POLS EXAM 3

● POLS230Unit3StudyGuide

●

● MN3Parties in Congress

● Theories:

● Conditional Party Government Theory

● Agreement is important., when there is agreement, they give more power to leaders, when theres

not, they tend to independent themselves. (fisher madsen)

● PartyCartel Theory

● Leaders are aligned with members because the members elect them. They are all independent

but enter into an arrangement for benefit. Like cartels. Like from breaking bad. (Fisher)

● TheoryofInsecure Majorities

● The**Theory of Insecure Majorities** when a majority feels insecure about its power or ability to stay in

control, it focuses on strategies like constant campaigning or polarizing issues to maintain or strengthen its

position, instead of emphasizing governance or long-term policies. (Fisher)

● Whips-count votes, make sure the party knows how the vote will go ahead of time (Tyson)

● Roll-abill passes with the majority of a party’s members voting against (Tyson)

● Partyleadership: intracameral differences

○ Speaker of the House: This person is the most powerful member of congress, they are

second in the line of succession behind the President and Vice President (Leo Sabbini)

○ HouseMajority/Minority Leader: Their job is to set and deliver messages and legislative

agendas for their parties (Leo Sabbini)

○ HouseMajority/Minority Whips: Both count votes, makes sure that their respective

parties know how to vote on pieces of legislation (Leo Sabbini)

○ VicePresident: Presides over the Senate and could be a tie-breaker vote which would

benefit their party (Leo Sabbini)

○ President Pro Tempore of the Senate: Presides over the Senate when the Vice President is

absent, is the oldest member of the majority party (Pro Tempore Emirates for the minority

party), and is fourth in the line of succession after President, Vice President, and Speaker

of the House (Leo Sabbini)

○ Senate Majority Leader: is the most powerful member of the Senate, but not nearly as

powerful as the Speaker of the House (Leo Sabbini)

● Partyleadership advantages

○ Theyhavemore staff than an average member of congress (Leo Sabbini)

○ Theyreceive more fundraising especially when they are up for reelection (Leo Sabbini)

● Chamberrules

● Important relatively recent change: term limits for committee chairs-> early retirements, less

expertise outside of leadership officeImportant policy making roles

● TheSpatial Model

● Amodelthat shows us policies arranged along a continuum that will show us the policy’s point

and individual preferences of members of Congress. This model helps us visualize how

leadership changes policy to satisfy members and where individuals accept policies that are not

ideal but better than any alternatives. (Chife Jaeger)

What is one potential explanation for the increased partisanship in the House of Representatives as

compared to the Senate? (Evan Clark)

● TheSpeaker of the Senate is not as powerful as the Speaker of the House

● TheHouse’s agenda is controlled by a partisan elected speaker

○ TheSenatehadverystrictrulesagainst partisanship

● TheHousehasfewer member’s and therefore the spotlight is greater

● H6Lobbying Congress

● Subcommittees in Congress have jurisdiction over some area of public policy, called policy

domains, these are where new laws typically start

Charlie O’Neal- What primary feature did members of Congress who supported Big Tobacco during the

1950s-1990s? (Holyoke p. 170)

a. They were being paid by Big Tobacco

b. They were from Tobacco Growing districts

c. They had a smoking problem

d. They were Conservative

Charlie O’Neal- At what point in a Congressperson’s career do lobbyists provide the most benefit?

(Holyoke p. 174)

a. Thebeginning of their careers

b. Theend of their careers

c. Lobbyists are equally useful throughout congresspersons’ careers

d. Lobbyists aren’t useful

● Decentralization favors interest groups in 3 ways”

Most lobbyists only want to lobby for a specific issue or range of issues, so

decentralization into subcommittees allows for lobbyists to ensure who they are lobbying

cares about their issue (Harley)--

Due to the low number of members within a subcommittee (usually around a dozen),

lobbyists concerned within a subcommittee can more intensely lobby specific members

(Harley)

