Chapter 13 Congress and Organized Interests I American Pluralism A A Capital of Interests 1 Lobbyists have money connections personnel information and organizations to help endure favored legislation is passed and reward politicians who help 2 American League of Lobbyists the lobbyist association 3 Lobbying is about the third largest industry in D C 4 When control of Congress changes lobbyists change as well 5 Lobbying doesn t decrease the economy does B A Nation of Joiners 1 Free society natures politically active groups 2 More narrowly focus groups than broad 3 Proliferation of interest groups social and economic complexity scientific and technological developments the government s regulatory role the competition for federal dollars and the diffusion of power in Congress and throughout the government 4 Social media has enabled new social and political communities C Biases of Interest Representation 1 Individuals enjoy benefits they receive from interest groups but they are often looking for a free ride 2 Small groups discourage free riding because of social pressure 3 Wealthier more education people tend to participate more in politics than the less fortunate therefore they are disproportionately represented Pressure Group Methods 1 As the government has expanded so has the dependencies of legislators and lobbyists and also the methods in which they lobby direct and social lobbying group alliances grassroots support and electronic advocacy 2 Lobbyists rely on grassroots support by petition drives rallies radio and TV advertising and door to door campaigns D Direct Lobbying 1 Is the traditional method and lobbyists present their clients cares directly to members and congressional staff 2 Former members of Congress are very effective at direct lobbying because of personal connections and insider knowledge 3 Congressional overturn hampers direct lobbying the longer a person has been out the less people they know 4 New type of lobbyist the experienced fundraiser and they have a lot of access to member and their staff 5 Lobbyists are major players in congressional policy making E Social Lobbying members personally 1 Lobbying occurs in social settings so that lobbyists can get to know 2 Members need to know lobbyist are creditable and knowledgeable before they will work closely with them II promote their causes III 3 An ethics loophole is political fundraising social and direct lobbying is unrestricted at campaign events It is illegal if done directly but legal if indirectly done 4 F Coalition Lobbying 1 Lobbyists construct coalitions to support their legislative initiatives because they have more contacts money and resources to help with lobbying needs 2 A drawback to coalitions is they are a marriage of convenience and do not last very long G Grassroots Lobbying H Electronic Lobbying 1 Most effective direct pressure technique because they work directly with voters and mobilize them 2 Legislators need to be able to distinguish between real grassroots and fake grassroots astroturf to make find the real motivates behind the group 1 Advances in technology as added a new facet to lobbying 2 Groups use computer databases to reach supporters target constituencies and mass mailings 3 Bloggers reach electronic political activists on legislative issues 4 Advocacy groups often purchase websites newspapers or radio ads to Groups And The Electoral Connection 1 The difference between parties and interest groups used to be seen by the parties wanting to win elections and interest groups influence people who get elected Now interest groups have interest in political elections as well Interest groups help elect members to Congress in three ways raise funds and make financial contributions through PACs conduct their own campaigns for or against issues and candidates and rate voting records 2 I Groups and Campaign Fund Raising 1 Legislators turn to lobbyists or professional fund raiser to plan parties 2 Bundling widely used fund raising technique that allows lobbyists and fundraising entities to raise more money for candidates than they can contribute individually under campaign finance laws 3 Under campaign laws limited disclosure requirement when lobbyists provide two or more bundled contributions during a specific period J Groups and Advocacy 1 Interest groups use advertising campaigns to influence election outcomes 2 Reverse lobbying lawmakers lobby the lobbyist to achieve policy K Rating Legislators or right they are 1 100 groups rank voting records on report cards based on how far left 2 Scorecards influence members decisions on issues 3 Interest groups target member as heroes or zeroes in upcoming elections based on their scorecards 4 Scorecards are also used when decided which candidates to endorse or give contributions to IV Groups Lobbying And Legislative Politics 1 The public believes that lawmakers are heavily influenced by lobbyists 2 But this is not true lobbyists target lawmakers who care about the same issues that they do and they do not try to buy votes of people who fundamentally differ on the issues L The Role of Money 1 There is a direct correlation between members votes and the amounts 2 they receive from groups Interest groups tend to donate to members who are friendly to their objectives M Lobbying and Legislation 1 Groups play a direct or indirect part in the congressional environment and individual members work by committee activities legislative agenda setting and floor decision making 2 Legislators benefit from the help of lobbyists because their main goal is to underwrite the efforts of legislative allies N Subgovernments 1 Issue specific groups often form alliances with Congress and lobbyists who regularly testify before the members 2 Subgovernmental three way policy making alliance of committees executive agencies and interest groups Regulation of Lobbying 1 Lobbying is a right protected by the First Amendment and the right of people to petition the government which makes it difficult to regulate 2 There main statutory approaches to regulate lobbying define and prohibit abusive lobbying practices requiring registration for lobbyists and providing for disclosure of lobbyist s activities O The 1946 Lobbying Act 1 Main purpose was public disclosure of lobbying activities 2 It is difficult to regulate without trespassing on citizens right to contact elected officials P The Lobby Disclosure Act of 1995 1 Applied new rules to individuals and firms that lobby Congress 2