Prop 6 Update

At LAT, Patrick McGreevy reports that Republicans are shifting resources away from a measure to repeal a California gas-tax increase

After contributing $1.7 million to put a repeal initiative on the November ballot, Republican congressional leaders and GOP gubernatorial candidate John Cox are now conspicuously absent from the list of donors spending money to help convince Californians to pass the measure.

Construction firms, organized labor and Democrats have raised more than $30 million to defeat Proposition 6, while the main campaign committee in favor of the measure had just $83,291 in the bank as of Sept. 22, according to campaign finance statements made public Thursday.

The opposition campaign includes the California Chamber of Commerce, the League of California Cities and dozens of deep-pocketed construction firms and labor unions that would benefit from the tax’s billions targeted to road and bridge repair projects.

Do read the rest of the article. 

SCOTUS and Dark Money

At Open Secrets, Anna Massoglia writes about dark money and the SCOTUS battle:

At the helm of the money race is the Judicial Crisis Network (JCN), a non-disclosing 501(c)(4) nonprofit that has funneled millions of dollars in support of Kavanaugh’s confirmation as the next Supreme Court justice.

Anonymous donors pumping big money into Supreme Court nominations is nothing new, and this is not JCN’s first rodeo.

JCN first came on the scene in 2005 to promote President George W. Bush’s nominations to the high court as Judicial Confirmation Network before rebranding the “C” its name to stand for “crisis” and attacking President Barack Obama’s nominees.

Tax returns obtained by the Center for Responsive Politics in 2017 revealed that JCN has continued to be primarily funded by the Wellspring Committee, another nondisclosing politically active nonprofit, which is linked to Ann and Neil Corkery’s network of conservative “dark money” groups organized to influence public policy.

Leonard Leo, the Federalist Society’s executive vice president who has played a key role in Trump’s Supreme Court nominations, orchestrated finances related to the network and is also linked to BH Group, a mysterious LLC that donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee.

Becoming a key ‘dark money’ conduit for conservatives to funnel millions of dollars into Supreme Court battles while keeping their identities secret, JCN has established itself the preeminent advocate of conservative contenders for the U.S. Supreme Court as well as in key state supreme court races and attorneys general elections.

Your Weekend Getaway Packet

If you are writing about CA ballot measures, take a look at spending:

• https://www.sos.ca.gov/campaign-lobbying/cal-access-resources/measure-contributions/2018-ballot-measure-contribution-totals/ 
• https://ballotpedia.org/California_2018_ballot_propositions

Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) discussed course themes.

“Setting aside this botch, we go back to a Supreme Court that is so far too often dancing to the tune of a handful of big Republican special interests,” Whitehouse said. Big Republican special interests funding the Federalist Society that is now picking Supreme Court nominees. Big Republican special interests using the unlimited dark money power the Supreme Court gave them to mount TV ad campaigns for Supreme Court nominees.”

“And big Republican special interests on the winning side of those with 70, 5-4 partisan victories,” he continued. “The fruits of their political labor. People are catching on. The record of this is undeniable, and as I said, it will be a disaster for the court court.”

As we discussed this week, Whitehouse's questioning a year ago helped sink a nominee to the Council on Environmental Quality:


And finally, the scene that Matthew mentioned on Thursday:

Looking Ahead to Your Research Project

In the next week or so, each of you should choose an interest group or lobbying firm.  You will become our "resident expert" on that organization, and you will make a very brief oral presentation on it later in the semester.

By November 16, write an essay analyzing the organization that you have chosen.  In your answer, please answer these questions:

• Whom does the organization represent?
• How does the organization make decisions?
• What are its top current policy priorities?  Tell how it is seeking to change or preserve certain statutes, rules, or practices.
• What strategy is it pursuing?  Inside game or outside game?  Legislative, executive or judicial action?
• In light of the 2018 midterms, what are its prospects for success over the next year?