Legislators on subcommittees want to help interest groups that align with them, as a way

to win votes for their reelection (Harley)

These three factors all make lobbying more efficient and effective

● Carrots- particularized benefits; chair positions; leadership positions. (Tyson)

● Sticks- reduce funding, axing “carrots”, unfavorable (or no) committees (Tyson)

● Lobbyist-Legislator relationship

For lobbyists, building relationships are investments toward career advancement. The

best lobbyists are able to achieve legislative wins for their constituents while continuing

to build a portfolio of relationships. (Harley)

From the legislator perspective, they look to align with interest groups where they would

like to win the votes of said group. Legislators hold some power over lobbyists to lead

them correctly, because if they cause a political loss or embarrassment for a legislator

they will sever their tie with the lobbyist and encourage their legislator friends to do the

same. (Harley)

●

● Howdoeslobbying Congress work?

○ Whichofthe following are common strategies for lobbying Congress? (Jack Kumagai)

i.

Meeting directly with congressmen

ii.

iii.

iv.

When?

● HowStrategies

Providing information and findings to congressmen

Writing bills for lawmakers

All of the above are correct

● Answer-All of the above are correct

○ Inside Lobbying- directly lobbying legislators

i.

ii.

built around lobbyist-legislator relationships

various mechanisms

○ Outside lobbying- changing public perception

i.

call office/send letters/attend town halls/protest

ii.

Make it seem like the constituents really really care

● Inside Mechanisms (raiyah)

○ mechanism 1: legislative subsidy! (information provided)

i.

subsidy- partnering with a member to achieve common goals

● thesubsidy: political information, suggested bill language, procedural

arguments

● usually done early in the legislative process

● groups provide expertise that members cannot afford to pursue

● wantfriendly and effective lawmakers

○ mechanism 2: persuasion

i.

persuasion- changing a member’s mind who is for or against the policy

● latter stages of legislative process

● focuses on members undecided or opposed to group

○ mechanism 3: money (bribery?)

i.

business interests have lots of money

ii.

spending lots of money = getting lots of influence

● access (or better access)

● counter money from other groups (security dilemma)

● helpallies stay in office (positions → money, not money → positions)

What is the most effective inside mechanism for lobbying congress?

A. Partnering with a legislator to achieve a common goal

B. Persuading a member to support your cause

C. Moneyas a means of influencing opinion

D. Writing postcards to members to gain legitimacy

(Tate Smith)

(A)

● “Inside” lobbying- meeting directly with members or staff (Tyson)

● “Outside” lobbying- mobilize constituents (Tyson)

○ Legislative Subsidy

○ Persuasion

● Corruption

● MN4-Parties and the Executive

● PARTIESANDPRESIDENTS

● Presidential system

○ ThePresident has his own constituency with the whole country, a divided

government is possible, triangulation is possible (Leo Sabbini)

● President and Congress

○ ThePresident and Congress can’t remove each other between elections (Leo

Sabbini)

● President as an Agenda Setter

○ Twoclassic ideas about the presidency

i.

Mandate

● Thewinning candidate (or their party) gets to do what they want

based on promises they made on the campaign trail (Leo Sabbini)

ii.

iii.

iv.

v.

Honeymoon period

● Whenthepeople are happy with a president’s agenda especially

during their first year in office (Leo Sabbini)

Ways they both might be wrong?

○

Salience: a president's ability to make things public or more important

● Doubleedged sword

○

Determining success

● Unified government: When one of either political parties are in

control of both Congress and the Presidency (Leo Sabbini)

● Polarization: The divide of both parties based on social or fiscal

policy (Leo Sabbini)

● Public opinion: if on the fence, Congress more likely to support a

popular executive (Mallory Ringenberg)

● Agendasize: the fewer the goals, the more likely you are to

succeed at each (Mallory Ringenberg)

● President as a Party Leader

○ Waysinwhich they can support the party from the WH (Mallory Ringenberg)

Direct Federal Spending to Marginal co-partisans (Mallory Ringenberg)--

Coalition Management: Office of Public Liaison. Bring interest groups into

the coalition (Mallory Ringenberg)

Negotiate w Social Movement leaders (Mallory Ringenberg)

● President as Campaigners

● 4maintypes of presidential political styles (Skowronek’s views)

● Thepolitics of reconstruction: transformative leaders who rebuild a failing

political order (e.g., FDR, Lincoln).

