Political officeholders often rely on interest groups to
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Texas interest groups use a wide variety of techniques to attempt to influence public policy, including lobbying, grassroots organizing, research, and supporting candidates in Texas. Interest groups engage in a number of techniques to advance the goals of the group and influence public policy. Those activities typically include lobbying, grassroots organizing, persuasion campaigns, supporting and financing candidates and parties during elections, and litigation. LobbyingLobbying refers to any method by which interest groups attempt to influence government officials. Lobbyists represents an interest group before some member of the government or the bureaucracy, are usually compensated for doing so, and are required to register with the government in which he or she lobbies, whether state or federal. They are the direct, public representatives of interest groups who attempt to influence government officials and the decisions and policies they make. Access Lobbyists must seek and gain “permission, liberty, or ability to approach or communicate,”32 called access, with members of the Texas legislature and executives in the bureaucracy to be effective. Sam Rayburn, the Texas Democrat who had the longest run as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives—seventeen years—famously refused all meals from both lobbyists and taxpayers alike to avoid that influence. But lobbyists must gain access to provide information to public officials that they hope will convince those officials to vote or act in a manner favorable to the group’s interest. In doing so, they offer specialized expertise in a particular area that legislators lack. All of these officials come to depend on lobbyists for information. In addition, lobbyists communicate with elected and other public officials in different ways, influencing government appointments, including conducting formal presentations, issuing press releases, testifying before a committee or a government agency, writing memoranda and policy papers, sending letters, emails and notes, scheduling face-to-face meetings, entering into coalitions with other interest groups, and engaging in informal discussions, even over the meals or drinks Rayburn reviled. A lobbyist who is valuable to policymakers provides credible information, makes persuasive arguments, establishes good relationships with public officials, and enjoys a solid reputation will generally have greater access to, and have greater sway of, those he or she wishes to influence. Revolving Door Lobbying also gives rise to what political scientists have called the revolving door. The term revolving door refers to the movement of high-level employees from public- sector jobs to private-sector jobs and vice versa. Because of this revolving door between the two sectors, many legislators and regulators who previously promulgated laws and implemented policy then become lobbyists and consultants for the industries they once legislated and regulated. Former legislators who become lobbyists who participate in the revolving door contend that they are capitalizing on their expertise rather than their network connections. They also argue that having specialists within private lobby groups and running public departments ensures a higher quality of information when making regulatory decisions. Regulatory Capture Critics, however, claim that the revolving door necessarily results in regulatory capture. In politics, regulatory capture is defined as a corruption of authority that occurs when a politician, a policymaker, or a regulatory agency is diverted away from serving the public interest to serve some other influential commercial, ideological, or political interest or industry.33 When this occurs, detractors claim regulatory agencies may become dominated by the industries or interests they are charged with regulating. The result is that an agency, charged with acting in the public interest, instead acts in ways that benefit the industry it is supposed to be regulating rather than in the public interest.34 Grassroots Organizing and Social MediaAnother form of lobbying that has been used more frequently in recent years is grassroots organizing. Grassroots organizing to influence legislation involves the lobbyist’s mass mobilization of the public around a legislative issue. The public’s support or opposition is manifested by overwhelming contact with their legislators and other officials regarding an issue. Facebook, Twitter and email have all helped lobbyists spread messages and generate public opinion that is aligned with those lobbyists quickly and efficiently. Because public officials are often sensitive to the opinions of voters, if a group can demonstrate that public opinion supports a particular position or the public is willing to contact officials to express their views, officeholders will respond favorably because they want to enhance their chances of being re-elected.35 Persuasion CampaignsIn addition to social media from the grassroots level, any interest groups run media campaigns to persuade the public to support their position on issues. Some of this persuasion occurs during election campaigns when groups create and publicize advertisements intended to help a political candidate or political party achieve victory. In addition, interest groups work beyond these campaigns to educate others about the groups’ way of thinking and persuade them to adopt the groups’ priorities. Groups have developed sophisticated public relations operations to communicate their positions. They use targeted mass mailings (mailings that spotlight a specific audience profile and which speak directly to those individual prospects through specifically crafted, personalized mailers) by mailing pamphlet or other documents to a large list of individuals the group is attempting to influence. In addition, groups regularly use television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and billboards to communicate positions to persuade. Further, just as in grassroots organizing, they use the internet to send messages to the wider public. Finally, interest groups often publish