Deck 12: Groups and Interests

Question 1

Today, due to federal rule-making guidelines established over the twentieth century, few federal agencies would implement a new rule without:

A) obtaining direct approval from the White House.
B) getting new authorizing legislation from Congress.
C) obtaining a federal court order.
D) consulting the affected interests.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

How do interest groups differ from political action committees (PACs)?

A) They differ only in name and legal status, since they both try to influence government policies in largely the same ways.
B) PACs are campaign finance organizations, focused on helping their favored candidates, while interest groups have broader policy goals.
C) Interest groups are independent expenditure organizations that, by law, cannot have any formal ties or regular communication with PACs.
D) Interest groups can be and often are organizations with long histories, whereas PACs are short-term organizations only.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The formation of many interest groups in the 1930s came about because of:

A) the dramatic expansion of the national government.
B) a sharp uptick in the number of political entrepreneurs.
C) economic interests that were desperate to regain their strength amidst the Great Depression.
D) federal deregulation of interest-group formation.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In 2018, media reports had it that USTelecom, a lobbying group that represents major telecommunications conglomerates, had asked federal regulators to stop enforcing rules that allowed smaller Internet service providers to purchase access to their old copper-wire networks at what regulators deemed "reasonable" rates.The smaller companies, however, lobbied to keep the rules in place.How typical is such inter-industry lobbying competition in the United States?

A) Not at all typical, since the leaders of large "peak" associations that act as umbrellas for a range of industrial lobbies usual manage to iron out differences between them
B) Typical, since individuals and organizations involved in lobbying advocate for their own interests, often in conflict with others in the same industry
C) Somewhat typical, although the smaller interest groups can often be easily bought off by larger ones
D) Somewhat typical, although the government normally sides with larger groups, in no small part due to large-group membership cohesion

Question 5

James Madison argued that organized interests would have less opportunity to dominate the political process if the nation:

A) was large, with diverse interests, with competition and balance produced by a good constitution.
B) tightly regulated its interests and factions, no matter how large it might become.
C) was small, with tightly regulated interests and factions.
D) was large, with moderated regulated interests, especially in campaign finance.

Question 6

One clear indicator of the proliferation of interest-group activity in modern America is the enormous number of _______________, which are legal entities through which interest groups spend money to influence elections.

A) peak associations
B) corporatist organizations
C) political action committees, or PACs
D) pluralist action groups, or PAGs

Question 7

Interest groups tend to primarily concern themselves with:

A) their interests and policies of government that affect those interests.
B) issues relevant to certain demographics.
C) getting their favored candidates elected.
D) promoting democratic politics.

Question 8

Despite working in different sectors of the economy, interest groups including the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) as well as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees have in common the fact that
They are _______________.

A) labor organizations, or unions
B) limited by law in how well they can compete with business associations
C) usually biased in favor of the wealthy and powerful
D) professional lobbies

Question 9

Interest-group politics in the United States has a pronounced upper-class bias because:

A) recent legislation has given the most affluent Americans the ability to spend as much money as they want in campaigns and elections.
B) the most affluent Americans have paid politicians and media to give more attention to them, at the expense of unions and other working-class groups.
C) membership dues for even the largest and most popular interest groups tend to be prohibitively expensive, except for the most affluent Americans.
D) upper-income people and organizations are more likely to be able to play important roles in existing interest groups, or have the resources to form new ones.

Question 10

Over several decades, health advocacy and medical interests that wanted to slow or stop the prevalence of tobacco smoking in the United States used a process mandated under the Federal Administrative Procedure Act of 1947 to undercut the power of tobacco companies and growers and influence federal policy change.Known as the notice-and-comment rule, the mandate allowed interest groups, including groups opposed to tobacco smoking, to:

A) give money under the table to federal regulators.
B) undertake grassroots lobbying campaigns with federal funding.
C) publicize their views and participate in implementing legislation.
D) directly rewrite legislation when federal regulators found their views compelling.