● Thepolitics of disjunction : Struggling parties/leaders at the end of a declining

regime (e.g., Carter, Hoover).

● Thepolitics of articulation: Loyal leaders who extend and refine the existing

order (e.g., LBJ, George H.W. Bush).

● Thepolitics of preemption: Outsiders who challenge the dominant regime from

within (e.g., Clinton, Nixon).- (FISHER MADSEN)

Which of the following is the best explanation as to why the party of the sitting president

typically loses seats in the midterm elections (Evan Clark)

● Voter turnout is typically lower in midterm elections and those who show up are likely

more vocal opponents of the sitting administration

● President’s don’t care about having a congressional majority

● Voters show up in larger numbers in midterm elections as compared to presidential

elections because they have a larger impact

● Manymembersofthe party in power defect after a few years because they are unhappy

with the administration

What factors influence the president’s or governor’s success rates with the legislature:

(Roman Clayton)

● Party affiliation: An executive of the same party as the legislative majority will have an

easier time passing the bills they want. (Roman Clayton)

● Polarization: As the parties move further apart ideologically, it becomes more important

for legislators of the executive’s party to pass the executive’s agenda, and more important

for the other party to stop that agenda. (Roman Clayton)

● Public Opinion: The legislature will be more inclined to vote for the priorities of a

popular executive. (Roman Clayton)

● AgendaSize: Researchers have found that when governors have a longer list of priorities,

their overall success rate will drop. More successful executives generally have only a

handful of priorities they seek to pass. (Roman Clayton)

● H7-Lobbying the Executive Branch

● Everybranchis a policymaking branch→ groups lobby every branch

● ThePresident as Policymaker

○ Influencing Congress

● Influencing the President

○ whendopresidents need interest groups? (raiyah)

i.

reelection (first term)

● weaksupport- aggressive outreach to many outreach groups; makes

promises to get them into the reelection coalition

ii.

● strong support- passive outreach to party-aligned groups; makes sure

they aren’t threatened with reelection goals

policymaking (second term)

● weaksupport- aggressive outreach to groups able to influence congress;

advance some policy priorities

● strong support- little outreach to interest groups, except those supportive

of policies

● Whogetstomeet with the President?

● Lobbying the Bureaucracy (raiyah)

(raiyah) —>

○ irontriangle- the relationship among Congress (creator of policy),

agencies (implementors), and beneficiaries (interest groups)

i.

left to right: interest groups, congressional

subcommittee, implementing agency

ii.

iii.

iv.

● interest groups and agencies:

revolving door!

who do you go after as a lobbyist focused on

the executive branch? agencies

when are interest groups going to be stronger? eras of insecure majorities

an example where a reform requiring presidential candidates to use limited public

funds (or this and small cap private individual funds) could be seen as reducing

interest group impact—what sort of unintended but predictable complications

could this lead to?

● people hate when their public funds are used for something they dont like

● whoeveris more well known wins (political dynasties? celebrities?)

● Public Participation is Interest Group Participation

● Bureaucrats are Required to Create Participatory Opportunities

● Notice and Commentperiods- ”public” can comment on proposed regulations for at least 45

days (often much longer) (Tyson)

● H8-Lobbyingthe Courts

●

● Shaping the bench:

Definition: "Shaping the bench" refers to the efforts by interest groups to influence the selection

and confirmation of judges and justices, ensuring they align with the group’s ideological goals.----

Judicial Appointments: Interest groups try to impact the judicial nomination process, focusing

on both Supreme Court and lower-level federal court appointments.

