chapter 6

political action committee (PAC)

a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns

the most important thin interest groups need to be effective is

access to politicians

lobbyist

an individual employed by an interest group who tries to influence governmental decisions on behalf of that group

interest group

an organization established to influence the government's programs and policies

individuals have the best chance to influence public policy when they

are not opposed by organized interest groups

when interest groups combine small contributions from many sources to form one large contribution, it is called

bunding

in Texas, the most powerful interest groups represent which interests

business

interest groups provide public officials with all the following except a)information b)money c)media coverage d)votes e)committee assignments

committee assignments

dark money refers to

donated money that does not have to be reported by a campaign

interest groups often hire former legislators as lobbyists to

gain greater access to current legislators, benefit from the policy expertise of former legislators, benefit from the personal "insider" knowledge of the former legislator

interest-group capture

government agency that serves the objectives of the interests that the agency is supposed to regulate

lobbyists are

important sources of information for legislators

issue advocacy

independent spending by individuals or interest groups on a campaign issue but not directly tied to a particular candidate

the goals of interest groups include all expect a)electing people to office in order to support the groups' goals b)influencing those who control government c) educating the public and members about issues of importance to the group d)providing campaign funds for favored candidates e) maintaining a heterogeneous membership

maintaining a heterogeneous membership

interest groups have an advantage over individuals in influencing policy because interest groups usually have

more time to influence officials, greater expertise than individuals, more money to influence election, more staff

dark money

political money where the donors of the money do not have to be disclosed

trial lawyers are which type of interest group

professional group

PACs are used to

stir the public's interest in politics, raise money from individuals, which is then bundled and given to candidates, create media campaigns to influence the course of government, create grassroots campaigns

free rider problem

the incentive to benefit from others' work without making a contribution, which leads individuals in a collective action situation to refuse to work together

bundling

the interest-group practice of combining campaign contributions from several sources into one larger contribution from the group, so as to increase the group's impact on the candidate

interest groups have a hard time defeating incumbent legislators unless

the legislator is involved in scandal, the legislator has been redistricted, the legislator's positions have generated overwhelming opposition in the district

capture theory refers to the idea that

through long-term relationships, government interests come to serve the objectives of an interest group

one of the most important grassroots tactics of interest groups is

to get out the vote

the "8F Crowd"

was a group of extremely wealthy Texans who met in Suite 8F of the Lamar Hotel in Houston and controlled Texas politics for 40 years