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Y301 Final
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Madison's Dilemma | a. Organized interests tend to factionalize the community. b. But if we try to limit their activities, we limit freedom. c. So rather than limiting freedom, it’s better to counterbalance the effects of these interest groups w/ political parties |
| Examples of Interests | 1. Native Americans 2. College students These are unorganized; If there is an interest that is not organized, their voice may not be heard |
| Examples of interest groups | IUSA or College Republicans These are organizations that try to influence the government |
| FECA | *Public Funding for Presidential Elections* 1. Donations to candidates of $20+ had to be publicly disclosed 2. individuals can give no more than $1000 per candidate and $25,000 per year overall 3. PACs allowed $5k per candidate 4. Intro of matching fu |
| Public goods | Goods that are indivisible in the sense that you can’t give them to some people and withhold them from others *clean air* |
| Buckley v. Valeo (1976) | 1. There is no limit on how much a candidate spends of his own money on his campaign 2. b. The court said you can’t corrupt yourself so you should have the right to spend your own money 3. Matters because it legalized independent spending |
| “Free rider” problem | a. If a groups is successful in getting a public good, you get it whether you pay dues and become a member or not. So why join? If you don’t join the group gets no money and it loses legitimacy. 2. It shows that citizen groups have a weakness |
| Federal Election Commission (FEC) | 1. applies campaign finance law but has been a weak regulator 2. Congress has cut the FEC budget when it has investigated a Congress member’s campaign |
| Lobbying | 1. convince public officials that a group’s definition of an issue is the right one, and should be enforced. 2. Protected by First Amendment 3. Mostly not very effective -- hard to change status quo 4. Can produce unequal access to power |
| Direct (“insider,” “Washington”) lobbying | a. Direct lobbying can convince legislators and bureaucrats. But it can’t do the most powerful thing of all: elect or defeat a legislator. i. Only voters can do that. b. When an issue is highly technical you use direct lobbying. |
| Fat Cats | a. Wealthy contributors whose ability to contribute heinous amounts to candidates was restricted in FECA |
| Indirect (“grassroots”) lobbying | Indirect means--lobbying their constituents and asking them to pressure elected officials. Constituents do the pressuring. Official listens bc they want to be reelected Used when an issues is emotional, very visible Ex: same-sex marriage, health care |
| Contribution Limits | Individuals can: donate $2,500 to campaign per election donate money to a political group that will spend the money on a campaign (a PAC, up to $5k per election; a 527 or a 501(c) - unlimited amounts) Give unlimited amounts to a 527 or 501(c) |
| Lobbying the media | Influence editor’s story selection and reporters’ interpretations Editors look for stories that involve conflict, drama, and the unusual. Lobbyists hold news conferences, talk with reporters and provide info that supports their definition of the issue |
| Tax-exempt groups such as 527s & 501(c)s | When BCRA banned soft money to national parties, givers found other groups to take soft money – 527s and 501cs Any group can set up a 527 or 501c and spend unlimited amounts of money on campaign ads (independent spending). |
| Lobbying the courts | a. Write a legal brief doing the same kind of lobbying you would do face to face with a legislator – amicus curiae (friend of the court) b. You can bring cases to the court c. Significant because many people would argue that the court is supposed to be |
| Regulation of lobbying | In theory, any lobbyist who goes to Congress is supposed to register i. Many don’t sign in though Revolving door rules i. People moving back and fourth between government agencies and lobby agencies ii. It gives some kinds of interests some unfair acc |
| Independent spending | Organizations/individuals spend major $ every election cycle supporting/opposing candidates and ballot measures without coordinating/consulting with the candidate/measure committee. The most important part is that it is unlimited as part of free speech |
| Selective benefits or incentives | Benefits like a mug offered by a citizen group to get people to become members. Important bc citizen groups advocate public goods; they are in danger of having a lack of resources if not enough people join and choose to become free riders. |
| Soft Money | Money that is not regulated by federal law and can be given in unlimited amounts to anyone other than a candidate. Initially meant for |
| Narrowcasting | Directing your broadcast campaign to narrowly select audiences. Ex: cable TV (FOX, HGTV), computerized direct mail… internet pop-ups |