Historical Example: Notable instances include the successful opposition to Robert Bork’s 1987

Supreme Court nomination and the lobbying to delay Obama’s pick in 2016, which led to the

appointment of Neil Gorsuch.

Lower Courts Matter: Groups also focus on nominations to lower courts, as these judges'

rulings can shape legal precedents and may eventually lead to Supreme Court appointments.

Tactics: Lobbyists use strategies like public campaigns, direct lobbying of senators, and

pressuring the administration to nominate or block certain candidates.

Lobbying the government can also include filing cases to compel federal agencies to reverse a ruling or

otherwise change procedures. Lobbying in favor of a tax provision that is law but the government does

not use it you could file a case to compel the government to use it. (Eg Moore v. United States 2023 re

TCJA 2017) max vitek

Which of the following best describes the concept of "shaping the bench"?

A) The process by which judges are selected based solely on their legal qualifications and experience.

B) The efforts of interest groups to influence judicial nominations and confirmations to ensure that judges

align with their ideological beliefs.

C) Amethod used by political parties to increase the number of judges in the federal courts.

D) The procedure by which judges create laws based on public opinion.

(Drew W. ) b

What is the most commonly used short-term method to lobby the courts?

A. Lobbying judges directly

B. Filing amicus briefs

C. Shaping the bench

D. Filing lawsuits

(Tate)

(B)

● Interest groups play some role in who the President decides to nominate to the Supreme Court

○

● Mainlobbying on judicial nominations happens in Congress

● ThreeEras of Judicial Confirmations of Lobbying

● UptoBurger(1969)

○ Fewgroups, labor / civil rights vs old Right (Mallory Ringenberg)

○ Opposition to scandal-ridden, and/or unqualified nominees (Mallory Ringenberg)

○ Inside-oriented tactics (Mallory Ringenberg)

● 1969toBork(1987)

○ Greater mobilization, esp liberal groups

● Post-Bork

○ Intense, large-scale mobilization on every nominee (Mallory Ringenberg)

○ Mobilization similar for liberal and conservative groups(Mallory Ringenberg)

○ Moreideologically extreme nominees, opposition on ideological grounds(Mallory

Ringenberg)

○ Outside-oriented tactics (Mallory Ringenberg)

Challenges to lobbying judges:

● Mostgroups want policy change, which in the judicial branch means changes in precedents rather

than individual cases. (Mallory Ringenberg)

● Conflicts over standing, i.e., whether you have a grievance that the court recognizes as legitimate

basis for lawsuit. (Mallory Ringenberg)

● Toestablish a new precedent through a single case, you have to go from district courts to

appellate courts to the supreme court (expensive) (Mallory Ringenberg)

● Federal judges have lifetime appointments, so there’s no constituency to mobilize once they’re no

constituency to mobilize once they’re in place. (Mallory Ringenberg)

More Common way to influence the courts:

● AmicusCuriae Briefs: A groups expressed opinion on a case before the Supreme Court

(Mallory Ringenberg)

● TestCases: allow for lobbyists to strategically bring a case forward for favorable precedent

(Elizabeth Harding)

● Sponsorships:c (Elizabeth Harding)

Howdolobbyists exert their influence over the Supreme Court? (Kym)

Answers:

a. Amicus Curiae Briefs

b. Lobbying the court directly

c. Meet with individual justices and persuade them

d. They have no power over the Supreme Court

What groups are able to lobby the court? (select many)

A: Charities

B: Fortune 500 business

C: Advocacy groups

D: Individuals

Answers all

Max vitek

● Dogroupsinfluence SC Decisions?

Which of these is a way that lobbying the Court is effective? (raiyah)

a. Amicus curiae briefs, because they sway the court for or against a case

b. Amicus curiae briefs, because the number influences which cases are granted certiorari

c. Direct meetings with justices, because they sway the court for or against a case

d. Direct meetings with justices, because the number influences which cases are granted certiorari

Which of the following is NOT an example of lobbyists exerting influence on the Supreme Court

A)

The Senate voting not to confirm Robert Bork to the Supreme court in 1987 over public fears he

would be regressive on civil rights.

