Interest Group Example

1. Lobbying Congress
Team 1

3. The Direct Approach
• The direct approach, bringing group pressures to bear directly on
public policymakers, is another way of saying “lobbying”
• Lobbying: is the process by which organized interests attempt
to affect the decisions and actions of the public officials.
• Lobbyists: are those people who try to persuade public officials
to do those things that interest groups want them to do.
• Most lobbyists are professionals. Some are freelancers, “hired
guns” who will use their contacts and talents for anyone willing
to pay what they charge.
• Most larger companies and labor unions have their own full-
time lobbyist.

4. Lobbying Congress
• The benefits of maintaining close relationships
with members of Congress are fairly obvious,
for Congress is the prime place for the making
of public policy in the Federal Government.
• Some lobbying efforts target individual
lawmakers and their staffs, but most are
aimed at the standing committees of the
House and the Senate.
• Lobbyist testify before congressional
committees and regularly submit prepared
statements that set out their organization’s
views on proposed legislation.

5. Lobbying Congress
“Competent lobbyists can present the
most persuasive arguments in support of
their positions. Indeed, there is no more
effective manner of learning all
important arguments and facts on a
controversial issue than to have the
opposing lobbyists present their case.”
--John F. Kennedy

6. Lobbying Congress
Lobbyist are ready to do such things
as make campaign contributions,
provide information, write speeches,
and even draft legislation.
The contributions are welcome, the
information is quite accurate, the
speeches are forceful, and the bills
are well drawn.

7. Lobbying Congress
• Most lobbyist know that if they behaved otherwise:
• Give false or misleading information.
• They would damage or destroy their credibility and their overall
effectiveness.
• Lobbyist work hard to: I
• Influence committee action
• Floor debate
• The final vote in the legislative body
If they fail in one house they carry their fight to the other. If the
lose there, too, on to the executive branch. Maybe the courts.