Question 11

In some foreign states, including developed European democracies, interest groups' relations with government tend to be more formalized than in the United States, and are often called "corporatist" by political scientists.By contrast, thousands of American interest groups vie for attention as best they can, often competing against one another, with the idea being that this will help produce the best policies through balance and compromise.The idea behind this idea is called:

A) business and industrial corporatism.
B) elite interest competition.
C) Madisonian corporatism.
D) pluralism.

Question 12

Which term describes the strategy of obtaining political influence by gaining access to key decision makers in government, or using the courts to exercise influence?

A) An insider strategy
B) An insider strategy in the first case, an outsider strategy in the second
C) Going public
D) An outsider strategy

Question 13

For many years before the Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal nationally with its 2015 decision in the case of Obergefell v.Hodges, several gay and lesbian rights group had filed or been closely involved in lawsuits over same-sex marriage bans, and engaged in advertising and social media campaigns in support of legalization.Before the case at hand, for example, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) group had not only filed an amicus curiae brief in support of the plaintiff (who was an HRC member), but had spearheaded a grassroots social media campaign in which users changed their photos to a red version of group's logo, which depicts an equals sign. In so doing, the HRC can be said to have engaged, overall, in _____________, as a means of exercising influence in government and policymaking.

A) insider strategies
B) outsider strategies
C) going public
D) a mix of insider and outsider strategies

Question 14

A strategy that launches a media campaign to build popular support is called:

A) going public.
B) lobbying.
C) a mix of insider and outsider strategy.
D) direct group representation.

Question 15

If you join the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) now, the mailing reads, you will receive this free bag, perfect for the traveling you can do more of with member lodging discounts.Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association (NRA) will offer free accidental death and dismemberment insurance if you join today.Both will send you a members-only magazine. Why do the AARP and the NRA, like many other interest groups, offer such benefits and gifts?

A) They are both likely troubled, with declining membership.
B) Their overhead costs are likely increasing with inflation, requiring them to find more members.
C) They are trying to overcome the free-rider problem, which can hit larger interest groups harder.
D) The NRA and the AARP are primarily for-profit operations, with nonprofit lobbying interest-group arms.

Question 16

The use of insider strategies in lobbying, which involve working with traditional government institutions, requires:

A) going public.
B) savvy use of media campaigns.
C) massive contributions to political campaigns and super PACs.
D) understanding how those institutions work.

Question 17

According to Madison, how would what he called the "violence of faction," which includes what Americans now refer to as interest groups or special interests, be best controlled?

A) By having government regulated or ban group activities that become violent or subversive
B) By placing legal limits on the number of interest groups allowed in society
C) Through encouraging the formation of many groups, so that no single interest can tyrannize the others
D) By closely regulating the monies given by groups to political parties and spent on the advocacy of candidates and issues

Question 18

The seemingly eternal problem of "revolving-door politics," which refers to the frequent rotation of elected officials and agency administrators and staff into lobbying jobs, is driven by:

A) the always enormous, and now increasing, sums of money spent in campaign finance.
B) the increasing size of the federal government, and its budget.
C) dissatisfaction with the current, ideologically polarized environment in government.
D) the continual turnover of staff, lobbyists, and even political parties in Washington.

Question 19

After the president signs a piece of legislation into law, why do interest groups not stop working with the executive branch?

A) More often than not, loyalty to the president's party is involved.
B) The friendships developed with executive branch members lead to subsequent get-togethers.
C) Groups typically fear that there might be attempts to undo the legislation in Congress.
D) Faithful implementation of the law is not guaranteed and requires continued contact.

Question 20

An interest group is defined as an organized group of individuals or organizations that:

A) meets every so often, collects dues, and involves themselves in various community, and sometimes state and national, affairs.
B) attempts to influence government policies.
C) just tries to get officials who will do their bidding elected, largely through campaign contributions and independent advertising.
D) is synonymous with a political action committee, in seeking to influence government and the outcome of elections.

