教程讲稿大二下nwdemocwk

1、Interest GroupsInterest groups are formal organizations that share a common outlook or social situation, and that band together to influence government policy.They are an easy way for average citizens to participate in the political process, and are a fundamental presence in democratic societies.Int

2、erest GroupsThe desire for people to come together in social groups to obtain common goals has been noticed by foreign observers of American society for most of its history.The ability for people to gather together is protected in the freedom of association clause of the First Amendment:Interest Gro

3、ups“Congress shall make no law.abridging.the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”Simply stated, this means that the government can do nothing to interfere with people joining together to try to influence government policies.Interest

4、GroupsImportant to the ability of interest groups to organize are other freedoms preserved by the First Amendment: freedom of speech, and freedom of the press.Interest GroupsIn any society, there will be many common circumstances that have either brought people together or could inspire people to co

5、me together in the future. Actual groups are interest groups that have already formed, and have leadership, an organization, and membership. Potential groups are the people that share a common need that could unite them, but have not yet organized.Interest GroupsOnce a small group of people e determ

6、ined to have some kind of influence, others may quickly be inspired to join them.MADD, a group against drunk driving, was inspired by just one mother who had lost her child in an automobile accident.United We Stand America became a major political force in just a few months because of the presidenti

7、al campaign of Ross Perot.Interest GroupsThe Founding Fathers, including James Madison, were worried about a faction taking control of government. A faction can be either a minority or a majority, but it is a group that represents the interests of only part of society, and not the common good.Madiso

8、n decided that the power of factions could be reduced by diffusing power.Interest GroupsThis is achieved in America in two ways.First of all, having a country composed of states with very different economies and social groups makes it difficult for one faction to have a strong influence over these d

9、iverse interests.Secondly, since government is divided into branches and complex, its hard for any group to gain control of each part at the same time. Interest GroupsSome people think the Founding Fathers were too successful in this way. The national government has so many overlapping restrictions

10、on powers, and so open to the influence of many competing groups, that it es difficult sometimes to form a coherent set of national policies.Interest GroupsAfter the formation of political parties in the early years of the republic, many different interest groups soon grew, including revivalist reli

11、gion groups, social reform groups, peace groups, womens rights groups, abolitionist groups, and temperance groups.Why are interest groups increasing?In the last 3 decades, the number of interest groups has been growing dramatically. There are 3 conditions of recent society that help explain this gro

12、wth.First of all, government since the 1960s has been more involved in regulating society. Why are interest groups increasing?Government has been asked to make changes regarding civil rights, the environment, education, workplace conditions, health, gay equality, womens rights, and other issues. Sin

13、ce these new policies now affect people in many aspects of their life, individuals are motivated to work together to influence how those policies are formed.Why are interest groups increasing?A second condition is a reaction to the success that liberal interest groups have had since the 1950s. Conse

14、rvatives traditionally have been wealthier and better educated, and were already participating in and having their interests met within government.Why are interest groups increasing?Liberal interests were less represented by the politicians, and thus used interest groups to pursue the goals of ethni

15、c minorities, feminists, environmentalists, and the poor.By the 1970s these groups had gained success by putting pressure on the 3 branches of government. The government even created funding to promote more group participation in influencing the democratic process.Why are interest groups increasing?

16、In response to the success of liberal groups, conservative interests started forming their own groups to fight the changes in policy that were taking place.Examples of these include the Club for Growth which promotes conservative economic policy, and the Federalist Society, which promotes legal idea

17、s and has influence with high-ranking members of the judiciary.Why are interest groups increasing?A third social condition leading to an increase of interest groups is an increase in e levels and education. This middle-class sector of the population is more aware of how the political process affects

18、 them, which increases their motivation to participate.Types of interest groupMost interest groups fall within one of these general categories:business, labor, public interest, government, ideological, religious, civil rights, and single-issue groupsTypes of interest groupBusiness interest groups ar

19、e actually the most common kind in Washington. Some lobbyists only promote the interests of a single company. Other groups work to gain benefits for a single industry, while there are still other groups that work for the benefit of business within society in general.Types of interest groupExamples o

20、f a single-industry interest group are the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association, and the American Petroleum Institute.Groups that represent a wide range of businesses include the US Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers.Types of interest groupBusiness gro

21、ups are often well-funded and influential. They do not always have the same goals and interests, however, and so will compete to influence politicians.These groups might work to promote tax cuts, regulatory changes, or perhaps a change in relations with countries where they want to do business.Types

22、 of interest groupLabor groups were once a very influential force in American politics, but their power has declined in recent decades. They have gone from representing 36% of the workforce to just 15%.The AFL-CIO represents a large variety of millions of workers, and has successfully worked since t

23、he 1950s to obtain better wages, work conditions, and health benefits. Types of interest groupLarge national labor unions organizing a specific industry include the United Auto Workers, the United Mine Workers, and the Teamsters.Types of interest groupPublic interest groups are groups that work to p

