Question

Interest groups are groups of people with a shared interest or characteristic who attempt to influence government to promote their shared interest. A variety of different types of interest groups exist. For example, economic groups can be a collection of small businesses, such as the Small Business Association of America, or a union, such as the California Faculty Association. Your constitutional right to engage in interest group activity can be found in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which reads: “Congress shall make no law...abridging…the right of the people to peacefully assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Concurrently, James Madison was quite weary of the power of business interest groups and suggested that restraints be placed upon the mischiefs of faction. Today interest groups have grown significantly due to the decision in Citizens United. Are interest groups good or bad for democracy? Defend and explain your answer.

Answer 1

• Most would agree that interest groups have mixed effects on the American political system. On one hand, interest groups play a very important role. They help to shape the national agenda by raising awareness of issues that are important to them. Most would agree that this is a positive and even necessary effect of special interest groups.
• On the other hand, they provide a platform for power-hungry individuals, who use them to secure political power.
• Interest groups are a blessing when they provide a vehicle for change, but are a threat to society when they are used as a base for controlling political action. The danger is not interest groups themselves, it is in letting politicians use them to control the government.
• To be beneficial, interest groups must be submitted to the moderating influence of non-partisans who can separate the value in the group’s goals from the dangers they pose. The failure of democracy in America flows directly from the failure to empower non-partisans as a moderating influence on the excesses of organized interest groups.
• If there were much stricter campaign financing laws and interest groups restricted themselves to simply think tanks or giving advice then they would help democracy, but their ability to donate money to a political campaign has turned this into legalized bribery on behalf of special interests.
• One reason why interest groups are important to democracy is because they mobilize public opinion. Interest Groups can get people involved through a varirty of different ways such as the following: Advertising, Grass Roots Campaigns, Protests, PACs, Campaign Activism, and Initiatives and Referendums.
• The most influential ability interest groups have is the ability to lobby congress. Lobbyist for interest groups are able to give important policy information to members of congress.Interest Groups come in as they are able to fill this gap because lobbyist are highly specialized in the subject they are pressing for.
• By providing networks and building close personal relationships, lobbyists are able to exert their influence on legislation. The concept of lobbying as a whole is important because while congressmen may or may not vote for the interest of the lobbyist, he is making a decision that is much more well informed than had he not met with him.
• Lobbyist can also perform task such as testifying before congress, emailing campaigns, writing letters/articles, and often times serving as a personal attorney to many congressmen.
  
• Interest Groups are vital to democracy for a variety of reasons. In sum, they make the government more accountable for its actions as they monitor government programs.