Interested in Interest Groups?

We're Talking Interest Groups

Ever heard of an interest group? Probably not, but that's okay! That's what this whole post is about!

So... What are they?

Interest groups are organizations with the sole goal of making policy-related appeals to the government. These appeals are typically in favour of whatever agenda a particular group pursues.

For example, the NRA is an interest group that advocates for citizen's gun rights. So, they create policies that favour gun possession and appeal them to the government.

In order to put their agendas into full effect, interest groups do two important things: shape policies and gather information they can provide for elected officials (usually members of Congress). Although most of the time interest groups don't just provide information, they propose fully written bills (written with the help of lawyers) to congressmen.

Why do they matter?

If it isn't clear already, Interest groups are a pretty big deal when it comes to influencing. They use their platform to excite citizens and mobilize thousands of voters. Through this, they're able to demonstrate to government officials that the public strongly supports its particular cause. 

Interest groups don't only have passionate supporters on their side, they also have members with deep pockets.  The main way interests groups support the candidates they want in office is through funding. On every interest groups website, you'll see the option to either donate to the cause once or the option to become part of a membership where you give a monthly donation. This money goes towards a myriad of things, but mainly it goes towards the campaign funds of politicians. By funding these politicians, interest groups put a certain amount of pressure on politicians to make their cause a priority in their campaign.

To sum it all up, interest groups have a crap ton of influence on the public and politicians alike; making them play a huge role in our government

More examples, please!

Still feeling a little stuck on what exactly an interest group is? No worries.

For this example, we'll focus on the environmentally conscious Greenpeace.

Greenpeace is a prominent interest group that focuses on issues regarding climate change. The easiest way to understand the values and purpose of an interest group is by looking at their mission statement. So to start, let's take a look at Greenpeace's (see mission statement below). In Greenpeace's mission statement, they establish themselves as a campaigning organization dedicated to "expos[ing] global environmental problems" and finding solutions to these problems. Basically, Greenpeace is an interest group solely focussed on creating bills that'll leave a positive impact on the environment. 

Below is a statement made by Greenpeace's executive director, Annie Leonard found on Greenpeace's 'About' page. The purpose of this statement is to clarify that Greenpeace is completely focussed on preserving the environment and has no political ties, therefore will not compromise their mission for any candidate or elected official. Leonard also claims that Greenpeace has complete "financial independence from political or commercial interests." meaning that no matter what the price, Greenpeace will uphold their integrity (A.K.A, they won't be sell outs). These are things that potential members would find appealing, especially since Greenpeace's audience mainly consists of anti-corporate liberals.

Below is a statement from Greenpeace's "What We're Doing" section, which is dedicated to the actions Greenpeace is either planning or currently executing.  Here you can see that Greenpeace is an extremely liberal interest group with classically democratic values, such as the belief that there should be an end to the power corporations hold in politics. This is most clear in their argument that corporations are currently implementing a 'hold' on democracy and controlling politics in America through corrupt methods.

This not only gives away the political alignment of Greenpeace but the bias as well. This article reeks of common leftist bias against corporations. This can be seen when the author writes "It’s (the hold on democracy) allowing companies to control what we eat and it’s hindering clean water protection in towns all over the country." Within this statement, in particular, Greenpeace uses pathos to evoke animosity towards big corporations (like the oil industry) and assumption that these businesses are the reason for contamination and pollution all over the U.S.

Because of this bias, there are some limitations to Greenpeace's argument. Such as the overtly liberal tone, which implies that Greenpeace isn't willing to see the potential benefits that corporations may provide in the wake of drastic climate change.

 The point is?

There's an interest group out there for almost any issue you could think of. Ultimately the amount of influence they really have all depends on the number of members it has, whether you choose to join one or not, you should still be aware of the role they play in our government.