POL 140, American National Government

Interest/Pressure Group Tactics:

(1) publicity & mass propaganda (news conferences, press releases, mailouts, websites, faxes, e-mails, etc.)

(2) electioneering

(a) campaign contributions

(b) honoraria (for speeches)

(c) endorsements (of candidates or referenda propositions)

(d) bloc voting (high cohesion difficult but possible)

(e) campaign workers

(f) get-out-the-vote/registration campaign

(3) lobbying

(a) supplying persuasive information

(b) “grass roots” pressure via letter writing, phone calls, e-mails

(1) demonstrations, civil disobedience (strikes by public sector labor unions)

(2) testifying in legislative and administrative hearings

(3) litigation – trying to win what cannot be won from the executive or legislative branches from the judicial branch