Chapter 8 Interest Groups

According to Roesler and the text, forming PACs and contributing to the campaign coffers of candidates is basically a strategy of buying votes. True or False

False

After the massacre of 17 children at the Parkland, Florida high school, the Florida legislature passed a law banning assault rifles. True or False

False

As illustrated by the Daily Show Clip on the NRA and Congress, the NRA has almost no influence in Congress, compared to other powerful interest groups like the NAACP. True or False

False

Protests, boycotts and violence is the most common form of participation by interest groups in modern America. True or False

False

Roesler argues that "in the realm of group politics, liberty is what makes our political system the most fair." True or False

False

How the Constitution balances the threat posed by organized interests with the need for liberty is discussed in the

Federalist Papers, no. 10.

Between 1972 and 2016, the number of PACs in the United States

increased from 480 to over 7,000.

What is the MOST important and beneficial resource that lobbyists provide government officials?

information

The legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015 illustrates

the impact that an interest group can have through a litigation strategy.

What is the primary function of a PAC?

to raise and distribute money to election campaigns

As opposed to pluralist theory, elite theory posits that

wealthy, educated individuals control the direction of major policy.

Members of interest groups in the United States are typically people

with higher incomes, more education, and management or professional occupations.

Many Americans perceive lobbyists as:

"wheeler-dealers" who attempt to buy members of Congress

Which of the following would be an example of a ballot initiative?

A vote on whether recreational marijuana usage should be legalized in Missouri..

Which of the following Supreme Court decisions drastically altered the political landscape by allowing corporate and union election financing?

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

The main objective of a PAC is to:

Collect campaign contributions from supporters and pass these onto candidates for office

Which of the following is a theoretical assumption of pluralism?

Competition among interests will produce balance, with all interests moderating each other.

One difference between an interest group and a political party is that an interest group:

Doesn't run candidates for office

When interest groups participate in the election process, this is:

Electioneering

A person who enjoys the benefits of a group's collective efforts but does not contribute to those efforts is called a

Free rider

Which of the following most accurately expresses the reality behind the myth of corrupting interest groups?

Interest groups help to give people a voice in government

Grassroots pressure can include:

Letter-writing campaigns Protest marches Individual constituents visiting with politicians

An interest group is a(n):

Organized group of people with common goals seeking to influence the government

The theory that competition among organized interests will produce a balance with all the interests regulating one another is

Pluralism

Individuals and organizations can give an unlimited amount of money to

Super PACs

How do interest groups use litigation as a strategy of influence?

They file amicus curiae briefs, finance lawsuits, and bring suit directly on behalf of the group.

Although Madison warned of the dangers of interest groups, he also argued that:

They are inevitable in any democratic system

An iron triangle is made up of an alliance between

a legislative committee, an interest group, and an executive agency.

Lobbying is

an attempt by an individual or group to influence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on members of Congress or a state legislature.

Interest groups are permitted to spend as much money as they want on issue advocacy during a campaign season, as long as they

do not coordinate their efforts with a candidate's own campaign organization.

The Supreme Court's landmark decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) was significant because it

dramatically increased the flow of money from interest groups and Super PACs into politics and electoral campaigns.

A person who enjoys the benefits of a group's collective efforts but does not contribute to those efforts is called a

free rider.

In recent years, the religious right has had a great effect on American politics through

grassroots mobilization.

In some states, citizens can vote directly on matters of public policy through:

initiatives and referenda

The best description of the ideal of pluralism is that

interest groups should be free to compete for governmental influence.

The interaction of mutual interests involving interest groups, government officials, and members of Congress is known as the

iron triangle.

Interests groups were heavily involved in the recent Michigan Affirmative Action cases. Some groups sponsored the lawsuit, other filed amicus curiae briefs for both sides. All of these groups would be using which interest group tactic?

litigation

Which factors influences and decides an interest group's political effectiveness?

membership size intensity wealth/resources

After the massacre of 17 children at the Parkland, Florida high school, the Florida legislature ________

passed a bill that declared porn dangerous.

When a coalition of credit card companies forms an interest group called the Partnership to Protect Consumer Credit, this suggests that

private interests are hiding behind the ideals of public interests.

Roesler argues that "in the realm of group politics, liberty___________"

seems inconsistent with equality

The initiative was

promoted by late nineteenth-century Populists and Progressives as an antidote to interest group influence in the legislative process.

In an iron triangle, the interest group

provides campaign contributions to members of Congress and lobbies for larger administrative agency budgets.

In an iron triangle, the congressional committee

supports the agency's budgetary requests and the programs the interest group favors.