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Define an Interest Group

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Define an Interest Group: Through my research I found that there are many definitions of an Interest Group. For example one is from out text book the definition is; An Interest Group is an organization of people or a letterhead organization sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy. (Wilson J. Q. (2008) American Government) The term 'interest group' describes the nature of association this work is concerned with. According to Truman, interest groups can be defined as groups that based on one or more shared attitudes, engage in influencing political decision-making, in order to successfully implement certain political goals or values (Truman, 33). They usually, but not always, are formally organized. The relation between interest groups and government and society is an affirmative one, although groups may at times employ destructive methods in order to accomplish their goals. The existing social order is accepted by interest groups, and governmental power and its institutions are utilized to attain advantages, protect members, and to fight political opponents. As you see they all relate to political decision making, political goals, and organization of people. In Washington DC there are nearly seven thousand organizations that are represented by politics. These interest groups are also referred to as Lobby’s or Lobbyists. The textbook we use gives the opinion that interest groups are a group of people with shared ideas and attitudes who attempt to influence public policy. The Economic Interest Group is Certainly the largest category, economic interest groups include organizations that represent big business, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), as well as
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big labor — the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organization (AFL-CIO) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, for example. Large corporations and individual unions also have offices in the capital. Trade associations represent entire industries. The members of the American Public Power Association (APPA), for example, are municipally owned electric utilities, rural electric cooperatives, and state power authorities. Professionals also form interest groups. The American Medical Association (AMA) opposed legislation to create health maintenance organizations (HMOs) for years. (http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Types-of-Interest-Groups.topicArticleId-65383,articleId-65531.html). There are many different types of interest groups such as the American Association for retired persons (AARP), National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) which are two of the more well know ones. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization for people age 50 and over. AARP is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for all as we age. AARP leads positive social change and delivers value to members through information, advocacy and service. AARP also provides a wide range of unique benefits, special products, and services for their members. (www.aarp.org) NRLC is the nation's largest pro-life organization, with 50 state affiliates and approximately 3,000 local affiliates nationwide. NRLC works through legislation and education to protect those threatened by abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, and assisted suicide. (http://www.nrlpac.org) These two interest groups are two of the largest interest groups in America and in every election they are usually in the forefront of every candidate’s campaign as they were in the current election. Another large interest group is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The ACLU is our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts,
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legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country. Some examples of those liberties are found in the First Amendment. The ACLU also works to extend rights to segments of our population that have traditionally been denied their rights, including people of color; women; lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people; prisoners; and people with disabilities. (http://www.aclu.org/about-aclu-0).

The Relationship between Interest Groups and Political Parties: In the United States Congress there are two houses called the House of Representatives and the Senate. In the House of Representatives most of the legislation is done through committees and subcommittees. This is where the influence of lobbyists and special interest groups come into play. (http://voices.yahoo.com/lobbyists-special-interest-groups-congress-41263.html) Since the development of interest groups there has always been a contest between them and the political parties. The reason for this contest is because of the difference between the two. The interest groups pressure the government/political parties to enact policies that support their group. For an example AARP which is for the retirement groups is always trying to influence the government policies that support the people that are retired or getting ready to retire. Some of those polices might be medical related or tax related and would effect the retirement group of America. The National Right to Life NRL is a large Christian group that supports pro-life and as you
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know this was a big issue in the presidential election this year. There has been a lot written about the NRL and the 2012 presidential race and how the race caused a shifted in the polls for pro-life. I read that James Madison’s solution to the problems posed by interest groups was to create a wide-open system in which many groups would be able to participate so that groups with opposing interests would counterbalance one another. (http://wps.ablongman.com/long_edwards_government_11/0,7701,719053-,00.html) I believe that this is a true statement and the interest groups that are developed today are created through the wide range of American interest and American immigrants. Now, how does this relate to the political party? Well the political party is interested in developing platforms that will draw the support of the majority voters. So, the interest groups and the political parties must come together in some sort of fashion of negotiation if they are going to win votes. Sometimes the interest groups will even supply volunteers and financial resources if the political party will support their agendas. Although, there are times when an interest group may find themselves in a weak situation because the stronger political group will not support them and then they must go with the weaker party. If the interest group goes with the weaker party, than they must help them in having a stronger candidate that will support their actions. This does not always work as you can see this is what happened in this year’s election. The NRL was supporting the republicans, but the Democrats proved to be the stronger party. There have been a dramatic increase in the pro portion of aging Americans and it has brought attention to the possibility of gains in "senior power." This possibility is most appropriately
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focused on voting and interest group politics. The electoral politics suggests there is no sound reason to expect the aging will gain power by voting more cohesively in the future, but the most one of the most powerful interest groups like AARP is based on aging members. A more important political implication of increased numbers of the aging is the increase in services and facilities they will need. If government responds to those needs, it will be because of pervasive groups like AARP and not because it is pushed to do so by so-called senior power.

