Classwork: Interest Groups

a) The fundamental goal of interest groups is to influence policy by influencing policy-makers such as congress.

b) The fundamental goal of political parties is to elect representatives to office and to gain power in government.

c) Interest groups support the fundamental goals of political parties by promoting and endorsing candidates. An interest group has members who will be influenced by the group's support of a certain candidate. This will help the political party to get representatives elected. In addition, interest groups can also run ads and favorable media coverage to support an elected official, which will help that official to gain power and public support.

d) Endorsing a candidate will ensure that those who are elected support the goals of the interest groups. The interest group wants to ensure that the victorious candidate will have similar values to its members. Also, endorsement of a candidate will give an interest group access to them once they are elected. The interest group may be able to gain favors and support of favorable policies once they have the ear of someone in office.

E6

1) Collective Good - something of value that cannot be withheld from a group member

Free-Rider Problem - the problem faced by unions and other groups when people do not join because they can benefit from the group's activities without officially joining

Selective Benefits - goods that that a group can restrict to those who are official, due-paying members

2) Americans for Tree-Hugging

To promote the act of tree-hugging across the country and to promote the interests of those who engage in tree-hugging.

The potential group includes all those who hug trees or who are interested in one day hugging trees.

Collective good might be the relaxation and stress relief found from hugging tress. It could also be the encouragement of the love of nature that comes from a proximity with trees.

Selective benefits include our in depth data base of the choicest hugging trees across the country. It also allows access to group tree-hugging sessions.

Americans for Tree Hugging will send lobbyists to Washington to promote tree-hugging friendly policies. AFTH will also nominate candidates for office and attempt to get them elected.

E4

House Race in the 3rd District of Colorado

Scott Tipton Republican vs Sal Pace Democrat

The race is extremely close but polls show Tipton slightly ahead.

Pace's ads focus on individual experiences and portray working class Americans. One ad even shows a typical morning in the Pace household to contrast Sal with his opponent, a much wealthier man. Tipton's ads focus more on his Washington policies and less on Colorado. He promises to fire John Salazar, Colorado's secretary of Agriculture, and Nancy Pelosi and says that since Republicans were fired for their mistakes, Democrats should be as well. Despite the close race, apparently it has been a fairly low-negativity campaign. Pace is yet to release an ad attacking Tipton and Tipton's ads are more focused on Nancy Pelosi than on his opponent. The budget seems to be the key issue. Both candidates discuss budget cuts and one Tipton ad even shows him invoicing voters with their share of the national debt.