American Politics Today - Essentials (3rd Ed)

242 CHAPTER 8|INTEREST GROUPS

shows that its staff have testifi ed in favor of “right to carry” laws as well as laws

that would grant immunity to gun manufacturers for harm committed with weap-

ons they produced.^26

LITIGATION

Another inside strateg y involves ta king the government to court. In bringing their

case, groups can argue that the government’s actions are not consistent with the

Constitution or that the government has misinterpreted the existing law.^27 Groups

can also become involved in an existing case by fi ling amicus curiae (“friend of

the court”) briefs; these are documents that off er the group’s rationale for how the

judges should decide the case. The drawback of litigation is that it is costly and

time-consuming; cases can take years to work through the federal courts system.

In fact, most groups that use the litigation strategy combine it with direct lobbying

or other strategies.

WORKING TOGETHER

To increase their chances for success, interest groups can work together in their

lobbying eff orts, formulating a common strategy and future plans. Legislators are

more likely to respond, or at least provide access, when many groups with large

or diverse memberships are all asking for the same thing.^28 Generally these are

short-term eff orts focused on achieving a specifi c outcome, like supporting or

opposing the confi rmation of judicial and cabinet nominees.^29

The problem with working together is that groups may agree on general goals

but disagree on specifi cs. If diff erences cannot be bridged, groups may under-

take separate and possibly confl icting lobbying eff orts or decide against lobby-

ing entirely. For example, during the 2009 debate over climate change legislation,

many environmental interest groups sat on the sidelines despite having pressed

for such legislation for more than a decade. The problem? The groups disagreed on

which policies should be implemented, who should pay for them, and whether the

government should aid companies that would be forced to purchase new antipollu-

tion equipment.^30 Here, again, we see how confl ict and compromise infuse another

aspect of the American political process.

Outside Strategies

Outside strategies involve actions that interest groups undertake across the coun-

try rather than in Washington. Again, these activities can be orchestrated by the

group or be organized by a fi rm that the group hires.

GRASSROOTS LOBBYING

Directly involving interest group members in lobbying eff orts is called grass-

roots lobbying. Members may send letters, make telephone calls, participate in

a protest, or express their demands in other ways. Mass protests, another form of

grassroots lobbying, seek to capture the attention of government offi cials and also

to draw media coverage, with the idea of publicizing the group’s goals and perhaps

gaining new members or fi nancial support.

Grassroots strategies are useful because elected offi cials do not like to act

against a large group of citizens who care enough about an issue to express their

position.^31 Offi cials may not agree with the group’s goals, but they will likely

grassroots lobbying A lobbying
strategy that relies on participation
by group members, such as a pro-
test or a letter-writing campaign.