What are interest groups? 351tries to communicate with congressional offices electronically, and if that doesn’t work,
it will send a fax or make a phone call. In its first six months, the bot sent and received
91,421,000 text messages from more than 1.3 million unique users.^19 Use of this
technique was widely credited with helping stop the repeal of Obamacare.
Interest groups’ ability to use people as a resource faces two major challenges. First,
it requires having members in the first place, and recruiting new members can be
difficult and expensive. The second challenge is motivating members to participate. As
we discuss later, although some interest groups have managed to change government
policy by persuading their members to write to and visit elected officials, interest
groups more often receive little response when they ask for members’ help.^20Money Virtually everything interest groups do can be purchased as services: groups
can spend money on hiring people to meet with elected officials and to fight for what
they want in court. Money can also go toward campaign contributions or developing
and running campaign ads. And, of course, money is necessary to fund interest groups’
everyday operations. The importance of money for interest group operations is evident in
their funding appeals to members. For example, the donations page from the Sierra Club’s
website shows that supporters can give a membership as a gift, join as a life member, or
pay dues monthly. They can make commemorative or memorial gifts, set up a planned
giving scheme, or donate stock. The group even offers gift-giving plans for non-U.S.
residents and a Spanish-language version of its donations page.
Well-funded interest groups and firms have a considerable advantage in the lobbying
process. If they need an expert, a lobbyist, or a lawyer, they can simply hire one or open
a Washington office to increase contacts with legislators and bureaucrats. They can pay
for campaign ads and make contributions to candidates and parties. Groups with less
cash, however, cannot use these strategies. Smaller firms might join a trade association
that will lobby for policies that benefit all of the association’s members.
Still, groups can be effective without spending much. They can rely on members
to lobby for them, hire staff willing to work for low pay because they share the group’s
goals, or cite published research rather than funding their own studies to bolster their
case for policy change. Moreover, the fact that a group has lots of money is no guarantee
that its lobbying efforts will succeed. As we discussed earlier, even though Sallie Mae
and the other firms that opposed student loan reform spent a considerable sum on
lobbying, they were unable to prevent this policy change.Expertise Expertise takes many forms. Groups can employ staff (or can hire experts)
to conduct research or develop policy proposals related to their interests. A firm’s
in-house lobbyists can provide information about how a change in government policy
will affect the firm’s profits and employment. Some lobbying firms (especially thoseInterest groups use a variety of tactics
to draw attention to their concerns,
including events designed to generate
media coverage. People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA),
known for its bold media campaigns,
stationed a life-size mechanical
elephant outside the Ringling Bros.
circus to protest the company’s
treatment of its elephants.Full_11_APT_64431_ch10_340-373.indd 351 16/11/18 10:25 AM