Political parties and interest groups both work together and compete for influence, although in different ways. While interest group activity often transcends party lines, many interests are perceived as being more supportive of one party than the other.   This being the case, which of the following statements are true?

Rules and restrictions on lobbying in the United States prevent registered lobbyist from directly helping to draft federal legislation.

The primary goal of most interests, no matter their lobbying approach, is to influence decision-makers and public policies.  If environmental interests like the Sierra Club lobby for laws designed to protect natural resources and minimize the use of pollutants, then which statement below could also be true?

The scenario described below is an example of what phenomenon? If union membership is optional and all workers will receive a salary increase regardless of whether they make the time and money commitment to join, some workers may free ride. The benefits sought by unions, such as higher wages, collective bargaining rights, and safer working conditions, are often enjoyed by all workers regardless of whether they are members. Therefore, free riders can receive the benefit of the pay increase without helping defray the cost by paying dues, attending meetings or rallies, or joining protests.

Which statement below best describes the concept of disturbance theory in collective action?

Joining interest groups can help facilitate civic engagement, which allows people to feel more connected to the political and social community. Some interest groups develop as grassroots movements, which often begin from the bottom up among a small number of people at the local level. Interest groups can amplify the voices of such individuals through proper organization and allow them to participate in ways that would be less effective or even impossible alone or in small numbers.

The Tea Party (Links to an external site.) is an example of a so-called astroturf movement, because it is not, strictly speaking, a grassroots movement. Many trace the party’s origins to groups that champion the interests of the wealthy such as Americans for Prosperity (Links to an external site.) and Citizens for a Sound Economy. Although many ordinary citizens support the Tea Party because of its opposition to tax increases, it attracts a great deal of support from elite and wealthy sponsors, some of whom are active in lobbying. 

Business sector donations from the finance, insurance, and real estate industries are most likely to be directed to party?

Between 2015-2016, the American Bankers Association (Links to an external site.) overwhelmingly supported candidates from which political party?

Measuring the effect of interest groups’ influence is somewhat difficult because lobbyists support lawmakers who would likely have supported them in the first place. Thus, National Right to Life (Links to an external site.), an anti-abortion interest group, does not generally lobby lawmakers who favor abortion rights; instead, it supports lawmakers and candidates who have professed “pro-life” positions.