350 Chapter 10Chapter 10 || Interest GroupsInterest GroupsMembership
Interest groups can be categorized in terms of the size of their membership and the
members’ role in the group’s activities. Mass associations, with many dues-paying
members, tend to be citizens’ groups and labor organizations. One example is the
Sierra Club, which has over 3 million members. Besides keeping its members informed
about the implementation of environmental policy in Washington, D.C., the Sierra
Club endorses judicial nominees and candidates for elected positions, files lawsuits
to increase environmental protection on government projects, and works with
members of Congress to develop legislative proposals. The group’s members elect the
organization’s board of directors.
Yet not all mass associations give members a say in selecting their leaders or
determining their mission. To join the AARP, which has nearly 38 million members, one
must be at least 50 years old and pay dues of about $16 per year. Members get discounts
on insurance, car rentals, and hotels, as well as driver safety courses and help doing their
taxes. The AARP claims to lobby for policies its members favor, but members actually
have no control over which legislative causes the group chooses. Moreover, the AARP does
not poll members to determine its issue positions, nor do members elect AARP leadership.
The members of peak associations are businesses or other organizations rather
than individuals.^17 Individuals cannot join peak associations—they may work for
member companies or organizations, but they cannot become dues-paying members
on their own. The Business–Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC), an
association of several hundred businesses and trade associations that aims to elect
“pro-business individuals” to Congress, is a good example of a peak association.^18 The
umbrella organization that led efforts to enact direct funding for student loans, the
Student Aid Alliance, is another such peak association.Resources
Interest groups use three key resources to support their lobbying efforts: people,
money, and expertise. The resources that a group has at its disposal significantly
influence its available lobbying strategies. (We will examine some of these strategies
in more detail in a later section.) Some large groups have sufficient funding and staff to
pursue a wide range of strategies, whereas some smaller groups with fewer resources
have only a few lobbying options.People A crucial resource for most interest groups is their membership. Group
members can write to or meet with elected officials, travel to Washington for
demonstrations, and even offer expertise or advice to their leaders. When the
“members” of a group are corporations, as is the case with trade associations, CEOs
and other corporate staff can help with the group’s lobbying efforts.
Many mass organizations try to get their members involved in the lobbying process
through links on their website that encourage members to contact their members of
Congress. One organization opposed to President Trump’s agenda has developed
a service, Resistbot, whose exclusive purpose is to make it easier for people to have
their voices heard. Resistbot allows users to contact their elected officials by texting
“RESIST” to the number 50409 (or by messaging the bot on Facebook). The bot asks
for information, like name and zip code, so that it can identify the appropriate senators
and House member to contact for each person. After getting information about the
user’s concerns, the bot faxes or e-mails the politician’s office with a personalized
message from the user. The first version of Resistbot only sent faxes, but the volume
( 5 million faxes in six months) overwhelmed congressional offices. Now, the bot firstmass associations
Interest groups that have a large
number of dues-paying individuals as
members.peak associations
Interest groups whose members are
businesses or other organizations
rather than individuals.Many interest groups speak for large
numbers of Americans, while others
lobby for changes that would benefit
only a few people. Mass associations,
such as the Sierra Club, have large
numbers of dues-paying members.
Here, members in Michigan promote
biking, hiking, and skating in an annual
parade to raise awareness for muscle-
powered transportation, one of the
environmental issues the organization
promotes.Full_11_APT_64431_ch10_340-373.indd 350 16/11/18 10:25 AM