Power Of Pressure
Groups:
- Environmental Protection: At the end of the 19th century, environmental conversation became important with groups such as the Sierra Club and National Wildlife Federation by lobbying to get tighter laws for environmental protection
- Women's Rights: National Organisation Of Women unsuccessfully pushed for the passage of equal rights. They remain active in US politics by campaigning for equal pay and less sexual harassment. They also donate money for women looking to start in politics
- Abortion Rights: Pro-choice pressure group have fought to preserve the constitutional rights of women whereas pro-life fight to narrow and overturn it. Recently have been involved in the partial birth abortion case
- Economic Inequality: International Occupy Movement to address the issue of economic inequality. They protest and made it popular as some called as "democratic awakening for America". Obama when he was first elected sympathised with them due to their core beliefs.
The
Impact Of Pressure Groups On Government:
- Lobbying Members Of Congress: PG make direct contact with members of Congress, by visiting any PG website you can find your local member of Congress to lobby
- Lobbying Congressional Committees: Most works of legislative lobbyists is directed at committees. Standing committees have significant power to amend legislation which they consider during the legislative process. Because there are so few members, it is easy to build relationships with a member interested in your policy. Committee staff are also important "it is better than taking to a member of Congress"
- Organising Constituents: They organise people to write, telephone, email or visit a member of Congress to express support or opposition. Most likely to occur before a high-profile meeting representing others.
- Publicising Voting Records & Endorsing Candidates: Groups publish the voting records of HOR and Senate members. At election time they endorse supportive and oppose non-supportive incumbents by fundraising and media advertising.
Impacts
Of Pressure Groups On The Executive:
- Seek to main strong ties with the executive, especially the case with regulatory work of the federal government e.g health and safety
- Ashbee and Ashford identify another close link between labour unions seeking protections for workers for example
Impact
Of Pressure Groups On The Judiciary:
- Groups taken an active interest in the nominations the POTUS makes to the courts.
- PG hopes to have members who support what they do
- They present work to the courts to try and get them to change the laws e.g Transgender students’ rights in Virginia.
Arguments For &
Against Pressure Groups:
|
|
For:
|
Against:
|
They provide legislators
and bureaucrats with useful information and act as a sounding
board for legislators at the policy formulation stage in the
legislative process
|
Revolving Door Syndrome:
The practice by which former members of Congress (or the
executive) take up well-paid jobs with Washington based lobbying
firms, using their expertise and contacts to lobby their previous
institution. Seen as an abuse of power.
|
They bring some kind of
order to the policy debate, aggregating views and channelling the
wishes of the clients and members whom they seek to represent
|
Iron-Triangle Syndrome: A
strong relationship between pressure groups, the relevant
congressional committees and the relevant government department
which attempts to achieve mutually beneficial policy outcomes.
|
They broaden the
opportunities for participation in a democracy
|
Inequality Of Groups: The
elite in which everyone works together to influence policy. They
argue that because each ground represent the interests of their
own clients they are a democratic society.
|
Increase levels of
accountability for both Congress and for the executive branch
|
Special Interests Vs Public
Interest: Pressure groups tend to put the interests of a small
ground before the interests of society. Spend too much time
fighting for their special interests and little time working for
public interests e.g PG for ethnic groups can also lead to group
stereotyping.
|
Increase opportunities for
representation between elections as well as offering opportunities
for minority views to be represented that would be lost in the big
tent of political parties
|
Buying Political Influence:
Edward Kennedy said ‘America has the finest Congress money can
buy’. You ‘pay to play’. Lobbyists tend to write the first
draft of a bill according to Elizabeth Drew.
|
Enhance the two fundamental
rights of freedom of speech and association.
|
Using Direct Action: Deemed
as inappropriate. They use violence to pursue their political
agenda such as anti-abortion groups and in recent times Black
Lives Matter has trodden a narrow path between peaceful protest
and violence.
|