SOLVED!!!
Interest Group - ANSWERAn organization of people who share common political
interests and aim to influence public policy by electioneering and lobbying.
Electioneering - ANSWERTo actively take part in an election campaign
Lobbying - ANSWEREfforts to influence public policy through contact with public
officials on behalf of an interest group.
Mass Associations - ANSWER• Have a large number of members who pay dues
• Usually citizens groups and labor organizations
Mass Associations Examples - ANSWER• Ex: Sierra Club
• 3 million members
• Members get a vote on officers/positions
• Ex: AARP
• 38 million members
• Members get no vote on anything but do pay dues
Peak Associations - ANSWERMembers are businesses or other organizations and not
individuals
Ex: Business-Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC)
resources available to interest groups - ANSWERPeople:
Write in/call in campaigns
Demonstrations
Media attention
Money:
Hire people to continually meet with officials
Campaign contributions
Advertisements
Expertise:
Can conduct their own research
Can be asked to explain things to officials
Revolving Door Laws - ANSWER• Prevent lawmakers from lobbying government
immediately after leaving public office.
• Members of the House of Representatives cannot register to lobby for a year after they
leave office
,• Senators must wait 2 years
• Former cabinet secretaries must wait 2 years
• Of all former members of the 115th Congress now working, 50 percent are employed
by lobbying firms.
Lobbying firms must file quarterly reports that state... - ANSWER• Identifying their
clients
• How much paid to each client
• Which issues they lobbied on
• Staff who spent more than 20% of their time lobbying Congress
Direct Lobbying - ANSWERTalking to elected officials and bureaucrats
Drafting Legislation - ANSWERBringing fully developed written laws
Research - ANSWERProvide research reports to officials
Hearings - ANSWERTestify before congressional committees
Litigation - ANSWERSue the government/filing amicus briefs
Working Together - ANSWERMultiple interest groups working together
Grassroots Lobbying - ANSWERgroup participation in letter writing, call banking, or
protesting
Astroturf Lobbying - ANSWERInitiated by an interest group but designed to look like it
was spontaneous
Mobilizing Public Opinion - ANSWERTrying to change what the public thinks Websites,
social media, ads
Electioneering - ANSWERGetting involved with elections
Pluralist Theory - ANSWERPolitics is mainly a competition among groups, each one
pressing for its own preferred policies.
Elite Theory - ANSWERSocieties are divided along class lines and an upper-class elite
rules, regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization.
Hyperpluralist Theory - ANSWERGroups are so strong that government is weakened.
This is an extreme, exaggerated form of pluralism.
founders of congress intentions - ANSWER• The strongest branch
• Separation of lawmaking power from executive
• Bicameralism balances large/small states
, House:
More connected to people
Shorter term
Directly elected
Senate: longer term allows for independent thinking directly elected after the 17th
amendment
Article 1 Section 8
(Constitutional Powers) - ANSWERTo lay and collect taxes, duties, imports
To borrow money
To regulate commerce (states and foreign)
To establish rules for naturalization
To coin money
To create courts (except Supreme Court)
To declare war
To raise and support an army and navy
The Elastic clause has extended Congress powers - ANSWER• Oversight of budget -
can restrict the federal budget prepared by executive branch
• Appropriations - set amount of money made available for various activity in a fiscal
year
• Investigation - Congress can launch investigations (Watergate, Clinton-Lewinski
hearings, Steroids in baseball)
House of Representatives - ANSWERCurrently 435 members
Emphasizes fiscal policy (government expenditures, revenues, and debt)
Special Powers of House of Rep. - ANSWER• All money (appropriations) bills start here
• Select the President if no majority in Electoral College
• Write the articles of impeachment against high ranking officials
The Senate - ANSWER100 members
Emphasizes foreign policy
Special Powers of the Senate - ANSWER• Approves all treaties
• Approves all appointments
• Chooses the Vice President in an Electoral College tie
• Acts as the jury in all trials of impeachment
Leadership in congress - ANSWERThe Majority party controls the most significant
leadership positions
House - Speaker of the House
• Allows people to speak on floor