their research-based findings in an attempt to influence not only public opinion but also the policy decisions of lawmakers.36 Supporting and Financing Candidates and Parties in ElectionsInterest groups are quite active in electoral politics. The activity is generally called electioneering—any activity that attempts to persuade people to vote for a particular candidate or particular party that is sympathetic to that group. Groups provide resources for candidates and parties that support those groups. The most noticeable contributions by interest groups to candidates and parties are monetary. Some interest groups form political action committees (PACs), groups specifically created to collect funds from donors and distribute them to parties and candidates who support their issues. PACs are the most important mechanism through which interest groups provide this financial support.37 For example, these ten Texas PACs support their favored candidates in the 2020 elections had collectively amassed more than fourteen million dollars by mid-2019:
There is no limit on the amount of money PACs may contribute to Texas statewide and legislative elections. In addition, state-based interest groups run advertisements, finance party and candidate research, provide volunteer workers, organize rallies, host fundraisers, and independently run advertisements for or against candidates. The Texas Association of Realtors PAC raised nearly two million dollars during the 2018 election cycle, donating $1.2 million to candidates.42 Texans for Lawsuit Reform, a group that advocates for civil justice reform, donated $1.3 million, spread over 100 different candidates.43 LitigationWhen opportunities to politically influence legislators and policymakers dwindles, special interest groups often turn to the courts for relief. Sophisticated, well-financed interest groups are skillful and proficient at using the court system as a means of achieving
their goals. Groups turn to litigation—the process of resolving disputes between individuals, organizations, and government entities by filing a lawsuit with a court of law that is empowered to hear a case that ultimately will result in a desired judgment—to pursue their causes. Interest In addition, litigation is used by some groups to sue other groups they oppose. Interest groups also seek to influence the outcomes of cases in which they are not parties through the use of amicus curiae (Latin for “friend of the court”) briefs. An amicus curiae brief is a persuasive document intended to bring to the attention of a court relevant matters not already brought to its attention by the parties. Such briefs may be of considerable help to the court. It also allows interest groups that are not direct parties to a lawsuit litigation to advocate for their causes without having to spend significant amounts of money already paid by those who are proper parties to the litigation. Thus, litigation is often much less expensive than electioneering and lobbying and less political, but it is also more time-consuming since the conclusion of litigation (through the appeals process) can require a significant amount of time and is subject the whims and opinions and judges and juries that may not share the sentiments of a litigious group. Interest groups also seek to influence the court system by engaging in activities to affect the appointment or election of judges. Typically, the most popular, uncompromising, and outspoken groups are very active in supporting or opposing particular judicial nominees or candidates.44 32. Harry M. Scoble. “Access to Politics,” Encyclopedia.com (March 19, 2021), https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-...ccess-politics. 33. Scott Hempling,“’Regulatory Capture’: Sources and Solutions,” Emory Corporate Governance and Accountability Review , vol. 1, no. 1 (2014), Emory Law, https://law.emory.edu/ecgar/content/...y-capture.html. 34. Will Kenton, “Regulatory Capture,” Investopedia, Mar. 1, 2021, https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r...ry-capture.asp. 35. Dautrich et al., American Government - Texas Edition. 36. Dautrich et al., American Government - Texas Edition. 37. Dautrich et al., American Government - Texas Edition. 38. Texans for Lawsuit Reform, https://www.tortreform.com/. 39. “Purpose Statement,” Texas Forever Forward, https://www.texasforeverforward.com/about/. 40. “Overview” Associated Republicans of Texas, LinkedIn,com, https://www.linkedin.com/company/ass...f-texas/about/. 41. Transparency USA, “Top Ten Texas PACs for 2020,” Sept 9, 2019, https://www.transparencyusa.org/arti...-pacs-for-2020 42. Transparency USA, “Top Ten PACs of the 2018 Texas Election Cycle,” Sept, 6, 2017, nsparencyusa.org/article/top-ten-pacs-of-the-2018-texas-election-cycle. 43. Becca Aaronson, “Who are the Biggest Spenders in Texas Races?” Texas Tribune, Mar 1, 2016, https://www.texastribune.org/2016/03...s-state-races/. 44. Dautrich et al., American Government - Texas Edition. What is the role of the interest group in the election process quizlet?Interest groups provide campaign support for legislators who favor their policies and sometimes encourage their own members to try to win posts in party organizations. Most important, interest groups urge their members to vote for candidates who support the views of the group.
What do interest groups do effectively quizlet?Interest groups allow individuals to elect candidates to state office efficiently. Interest groups help to inform and organize the most interested citizens. Interest groups minimize competition in policy making. Interest groups help to inform and organize the most interested citizens.
How do interest groups try to influence public policy quizlet?Most interest groups try to influence government policy by making direct contact with lawmakers or other government leaders, lobbying.
What do interest groups do when they interact with the government quizlet?Terms in this set (15)
What are the two main things that interest groups do when they interact with a government? First they try to shape policies, which they can do by mobilizing voters or by putting direct pressure on elected officials.
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