian Nations e.g…..this group only makes up 1.7% of the population
Another con of special interest groups (esp social ones like NAACP)
Can lead to stereotyping- suggesting all black people face the same problems and want the same policy outcomes
PGs buying political influence?
Lobbyists for business corporations can even write legislation for Congress members
Eg of lobbyist writing legislation for Congressmen?
in 2013 a bill was passed in the house which would have weakened financial regulatiojns- large parts of this all were identical to those suggested by lobbyists for Citigroup, a huge bank ( 70 lines of an 85 line bill)
Lee Drutman quote re political influence of lobbyists?
Congress has basically outsourced its policy expertise to the private sector (..) this private sector= coorganisations and companies who can afford to ay for it: big banks and big Oil and big companies
What can lobbyists therefore exploit?
The busy diaries of Congressional stafff members- they can help a lawmaker round up cosponsors for the bill and write up talking points, and influence the language of the bill itself
Direct action being problematic for PGs?
-Unacceptable levels of violence to pursue their agenda - e.g. Occupy - Zucotti Park 2011 protest (one day)= 700 arrests
UNDEMOCRATIC
BLM manifesto?
Aug 2016 - Campaign Zero, proposed policies for tackling police violence and misconduct
Release of a manifesto suggests they are trying to turn their publicity into policy success
How many times has #BLM been used 2013-2016
13.3 m tweets
Eg of incident which gave BLM publicity
The fatal police shooting of Michal Brown in Ferguson in 2014
Eg of BLM direct action??
Thousands of protestors blocked NYC traffic in April 2014, closing Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges
In Jan 2015, protestors interrupted a Capitol Hill lunch
In June 2015, protestors staged a ‘die-in’ protest at the UN general assembly
What does campaign zero call for?
An end to ‘broken window’ policing- high arrest rate of blacks for minor crimes like jaywalking
To increase transparency of police interactions with citizens e.g. more body cameras
Whites make up 2/3 of police force despite only making up 1/3 of population - increased diversity in the force
Is BLM successful?
Yes- has raised awareness; they have ensured that issues facing blacks have remained in the spotlight BUT translating into policy hasn’t been done (like anti-capitalist Occupy)
Why are social movements successful in the US
US is dominated by 2 ‘big tent’ parties that can often overlook minority concerns
BLM bring a wide range of issues to the parties’ attentions
Obama quote re phrase BLM?
“When people say ‘Black Lives Matter,’” Obama said, “that doesn’t mean blue lives don’t matter.”
Influence of BLM on 2016 presidential campaign?
After they criticised the presidential candidates win their policy re race and justice reform, the 2 leading 2 candidates made quick changes to their platforms
How did Sanders change platform post-BLM criticism?
Sanders released a comprehensive justice reform plan to tackle police violence and excessive jail sentencing
How did Clinton change platform post-BLM criticism?
Clinton publicly stated that there are issues re mass incarceration and the criminal justice system and pledged to introduce new national standards for policing
How was 2016 R campaign influenced by BLM
IN A VERY DIFFERENT WAY TO DEMOCRATS
Trump repeatedly spoke about the need to protect and promote ‘law and order’- indicating support for police over protestors… blue lives matter is just as urgent as black lives matter.
