Essay on "Lobbying and Democracy"

Essay 3 pages (1085 words) Sources: 6

[EXCERPT] . . . .

The result is that may hidden expenditures and services are at issue, which are not openly declared on sites such as OpenSecret.org. A large amount of the funding may not be officially declared, for example.

I would therefore conclude my impression as being that, despite the numbers, there was an increase of lobbying efforts, encouraged by more stringent regulation and increased desperation among lobbyists.

3. Interest groups have gained a large amount of power over the election process, especially in recent years. Part of this power lies in their financial prowess and size, but they also have power in terms of their political relationships. Lobbyists, for example, can form close relationships with political powerhouses in terms of congressional leadership. They can use these relationships to gain political power for their own interests and further financial gain. Often, this is done by means of swaying public opinion and gaining official support among political leaders. Not all of these groups have as their focus the interest of the public, or indeed of democratic principle. For this reason, their power and reach should be curtailed by federal law.

It is important to recognize that interest groups do serve an important role in democratic politics (Barakso and Schaffner, 2007, p. 1). They provide a link between general citizens and the murky world of politics. Hence, they remove the need from citizens in terms of negotiating the law and governance with politicians themselves. Instead, citizens merely have the responsibility of carefully choosing and voting for a leader who is most representative of the values they hold dear.

On the other hand, one must consider the influence of interest groups in terms of self-promotion and gain when this means direct harm to the public. Tobacco companies are a case in point, where they serve their own interest by supporting political campaigns. This is a case where reciprocity plays an important role. Also, as demonstrated by lobbying scandals, giving too much power and right of way to interest groups create a platform for political corruption.

It is therefore my conclusion that interest groups should be subject to very stringent policies and restrictions in order to ensure that democracy, rather than monopoly of political interest, is maintained.

References

Barakso, M. And Schaffner, B.F. (2007). Exit, Voice, and Interest Group Governance. American Politics Research. Retrieved from: http://people.umass.edu/schaffne/barakso_schaffner_apr.pdf

Boatright, R.G. (2014). Interest Groups and Campaign Finance Reform in the United States and Canada. The University of Michigan Press.

Hudson, W.E. (2013). American Democracy in Peril: Eight Challenges to America's Future. CQ Press.

OpenSecrets.org (2014). Lobbying Database. Retrieved from: https://www.opensecrets.org

Rosenhall, L. (2013, Aug. 3). California Democrats accepting more campaign cash from tobacco industry. The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved from: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/article2605699.html

Thurber, J.A. (2010, Jan. 25). President Obama, Congress and the Battle with Interest Groups and Lobbyists. Conference on American Government, Politics, and Policy. Retrieved from: https://www.american.edu/spa/ccps/upload/Thurber-Paper-for-AUS-Conference.pdf

3. Should interest group activity be curtailed by federal legislation? To the degree that this is practicable and constitutional, would diminishing the power of public interest groups be beneficial for American democracy? READ MORE

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