Interest Groups

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interest group

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a private political organization that tries to shape political issues in their favor

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Associational interest group

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groups that exist to secure the policies of their members
Ex: Unions, American Medical Association

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Promotional Interest Group

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groups that exist not only to influence their members, but the society or community as a whole
Ex: AARP, Environmental Group, Sarah Club, Green Peace

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Free-rider

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a person who reaps a benefit in an interest group, but without contributing to help get that benefit

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Proliferation of Interest Groups

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began to expand, saturate, or began to grow more in the 1960s, with factors of Major National events, Increase division of labor, Increase business regulation, large of mega-corporation, and revolution in tele-communication

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political party

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is an organization that seeks to achieve political power by electing people to public official

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platform

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a public statement or official document with all of the objectives in which a political party stands for or supports

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demogaguey

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appealing to people's passions or derogatory in order to win the support of the people

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nonpartisan election

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an election in which candidates are not selected or endorsed by political parties, and party affiliation is not listed on ballots

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patronage

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the dispensing of gov. jobs to persons who belong to the winning political party

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honeymoon

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the period at the beginning of a new president's term during which the president enjoys generally positive relations with the press and Congress, usually lasting about 6 months

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caucus

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a meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform

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party convention

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a meeting of party delegates to vote on matters of policy and, in some cases, to select party candidates for public office

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direct primary

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an election in which voters choose party nominees

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open primary

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a primary election in which any voter, regardless of party, may vote

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crossover voting

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voting by a member of one party for a candidate of another party

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closed primary

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a primary election in which only persons registered in the party holding the primary may vote

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minor party

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a small political party that persists over time that is often composed of ideologies on the right or left, or centered on a charismatic candidate. Such a party is also called a third party.

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proportional representation

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an election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote

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winner take-all system

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an election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins

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national party convention

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a national meeting of delegates elected in primaries, caucuses, or state conventions who assemble once every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president, ratify the party platform, elect officers, and adopt rules

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party registration

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the act of declaring party affiliation; required by some states when one registers to vote

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party identification

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an affiliation with a political party that most people acquire in childhood. The best predictor of voting behavior in partisan candidates elections

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dealignment

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weakening of partisan preferences that point to a rejection of both major parties and a rise in the number of Independents

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soft money

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money raised in unlimited amounts by political parties for party-building purposes. Now largely illegal except for limited contributions to state or local parties for voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts

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party-independent expenditures

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spending by political party committees that is independent of the candidate. the spending occurs in relatively few competitive contests and is often substantial

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hard money

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political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed. Raising such limited funds was harder than raising unlimited soft money, hence the term hard money

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faction

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a term the Framers used to refer to political parties and special interests or interest groups

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pluralism

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a theory of gov. that holds that open, multiple, and competing groups can check the asserted power by any one group

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social movement

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a large body of people interested in a common issue, idea, or concern that is of continuing significance and who are willing to take action. Movements seek to change attitudes or institutions, not just policies

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open shop

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a company with a labor agreement under which union membership cannot be required as a condition of employment

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closed shop

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a company with a labor agreement under which union membership can be a condition of employment

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professional associations

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group of individuals who share a common profession and are often organized for common political purposes related to that profession

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lobbying

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engaging in activities aimed at influencing public officials, especially legislators, and the policies they enact

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Federal Register

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an official document, published every weekday, that lists the new and proposed regulations of executive departments and regulatory agencies

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amicus curiae brief

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literally, a "friend of the court" brief, filed by an individual or organization urging the Supreme Court to hear a case (or discouraging it from doing so) or, at the merits stage, to present arguments in addition to those presented by the immediate parties to a case

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Super PACs

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Independent expenditure-only PACs are known as Super PACs because they may accept donations of any size and can endorse candidates. Their contributions and expenditures must be periodically reported to the FEC

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bundling

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a tactic in which PACs collect contributions from like-minded individuals (each limited to $2,000) and present them to a candidate or political party as a "bundle" thus increasing the PAC's influence

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lobbyist

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a person who is employed by and acts for an organized interest group or corporation to try to influence policy decisions and positions in the executive and legislative branches

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revolving door

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an employment cycle in which individuals who work for gov. agencies that regulate interests eventually end up working for interest groups or businesses with the same policy concern

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issue network

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relationships among interest groups, congressional committees and subcommittees, and the gov. agencies that share a common policy concern

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political action committee (PAC)

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The political arm of an interest group that is legally entitled to raise funds on a voluntary basis from members, stockholders, or employees to contribute funds to candidates or political

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leadership PAC

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a PAC formed by an officeholder that collects contributions from individuals and other PACs and then makes contributions to other candidates and political parties

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Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)

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largely banned party soft money, restored long-standing prohibition on corporations and labor unions use of general treasury funds for electoral purposes, and narrowed the definition of issue advocacy

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independent expenditures

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the Supreme Court has ruled that individuals, groups, and parties can spend unlimited amounts in campaigns for or against candidates as long as they operate independently from the candidates. When an individual, groups, or party does so, they are making an independent expenditure

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issue advocacy

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unlimited and undisclosed spending by an individual or group on communications that do not use words like "vote for" or "vote against," although much of this activity is actually about electing or defeating candidates

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527 organization

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a political group organized under section 527 of the IRS code that may accept and spend unlimited amounts of money on election activities so long as they are not spent on broadcast ads run in the last 30 days before a primary or 60 days before a general election in which a clearly identified candidate is referred to and a relevant electorate is target