A Matter of Societal Interest - Essay Example

A Matter of Societal Interest 1. Define the interest group, with examples. To state as a matter of societal interest, these interest groups are usually of a non-profit nature and are always instituted in a voluntary way. It has many members that run the show for the interest group under question who claim to have a cause on which there is some form of unison and oneness. The mission of these interest groups is to exert enough control with the facilitation of influence towards the public policy. On the other hand, these interest groups have no role in bringing about political control which they could enjoy or use to their own good effect. They lobby with the members of various legislative bodies where the aid comes for the sake of the political parties. These interest groups have a purpose which is deep embedded within their core basis – they do their best to elect politicians who will analyze and then agree on their related causes and thus have a basis of understanding related with them. In addition, the role of these interest groups is to take the people along, involve them and thus conduct some operations and activities which could both be through the secret streams or in an open propaganda fashion. Having discussed their role, it is fundamental to know the different types of interest groups which essentially exist. Some are the economic associations which might take into effect through the collective roles of the trade unions, religious factions and chambers of commerce and industries. Apart from these economic associations, there are the professional groups which comprise of different doctors, architects, lawyers and other people who are termed as the core professionals. The public interest group is another kind of an interest group which includes within it the individuals who are known to be as the friends of the environment. The public interest group serves to benefit the people at large. Also there is a special interest group that is actually a subgroup formed within the skeleton of a huge group yet has a very narrow interest area. It is a fact that these interest groups are always doing their best to provide defense to a status quo and thus do it for long time periods (Nownes, 2000). It must be mentioned here that interest groups are not the pressure groups that one might confuse them as. These interest groups have a clear cut intention behind their institution and hence the reason why they are supported by the people who run the show. These supporters depict the essential basis of the interest groups whereby these interest groups show the real picture of the society and its inmates. For this reason, these interest groups are always seen with doubt and confusion on the part of the people. Some related examples of these interest groups include the PETA which is a body that discusses the ethical treatment of animals and the ASH which is an interest group that serves as the legal action arm of the nonsmoking individuals. Since these nonsmoking communities exist, it also listens to the nonsmokers as per their rights which are raised every now and then. Therefore it would be sound to suggest that the role of these interest groups is important in the current times where molding the opinion of the public is a significant manifestation (Baumgartner, 2009). The society can work along these interest groups in order to have a collective pool of optimism generated. When this indeed takes place, the interest groups have served their very purpose. But then again, there could be concerns in all quarters if there are apprehensions at any stage which could well and truly be removed in a proactive fashion by the members of the interest groups. 2. Discuss the relationship between interest groups and political parties. The interest groups and the political parties have a direct connection with one another. Both of these form an essential basis which cannot be denied its due right within the American landscape. It inspires people to understand the nuances which come about from their association. The interest groups work along with the political parties to manifest their truest basis yet stop short of mingling within the political process, which remains a hallmark of these political parties. One must remember that these interest groups do not form a vital cog in the wheel of these political parties but are somehow playing their role within the political process. This is because the political process is a task that is specifically assigned on the shoulders of the politicians and they know their game well. It is with their knowledge and comprehension that nations are able to come out of crisis and avoid problems in an up front manner. The interest groups only highlight the anomalies but do not go ahead and resolve the ambiguities in essence (Godwin, 2012). Since the role of these interest groups is distinctively drawn, the political parties know about this from the beginning. Hence no form of interference is ever allowed and if these interest groups bring in their interventions, it only hurts the basis of the cause that is highlighted by the interest groups, which is not acceptable to them. What these interest groups require is being lent an ear towards the issues which have affected the domains of the people within the society and follow-up of the advised steps and measures. They believe that the political parties will take up their cause and resolve the problems once these are detailed to them. Indeed the relationship between the interest groups and the political parties is based on significance, and hence the reason why there are a number of expectations from one another. Both these groups