Formation of Groups of Interest - Essay Example

? Special Interests al Affiliation It is the nature of people to have different interests that they attach value to and defend. It is for this reason that interest groups are formed. Interests can be ethnic, religious, economic, or based on a range of other issues, depending on what people value and wish to defend. Interest groups are formed by individuals with a common role or cause, and they have different structures and sizes, with some having many members, while others have no members at all. In the same way, some are organized in formal ways with bylaws, leaders, members, and holding of meetings regularly, while others are not organized in any formal way, hence loosely knit and have a few rules, with no leaders. Despite the fact that interest groups and political parties are separate institutions in terms of the functions they perform, today they have formed joint associations. Interest groups therefore have a joint association with political parties and also try to influence the president and Congress as these two branches work together to make policy. This paper defines an interest group and gives examples, discusses the relationship between interest groups and political parties, and explains how interest groups try to influence the president and Congress as the two branches work together to make policy. Keywords: Interest Group, Political Party, Policy, Interests, Lobbyists, Lobbying, President, Congress, Associations, Relationship, Campaign Finance, Grassroots Activities 1. Define an interest group, with examples People have different pursuits that they attach value to and defend. Such pursuits despite being focused towards different goals are all known as interests. Interests can therefore be ethnic, religious, economic, or based on a range of other issues. Newell, Prindle, and Riddlesperger define an interest group as “a private organization of individuals who have banded together because of a common cause or role” (2011, p. 70). For example, political interest groups have a common cause of influencing the making of public policy. Hrebenar and Thomas on the other hand define an interest group as “any association of individuals or organizations, whether formally organized or not, that attempts to influence public policy” (1993, p. 9). Interest groups have different structures and sizes, with some having many members, while others have no members at all. In the same way, some are organized in formal ways with bylaws, leaders, members, and holding of meetings regularly, while others are not organized in a formal way, hence loosely knit and have a few rules, with no leaders. Interest groups are therefore of different types, with the major types representing the areas of the economy. These include economic interest groups, environmental groups, public interest groups, and other interest groups. Economic interest groups. They form the largest category of interest groups. Bardes, Shelley, and Schmidt (2008) point out that “the major sectors that seek influence in Washington, D.C., include business, agriculture, labor unions and their members, government workers, and professionals” (p. 225). Trade associations and business interest groups are formed by those in business, and their main role is to influence the policies made by the government that have an impact on their businesses. Examples of business interest groups in the United States include the National Association of manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of commerce that represent businesses and manufacturing matters respectively. Agricultural interest groups are formed by agricultural farmers and their employees. Despite the fact that they represent a very small number of the US population, farmers and their employees in the United States have been able to influence legislations touching on their interests. Examples include the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, The peanut Growers Group, The American Dairy Association, and the National Soybean Association (Bardes, Shelley, & Schmidt, 2008). According to Bardes, Shelley, and Schmidt, “in recent years, agricultural interest groups have become active on many new issues. Among other things, they have opposed immigration restrictions and are very involved in international trade matters as they seek new markets” (2008, p. 227). New agricultural groups such as the American Farmland Trust have also been formed. Labor interest groups are formed by American workers. These groups represent the labor movements and politically comprise of working class people, as they politically and economically express the interests of the working class Americans. The major labor interest group in the United States is AFL-CIO, which is an amalgamation of the American Federation of labor and the Congress of Industrial organizations (Bardes, Shelley, & Schmidt, 2008). Bardes, Shelley, and Schmidt point out that “today, the combined AFL-CIO is a large union with a membership of nearly 10 million workers and an active political arm called the Committee on Political Education” (2008, p. 227). Environmental interest groups have common causes focused towards distinct ecological domains or general protection of the environment. Bardes, Shelley, and Schmidt (2008) point out that “since the first Earth Day, organized in 1970, many interest groups have sprung up to protect the environment in general or unique ecological niches” (p. 232). Environmental groups comprise of conservation group members, fishers, hunters among others. Examples of these groups include the National Audubon Society, the National Wildlife Federation, the Environmental Defense Fund, Nature Conservancy, Earth First, and the Greenpeace Society among others (Bardes, Shelley, & Schmidt, 2008). Public interest groups are comprised of many different organizations that are formed in the interests of the public. Examples include Nader organizations that were formed by Ralph Nader, a consumer activist. Today, “Nader has turned over much of his income to the more than sixty public interest groups that he has formed or sponsored” (Bardes, Shelley, & Schmidt, 2008). Other public interest groups include law firms such as the Pacific Legal Foundation, the Institute for Justice, the Washington Legal Foundation. Today, Common Cause is the largest public interest group in the United States. Other interest groups mainly comprise of groups focusing on a single issue such as abortion. Examples include the National Rifle Association, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and the Right to Work Committee. 2. Discuss the relationship between interest groups and political parties. Interest groups and political parties are separate institutions in terms of the functions they perform. While the main concern of political parties is to designate hopefuls for public office and helping them get elected, interest groups focus on policies and use different methods to influence legislation, so as to favor their cause or interests. However, despite being separate institutions in terms of their functions, interest groups and political parties today have formed a joint association. Paddock asserts this by pointing out that “nevertheless, in the contemporary world of media-driven and candidate-centered campaigns, parties and groups have developed a symbiotic relationship” (2005, p. 141). National and state Democratic parties in the United States for example have formed close associations with pro-life groups, environmentalists, and labor unions. Republican organizations on the other hand, have formed close associations with pro-life movements, religious conservatives, and business interest groups. Due to the close relationships that united groups and political parties share, different activists and groups are able to speak on behalf of a political party in various situations. The interests of interest groups