Chapter 6
The 8F Crowd
A group of extremely wealthy Texans who met in Suite 8F of the Lamar Hotel in Houston and controlled Texas politics for 40 years
The most important thing interest groups need to be effective is
Access to politicians
interest group
An organization established to influence the government's programs and policies
Lobbyists are individuals who
Are employed by interest groups to try to influence government policies
Individuals have the best change to influence public policy when they
Are not opposed by organized interest groups
Texas lawmakers receive only $600 a month, plus an additional $150 a day when on legislative business, but they
Are permitted to use campaign contributions from interest groups for expenses associated with holding office
When interest groups combine small contributions from many sources to form one large contribution, it is called
Bundling
In Texas, the most powerful interest groups represent which interests
Business
Campaign contributions come primarily from ____ interest groups
Business or corporate
Litigation was practiced extensively by the ____ and ___ interest groups in the 1950s and 1960s
Civil rights; Environmental
Interests groups provide public officials with all of the following except
Committee assignments
Dark money refers to
Donated money that does not have to be reported by a campaign
Interest groups have certain advantages over private citizens, including
Expertise
Interest-group capture
Government agency that serves the objectives of the interests that the agency is supposed to regulate
Issue advocacy
Independent spending by individuals or interest groups on a campaign issue but not directly tied to a particular candidate
Interest groups form to
Influence government to adopt policies favored by the group's membership
Which PAC spent the least amount of money on lobbying and campaigns in Texas
Labor
Which of the following is an example of a civil rights group
League of United Latin American Citizens
The goals of interest groups DO NOT include
Maintaining a heterogeneous membership
Interest groups have an advantage over individuals in influencing policy because interest groups usually have
More time, more expertise, more money, more staff
A ___ is formed by an interest group to donate campaign funds to political candidates
Political action committee
Dark Money
Political money where the donors of the money do not have to be disclosed
The Texas Medical Association is an example of a ____ interest group
Professional
Trial lawyers are which type of interest groups
Professional group
Common Cause is an example of a____ interest group
Public
Sam Rayburn referred to his fellow legislators who would accept gifts as
Steak Men
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
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
Laws in Texas dealing with lobbying by former government officials are described by the authors of the textbook as
Weak
According to the authors of the Textbook, when an interest group supports the losing candidate in an election, that interest group
Will often make a substantial contribution to the winning candidate whom it formerly opposed
Texas is known as a state that has had long powerful interest groups, mostly representing the business sector, is this true?
Yes
Political action committee
a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns
Interest groups participate in the political process by engaging in all of the following activities EXCEPT
running candidates under the interest groups' names