Some groups do no electioneering at all because they lack suffi cient funds,
want to avoid making enemies (because of whom they do or do not support), or
choose to pursue other strategies. Many groups opt for quiet lobbying eff orts
that utilize their expertise or undertake grassroots eff orts to build public sup-
port for their policy goals. Massive electioneering operations by interest groups
are relatively rare.CULTIVATING MEDIA CONTACTS
Media coverage helps a group publicize its concerns without spending any money.
Such attention may mobilize public opinion indirectly by getting people to join
the group, contribute money, or demand that elected offi cials support the group’s
agenda. Favorable media coverage also helps a group’s leaders assure members
that they are actively working on members’ concerns.
Journalists listen when interest groups call if they feel that a group’s story will
catch their readers’ attention or address their concerns. Smart interest group
leaders make it easy for journalists to cover their cause, holding events that pro-
duce intriguing news stories. These stories may not change anyone’s mind, but the
media coverage provides free publicity for the groups’ policy agendas.How Much Power Do Interest Groups Have?
Many observers worry that interest groups have too much power over govern-
ment, infl uencing which issues the government takes up, the nature of legisla-
tion that Congress passes, and even the outcomes of elections. Interest groups
are also thought to have enormous infl uence over the actions of unelected
bureaucrats, whose policy goals may be displaced by the aims of the individuals
a nd cor porations t hey a re supposed to reg u late. W hen t his happens, bureaucrats
become more interested in catering to interest g roups tha n in implementing pol-
icies that are good for the general population.^35 (See also Chapter 11.)
However, the evidence on interest group infl uence does not support these
claims.^36 Research has shown that some interest groups get what they want
from government some of the time, but success can prove elusive even for
groups with many members and large budgets.^37 More important, there
is no correlation between the amount of money spent on lobbying and a
group’s success at achieving its policy goals.^38WHAT DETERMINES WHEN INTEREST
GROUPS SUCCEED?
Rather than asking why interest groups are so powerful, it
makes more sense to ask when they are powerful—that is,
when they succeed.^39SUPER PACS, SUCH AS THE
American Conservative
Union Foundation, have
been infl uential in recent
elections. Here, Senator Jim
DeMint of South Carolina
addresses the group's
Conservative Political Action
Conference in 2012.
EVALUATE INTEREST
GROUP INFLUENCE