Government - Iron Triangle & more
True or False: The Iron Triangle is fully supported by the public.
False: people have both criticized and supported the iron triangle in the area of policy making. Some believe congressmen/women can be "bought" through this practice while others believe it allows those to be heard when they otherwise could not be
Interest Groups
- created to express specific concerns and issues - functions include lobbying policy makers, getting information out to the public, conduction independent research and recruiting members - interest group information is usually biased in order to help advance their own ideas - interest groups often form separate PAC's and Super PAC's to raise money and endorse candidates - Interest groups include NRA, Greenpeace, PETA
What is the impact of interest groups?
- donate money to political campaigns as influence - educate the public on certain issues - conduct research on their issues - gain public support through recruitment
Super PAC's
- federal law requires that PAC's spend no more than $20,000 a year on election but Super PAC's spend billions per year - spend unlimited amounts for "general purposes" instead of donating to a specific party
PAC's and Super PAC's
- many interest groups form PAC's to help support candidates and get their issues heard - PAC's have specific rules and regulations including donation limits - Super PAC's do not have donation limits and people may contribute anonymously
What do Presidential candidates spend the money on?
- media - administrative costs - campaign expenses - fundraising - contributions - other
The Bureaucracy
- part of the executive branch - positions can be appointed by the President - they exist to shape and enforce laws created by congress - they often create regulations to help enforce laws; regulations often carry weight of law - examples: FDA, DoD, IRS, DoE
The Iron Triangle
- refers to the relationship between Congressional Committees, interest groups, and the Bureaucracy - usually used in smaller highly technical issues
PAC's
-interest groups who contribute to candidates are mostly centered around a certain issue (i.e. environment) - can give $5,000 per election to candidate and up to $15,000 per year to political party - required by law to report spending
What was the name of Stephen Colbert's Super PAC?
Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow
How much did it cost to run for President (2012)?
Obama - $887 million Romney - $410 million
PAC's vs Super PAC's
PAC's - have limited amounts that can be donated - money given directly to candidates - must report donations Super PAC's - donate unlimited amounts of money - cannot be given directly to candidates - can be spent to publish information about a candidate - anonymous donations
What does PAC stand for?
Political Action Committees
Where does all that money for candidates come from?
The money can come from individual contributions to either the party or individual candidates; can also come from PAC's and Super PAC's
The Bureaucracy are ___
agencies that help shape and reinforce laws
What is an interest group?
an organization that pushes a certain political policy or policy idea (agenda), usually with a focus on a certain controversial topic; they rely on public support
Bureaucracies are allowed to ___
create regulations that help to enforce the laws
What do interest groups do?
donate money to political candidates who support the group's agenda; may also act as an expert to congress on certain issues
Federal Laws restrict ___
how much money can be spent for PACs and Super PAC's; $30,800 to a political party a year and $2,500 to a candidate per election
Interest groups will send __ to __
lobbyists; Congressional members to gain support for their policy
The Iron Triangle is made up of ___
the bureaucracy, Congressional committees, and interest groups
Bureaucracies are part of ___
the executive branch
The Iron Triangle refers to ___
the relationship between interest groups, Congressional committees and the bureaucracy; the relationship between the three may appear unbreakable