and political parties mainly converge in the area of campaign finance. The major participants to congressional campaigns in the United States have been Political Action Committees (PACs), especially those related to trade associations and corporations. Money to conduct national conventions is also provided to the parties, by corporate interests. Paddock points out that “at the 1996 Republican National Convention, American Telephone and Telegraph gave around $ 1.5 million for computers and cable wiring” (2005, p. 142). When corporations make soft money contributions to political parties, they are called the official sponsors of these rallies. Corporate officials in these situations are able to be present at restricted meetings, golf tournaments, and receptions with the party heads. Interest groups also participate in other activities to support party nominees of different political parties by organizing voter mobilization programs and running free advertisements. According to a study conducted by David Magleby, a political scientist during the election campaigns of the year 2000, “the results…. indicated that outside sources, such as interest groups played an important role in these competitive congressional campaigns” (Paddock, 2005, p. 143). Apart from engaging in campaign finance, interest groups also engage in grassroots activities and direct lobbying for political parties. According to Janiskee and Masugi, “direct lobbying involves direct contact between an agent of an interest group and an office holder, usually a legislator” (2011, p. 45). In order to express their concerns regarding some specific bills, interest groups hire lobbyists to speak with these officeholders and express the concerns of the interest groups. Lobbyists who are relied upon by legislators for their reputation in giving good information are held as great assets by both the interest groups and officeholders, since they guide them in making policies and legislations that best suit the people. An example of a successful lobbyist in the United States is Don Novey, who was the former president of one of the most influential lobby groups in the United States known as California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA) (Janiskee & Masugi, 2011). Grassroots activities are of different kinds and differ from lobbying from to the fact that, while lobbying involves the use of representatives that are carefully hired by interest groups; those involved in grassroots activities are many and are not selectively hired. According to Janiskee & Masugi (2011), “grassroots activity defines any actions by large groups of people and can range from phone calls to protest marches” (p. 45). At times, grassroots activities have been very effective, since they have been more influential than lobbying. Legislators have been influenced to oppose or support different bills as a result of well timed series of e-mails, calls, letters, and faxes. The main reason why grassroots activities have been successful despite being conducted by citizens who have no expertise is the fact that, they are advised by full time and professional staff from organizations. Therefore, the main difference between interest groups and political parties comes from the fact that “political parties try to affect what the government does primarily by placing their members in positions of government authority…, while interest groups try to affect government primarily by trying to affect the decisions of people who are in government” (Nownes, 2013, p. 216). Despite the fact that interest groups and political parties today have formed a joint association, their relationship has been rather uneasy and characterized by a lot of competition between the two organizations. Nownes points out that “the relationship can be likened to a rocky marriage; the two partners are inextricably bound together, though things are not always cordial between them” (2013, p. 216). 3. Explain how interest groups try to influence the president and Congress as these two branches work together to make policy. Interest groups have always competed for attention from the public and congress, with most of them succeeding due to employment of tactics used by the president. As discussed earlier, interest groups and political parties in the contemporary society have formed a joint association, where interest groups engage in campaign finance, grassroots activities, and direct lobbying for political parties. The relationship between interest groups and the congress is based on an exchange, where interest groups get to influence policies and members of congress get to gain politically. According to Lasser, “lobbyists provide members with valuable technical and political information on specific issues, and members may fulfill the interest group's objectives by enacting their preferred policies” (2011, p. 179). Interest groups have been known to form relations with other interest groups in order to effectively influence congress. “These coalitions are even extremely important in the Republican-controlled congress, because the GOP has centralized power, limited the access of interest groups, and even sought to limit the resources and actions of lobbyists for certain groups” (Lasser, 2011, p. 179). Through their legislative and electoral connection, interest group leaders are able to influence congress. For example, lobbyists who influence members of congress policy making activities use the same position to influence the flow of PAC contributions from their groups, in order to help hopefuls raise money from other PACs and individuals. When it comes to influencing the executive branch, the methods used by interest groups to form associations with congress become less effective. According to Lasser, “technical information is a valuable resource in lobbying Congress, but is far less useful in approaching the executive, which can draw on the expertise of the bureaucracy” (2011, p. 180). This is because the administration does not take campaign contributions from interest groups despite the fact that they do interact. In order to get reelected and be able to execute their policies, presidents need the help of interest groups. In fact, they have been known to use interest groups to mobilize their voters, when seeking reelections in office. “Before the 2004 elections, they also relied on the soft money generated by interest groups to help finance party efforts to bolster their campaigns” (Lasser, 2011, p. 180). According to Lasser (2011), “any president seeking to pass key legislation needs groups to mobilize their members and lobbyists behind the administration proposals in order to help win the support of key legislators” (p. 180). When there is no direct connection between lobbyists and operatives in the White House, the White House Office of Public Liaison acts as a crucial collective link for interest groups and the president. Reference List Bardes, Barbara A., Shelley, Mack C., & Schmidt, Steffen W. (Eds.). (2008). American Government and Politics Today 2008: The Essentials. Belmont: Cengage Higher Education. Hrebenar, Ronald J., & Thomas, Clive S. (Eds.). (1993). Interest Group Politics in the Northeastern States. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press. Janiskee, Brian P. & Masugi, Ken. (Eds.). (2011). Democracy in California: Politics and Government in the Golden State. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Lasser, W. (Eds.). (2011). Perspectives on American Politics. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Newell, C., Prindle, D. F., & Riddlesperger, James W. (Eds.). (2011). Texas Politics. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Nownes, Anthony J. (Eds.). (2013). Interest Groups in American Politics: Pressure and Power. New York: Routledge. Paddock, Joel. State & National Parties & American Democracy. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc. Read More