While special interest groups are not typically made up of elected officials, they do play a major role in influencing the political decision-making of politicians who hold or are seeking office. For our assignment this week, we will look more closely at one of the interest groups listed below to better understand the group's political agenda and what impact they may have on American politics.
To begin, select one of the interest groups/organizations listed below:
- AARP - American Association of Retired People
- ACLU - American Civil Liberties Union
- AFL-CIO - American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations
- American Conservative Union
- FPA-Farm Policy Action
- AIPAC - American Israel Public Affairs Committee
- Council on American-Islamic Relations
- Family Research Council
- Handgun Control, Inc.
- GLAAD- Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
- NAN-National Action Network
- National Right to Life
- NOW - National Organization of Women
- NRA - National Rifle Association
- American Humane Society
- Public Citizen
- Sierra Club
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- VFW-Veterans of Foreign Wars
Once you have chosen the group/organization you wish to explore, perform a web search to locate the group's main website. Additionally, perform a web search for recent information about your group's activities.
In an essay of 500-750 words, address the following questions:
- What is the organization or group, and what is the address of their official website?
- What are the issues your organization or group is concerned with?
- What actions does your group take or have they taken to try to influence policy and thepublic agenda?
- Assess your group:
- What are its strengths and weaknesses?
- What could it do better to achieve its goals?
- What is it doing well to forward its agenda?
Back up what you say with specific examples demonstrating their effectiveness (or lack of effectiveness).