The interest group theory of politics is a theory which states
that powerful interest groups compel the government to act[1]. These powerful groups have amassed vast
resources in order to have the influence that they do. I believe when it pertains to the American
government, interest groups influence the news media to focus on two
parties. Although America has a multi
party system, most Americans focus on the Democrats and the Republicans. My line of thinking on the subject matter is
that these interest groups provide support to one of the two parties that are
focused. The reason I believe that
focusing on these two parties has become the norm, is because interest groups
funnel money and support to either these two parties. Having more parties to focus on, reduces the
chances in which a certain party will ascertain power to implement what the
interest groups are giving their support to.
For example, there are the Democrats and the Republicans, this provides
a chance of success of 1 of 2. As
mentioned, America has a multi party system, there are also the Libertarian Party, the Conservative Party
and the Socialist Workers Party[2]
amongst others. If we include these
parties into the focus, the odds at which an interest group can choose a winner
so that their demands could be fulfilled becomes less. This is because there are more parties. Therefore, interest groups have to divide
their support rather than it being consolidated to one party. This duality between the Democrats and the
Republicans forces these parties to adopt ideologies which have wider
considerations so they can appeal to these interest groups.
I think the two party system is very
organized as demands could be streamlined to each parties. Multiparty states, I believe are inefficient
as there are more parties which then interest groups must select which to
support. These multiparty states are
inefficient because the ability for the government to focus on problems becomes
fragmented. This fragmentation then
causes bloating. As per the issue of
corruption, we can see that from this line of thinking, we can see that the
American system can be corrupted more easily as there are only two
parties. Having two parties prevents
people from having options. For example,
if the Democrats are corrupt, a person would then only be left to go to the
Republicans and vice versa. With
multiple parties, corruption is much more difficult as there would be more
options for people to choose.
Politicians and interest groups run American politics.
When I refer to interest groups I mean,
business, unions, education etc. These
people obtain tax breaks, subsidies, exclusive legislation etc. Interest group provide support by donating
large sums of money to political campaigns so that their demands may be met by
the party that they decided to support[3] I believe that the system is corrupt.
Three examples of which come to mind is the Military
Industrial Complex. Eisenhower warned
that this coop between the military, the government, and weapons/ arms industry
was gaining influence over the government causing the USA to be in a state of
perpetual war. George W. Bush was heavily invested in the arms
industry. The main accusation of his
presidency was that he was, “lying about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to
fool Americans into supporting the war in Iraq”[4]. The war against Iraq was for the oil
reserves. The American citizens
discovered that there were no weapons of mass destruction. However, the military industry kept profiting
from this war regardless.
Another
example is Al Gore losing Tennessee because of the NRA. The NRA mobilized because Al Gore’s gun
policy was not in line with what they wanted.
The NRA is “highly organized and well-funded by
its five million members, the NRA is one of Washington's most powerful lobbies[5]”
Moreover, “[When] Gore ran for president in 2000, the NRA spent $20
million US on the most aggressive political campaign it had undertaken to date[6].” This was a campaign aimed directly at Gore
which had costed him the election. Americans
were given the ability to bear arms because the founding fathers thought that
it would prevent a British invasion. The
NRA, today remains powerful and they are a force that politicians want on their
side.
The
last example that I will provide is the automotive industry bailout on November
2008. Chrysler, Ford and GM requested of
the government $25 billion initially to avoid bankruptcy. This bailout, “[gave automakers in the USA]
$80.7 billion [which] lasted between December 2008 and December 2014[7]” This was tax payer money that the government
used to payout these companies. This
move is consistent with the American approach to protect capitalism. However,
what it neglects is the social support systems and health care. Perhaps these funds could have been used to
improve those program which evidently give the benefit to the citizen. This example is an extreme example where
America is once again focusing its priority on its economy. Evidently, from the perspective of the
American government, a strong economy does give people a better standard of
living however, through this focus they seem to still neglect the importance of
having a public health care system that is accessible and free.
With
all this in mind, it seems that the government of America could be corrupted by
interest groups. The political parties
are constantly being enticed by the influence and cash reserves of these
interest groups which evidently shaft a free and independent America.
[1]
Ross, P., American Government, Kwantlen Polytechnic University
[2]
Gitelson et al., “American Government,” Oxford University Press (2018) page 211
[3]
Abram, T. (2011). Mutually Corrupt: Government and Special Interests. Freedomworks. Retrieved from: https://www.freedomworks.org/content/mutually-corrupt-government-and-special-interests
[4]
Oliver Knox, “Trump says George W. Bush
‘lied’ to get U.S. into Iraq,” Yahoo (2016).
Retrieved from: https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-george-w-bush-lied-1364681108684854.html
[5] The
editors of CBC. (2020). How the NRA, a powerful influence on American
politics, found itself under attack.
CBC. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/the-passionate-eye/how-the-nra-a-powerful-influence-on-american-politics-found-itself-under-attack-1.5711235
[6] The
editors of CBC. (2020). How the NRA, a powerful influence on American
politics, found itself under attack.
CBC. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/the-passionate-eye/how-the-nra-a-powerful-influence-on-american-politics-found-itself-under-attack-1.5711235
[7] Amadeo,
K et al. (2020). Auto Industry Bailout. The balance.
Retrieved from: https://www.thebalance.com/auto-industry-bailout-gm-ford-chrysler-3305670
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