Instructions:

• Document your claims. Do not write from the top of your head. 
• Essays should be typed (12-point), double-spaced, and no more than eight pages long. I will not read past the eighth page.   As always, please submit papers to the Sakai dropbox as Word documents, not pdfs.
• Cite your sources with endnotes in Chicago/Turabian style. Endnote pages do not count against the page limit. 
• Watch your spelling, grammar, diction, and punctuation. Errors will count against you. 
• Due date is 11:59 PM on November 16.  Papers will drop a gradepoint for one day's lateness, a full letter grade after that.

California Survey

For those of you writing about California ballot propositions, here are important data.

News Release
EMBARGOED: Do not publish or broadcast until 9:00 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, September 26, 2018.

PPIC STATEWIDE SURVEY: CALIFORNIANS AND THEIR GOVERNMENT
Gas Tax Repeal, Rent Control Propositions Trailing
NEWSOM, FEINSTEIN HOLD ON TO DOUBLE-DIGIT LEADS

SAN FRANCISCO, September 26, 2018—A slim majority of California’s likely voters oppose Proposition 6, the measure on the November ballot to repeal recently enacted increases in the gas tax and vehicle registration fees. Proposition 10—which would expand the authority of local governments to enact rent control—is also trailing.
These are among the key findings of a statewide survey released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).

When likely voters are read the Proposition 6 ballot title and label, 52 percent say they would vote no, 39 percent would vote yes, and 8 percent are undecided about the measure, which would repeal the tax increases on gasoline and diesel fuel signed into law last year to fund road repairs and public transportation.

Across parties, half of Republican likely voters (50%) would vote yes. Fewer independents (42%) and Democrats (33%) would do so. Across all demographic groups, fewer than half of likely voters say they would vote yes. Asked about the importance of the outcome of the vote on the measure, 47 percent of likely voters say it is very important to them (37% say it is somewhat important). Among those who would vote yes, 55 percent say the outcome is very important, while 45 percent of those who would
vote no express this view.

“A slim majority of likely voters say they would vote no on Proposition 6, the gas tax repeal,” said Mark Baldassare, PPIC president and CEO. “Across all of the state’s major regions, fewer than half say they would vote yes.”

Proposition 10 would repeal the 1995 Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which restricts cities’ ability to implement rent control. Among likely voters, 48 percent would vote no on the proposition; 36 percent would vote yes and 16 percent are undecided.

Slim majorities of Republican and independent likely voters (52% each) would vote no on the measure. Democrats are divided (46% yes, 43% no). Regionally, support for Proposition 10 is highest in Los Angeles (45%) and lowest in the Inland Empire (29%). Across all demographic groups, support among likely voters for Proposition 10 tops 50 percent only among those age 18–34 (51%). When asked about the importance of the outcome of the Proposition 10 vote, 42 percent of likely voters say it is very
important (33% somewhat important).

“Proposition 10, the local rent control initiative, trails by a 12 point margin,” Baldassare said. “The yes votes are falling below a majority among both homeowners and renters.”

The Man Behind Trump's Trade War with China

Robert Lighthizer is the United States Trade Representative and a longtime China hawk. He served as the deputy US Trade Representative under Reagan before becoming a lobbyist for the steel industry at Skadden Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Although known for being a tough negotiator, Lighthizer has also forged bipartisan alliances with Democrats, including Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who are critical of US trade policy.

From the Bloomberg article:

Asked what he had learned about negotiating with the Trump administration after the U.S. and Mexico announced an agreement in principle on Nafta in late August, Mexico’s economy minister, Ildefonso Guajardo, says: “Any deal where Lighthizer is not responsible for the architecture doesn’t see the light of the day.”

Items for a Very Busy News Week

Murkowski might still vote against Kavanaugh.  It is not just about the assault allegations but old-fashioned state-level interest-group politics.  Jennifer Bendery at Huffington Post:

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) was already under pressure from Alaska Natives to oppose Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

It just got more serious.

The Alaska Federation of Natives ― a massive statewide Native-American organization that represents more than 20 percent of the state’s entire population ― went from taking no official stance on Kavanaugh to announcing its opposition on Sept. 12.

