Alternatively another impact of interest groups is that they increase the amount of opportunities for American citizens to become involved in the political process between elections, due to the fact that in the US participation in politics is seen as a virtue. The majority of Americans seek more frequent participation in the democratic process than the two days a year that primaries and elections deliver, whilst also offering an opportunity for many US members of the public to participate in a specific area of government policy, such as pro-guns or anti-war. This shows that interest groups are beneficial to the US political system because they enable members of the American public to become involved with the democratic process on a regular basis.
On the other hand a separate impact of interest groups is that they enhance public education on the political system, and what could happen if some issues aren’t addressed, as well as effects of decisions made by the government. This shows that interest groups have a positive impact on US politics because as Jeffrey Berry and Clyde Wilcox observe, “interest groups can make people better aware of both policy problems and proposed solutions”, meaning that the citizens become better aware of the outcomes of government policy and their solutions to certain issues within American society.
However it can also be argued that another impact of interest groups is that they influence the agendas of political parties, bureaucrats and legislators to benefit their members’ interests. It’s argued that they bring together different sections of US society such as religious groups, professional organisations and business groups to work together and achieve an interest that is shared between them. For example, the manufacturers and distributors of CDs, video tapes and computer software working together to get the government to understand and pay attention to the threat of piracy of such goods. This suggests that interest groups are beneficial to American politics because they create a bond between groups in society and advise the government on issues that are harmful to society. However it can also be argued that they are a negative impact on the US political system because the interest group that has the most money or the most influence amongst institutions such as the media, is going to have a much larger impact on agenda building, rather than a group with a low amount of money, even if they have good intentions.
On the contrary, another impact that interest groups have is that they are able to hold the government accountable when they implement policies, in order to make sure that promises are kept, policies are delivered and regulations are administered. For example after the passage of the McCain-Feingold Act (2002), the Campaign Finance Institute authorised a collection of studies by scholars on the law’s effect on the funding of campaigns. Due to the result of the monitoring, interest groups such as the NRA often bring cases to the state and federal courts, asking the judicial branch of government to keep close checks on the effects of the legislation. This suggests that scrutinising the government is a beneficial impact of interest groups on the American political system because they enable ordinary citizens to hold members of the government accountable over legislations that they have passes.
Alternatively it can be argued that the methods of interest groups also have a significant impact on US politics, for example lobbying. In order to assist the progress of this method of operation, interest groups usually maintain headquarters in Washington DC, state capitals and other major cities. By doing this they are on hand to lobby members of federal, state and local government. For example, the Duberstein Group, founded by Kenneth Duberstein, who was former White House chief of staff to President Reagan, with headquarters just five blocks west of the White House at 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue. Furthermore interest groups also provide legislators with voting cues, for example Liberal Democrats look to groups such as the AFL-CIO and Americans for Democratic Action to reassure themselves that they are taking the right stand on issues. This shows that interest groups are beneficial to the American political system because they assure parties that the stand they are taking on government policies or certain issues will be received with positive feedback from their supporters. However, some pressure groups such as the ACU and the AFL-CIO publish regular rating of legislators, showing how often (or not) a certain legislator has supported the policy positions in line with the views of that particular interest group. This suggests that legislators may feel pressurised into voting a certain way on a policy, so that they don’t lose the support (and perhaps financial backing) of an interest group, even if it doesn’t benefit the nation or constituents.
On the other hand it can be argued that the public relations campaigns that interest groups run in order to educate people at large have an important impact on US politics. The publicity can take on different number of forms, for example it might even take on a form known as television advertising. For example the AARP created a television campaign against President George W. Bush’s proposal to reform Social Security to create private retirement accounts. The group released an ad that showed a demolition crew responding to a complaint of a clogged kitchen drain by knocking down the house. The ad attempted to persuade viewers that the plant that the President had proposed was an over-reaction to the more minor problems that are associated with Social Security. This shows that interest groups do have a positive influence on US politics, because they are able to inform the mass population on government policies and how they will affect their lives.