demosclerosis

hyperpluralism

elite and class theory

frozen government

agnosticism

Lobbying is one of the few remaining ways in which the average citizen is able to stand up and challenge the power of the reigning elites.

Power naturally tends to be concentrated in the hands of the few, with each dominant interest group therefore constantly moving to reinforce and consolidate its own control.

The government is truly controlled by a select handful of interest groups whose behind-the-scenes operations only ever benefit their own self-interest.

Large corporations, with their massive staffing and funding resources, serve to further guard the political elite against any loss of influence.

passed following Congress having overturned Harry Truman’s Presidential veto.

vetoed by Harry Truman and not passed for another twenty-one years.

passed following Congress having overturned Franklin Roosevelt’s Presidential veto.

overturned during the Presidency of Harry Truman.

overturned during the Presidency of Franklin Roosevelt.

As a whole, the vast majority of interest groups seek to advance overall societal wellbeing, rather than simply acting in the service of base self-promotion.

In order to prevent any interest group from amassing too much power, each group’s so-called sphere of participation must be kept wide and dispersed.

Any truly democratic society must necessarily allow any interested public persons and/or groups to express their opinions and to freely attempt to assert these opinions upon the political order.

If government and society fail to band together to effectively corral the machinations of interest groups, democracy will be resultantly impeded and even fundamentally jeopardized.

Iron triangles are proposed hyperpluralist solutions to the proliferation of power asserted by interest groups.

Interest groups accrue power at the expense of governmental efficiency and functionality.

Governmental gridlock is a direct result of governmental appeasement in the face of interest group pressure.

The modern government’s trend of numerous agencies, ever-expanding budgets, and contradictory laws are all consequences of legislative attempts to appease as many interest groups as possible.

Explicit and overt interest group involvement in the political process

Cooperation between campaigns and corporations in order to ensure electoral success

Negatively targeted and/or biased efforts undertaken by interest groups to prevent a candidate from being voted into political office

Lobbying campaigns aimed at persuading Congressional members to pass and/or alter electoral laws in ways favorable to particular interest groups

All of the interests

The most wealthy

The most moral

The oldest

The most logical

To influence public opinion in favor of a certain political, social, religious, or moral position

To introduce new candidates for the presidency

To facilitate the presidential campaign of their preferred candidate

To partner with third parties and shine light on overlooked issues

To partner with other interest groups and create an entirely new party

government policy is heavily weakened by the various competing interest groups, who often work against one another, slowing down the process of government

the competing interest groups within a government effectively ensure that the interests of all parties are equally and fairly represented

the system of checks and balances which prevails in American government is heavily detrimental to the ability of any one administration to carry out its policy goals

The Executive Branch is the main driving force behind policy-making in contemporary America

America is best served by maintaining a large military force in order to deter enemies from acting against America and to encourage other states to enter into mutually beneficial alliances with the United States

Both political parties and interest groups put forth candidates to run for public office.

While political parties must address a myriad of issues, interest groups typically concentrate all their efforts on a single topic.

Interest groups direct their appeals to select groups of individuals, while political parties address themselves to as many people as possible.

Political parties are knowledgeable about a wide range of policies, but interest groups tend to be deeply informed on only a specific issue or two.