Third Edition
CQ PressInstructors' ResourcesChaptersCh. 1 Logic of American PoliticsCh. 2 The ConstitutionCh. 3 FederalismCh. 4 Civil RightsCh. 5 Civil LibertiesCh. 6 CongressCh. 7 The PresidencyCh. 8 The BureaucracyCh. 9 The JudiciaryCh. 10 Public OpinionCh. 11 Voting, Campaigns and ElectionsCh. 12 Political PartiesCh. 13 Interest GroupsCh. 14 The News MediaAbout the BookAbout the Authors The Logic of American Politics by Samuel Kernell and Gary C. Jacobson


Chapter Thirteen: Interest Groups

Exercises



Membership Has Its Privileges
Go to the Web site of AARP (http://www.aarp.org). What legislative issues does the organization identify as being important to its members (http://www.aarp.org/legislative)? What incentives does it provide to join (http://www.aarp.org/benefits)? How do the issues and incentives mentioned in its site compare with those mentioned in sites sponsored by the Republican National Committee (http://www.gop.com) and the Democratic National Committee (http://www.democrats.org)?


Pick a PAC of Pickled Peppers
Go to http://www.fec.gov/finance/disclosure/srssea.shtml to search Federal Election Commission (FEC) records of contributions by political action committees (PACs) for the two most recent election cycles. Search for your favorite two PACs or interest groups (note: you might need to search for their full names, not their abbreviations) and answer the following questions:

  • Where did the committees get their money (see the links under "Total Receipts")?
  • Where did they spend their money (see the links under "Total Disbursements”)?
  • How did their spending and fund-raising activities change across election periods


Waxing and Waning Interest
Next, go to the FEC's report on historical PAC activity (http://www.fec.gov/press/press2001/053101pacfund/053101pacfund.html). Did total contributions to candidates change a lot across elections? Did they seem to be higher in presidential versus midterm election years? Did the proportion of the PACs' contributions that went to Republicans increase after the 1994 election, in which Republicans seized majority control of Congress?


What (Did) You Want?
The Explore page for this chapter links you to the current Web sites for many interest groups. Pick your THREE favorites and use the power of the Web Archive to step back in time. Note how the groups' messages, activities, and legislative agendas have changed over time. Specifically, identify the differences in the groups' activities (a) immediately prior to the November 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, and (b) before and after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.