Pressure groups

• Pressure group - organised interest group in which members hold similar beliefs and and aim to influence government
• Importance of pressure groups:

  • allow citizens to participate in the political process
  • can pressurise all 3 branches of government
• Pluralism - theory that political power is distributed among groups representing widely different interests
• Elitism - theory that political power rests with a small group who gain power through wealth, status or intellectual superiority
• Types of pressure groups:

  • insider groups
  • outsider groups
  • promotional groups
  • interest groups
  • social movements
• Electoral campaigning - endorsing candidates, making campaign and can donate money to PACs and Super PACs.
• Lobbying - process where pressure groups try to influence members of the executive or legislature by meeting with them and share up-to-date knowledge of their policy area.

  Right to lobbying is protected by the 1st Amendment.
• Lobbying-insider contacts -> many pressure groups have offices in Washington DC that allow them access to the federal government and Congress where they can develop relationships with decision-makers.
• Lobbying-professional lobbyists -> pressure groups with sufficient financial resources often use professional lobbying firms.
• Lobbying-revolving door syndrome -> lobbying firms try to hire lobbyists who have previously worked within the executive or Congress, allowing them to take advantage of ready-made contacts.
• Using the courts-legal challenges->pressure groups can target an area of the law where they wish to see change and support cases that hinge on this point.

  • they can also target state laws that are aimed at wording a previous ruling by the Supreme Court + can hold executive to account by challenging its actions in court.
• Using the courts-amicus curiae briefs (friend of the court) -> pressure groups can often submit info to court cases with the hope of influencing the outcome.
• Grassroots campaigning - pressure groups ‘grassroots’ is its membership. Members pay fees and a crucial role in campaigning - members can contact members of Congress, federal and state governments, or legislatures by writing, phoning or emailing.
• Direct action - any methods that go beyond standard constitutional methods of campaigning. Aim is to put pressure on the executive to force concessions.
• Factors that make a pressure groups more successful:

  • funding
  • resources
  • status
  • links with members of Congress
  • endorsements
• Effects of pressure group funding:

  • funding of Washington insiders
  • reinforcing incumbency
  • Iron triangles
• Hard money - donations to a particular candidate
• Soft money - money given to a political party or PAC, which is not used for the election of specific candidates.
• PAC - Political Action Committee:

  • raise money contributions for elections
  • can give $5000 to a candidate + $15000 annually to a political party
  • they may also receive money form other PACs or candidates
• Super PACs:

  • emerged after 2010 Citizen United case
  • can raise + spend unlimited amounts on election campaigning as long as it is independent form a candidates official campaign
  • most leading candidates have a super PAC supporting them