B)

President George W. Bush replacing his nomination of Hariet Miers with Samuel Alito, who was

seen as more conservative

C)

The NAACPcovering court costs and providing legal representation to the plaintiff in Brown vs

Board of Education

D)

The Senate refusing to follow through with Franklin Roosevelt’s plan to expand the

Supreme court in 1937

(Jackson H.)

●

● H9-Interest Group Coalitions & Networks

●

● Competitive Differences and Strange Bedfellows:

●

● Interest Group Competition

● Coalition Politics:

● Reasonsfor Lobbyist Coalition Formation

● Lobbyists form or join coalitions to get something they would not have otherwise.

● Accessto information

● Possible Principal-Agent issue arisal

● Large, well-known organizations with reputations for being influential can be attractive coalition

partners.

●

● Pleasing lawmakers

●

● Coalitions Carry Costs

Student Contributions:

Howdid the Citizens United v. FEC case affect the monetary contributions that campaigns could accept?

(Kym)- this can be a short answer or turned into a multiple choice

Answer: Overturned the McCain-Feingold Act to make companies able to donate however much money

they want to a campaign as long as they are not formally “coordinating” with a candidate or political

party. This case also made money a protected speech.

Lobbying the can be , while lobbying the can be . (Elizabeth Harding)

A. Congress, Faster and more Binding / Courts, Slower and more Polarizing

B. Congress, Slower and more Polarizing / Courts, Faster and more Binding

A. Congress, Faster and more Polarizing / Courts, Slower and more Binding

B. Congress, Slower and more Binding / Courts, Faster and more Polarizing

Answer- B

What Presidents served in the 1969 to Bork era of judicial confirmations of lobbying that increased

partisanship and lobbying growth? (select all that apply). (Elizabeth Harding)

A. Nixon

B. Johnson

C. H.W. Bush

D. Reagan

Answers- A and D

What or who should lobbyists focused on the executive branch go after? (Elizabeth Harding)

A. ThePresident

B. Congress

C. Agencies

D. TheVice President

Answer- C

In our Congress, shape lobbying strategy by providing lobbyists . (Elizabeth Harding)

A. Senate, more access and influence

B. Committees, more access and influence

C. Committees, less access and influence

D. Senate, less access and influence

Answer- B

What distinguishes dark money nonprofits from other political funding organizations? (Mitchell

Benorden)

Don’t have to disclose donors and can spend up to 49.9% of their budget on politics

What are the benefits of coalition building for an interest group? (Mitchell Benorden)

Coalition members gain access to policy makers, help groups appear more powerful and influential by

working together, and coalition members can exchange resources and find agreement with lawmakers

Which ones of the following adequate categorize “inside-lobbying” (Mallory Ringenberg)

a) Dependent on group members

b) Dependent on lobbyist-legislature relationships

c) Active involvement of constituents within the legislature (protest, letter, calling, etc.)

d) Thrives on various mechanisms

Which definition correctly defines subsidy as explained by the readings done in this unit? (Mallory

Ringenberg)

a) Partnering with a member to achieve common goals.

b) Asumofmoneygranted by the government or a public body to assist an industry or business so

that the price of a commodity or service may remain low or competitive.

c) Aparliamentary grant to the sovereign for state needs.

What event first enabled PACs to form? (max vitek)

FECA

Smith Conally

Citizen United

McCain Feingold

What does PAC stand for? (max vitek)

Short response

Political action committee

Which of the following do the book cite as examples of Supreme Court nominations being

rejected as a result of successful lobbying (Gus)

a. Robert Bork

b. Sandra Day O’Connor

c. Harriet Miers

d. Douglas Ginsburg

According to Skowronek, a preemption presidency would see a: (Gus)

a) Strong party during a political realignment

b) Strong party in between a political realignment

c) Weak party during a political realignment

d) Weakparty in between a political realignment