Pressure groups USA
- Created by: Alex Armour
- Created on: 03-06-13 10:33
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- Pressure Groups
- Types of pressure groups
- Institutional; Teamsters & NFU
- Membership; Amnesty
- Intergovernmental; National Governors' Conference
- Functions of pressure groups
- Provide a representative function; link between the public and the politican
- Aid citizen participation; allow for citizens to participate between elections
- May enhance public education; warning the public on issues such as gun control
- Perform the function of agenda building; influence the agenda of legislators and parties to prioritse member interests i.e. China DVDs
- Ensure accountability; hold government actions to account and ensure policies are fulfilled
- Reasons to join a pressure group
- Material benefits; Sierra Club and NRA both offer free magazines
- Purposive benefits; altruistic causes which aim for the benefit of society i.e. Amnesty members tend to be middle class and stand to gain little from membership
- Solidarity; social interaction i.e NAS
- Methods used by pressure groups
- Electioneering and endorsement;since 2006 all congressionalelections have cost $1 billion, only 2 of the largest 12 Pac recipients failed to win in HoR, LCV "dirty dozen"
- Lobbying; liberal Democrats look to NAACP and ADA
- Publicity; "issue advertising", "meat on the menu", Clinton's health care reforms
- Organising grass roots activities; postal blitz on congress, Operation Saves America's bombing of abortion clinics
- Impact on Congress
- Contact members of congress especially those on relevant congressional committees
- Groups such as the LCV publish voting records
- Jack Abramoff spent a lot of money on staff members for example Tom Daley's chief of staff recieved 90 days of subsidised travel
- Impact on the Executive
- Karl Rove lobbied Christian rights groups to convince them that Harriet Miers was a like minded conservative
- Bush met with civil rights leaders following Katrina
- Impact on the Judiciary
- American Bar Association evaluates the professional qualificationsof nominees
- Brown vs Topeka
- Rasul vs Bush
- Regulation of pressure groups
- Campaign Finance Reform
- banning of wining and dining
- Honest leadership and open government
- Obama refused all donations from lobbyists in 08
- Arguments against pressure groups
- Revolving door syndrome; 43% of retiring congressmen become lobbyists
- The iron triangle syndrome; relationships between Committees,departments and pressure groups
- Inequality of groups; NRA/ Handgun Control Inc, Tobacco industry spent $67.4 m on lobbying in 97, much more than health industry
- Direct action; often violent, OSA
- Types of pressure groups
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