The concept of American Democracy is pushed into the minds of people from grade school until adulthood. It is a concept that political leaders and patriotic advocates assure us is the best governmental system in the world and we should be proud and thank God we live under the American system of Democracy. We have been told that no other country has a system of government in which ultimate political authority is vested in the people. This is theory only, however, so let us look at reality.

Individuals have the right to vote and the freedom of speech and that is about as far as our ultimate political authority actually goes. What happens after we cast our vote and what impact it actually has on national policies that govern our lives is a different story? Yes, we have the right to freedom of speech, but how many news anchors and national media reporters are beating down your door wanting to hear what you have to say? By what medium does the average person have to voice their concerns and someone at the level of high authority listens?

Admit it, there is a huge gap between those in authority who hold the keys to national change and those who awake everyday to go to wage occupations in their neighborhoods. In the mist of that gap, however, are systems of bureaucracy that regulate our every move according to long, drawn out policies and procedures. Some of these bureaucracies have some persuasive powers to make change but many merely abide like robots to government regulation.

So who really holds the keys to change? Interest groups, that's who. The significant role played by interest groups in shaping national policy has caused many to question whether we really have a democracy at all. To be sure, most interest groups have a middle-class or upper class bias. Members of interest groups can afford to pay the membership fess, are generally fairly well educated, and normally participate in the political process to a greater extent than the average America.

Furthermore, leaders of interest groups tend to constitute an "elite within an elite" in the sense that they usually are from a higher social class than their members. The most powerful interest groups - those with the most resources and political influence - are primarily business, trade, or professional groups. In contrast, public interest groups or civil rights groups make up only a small percentage of the interest group lobbying Congress.

In elitist politics, the theory of politics presumes that most Americans are uninterested in politics and are willing to let a small, elite group of citizens (the Electoral College) make decisions for them. In contrast, other theories view politics as a struggle among various interest groups to gain benefits for their members and competing interests as the essence of political decision-making. In reality, neither theory describes American politics very accurately. If interest groups led by elite, upper-class individuals are the dominant voices in Congress, then what we see is a conflict among elite groups - which would support the elitist theory, not a democracy.

The people leave national policy in the hands of a very few elect elitist who do nothing more than lobby Congress for their own interest. If Congress meets their concerns then policies are passed and laws are created that support these interests regardless of what the people actually want. In other words, only the elitist in this country feels they know what is best for the people.

Some of the most well known interest groups are below. Think of how they could make or have already made a difference in your life

Civil / Constitutional Rights Groups

AIDS Coalition
American Association of Retired Persons (AAPR)
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Handgun Control, Inc.
National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
National Abortion Rights Action League
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
National Organization for Women, Inc. (NOW)
National Rifle Association (NRA)
National Right to Life Committee Inc.
National Urban League
Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Community / Grassroots

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)

Environmental

Environmental Defense Fund
Greenpeace
National Wildlife Federation
Sierra Club
The Wilderness Society

Tactics Used By Interest Groups to Influence Congress

Lobbying Congress is the most used tactic by interest groups, which entails the activities of private citizens (mainly interest group leaders) regularly congregating in the lobbies of legislative chambers before a session to petition legislators. Detaining and engaging in conversation senators and representatives in state capitols and in Washington while they are moving from their offices to the voting chambers is a standard lobbying activity. Others include:

1. Engaging in private meetings with public officials, including president's advisors, to make known the interests of the lobbyist clients. It is to the lobbyist advantage to provide accurate information that senators and representatives could not attain on their own.

2. Inviting legislators to social occasions, such as cocktail parties, boating expeditions, and other events, including conferences at exotic locations.

3. Testifying before congressional committees for or against proposed legislation being considered by Congress.

4. Providing political information to legislators and other government officials about other officials.

5. Supplying nominations for federal appointments to the executive branch.

6. Provide workers for political campaigns, including precinct workers to get out the vote, volunteers to put up posters and pass out literature, and people to staff telephone banks for campaign headquarters.

7. Providing endorsements for certain political candidate in which the interest group publicizes its choice for political offices.

8. Provide campaign contributions in large amounts of money to officials seeking election or reelection.

Unless a community movement of average citizens untie and raise enough funds to practice some of the above tactics of interest lobbying, it seems that the policies that govern this nation will continuously come from the opinions and views of the elitist class, who does not and never can represent the lower class or the people who deserves the Democracy once promised.

© 2003 by C.R. Hamilton