Question 21

In today's Washington, D.C., lobbyists are most likely to win influence or find success in Congress for groups they work for or represent by _________________.

A) cornering members of Congress in hallways, and aggressively pushing for legislation or committee action
B) making backroom deals with members of Congress, sometimes for unreported sums of money
C) providing information about policies to busy members of Congress
D) wining and dining lawmakers, and taking them on luxurious tours of foreign countries

Question 22

Interest groups work primarily by trying to get candidates elected.

Question 23

In many American states, the ballot initiative process allows issues to be placed directly before voters after enough valid signatures are gathered in petition drives.This type of direct democracy measure was first promoted by late-nineteenth-century Populists as a way of counteracting interest-group influence.Today, however, most initiative drives:

A) typically favor wealthy populations.
B) are sponsored by state legislators.
C) are funded by interest groups.
D) are projects of state political parties.

Question 24

Mobilizing ordinary citizens to write to their representatives in support of a group's position is a specific example of:

A) an insider strategy.
B) voter initiative.
C) legalized corruption.
D) grassroots lobbying.

Question 25

The ________________________ affected interest groups by raising the limits for direct PAC (political action committee) contributions to campaigns to candidates for federal office, as well as limits to spending for independent campaign expenditures.

A) Federal Election Campaign Act of 2002
B) Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971
C) Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002
D) Citizens United Act of 2002

Question 26

An expensive, well-designed ad published in the New York Times that features the successful track record in environmental protection by a major oil company is an example of:

A) grassroots lobbying.
B) reputation management.
C) going public.
D) network advocacy.

Question 27

Business groups tend to be _________________, as shown by the formation of many such groups over time, such as in the 1970s due to increased federal interest in and regulation of the oil and gas industry, and the education and health care sectors, and, decades before that, federal efforts to regulate interstate commerce and battle monopolies.

A) reactive, typically being drawn into politics to resist regulations
B) proactive, typically lobbying for new regulatory programs before they could be proposed by lawmakers or interests more hostile to them
C) a mix of reactive and proactive, at times seeking to protect themselves against regulations, and at times seeking to further their interests in preemptive fashion
D) a mix of defensive and offensive, at times fending off regulations, and just as often seeking to have costly regulations placed on other businesses

Question 28

Major corporations and their trade associations pay tremendous fees each year to prestigious Washington law firms, in part to gain access to centers of power, but also to:

A) help them with grassroots campaign organizing and detail work.
B) keep them from suing their firms on behalf of others.
C) keep the firms prepared to represent them in court or before administrative agencies.
D) help them write amicus curiae briefs, if nothing else.

Question 29

Groups such as the American Bar Association (ABA), with a membership of lawyers and law students, and the American Medical Association (AMA), an association of physicians, are known as ________________.

A) professional lobbies
B) labor groups
C) public interest lobbies
D) nonlobbying service organizations

Question 30

Social media has proven to be a boon to small and specialized public interest groups, given that it allows them to:

A) easily swarm over and shout down opponents in public posts and replies to tweets.
B) efficiently find and mobilize adherents nationwide.
C) communicate more effectively with other like-minded interest groups.
D) more easily find compromising information about elected officials who oppose their goals.

Question 31

Groups that lobby for influence and policy change in issue areas not covered by traditional business, industrial, or labor groups, such as consumer protection and environmental policy, are known as _________ groups.

A) grassroots
B) public interest
C) protest
D) third party, or independent,

Question 32

Organized protests as a strategy for winning support for a group's policy positions:

A) are generally not protected as free speech because of inherent dangers in protests.
B) create a sense of community and raise the consciousness of people outside the protest.
C) are typically unsuccessful in the United States, where most people ask why protestors are protesting rather than working.
D) are effective for unions but are not effective for other groups.