| Bundling | If you want to bundle you get a whole bunch of people to write checks to candidate, but you give him all the checks “Here’s $500,000, I didn’t break the law but I carried it all and you wouldn't have gotten it without me, so here’s what I want in return.” |
| Computerized direct mail | Using subscriber lists to narrowcast and aim you message to these people |
| Issue advocacy ads | Anyone’s generalized free speech right to buy advertising about an “issue” (anything that doesn’t specifically name a candidate); c. Everyone has a right to do this. |
| Legislative alerts | A way of getting information to a targeted audience as fast as possible A lobbyist for the Sierra Club might go into a committee hearing and is prepared to respond to whatever happens during that committee hearing right away iii. The purpose is to let t |
| Coalitions of interest groups | Form around some interest they all have in common (nra + sierra club -- protect wetlands so we can shoot ducks) b. They carry more weight with Congress, show more people care c. All of us together mean a lot more than separately |
| Citizen (“public interest”) groups | a. Ex: the Sierra Club, the NRA, AARP b. They are purposive groups that want “public goods” i. They are indivisible in the sense that you can’t give them to some people and withhold them from others ii. Ex: Clean air c. The danger is not enough resour |
| Single issue groups | We’re not talking about how many issues a group is concerned about, we’re talking about ways an issue can be defined. SOOO a single issue is any issue that can be defined in an emotion-provoking manner. (Note: this refers not to the number of issues a gr |
| Political action committees (PACs) | Pacs could always spend independently; can donate up to $5k per election set up only for the purpose of collecting money and spending it for elections |
| Social movements | A broad group of powerless people who feel disadvantaged and unclear as to how to get things done b. Social movements use non-traditional means of getting their views heard – instead use citizen based marches and protests |
| Corporate PACs | (Ex: MacPAC - McDonalds) Most corporate PAC money goes to incumbents: about 75% c.Most give only small contributions to lots of incumbents (for access) e.They want access above all. Although they prefer Republican candidates, they’ll give to Democrats w |
| Social movement organizations | Use citizen based marches and protests Ex: Occupy Wall Street Often form organizations; someone will say, we need to go to Congress Try to march/protest/influence media Significace: Allow disadvantaged people a voice Help diversify the world of orga |
| Labor union PACs | Give almost all their money to Democrats; they are more partisan b. Support Democratic challenges as well as incumbents c. Specialize in “in-kind” contributions; gifts of services and people rather than money b. Lex: lending canvassers to a campaign w |
| Non-connected (or ideological) PACs | Mainly ideological groups, called “non-connected” bc don’t have parent organization. (The parent organization of a corporate PAC is the corporation) Have to raise more money than other PACs just to support themselves More adversaried, less access-orient |
| McCain-Feingold reforms (BCRA) | 1. No soft money to national parties - Created 527s and then 501cs 2. Ads cant be run 30 days prior to a primary and 60 days prior to a general election Also wanted to do something about independent spending 3. Raised limits of campaign donations to $ |
| Vote maximizers | a.Parties need majorities. Their aim is to gain power, and that requires votes. Parties are vote-maximizers. c.This matters because vote maximizers balance out policy maximizers e.Vote maximizers behave differently – talk about a lot more different thin |
| Policy Maximizers | Interest groups can’t nominate candidates; they don’t need to win majorities. They are policy maximizers. c. This matters because vote maximizers balance out policy maximizers |
| The Citizens United case | a. Basically overturned most of BCRA b. Now corporations, labor unions, and other interest groups can spend unlimited amounts on ads, as long as they don’t coordinate with a campaign |
| Super PACs | PACs that ONLY do independent spending. Don’t contribute to candidates directly. So allowed to accept unlimited contributions b. A PAC that promises its only going to do independent spending, & because of that its allowed to accept unlimited contribution |
| How interest groups and parties can help and hinder the workings of a democracy | a. Major strong point: Interest groups are very well suited to protecting intense minorities b. But organized interests don’t represent all views. Not everyone is capable of creating an interest group. e.Parties balance the effects of interest groups! |
Created by:
kwierks