POL-SCI 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.

False

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

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.

False

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

False

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

False

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 factor influences and decides an interest group's political effectiveness?

All these factors influence and decide an interest group's political effectiveness. (membership size, intensity, wealth/resources)

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.

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

Electioneering

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: Group of answer choices

Letter-writing campaigns Protest marches Individual constituents visiting with politicians All of the above

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

NOTDoes not attempt to operate government NOTHas a broader range of interests than does a party

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

NOTFederalist Papers, no. 7.

As a result of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974:

NOTInterest groups were no longer allowed to support multiple candidates in the same election PACs became much more influential

Which of the following is an example of the use of litigation by an interest group?

NOTProviding research data on legal cases to law makers NOTJoining with other interest groups in a lobbying alliance

In an iron triangle, the interest group

NOTfiles formal lawsuits and amicus briefs against administrative agencies and congressional incumbents.

In an iron triangle, the congressional committee

NOTis legally excluded from any interactions with interest groups and administrative agencies.

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

NOTprohibited Super PACs from donating to electoral campaigns but increased the amount of money interest groups could contribute. NOTprohibited interest groups from donating to electoral campaigns but increased the amount of money Super PACs could contribute.

An interest group is a(n):

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

Individuals and organizations can give an unlimited amount of money to

Super PACs

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

They are inevitable in any democratic system

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.

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.

When an oil company is invited to participate in negotiations with the Environmental Protection Agency over a proposed rule on offshore drilling, it illustrates that

federal agencies almost always attempt to consult relevant stakeholders before implementing a new rule.

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

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.

The initiative was

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