“The questions and colloquies that came out of Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Senate Judiciary hearings last week have necessitated us taking a position,” the group said in a recent statement. “AFN joins our colleagues and friends across Indian country in strongly opposing Judge Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court because of, among other things, his views on the rights of Native peoples.”

On top of that, the Alaska House Bush Caucus, a group of state legislators focused on tribal and rural representation, wrote to Murkowski and Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) urging them to vote no.

Trump is bashing China for election interference.  You heard it here first.

China is actually placing propaganda ads in the Des Moines Register and other papers, made to look like news. That’s because we are beating them on Trade, opening markets, and the farmers will make a fortune when this is over! pic.twitter.com/ppdvTX7oz1

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2018

Lawmakers can be very nasty to lobbyists.


And the rent-control ballot measure:

Lobbying: the Inside Game

Finishing Campaign Finance

• Dark Money
• FAQ about 501(c)(4) groups
• The Dark Money Churn
• Democratic Dark Money
• Conglomerates
•  American Crossroads 
• Crossroads GPS (see fundraising letter)
• IMPORTANT NEW CASE ON DARK MONEY DISCLOSURE

Types of Lobbyists

• Data on lobbyists
• An example of a DC/CA firm with Claremont ties
• Bipartisan DC firm

"The Most Permeable Branch"

• Members and staff  (and yes, you can find salaries)
• Committees
• Committee staff
• Party Leadership
• Leadership staff
• Congressional Member Organizations

ACCESS: Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) says that if she finds 30 phone messages, "of the thirty, you're going to know ten of them. Anyone is going to make phone calls to the people they know first.  I'm going to call the people I know. Among the people I know are donors."

"Credibility first" and "Only the Facts Count" (Berry 135)

The lay of the land"

• Know the jurisdictions:  tax, appropriations, regulation
• Know the process
• Know the calendar
• Know the people
• Plant seeds

This video is pretty good:

• Soft sells and building relationships
• Lobbying staff: what to do (see video above)
• Lobbying staff: what not to do

Hearing survival guide -- murder boards

Info-graphic on Koch "Influence" flowing to the White House

This is a great info-graphic that maps out the connections between the Koch brothers, their organizations, and the White House. Many of the connections are monetary as you can imagine. Thought of this after reading the Heritage article.

https://littlesis.org/maps/1820-the-trump-administration-is-filling-up-with-koch-allies?A_Transition_Team_and_Cabinet_Full_of_Koch 

China Issue Advertising in Iowa

Mark Niquette  and Jennifer Jacobs at Bloomberg:

China reached into the U.S. heartland in its escalating trade war over President Donald Trump’s tariffs, using an advertising supplement in Iowa’s largest newspaper to highlight the impact on the state’s soybean farmers as “the fruit of a president’s folly.’’

The four-page section in Sunday’s Des Moines Register, which carried the label “paid for and prepared solely by China Daily, an official publication of the People’s Republic of China,” featured articles including one outlining how the trade dispute is forcing Chinese importers to turn to South America instead of the U.S. for soybeans.

“Pretty savvy political play being run by China,’’ Tommy Vietor, a former national security spokesman for President Barack Obama, said on Twitter about the tactic.

The advertising targets a state critical to Trump and Republicans at a time the trade war between the world’s two largest economies is intensifying. The U.S. is imposing tariffs on an additional $200 billion in Chinese imports starting Monday, on top of the $50 billion in goods already hit with levies. Meanwhile, $110 billion of goods from the U.S. will become subject to Chinese retaliatory tariffs around the same time.

The DC Lobby World and the SCOTUS Fight

In July, Scott Shane and colleagues wrote at NY Times:

When Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh introduced himself to the American people on Monday, with a beaming President Trump beside him, he had a lot to say about his mother, a former high school teacher and a Maryland judge. He accorded his father strikingly less attention — just 34 words, compared with 132 about his mother — mentioning his “unparalleled work ethic” while not saying exactly what work he did.

Yet Ed Kavanaugh’s career may shed light on his son’s hostility to government regulation, a major reason conservatives are so enthralled by his nomination to the Supreme Court. He spent more than two decades in Washington as a top lobbyist for the cosmetics industry, courting Congress and combating regulations from the Food and Drug Administration and other agencies. (Among his hires for legal work: John G. Roberts Jr., now the chief justice.)