24、romote the benefits of all individuals within society, and not just the economic gain of members of their group.This kind of group normally tries not to participate in any kind of partisan activity (supporting one party or the other).Types of interest groupMany of the environmental organizations, su

25、ch as the Sierra Club and the World Wildlife Fund, are public interest groups.Other public interest groups include consumer protection groups like the Better Business Bureau, groups like the League of Women Voters that promotes simplified voting procedures and informed voters, and campaign finance r

26、eform groups like Common Cause.Types of interest groupGovernment interest groups are groups of officials at lower levels who work together to influence Congresss policies toward state and local governments.Examples include the National League of Cities, the National Conference of Mayors, and the Nat

27、ional Governors Association. In the past they asked Congress for grant money, but now they are interested in local control over policy.Types of interest groupIdeological interest groups want to change all of society according to a particular political belief system. Since Americans are usually pract

28、ical people, these groups are small, but their members are often wealthy and influential.Examples include the Americans for Democratic Action (liberal) and the American Conservative Union. Types of interest groupReligious interest groups often promote laws that outlaw behavior inconsistent with thei

29、r beliefs (such as abortion or gay rights). They also will lobby for the inclusion of religious displays in more areas of public life (religious monuments, prayer in schools). In certain situations, they will organize to protect their traditions from either discrimination or government interference.

30、Types of interest groupPowerful religious groups in recent years include the Christian Coalition, the Catholic Alliance, the National Council of Churches, The Family Research Council, and the Council of Catholic Bishops.Types of interest groupCivil rights interest groups promote the legal rights of

31、minorities and others who have suffered discrimination. They will fight for the rights of these people as well as protect them from discrimination.Famous examples include the National Organization for Women, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the Human Rights Campaig

32、n Types of interest groupSingle-Issue interest groups only pursue action about 1 issue that is most important for them. Because they are so committed to a particular belief, they might be more promising than other groups.Examples include the NRA (gun rights), the National Right to Life Committee (an

33、ti-abortion), MADD, and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.How do Lobbyists do their Work?When trying to get public officials to make change, there are two general approaches that interest groups might take. They can go directly to the officials making the decision, or else they can get th

34、e citizens to join together and put pressure on the government.One way to refer to these different approaches is the inside game and the outside game.How do Lobbyists do their Work?The inside game is more formally known as lobbying. This term comes from the fact that, in the 19th century, people wis

35、hing to ask favors of the president or congressmen would wait in the lobby (waiting area) of a certain hotel in Washington. People that work for interest groups who try to persuade government officials are known as lobbyists.How do Lobbyists do their Work?Much of lobbying is based on personal relati

36、onships. Many of them used to work for government, and so know some of the important officials personally. Lobbyists must keep in frequent contact with these decision makers to maintain their influence.Lobbyists with government experience have a clear understanding of how the processes of legislatio

37、n and regulations operate.How do Lobbyists do their Work?One target of lobbyists is congressional committees. Since these small groups listen to the public, and have lots of control over the specific kinds of laws that are important to that interest group, lobbyists will testify in their public hear

38、ings, providing expert information and also persuading them to approve or make changes to certain bills.How do Lobbyists do their Work?Many congressmen do not have enough staff and time to fully research all of the important issues. Lobbyists can provide information directly to those officials to he

39、lp them make informed decisions, although that info will be carefully chosen to support the interest groups wishes.Lobbyists will even write legislation that the congressmen will try to make into laws.How do Lobbyists do their Work?Lobbyists will do a similar process with the regulatory agencies tha

40、t control their industry or field of interest. They will testify at agency hearings, make comments on regulations, and sometimes write drafts of regulations that might be used to regulate their clients later.How do Lobbyists do their Work?Interest groups will also work directly with the judicial bra

41、nch. They may file amicus curiae briefs, which are written legal opinions trying to influence a case that affects them.They can also try to bring legal cases against parts of the government. Examples of this are environmental groups suing agencies to prevent destructive activity, and the NAACP suing

42、 segregated school districts.How do Lobbyists do their Work?There are several ways for lobbyists to use the outside game, but the primary one is grassroots activism. This means getting thousands of voters to put pressure on the government officials to make change.These activities can be very general

43、, or they might be targeted at a specific Senator or Representative in their district.How do Lobbyists do their Work?Rallies and marches are gatherings where thousands of people, often with music, signs, or colorful costumes, show support publicly and vocally for a certain political cause.During the

44、 Iraq War, for example, groups organized protests in many US cities for months to discourage American military involvement in foreign countries.How do Lobbyists do their Work?Interest groups will also sponsor letter-writing campaigns, with the hope that the Congress members office will receive a ver

45、y large amount of mail. Thousands of letters can demonstrate that a much larger number of people support the issue.How do Lobbyists do their Work?Petitions are lists where people are asked to add their name and signature if they support a particular political opinion. This also demonstrates how much support