How Does the Interest Group Try to Influence the President and Congress? Public policy is the ultimate output of a political system and influencing policy is the main intent of interest groups. Yet interest group scholars have had difficulty consistently demonstrating interest group influence on policy. (www.palgrave-journals.com/iga/journal/v1/n2/full/iga20129a.html) Studies of the policy process indicate that interest groups often play a central role in setting the government agenda, defining options, influencing decisions and directing implementation (Baumgartner and Jones, 1993; Berry, 1999; Patashnik, 2003). In their meta-analysis of studies of influence, Burstein and Linton (2002) show that interest groups are often found to have a substantial impact on policy outcomes. Yet most studies of influence look at particular issue areas and organizations, rather than generalize across a large range of cases (Baumgartner and Leech, 1998). Interest groups many influence the President and Congress when they are running for office by supporting them for election and interest groups can be of help to Congress by supplying them with a great source of specialized information. Once an interest group gets the people that
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they want in Congress and as President they get involved in electioneering aiding, candidates financially and getting their members to support them. Political Action Committees (PACs) have provided a means for groups to participate in electioneering more than ever. (http://wps.ablongman.com/long_edwards_ga_12/33/8516/2180245.cw/index.html). PACs are not always separate from other interest groups. Often they are the campaign-financing wing of a larger lobbying effort. It is not surprising that labor unions give the overwhelming majority of their contributions to Democratic candidates while most business groups favor Republicans. Also, interest groups send representatives to state capitals and to Washington, D.C. to put pressure on members of Congress and other policymakers. Interest Groups can testify in congressional hearings. Several years ago Congress was considering discrimination in private clubs; representatives of the Boy Scouts appeared in hearings to try to persuade Congress to allow each one to remain a single-sex organization. Lobbyists also contact government officials directly or informally, present research results and technical information, talk with people from the press and the media, and sometimes even help to draft legislation. Although some lobbyists have direct access to the president, most have access only to the lower levels of the executive branch. Interest groups particularly target regulatory agencies, which have the ability to set policy affecting commerce and trade throughout the country. Some scholars have claimed that lobbying of regulatory agencies has resulted in agency capture, effectively handing control of the agency over to the industries it was intended to regulate. (http://www.sparknotes.com/us-government-and-politics/american-government/interest-groups/section3.rhtml) The Labor Lobby is one of if not the biggest group. The have millions of members because
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the Labor Lobby includes the American Federation of Labor, the CIO and many other union groups across the nation. They donated $90 million to help fight for better treatment in the workforce, better pay and better working conditions. The other two major groups are the Legal Lobby and the Retired Lobby. The Legal Lobby donated $112 million and the major group includes the American Bar Association. The Legal Lobby represents the views of lawyers and legal rights in the court of law. They play an influential role in law making and getting malpractice laws passed which create more lawsuits in courts for people to earn money. The Retired Lobby is made up of the AARP and in the year 2000 they gave $102 million. The Retired Lobby focuses mainly on pensions and retirement plans and health care for the elderly.
(http://voices.yahoo.com/lobbyists-special-interest-groups-congress-41263.html) So as a Senior Citizen I believe that the seniors will have more and more to say about retirement, health care and interest groups will be a big part of this.

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Special Interest
References
Wilson J. Q. (2008) American Government, Chapter 7, Political Parties and Interest Groups, 142-143.
Truman, David B., The Governmental Process, Political Interests and Public Opinion, 2nd ed., (Berkley: Institute of Governmental Studies, University of California), 1971, reprinted 1993.
Cliff Notes, American Interest Groups -http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Types-of-Interest-Groups.topicArticleId-65383,articleId-65531.html).
American Association for retired persons (AARP), www.ARP.org
National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), http://www.nrlpac.org
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), http://www.aclu.org/about-aclu-0
Palgrave, McMillan, Interest Groups and Advocacy, www.palgrave-journals.com/iga/journal/v1/n2/full/iga20129a.html

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