Interest Groups Synthesis

An interest groups is a linkage group that connects the public to the government. Like political parties, interest groups are characterized for their group identification and affiliation; however, unlike political parties, interest groups focus on persuading public policy makers to respond to their group perspective instead of nominating officials. Interest groups influence the officeholders, not become them.

Interest groups range from many different types. There are the economic groups, which are joined together by material incentives such as jobs, higher pay, and profits, and citizen groups, which are joined together by a purposive incentive, such as protecting the environment or feeding the poor. Most economic groups are business groups, although there are a few labor and farm groups mixed inside, such examples including The National Farm Association and AFL-CIO. Citizens groups tend to be dedicated to promoting a political ideology or have philosophical or moral position on issues, examples including the NAACP.

On main key component in interest group are political action committees, or PAC's for short. PAC's have the job of raising money for interest groups and make contributions to the political campaign. Contributions from PAC's such as the NRA and BlackPAC have risen greatly over the years, skyrocketing during the years of 1981 to 2012. Because of their ability to raise seemingly infinite amounts of money, PAC's have also played a key role in the electoral process. Interest groups themselves cannot directly give funds such as union dues and corporate profits to candidates. To combat this obstacle, they solicit voluntary contribution money from PAC's members and donate this money to the candidates. PACs are limited in how much money they can give to a candidate; however they can support as many candidates as they want.

Lobbying is one of the most important tools for interest groups; it is the process of inputting effort to influence public policy through contact with public officials. This can be done through mainly two ways: Inside and Outside lobbying. Inside lobbying is when groups efforts to develop and maintain close (inside) contacts with policymakers, as shown with the case of the iron triangle. Outside lobbying is when members of interest groups pressure the government into satisfying their needs. This was shown in the case of the 2000 legislation on trade relations with China, when Boeing Corporation engaged in outside lobbying by asking its employees, subcontractors, and suppliers to contact members of Congress.

In addition, lobbyists aren't passive pushovers. Like many other aspects and processes of American government and politics, lobbyists can be very corrupt in their ways. As shown with the case of famous lobbyist Jack Abramoff, lobbyists can offer huge sums of campaign donations, all for one condition: favorable legislation. In modern day terms, this could be viewed as another example of bribery and conspiracy.

Over the years, interest groups have to shown to have the ability to greatly influence and impact public policy. For example, one major issue rooted in both American society and politics is the question of gun control/gun rights. Unlike many other Western societies, the U.S Constitution upholds and protects the right to gun ownership. Because of this, the U.S falls behind in gun regulation. The National Rifle Association, or NRA, holds great power in American politics and has prevented a number of assault weapon ban legislation. During aftermath of the mass shooting of children and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary, the public immediately switched to a pro-gun control stance. However, the NRA managed to fight the assault weapon ban and gun trafficking punishment legislation through citing the 2^nd amendment. Congress ultimately failed to pass any new gun control measures, and still struggles to do so even today.

Interest groups play a significant role in American government and politics. In the iron triangle, their main job is to provide electoral support to Congress and congressional support (through lobbying) to bureaucracies. Through lobbying, interest groups can influence the public policy decision making process, whether it be through friendly connections or pressuring the government. Interest groups have gained a great deal of footing in the American political process over the years, and it only continues to grow.