Erin Rocker
AP Gov Per 4
10/30/13
Interest Groups
Litigation- the act or process of bringing or contesting a legal action in court. Litigation is used to put pressure on officials in order to achieve their goals. Legal strategies are used to affect public opinion on certain issues that the interest group is advocating. In addition to litigation, interest groups also use the media to make their stand on certain issues known to the general public.
Campaign Contributions-refers to all funds raised in order to promote candidates, political parties, or policies in elections, referendums, initiatives, party activities, and party organizations. Interest groups use campaign contributors because they give faster results than lawsuits or mass mobilization- you are dealing with one person (the politician you are funding); it buys the candidate's loyalty and support; it provides access when the interest group needs assistance; it is more effective on a single, focused issue; you don't need a large group of people to back you up (as with mass mobilization).
Grassroots Lobbying- asking the public to contact legislators concerning the issue at had, as opposed to going to the legislators directly. A grassroots lobby puts pressure on the legislature to address the concerns of a particular group by mobilizing that group, usually through raising public awareness and running advocacy campaigns. A group or individual classified as a lobbyist must submit regular disclosure reports; however, reporting requirements vary from state to state. The unique characteristic of grassroots lobbying, in contrast to other forms of lobbying, is that it involves stimulating the politics. Mass Mobilization- Mobilizing a specific group identified by the lobby puts pressure on the legislature to address the concerns of this group. These tactics are used after the lobbying group gains the public’s trust and support through public speaking, passing out flyers, and even campaigning through mass media.

American Medical Association: Would use campaign contributions because it is such a big organization and has the means to do so. An interest group that this group would target would be: Congress, specifically Medicare.
Sierra Club: Would use mass mobilization and try to sway public opinion by garnering media coverage. It also does campaign contributions to. Environmental Protection Agency, Council on Environmental Equality, and Bureau of Land Management are three major national level policymaking institutions that the Sierra Club targets.
National Rifle Association: Would use campaign contributions due its large membership and access to funds. They are ranked 225 of 20,981 in most money spent for lobbying purposes in the United States. Two major national level policy making institution that the NRA targets is the US House of Representatives and the Senate.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People: The NAACP is most likely to use litigation over the other techniques. This can most likely be seen in the Brown v Board of Education. If they would have used the other forms then they probably would not have had the success that they did. One major national level policymaking institution that this group targets, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Federal Communications Commission.
American Association of Retired Persons:AARP is a large organization and spent $9,900,000 lobbying in 2012. The AARP only donates to individuals, not parties. They choose to do this technique because it is the most effective technique and their large size gives them the means to do so. The nature of the people in the interest group is not to mass mobilize due to age. Major national level policymaking institutions for the AARP include Dept of Health & Human Services, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Social Security Administration.