Special Interest Groups 1 Special Interest Groups key questions What are they Why do they exist What do they do What types are effective How does money effect the process 2 What they are Groups of people with a common passion who are organized and mobilized to affect political change A group of people sitting in a bar may have a common interest but they are not really considered an interest group until they get off their butts to demand change cheaper beer Later closing hours Examples of special interest groups are the Sierra Club environment National Right to Life anti abortion the AMA American Medical Association Common Cause campaign finance reform the NAACP rights for African Americans 3 Why they Exist Madison Fed 10 An expression of freedom Product of the First Amendment Anyone can do it The basis of civil society Madison in Fed 10 expressed that interests groups are inevitable but in his eyes troubling aspect of any free society He mainly feared what he referred to as tyranny of the majority whereby large groups would invade the rights of the minority While his fear may have been that the poor would overpower the wealthy in a democracy today we may have a situation where well entrenched minorities exert greater influence than the majority 4 Types of Special Interest Groups Private and Public Private Groups that act on behalf of just their own constituents Public Groups that act in the public interest for society at large rather than just their members interests Different types of interest groups are often given different labels but be careful because these are often designed to confuse or mislead If possible groups lie to label themselves as a public interest groups rather than a special interest group Private interest groups fight for interests of their specific constituencies Public interest groups have broader social aims that affect most everybody not just their members The label public makes them sound benign and groups like to use this title as it makes it sound like they are working for all of our benefit However if you look at the list you will probably support some of the causes quite a bit more than others 5 Types of Special Interest Groups Private and Public Private Public Businesses Professions Labor ACLU Common Cause Abortion Activists Environmental Activists Gun control lobby NAACP Gay Rights Organizations Individual Cities and States Is this a useful dichotomy Different types of interest groups are often given different labels but be careful because these are often designed to confuse or mislead If possible groups lie to label themselves as a public interest groups rather than a special interest group Private interest groups fight for interests of their specific constituencies Public interest groups have broader social aims that affect most everybody not just their members The label public makes them sound benign and groups like to use this title as it makes it sound like they are working for all of our benefit However if you look at the list you will probably support some of the causes quite a bit more than others 6 Types of Interest Groups Narrowly based Broad based Represents a large constituency Represents A small constituency Who is likely to be the most effective Another way to think about interest groups is the think about how many people they represent The broader their base the more democratic their aims One might ask how many people support the aims of the NRA Nation Rifle Association for example compared to how many people support the aims of an environmental organization such as the Sierra Club While it may be intuitive to think that the broader the base of the group the more successful it is likely to be However you will see that the broadness of support is only one factor that determines success Many of the most power special interests are groups that organize and mobilize without a very broad base of support Most of these groups represent powerful economic interests 7 What Special Interest Groups Want Special Interest Legislation Special interest legislation refers to the myriad of laws that tend to be passed under the public radar screen These include contracts for government jobs tax breaks subsidies and exemptions from government regulation Often it is legislation that benefits interests in one person s congressional district Special interest groups are groups with political motive the is they either want certain legislation to be passed or want to block legislation that goes against their interest 8 Examples of Special Interest Legislation Who Lockeed How Much 11 500 To 5 members of the Armed Services Committee For Contract for the C 5B Cargo Plane A few years ago a Time Magazine story highlighted this and the following pieces of special interest legislation and the donations that may have helped them get through 9 Examples of Special Interest Legislation Who United Auto Workers How Much 35 000 To 5 members of the Energy and Commerce Committee For Requiring that foreign cars use mainly American parts 10 Examples of Special Interest Legislation Who NRA How Much 85 000 To 5 members of the Judiciary Committee For The Mclure Vockmer law making it easier to buy firearms 11 What Special Interest Groups Want Special Interest Legislation 15 877 Earmarks in 2006 Including 6 371 in the 286 billion Transportation Equity Act which contained Earmarks are a special form of special interest legislation that have gotten a lot of press lately These are last minute amendments to funding bills that designate how part of the bill s funding will be used For example a highway bill may have hundreds of earmarks attached to it The beauty of an earmark from a legislator s point of view is that no name gets attached to it so little bad press is likely to be generated from the political favor 12 Special Interest Legislation A Bridge to Nowhere Alaska s Gravina Island population less than 50 will soon be connected to the megalopolis of Ketchikan pop 8 000 by a bridge nearly as long as the Golden Gate and higher than the Brooklyn Bridge Alaska residents can thank Rep Don Young who just brought home 941 million worth of bacon The 20 mile long island home to fewer than 50 people has no stores no restaurants and no paved roads An airport on the island hosts fewer than 10 commercial flights a day Sponsored by Rep Don Young Chairman for the House Committee on Transportation on Infrastructure Beyond what ever pubic benefit this bridge will provide local businesses