What tactics do US pressure groups use, and why are some more successful than others?

Secondly, an interest group can use the mass media, such as television, radio and newspapers, to convey its general interests. Favourable attention from broadcaster and journalists can help a group to develop itself and address a wider audience. Also, if a group succeeds in conveying it’s message effectively proving that many people share its interests, then those in power might be considerate towards the interest group.

Thirdly, in recent years interest groups tend to employ high profile public figures that can be used as a spokesperson. For e.g. the National Rifle Association had amongst its members, high profile people such as the former president George Bush and the actor Charlton Heston. Therefore, NRA was continually in the news. Also, its membership of 4.3 million gun owners and its annual budget of $200 million meant that it was more successful than other groups e.g. Hand Gun Control Inc. Similarly, the National Federation of Independent Businesses changed from a low profile organisation to a powerful political force as it established close relations with the Republican Party.

Another tactic used by many groups, particularly the wealthy ones is employing professional lobbyists.  It has been suggested that the number of lobbying firms and lobbyists in Washington increased in the 1980s and 1990s particularly in 1997 when the new Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 came into effect. These lobbyists are employed to carry out several important activates including alerting clients about issues, developing policies, maintaining relations with the government, mobilising grass roots support and working for amicus briefs. However, in recent years when more and more groups are seeking to influence the political process, lobbyists have been obliged to spend most of their time gathering and analysing information rather than contacting officials and advocating policies.

Some interest groups also use Political Action Committees (PACs) to represent their interests and further their political goals. PACs are legally permitted to raise funds to distribute to candidates and parties. They try to persuade Congressmen to vote as the interest group wishes. They also offer advice and information to candidates and help them raise funds for party building activities such as advertising.

Mainly all the groups in the USA use the tactics above. However, some are more successful than others. This is due to several different factors. These include the size of the group in terms of membership, the resources available to the group in its campaigning, the political skills of its leadership, the nature of its objectives, the level of opposition it has to face and how well organised it is are some of the key factors.

Firstly, the group with a large membership base is said to be more influential. Examples of such groups are public interest groups that have large-scale support which can be mobilized to lobby members of the Congress. However, this is not always a significant factor because an outsider group might be unable to achieve the desired effect. However, if most of the members are active and committed to the organisation, then the decision makers may take it more seriously. For e.g. the American Medical Association represents most of the doctors in the USA which works for its advantage and gives its views considerable weight.

Secondly, the resources available are significant. This is because finance is a very important factor as interest groups use money to pay professional lobbyists, to contribute funds to election campaigns and to organize media campaigns. Hiring professional lobbyists in quite expensive and costs from approximately $5000 to $30,000 per month. Also, in order to advertise in newspapers and televisions to get their message across funds are needed. For e.g. printing an advertisement in a newspaper costs over $13,000.

Thirdly, the political skills are very important in order to promote good links with decision makers. An interest group needs to build contacts within the governmental system so that it can effectively implement policies and have a say within the political process to propose or to oppose a public policy initiative.

Hence, it can be said that the tactics used by a pressure group affect its success within the US political system in several different ways. Lobbying is one of the most important tactics that has worked efficiently since the past several years especially after the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 came into effect. In order for an interest group to be successful it must have a considerable amount of resources. The relatively wealthy interest groups are usually successful by employing professional lobbyists as they have a lot of finance and resources needed.