Question 33

The oldest form of going public, which can be effectively used by interest groups who lack money, contacts, and expertise, is _________.

A) violent resistance to authority
B) protest, which can include taking part in marches, rallies, and sit-ins
C) placing signs in windows of residences or bumper stickers on cars
D) the writing of popular songs to bring attention to social issues

Question 34

Artificially orchestrating a grassroots campaign to make it appear that constituents care about an issue when in reality they do not is called:

A) Astroturf lobbying.
B) simulated lobbying.
C) creating a super PAC.
D) corporatism.

Question 35

Concerns that lobbyists have too much influence have, over time, led to _________________.

A) complete, but temporary, bans of lobbyists from Congress
B) members of Congress receiving less information about policies once reforms to lessen influence passed
C) congressional and presidential campaign ads in which lobbying groups are presented as being responsible for most of the country's problems
D) adoption of legal guidelines regulating their activities

Question 36

In 2010, the Supreme Court struck down part of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 when it ruled that the group Citizen United should not have been kept from airing an anti-Hillary Clinton documentary via paid television time in 2008, when she was running for the Democratic nomination for president.In so doing, and on First Amendment grounds, the Court firmly established the right of corporations and labor unions to:

A) give as much money to campaigns per election as they wish.
B) give as much money to campaigns, political parties, and nonfederal organizations such as state parties as they wish.
C) engage in political advocacy, and spend as much money on independent expenditure organizations as they wish.
D) openly and legally pay politicians for public office, as well as political parties, in return for favors.

Question 37

Economist Mancur Olson suggested that interest groups tend to have a harder time getting around the free-rider problem as they grow larger because:

A) leadership loses its tight control as membership increases.
B) people outside of the group come to see them as a corrupting influence.
C) their efforts have diminishing returns as the group becomes entrenched in the political mainstream.
D) individuals do not have much incentive to become active members and supporters of a group that is already more or less working on their behalf.

Question 38

Black Lives Matter is a loose-knit, African American civil rights interest group that came to life through the use of the social media hashtag (#blacklivesmatter) after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, an Orlando, Florida area neighborhood watch volunteer, in the shooting death of a black teenager, Trayvon Martin.Despite its Internet origins, people associated with the group often engaged in the oldest form of going public in trying to bring attention to racism and the killing of young black men.This form was:

A) writing amicus curiae briefs in support of other civil rights groups in cases going before the Supreme Court.
B) protesting, which can include taking part in marches, rallies, and sit-ins.
C) violent resistance to authority.
D) grassroots campaigning.

Question 39

In 2018, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), a long-established and powerful interest group for senior citizens, created a rather usual television ad campaign featuring the then 42-year-old spoken word artist J.Ivy.The idea behind the campaign was, its creators suggested, in part to form an association with the group that went beyond age.Why might lobbying groups undertake such advertising campaigns?

A) To directly and efficiently get around the free-rider problem
B) To increase visibility and public support, and in turn make those in power see its concerns as important
C) Because traditional forms of lobbying are now completely useless to them
D) Because they just want to keep up with what other major American interest groups are doing

Question 40

If a financial services company supporting legislation that would make it more difficult for investors to sue for fraud hires a Washington-based firm to generate and mail thousands of letters of support to members of Congress, the company can be said to be engaging in a strategy known as:

A) Astroturf lobbying.
B) grassroots lobbying.
C) open corruption and illegal fraud.
D) common advertising.

Question 41

Lobbyists serve a useful purpose in the legislative and administrative process by providing valuable information.

Question 42

According to the text, a diversity of interests enhances American democracy because it promotes compromise and moderation.

Question 43

To obtain adequate political representation in the United States, forces from the bottom rungs of the socioeconomic ladder generally must be organized on the massive scale associated with political parties.

Question 44

The prospect of full and faithful implementation of a law is guaranteed once the interest group is successful in getting its bill passed by Congress.

