Define an interest group, with examples. Interest groups defined as organized group of people who share common attitudes and interests, and try to influence policy by shaping public opinion, opposing or supporting candidates, and influencing the decisions of government officials. Interest groups seek to represent the views and difficulties of their members. Interest groups known as lobbies; lobbying is one way in which interest groups form legislature and represent the views of their voters to the attention of decision-makers. Many interest groups headquarters are in Washington, D.C. this allows access to legislatures and policymakers. Interest groups can be assembled into several broad categories; Economic, Public, Government, Religious, Civil rights, Ideological, Single-issue. …show more content…
Interest groups numbers have grown rapidly since 1970. Large interest groups sometimes have extremely formal organizations; members are active or inactive, and leaders can be active and participating or relatively cautious. A national issue like foreign policy is the focus for most interest groups. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), for example, focuses on the Middle East and the relationship between the United States and Israel. Many of these groups achieved relative success in both the legislature and in the courts, which has encouraged new groups to form. (American Government: Types of Interest Groups)
Interest groups are the ones that fund a lot of the politicians' campaigns; usually it is an exchange of some sort. Although the link between interest groups and campaign money is certainly valuable, interest groups do provide a critical beneficial role. Interest groups do not essentially influence the Judiciary, but they heavily influence Congressmen. Not too many people understand the power of interest groups. I think people know they exist, but do not realize how large a role they