chAPTeR seven • InTeResT GRouPs AnD PolITIcAl PARTIes 151
Direct Technique
An interest group
technique that uses
direct interaction with
government officials to
further the group’s goals.
Indirect Technique
An interest group
technique that uses
third parties to influence
government officials.at least sixty-five years of age. Medicaid provides health-care support for the poor.) In 2009
and 2010, AARP strongly supported the Democratic health-care reform bills and argued
against those who feared that the new legislation might harm the Medicare program.foreign Interest Groups
Homegrown interest groups are not the only players in the game. Washington, D.C., is
also the center for lobbying by foreign governments, as well as private foreign interests.
The governments of the largest U.S. trading partners, such as Japan, South Korea, Canada,
and the European Union (EU) countries, maintain substantial research and lobbying staffs.
Even smaller nations, such as those in the Caribbean, engage lobbyists when vital legisla-
tion affecting their trade interests is considered.InTeResT GRouP sTRATeGIes
Interest groups employ a wide range of techniques and strategies to promote their pol-
icy goals. Although few groups are successful at persuading Congress and the president
to endorse their programs completely, many are able to block—or at least weaken—
legislation injurious to their members. The key to success for interest groups is access to
government officials. To gain such access, interest groups and their representatives try to
cultivate long-term relationships with legislators and government officials. The best of
these relationships are based on mutual respect and cooperation. The interest group pro-
vides the official with sources of information and assistance, and the official in turn gives
the group opportunities to express its views.
The techniques used by interest groups can be divided into direct and indirect tech-
niques. With direct techniques, the
interest group and its lobbyists approach
officials personally to present their case.
With indirect techniques, in contrast,
the interest group uses the general pub-
lic or individual constituents to influence
the government on behalf of the interest
group.Direct Techniques
Lobbying, publicizing ratings of legisla-
tive behavior, and providing campaign
assistance are three main direct tech-
niques used by interest groups.lobbying Techniques. As you might
have guessed, the term lobbying comes
from the activities of private citizens
regularly congregating in the lobbies
of legislative chambers to petition leg-
islators. In the latter part of the 1800s,
railroad and industrial groups openly
bribed state legislators to pass legisla-
tion beneficial to their interests, giving
lobbying a well-deserved bad name.LO3: Discuss direct and indirect
interest group techniques, and
describe the main ways in which
lobbyists are regulated.Georgia governor Nathan Deal (on the left) meets with a lobbyist
during a session of the state’s legislature. Why would he willingly be photographed
with lobbyists? (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Jason Getz)Copyright 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.