Select an Interest Group to illustrate your answers. (click Iron Triangles Above) 2. Identify their target policy objective

Learning Goal: I’m working on a political science question and need an explanation and answer to help me learn.

Key Definitions in American Political Science

P l u r a l i s m

A theory of government and politics emphasizing that many groups, each pressing for its preferred policies, compete and counterbalance one another in the political marketplace.

El i t i s m

A theory of government and politics contending that an upper-class elite will hold most of the power and thus in effect run the government.

Hyper-pluralism

A theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government, seeking to please them all, is thereby weakened.

After completing the Interest Group and Bureaucracy Units, select an Interest Group and illustrate HOW the Interest Groups influences government to advance its target policy.

• C.4.2.3 Theory of Interest Groups
• C.4.2.4 Historical Development of Policymaking

The Instruction Materials on the Iron Triangle offered a variety of Interest Groups to select for this question.

C.3.2.9 Iron Triangles

What are the tactics Interest Groups use to influence the Congress, Presidency, Judiciary, and Agency.

This question is a focus on the Interest Group’s lobbying tactics, not the Iron Triangle itself.

A review of the videos below (NRA-Khan) offer an insight into the behavior of the Interest Groups

Lobbying

“Lobbying is the process by which interest groups attempt to assert their influence on the policy-making process.”

• Lobbying Congress
  1. Iron Triangles
     1. Work with Congressional Leadership
     2. Committee Chairs
  2. Political Action Committees
     1. Make campaign contributions to key decision-makers

• Lobby the Executive
  1. Groups attempt to influence the formulation and implementation of policy
  2. Influence President or key staff
• Lobby the Judicial
  1. Sponsor individual or group in litigation
     1. ACLU pays for and represents client in SC
  2. File Amicus Curaie
  3. Influence the Solicitor General to take a case.
  4. Influence Judicial Appointments to the bench
     1. Interest Groups helped to oust Robert Bork- verb: Borked

• Election Activities
  1. Candidate Recruitment and Endorsement
     1. Emilies List “Early Money is Like Yeast”
        • Provides seed money to recruited female candidates
     2. WISH
        • Women in the House and Senate
     3. Get Out the Vote
     4. Campaign Funding
        1. Political Action Committees

Quick Write Question:

What is the role and objective of the Interest Group in the process defined in the Iron Triangle?

C.3.2.9 Iron Triangles(Click for information)

Response Items:

1. Select an Interest Group to illustrate your answers. (click Iron Triangles Above)

2. Identify their target policy objective

3. Discuss the tactics they use to build and sustain membership and influence (Lobby) the Congress, Presidency, Judiciary, and Agency.

(This question is a focus on the group and its tactics, not the Iron Triangle itself)