The Role of Special Interest Groups in American Politics Essay

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THE ROLE OF SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS IN AMERICAN POLITICS

Like political parties, pressure groups can be considered another system that connects the citizen more directly to government. However, at the same instant there are marked differences in both composition and function that define interest groups as different entities from larger political parties. According to V.O. Key Jr. in a composition appropriately entitled Pressure Groups; pressure groups "Ordinarily concern themselves with only a narrow range of policies;" and unlike the goals of political parties, their intentions are to "influence the content of public policy rather than the results of elections." Nevertheless, it is a realized fact that special interest groups with …show more content…
The real result of such frenzies for publicity almost justifies and accounts for the willingness of special interest groups to campaign in morally corrupt ways. "The data makes it fairly clear that most of these campaigns do not affect the opinion of many people and even clearer that they have small effect by way of punitive or approbative feedback in the vote." The fact that organizations engage in these practices, "is in itself a tribute to the importance of public opinion." Previously discussed were some of the dark deeds that some special interest groups commit, and the Keysian hypothesis that group organizations have an intrinsically stunted ability to effectively link their constituents with the government. Walter Isaacson's essay, Running with the PACs, describes the changes that have occurred in special-interest representation since the 1970s. According to Isaacson, "there is nothing inherently evil about PACsthey are merely established

Interest Groups Essay

Discuss Whether The Power Of Interest Groups In US Politics Should Be Curtailed Interest groups have long played a part in US politics. Even in the Federalist Papers, James Madison talks of the negative role of factions in breaking apart the republic1. They can be defined as a collection of people who seek to publicly promote and create advantages for its cause, and typically aim to further common interests2. I think there is ultimately a conflict between two points of view. On the one hand there…

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Edgardo Cruz Professor Lloyd Gaddis 04/03/14 Govt. 2306 Chapter 5: The Politics of Interest Groups Models of Democracies; A. The majoritarian model holds that the government should do what the majority of the public wants; B. Pluralistic model argues that the public as a whole seldom shows clear, consistent opinions on public issues; Democracy is at work when the opinions of these groups clash openly and fairly over government policies; This model is more relevant to the United States; a. This…

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