Interest Groups Essay

Are fill groups useful or harmful? disport groups, also referred to as modified pursuances, pressure groups, organized involvements, non administrational organizations (NGOs), policy-making groups, foyer groups and human beings recreate groups, be organized collections of people or organizations whose stopping point is to charm public indemnity (511). Interest groups is a full term that encompasses a variety of organized groups including public interest groups, business and economic groups, governmental unites, and political shamion committees(512). finished lobbying, interest groups prove useful in increasing public consciousness about important issues, helping to frame the public agenda, and monitor programs to warranty effective implementation. Interest groups exist for nearly every type of somebody who is go awaying to work together with others who shargon their goals. Interest groups that define themselves as public interest groups desire a collective good, th e achievement of which will not selectively and materially benefit the membership or activists of the organization(512). right on away we see examples of this in civil liberties groups, environmental groups, and groups that speak for those who cannot (children, the mentally ill, or animals (512). Economic interest groups buzz off the goal of promoting the economic interest of their members, for example, patronage and professional groups (513). Governmental units are the state and local governments that lobby the federal official government to make endings in their favor. Mostly, these state and local governments are lobbying to form earmarks or funding from the federal budget that an appropriations bill designates for specific projects in spite of appearance a state or congressional district (513). In 1974, afterward amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act, it became legal for these interest groups to form political action committees (PACs), or officially registered fund raising organization that represents interest groups in the political process. Unlike interest groups, PACs do not hold formal members they simply rush contri only ifors who seek to influence public indemnity by electing legislators sympathetic to their aims. By having so many different kinds of interest groups and PACs, we see that everyones opinion comes into consideration politically. Although members of interest groups do not run candidates for office, they become politically active when their members believe that a government policy threatens or affects the groups goals. Lobbying is quintessential of interest groups. The term lobbying is used todescribe the activities of a group or organization that seek to persuade political leaders to brook the groups decision (521).When interest groups become active politically, they use the technique lobbying to make their interests perceive and understood by those who are in a position to influence or cause change in governmental policies, usually by testifying at hearings or contacting legislators directly(521). Interest groups often lobby congress by making a congressional testimony on behalf of the group, writing letter from interested constitutes and making campaign contributions. It is no surprise that some of the just about effective lobbyists are former members of sexual relation, staff aides, and other Washington insiders. Lobbying in Congress, as in all lobbying is successful when the lobbyist has a good temper for fair play and provides the people they are trying to persuade with completed entropy (522). Interest groups can lobby one or more than levels of the executive branch of government to influence policy by, again, providing accu graze information and a clear sense of where the public stands(522). Interest groups also lobby the courts. When interest groups are lobbying the courts, they either use the form of direct sponsorship or the filing of amicus curiae briefs. Direct sponsorship i s when the lobbyist provides resources to direct a case through the discriminatory system. If a case comes up that an interest group is interested in, but not sponsoring, they can file an amicus brief to inform the justices of the groups policy preferences (523). No matter who is being lobbied, most interest groups have found that they are most successful when grassroots lobbying is put into play, where the people are informed as to what the interest groups goal is and there is high public awareness of the issue. In addition to lobbying, interest groups play a key role in the electoral process. Interest groups will recruit, endorse, and/ or provide financial or other support for political candidates to focus voters attention on candidates who counsel policies that will help achieve the interest groups goals. nigh ideological groups will go as far as to rate the candidates to provide a clear guide for their members and the general public as to how they feel about the candidate. I n addition to simply endorsing the candidates of their choices, there have been many get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts. PACs are allowed to raise money to contribute directly to political candidates in national elections. Interest groups are essential during anelection because they do the research on candidates for people who would normally not do so(525). akin in any type of group, there have been some cases of rot among interest groups. In 2006, Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to corruption charges which led to the tone ending of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act in 2007. The act restricted and reformed a lot of the practices that had been going on. It banned gifts to members of Congress and their staffs, make extensive disclosure requirements, and increased the time limit on moving from the federal government to the private sector (529). Interest groups are essential to U.S. politics in that, through their influence, they enhance political confederacy by motivating like - minded individuals to work toward a common goal. When the right leaders, funding, and members interest groups can take pride when they know they have made a difference in election outcomes.