Question 45

Large groups manage to overcome the free-rider problem more frequently than their smaller counterparts.

Question 46

In American society, empirical research shows that groups form roughly in proportion to people's interests.

Question 47

Modern research indicates that interest groups easily form in response to changes in the political environment.

Question 48

So many individuals and groups clamor for the president's time and attention that only the most skilled and well-connected members of the lobbying community can hope to influence presidential decisions.

Question 49

Membership in interest groups is randomly distributed in the population.

Question 50

The 1995 Lobbying Disclosure Act requires all organizations employing lobbyists to register with Congress and to disclose whom they represent.

Question 51

Many Washington lobbyists double as fund-raisers for political campaigns.

Question 52

In recent years, interest groups have become much more numerous, more active, and more influential in American politics.

Question 53

The framers of the U.S.Constitution were fearful of factions.

Question 54

Politics in which interest groups predominate is politics with a distinctly upper-class bias.

Question 55

The unique status of the office of the president of the United States prevents it from being a target of lobbying activities.

Question 56

In contrast to political parties, interest groups tend to concern themselves with government personnel.

Question 57

Most interest groups endeavor to maintain good relations with both political parties.

Question 58

Interest groups focus on helping their favorite candidates win elections, while political action committees (PACs) focus on influencing elected officials.

Question 59

According to Madison, a good constitution encourages multitudes of interests so that no single interest can ever tyrannize the others.

Question 60

Interest groups help craft language in legislation.

Question 61

The forces behind the "sexual revolution" avoided using the courts as a significant strategy to advance their goals after the 1970s.

Question 62

When the Supreme Court's ruling declared the doctrine of "separate, but equal" unconstitutional in the case of Brown v.Board of Education (1954), it represented a successful use of the courts by an interest group; in this case, the NAACP.

Question 63

Since the early 1990s, businesses have been able to deduct the cost of lobbying from their taxes.

Question 64

The First Amendment's provision for the right to "petition the Government for a redress of grievances" protects citizens' rights to engage in what is now more commonly known as lobbying.

Question 65

Americans with higher incomes, higher levels of education, and managerial or professional jobs are much more likely to become involved with interest groups than others.

Question 66

Many businesses bring lawsuits to influence government policy.

Question 67

Interest groups provide funds for candidates but are rarely involved in other aspects of political campaigns.

Question 68

Religious or faith-based interest groups have played important roles in U.S.political history, including ones that pushed for the abolition of slavery prior to the Civil War.

Question 69

Interest groups associated with the "Christian right," a popular term used to describe a loosely affiliated assembly of religiously and ideologically conservative voters and activists, tend to offer their members extensive material benefits in order to keep them involved.

Question 70

Backroom dealings of the "old lobby" are still typical of the activity and influence of modern-day interest groups.

Question 71

Are some interest groups more effective at influencing political outcomes than others? Explain why or why not.

Question 72

Although broadly representative groups that include many business members are active in lobbying federal and state government, individual businesses or companies may lobby the government when concerned with matters of interest to themselves.

Question 73

Grassroots lobbying campaigns have become so ineffective in recent years that a number of Washington consulting firms have been forced to close their doors permanently.

Question 74

Interest groups invest far more resources in lobbying than in electoral politics.

Question 75

Public sector organizations, including state governments and municipalities or groups that represent them, are legally banned from lobbying the federal government.

Question 76

Most initiative campaigns today are sponsored by interest groups seeking to circumvent legislative opposition to their goals.

Question 77

Most American universities have increased their lobbying efforts over the past few years, even while reducing faculty positions and increasing tuition.

Question 78

Unlike past years, federal agencies now often implement new rules without consulting affected interests.

Question 79

Groups associated with progressive political causes, including support for the rights of lower-income people, tend to have most members and leaders drawn from the working class.

Question 80

Most of the time, the business and special interest lobbies are united in their policy goals and interests, ones that include support for tax cuts, and the easing of regulatory burdens.