Interest Groups, by Shea Nolan

Pluralism is the idea that democratic politics consists of various interest groups working against each other, balancing one another out so that the common good is achieved. It is necessary to good government to have interest groups because they allow people the ability to contribute to the democratic process. Also, they prevent any one minority from imposing its will in the majority. Therefore interest groups are a vital part to a healthy democracy.

Some believe that pluralism is flawed because there are so many conflicting interests in society. They argue that the interest groups interfere with democracy because they seek benefits for a minority of people rather than the greater good of the majority. Furthermore, other critics argue that interest groups only benefit an economic group, which allows them to have greater financial resources for their use. Nearly two-thirds of lobbyists in Washington represent economic groups. Therefore, interest groups tend to ignore the poor in favor to middle and upper class Americans. Charges of unfair influence are often vague and unsupported by facts. Large organizations put forth the effort to create a correlation between donations and votes, but that is not real evidence that votes have been purchased. It’s against the law to actually buy votes and if found guilty of doing so a vigorous prosecution will acre. But just recently both a lobbyist and politician have been found guilty and punished for giving and receiving bribes. This shows the system works and will deter others from acting in the same way. Not able to buy votes, special interest groups instead give money to politicians’ election campaigns. Special interest groups give money to those candidates who have already supported their policies.  

Since the 1960’s the number of voters has substantially declined in the US, but the number of interest groups activity in lobbying the government has increased dramatically. The main objective of an interest group is to try to influence every branch and every level of government that best fits their policy goals. Though interest groups serve an importance to democratic government, they’ve had gained a negative standing in America, due to the fact of dishonest lobbying. The influence of special interest groups is increasing. New campaign finance laws are needed to check this growth and give politics back to the people. We should follow the British system, which puts severe limits on individual candidates’ spending and bans political television ads, but gives political parties free access to the national media for regulated political broadcasts.

No Interest in Interest Groups, by Christopher Michels

            I am extremely passionate when it comes to United States History. When it comes to the Presidency, wars, or globalization, I am all ears and ready to go. However, some of the more trivial details of our History slide by me as uninteresting. One such topic that recently came up in class is interest groups. Most of what I know about interest groups comes from summer mornings in South Dakota. Every commercial break during the Price is Right on CBS would have commercials dedicated to A.A.R.P. This is probably because the Price is Right is traditionally for an older audience, but I still loved it. Though I had no idea what interests groups were at the time, I was, however, able to use deductive reasoning to see that it was some sort of assembly of older people. I now know that it is the American Association for Retired Persons. So even when uneducated on the topic, interest groups were still part of my daily life.

            I now know more on the subject, and I see just how important they are. I believe in a free country such as the United States, interest groups are the one of the cornerstones of freedom.  Interests groups are perhaps the best examples of our basic rights of speech and assembly. However, just because interest groups have the rights to speak out does not mean they always get their way. A big example that comes to mind is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a.k.a PETA. These people are able to air commercials, gather in large groups, and let their voice be heard. However, if it were up to them, no one would be able to eat meat, or even swat at a housefly. More people than not believe that PETA is too extreme. And even with the freedom of speech, there are still restrictions PETA has faced. I say this because again, I have a particular example in mind. It was for a super bowl in the mid 2000’s. A PETA commercial was actually banned from airing on national television, and for good reason. The PETA commercial started with a bathtub. There was a woman inside the tub, and her private parts were only slightly covered with bubbles. The woman proceeded to take a large pumpkin and lick it and caress it as if it were her lover. One can still find the commercial online if they would like. The point PETA was trying to get across is that vegetables can be just as delicious as meat…at least I think that was the reason. However, even if the message was good, it was way too odd and risky to be a commercial of the super bowl, especially after the Janet Jackson incident a year or two before.

            Another example of interest groups not always getting their way is the National Rifle Association. The NRA is a pretty basic group, they want to keep the right to bear arms. However, with high crime rates in the country, many are questioning whether or not this should be a basic right and if there should be more strict laws. Personally, I do not give a crap about guns. I do not think guns and the crime rate exactly go hand in hand. I believe even if there were strict gun laws, if a criminal truly wanted a gun, they would find a way to have one. It is not a bad idea to have a gun in the house for the safety of a family, as long as people are smart about it.

            Another problem with interest groups is their competitive nature. Even with the two examples I gave, there is hostility. PETA must hate the NRA because of hunting animals. Interest groups are important in democracy, but they are also a contributor in the two party system. Parties absorb an interest group to take a side and gain votes. I know now how important interest groups are, but they can still be a difficult topic to tackle. 

Workhorses of Democracy, by Cole Meunier

 

Interest groups are thought to be the workhorses of democracy, and quite frankly they are. Without them, our voices would not be heard and we would not be able to sway politicians to our liking. One of the best cases for an interest group would have to be the National Rifle Association (NRA). I’m sure most have heard of them, hell some may even think of some fat redneck with an assault rifle. While that may or may not be true, the fact of the matter is that they stand for something. Interest groups are a group of people drawn or acting together in support of a common interest or to voice a common concern. Now the NRA does just that by lobbying Congress on gun control laws, and advertising based on gun laws.

                  Now you may be asking yourself how this involves me and why should I care. By sitting on the sidelines not doing anything makes it so easy for your voice not to be heard and well it isn’t. That’s why it is so important to get involved in interest groups or politics in general. With interest groups you are surrounded by like-minded people who have similar or the same views as you. With this your voice is much louder with thousands rather than just one. Now don’t get me wrong you don’t have to be in a group to have your voice heard, it just makes it easier.

                  In 1994 congress passed a law banning the ownership of certain assault rifles. The NRA tried to stop this from passing even with their roughly 3.5 million members (at the time, it is now 4.3 million). Unable to stop the law from passing they were set on ousting members of congress who supported the ban, mostly Democrats, and the current speaker of the house Thomas Foley (D). The NRA poured money into advertisements across the nation about Thomas Foley betraying gun owners across America. November 1994 came around, with the election results. Republicans took both chambers of congress from the Democrats. Not only both chambers were taken, but Thomas Foley lost his bid for re-election making him the first Speaker of the House since 1860 to be defeated. This is one way to show how powerful that interest groups can be, even though they didn’t convince Thomas Foley to change his mind on the gun laws right away, they were still able to influence politics in their favor.

                  This is just one way that one interest group was able to influence politics. Now imagine all the interest groups that exist in America today, now that’s a pretty large number, but they are all trying to do the same and get what they want. I believe this creates more of a Democracy by representation rather than just voting. The problem that I have with just voting is that when you vote for a Politician, that vote makes it seem like you agree with everything that they bring to the table in which you may not agree with. With voting and interest groups you can vote while interest groups keep the politician in check with what you want.

                   Elections just occurred last Tuesday, and say you voted but did not get the candidate that you wanted elected. Don’t worry, life will go on. Things may not be exactly what you wanted but you can still influence and make a change to the government by interest groups. Hopefully this article helps you with your thoughts on interest groups and makes you want to get involved. I would rather have people get involved than not do anything and complain about how they hate policies that the government made. Get involved.