have to come out clean in the eyes of the public and for this they remain answerable and accountable at all times. Also the interest groups are doing all that they can in the name of depicting the problematic areas and regions which need care and attention on the part of these politicians. Some sections of the society find it diabolical for the interest groups to have close relationships and linkages with the political parties (Etemad, 1986). They are of the view that each one of these groups scratches each other’s backs which essentially derails the process of bringing sanity within society’s realms. However there could be some genuineness attached to these claims, but on the whole the interest groups strive to work for the common man and represent him on the national and global levels. The reason why people have doubts in the first place is because these interest groups and the political parties hold secret discussions while seldom have open propaganda campaigns as well. When they go behind closed doors, then is the moment that the people start to have second thoughts about their linkages. Perhaps it is the weaker area which needs to be constantly made available to the people regarding what is being discussed and which perspectives are being made note of. The positives are however drawn whenever the interest groups and the political parties mesh their activities and thoughts together to look after the needs of the common man and woman on the street (Wagner, 2012). This is a significant undertaking that reaps the right dividends and that too within quantifiable proportions. The end results are reliant on the aspect of the linkage that exists between the interest groups and the political parties and more than that the results that had earlier been envisaged and which have now come about as a reality basis. 3. Explain how interest groups try to influence the President and Congress as these two branches work together to make policy. The role of the interest groups within the policy drafts is a significant one, more so because it concerns the American government and essentially the people of America. The Congress is responsible for bringing to the fore those policies which help the common man and woman on the street and the President of the United States is able to garner confidence amongst all and sundry, This is the reason why these interest groups have a major responsibility that they hold towards the basis of the society. When they are able to pull the best of their energies towards drafting of the policies, then the Congress starts to take note and gives them its approval, which in turn is recognized and accepted by the President of the United States. It must be remembered here that the President has the power to see whether or not a policy is able to look after the rights and responsibilities of the entire American populace and if it circumvents the rights of some specific communities. If this happens, he would ask the Congress to draft the policy again so that there are no grey areas at all (Blom, 2006). The role of the interest groups under such settings is to be sure that they are doing something right and for the betterment of the people at large. Also newspaper advertisements are given out by the Congress to make sure that there are no anomalies whatsoever at any stage. These newspaper advertisements make people aware of their rights and let the Congress know where they are lacking. These advertisements tell the Congress what it needs to do and how success can be envisioned within the realms of the people if all out efforts are enacted on their part. These interest groups are always doing their best to discern where shortcomings exist within the society and what best can be done to thwart such measures. Also they proactively find ways and means through which the Congress can look after the realms of the people and drafts policies which will take care of their domains on a regular basis. The need is to comprehend how interest groups have been mindful of the people to whom they represent their loyalty (Jaatinen, 1998). This is important because it leaves a lasting impression on the minds of the government and keeps it on its toes constantly. One good thing about these interest groups lies in the fact that they should be accountable to their own people and this can only take place once they are in close contact with the Congress and the President of the United States. If this happens for good measure, then there is no reason why the President must not carry out actions which are for the collective betterment of the American society. All said and done, the interest groups should be given the credit that they deserve because it is for them that the Congress and the President are wary of the feelings of the common men and women on the streets. References Baumgartner, F. (2009). Lobbying and Policy Change: Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why. University of Chicago Press Blom, B. (2006). Cause Lawyering and Social Movements: Can Solo and Small Firm Practitioners Anchor Social Movements? Studies in Law, Politics and Society 39 Etemad, H. (1986). New Sociopolitical Forces: The Globalization of Conflict. Journal of Business Strategy 6(4) Godwin, R. (2012). Lobbying and Policymaking. CQ Press Jaatinen, M. (1998). Lobbying for Conflict Accommodation – A Contingency Model. Corporate Communications: An International Journal 3(1) Nownes, A. (2000). Pressure and Power: Organized Interests in American Politics (New Directions in Political Behavior Series). Houghton Mifflin Company, 1st ed. Wagner, W. (2012). Bending Science: How Special Interest Corrupt Public Health Research. Harvard University Press Read More