Theodoric Meyer at Politico (h/t Jessie):

“I’ve known Brett for almost 18 years,” Colleen Litkenhaus, a lobbyist for Dow Chemical, wrote on Facebook less than an hour before Loper’s tweet. “He is extra extra smart, kind, warm, thoughtful and caring.”

She was speaking out, she added, “because, if you don’t know Brett personally, you may want to hear from those that do.”

The women rushing to Kavanaugh’s defense include Candi Wolff, the top lobbyist for Citigroup; Sara Fagen, a consultant at DDC Public Affairs; and Laura Cox Kaplan, a former lobbyist for PricewaterhouseCoopers who now hosts the “She Said/She Said” podcast.

Many of them belong to a class of connected Washingtonians who typically try to avoid upsetting their corporate clients by weighing in on Beltway scandals. But they decided to speak because of their friendships with Kavanaugh, who’s deeply integrated in the Republican social scene in Washington. Kaplan said in an interview that it was “physically painful” to watch the scandal unfold.

Eliana Johnson at Politico:

It turns out that the Keystone Cops detective work by conservative legal activist Ed Whelan — which set Washington abuzz with the promise of exonerating Brett Kavanaugh, only to be met by mockery and then partially retracted — was not his handiwork alone.

CRC Public Relations, the prominent Alexandria, Virginia-based P.R. firm, guided Whelan through his roller-coaster week of Twitter pronouncements that ended in embarrassment andv a potential setback for Kavanaugh’s hopes of landing on the high court, according to three sources familiar with their dealings.

After suggesting on Twitter on Tuesday that he had obtained information that would exculpate Kavanaugh from the sexual assault allegation made by Christine Blasey Ford, Whelan worked over the next 48 hours with CRC and its president, Greg Mueller, to stoke the anticipation. A longtime friend of Kavanaugh’s, Whelan teased his reveal — even as he refused to discuss it with other colleagues and close friends, a half dozen of them said. At the same time, he told them he was absolutely confident the information he had obtained would exculpate the judge.

The hype ping-ponged from Republicans on Capitol Hill to Kavanaugh’s team in the White House, evidence of an extraordinarily successful public relations campaign that ultimately backfired when Whelan’s theory — complete with architectural drawings and an alleged Kavanaugh doppelgänger — landed with a thud on Twitter Thursday evening.

And a Saturday morning update from Heidi Przybyla at NBC

A press adviser helping lead the Senate Judiciary Committee’s response to a sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has stepped down amid evidence he was fired from a previous political job in part because of a sexual harassment allegation against him.

Garrett Ventry, 29, who served as a communications aide to the committee chaired by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, had been helping coordinate the majority party's messaging in the wake of Christine Blasey Ford’s claim that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her 36 years ago at a high school party. In a response to NBC News, Ventry denied any past "allegations of misconduct."

He had worked for North Carolina House Majority Leader John Bell

Sources familiar with the situation said Ventry was let go from Bell’s office after parts of his résumé were found to have been embellished, and because he faced an accusation of sexual harassment from a female employee of the North Carolina General Assembly's Republican staff.

 ...

 While doing work for the Judiciary Committee, Ventry was employed by CRC Public Relations, a prominent GOP firm helping to promote Kavanaugh’s nomination to the high court.

A company spokesman told NBC News, "Garrett was on a leave of absence from the company and as of this morning we have accepted his resignation."

Campaign Money and Loopholes

Limits

• A timeline of efforts to curb spending
• Federal limits
• State limits

PACs

Reviewing hard money:

• PACs and SSFs
• The Cost of Winning a Seat
• Campaign Funding Sources
• BUNDLING

Outside money

• Super PACs
• Single-candidate super PACs
• Dark Money
• FAQ about 501(c)(4) groups
• The Dark Money Churn
• Democratic Dark Money
• Conglomerates
•  American Crossroads 
• Crossroads GPS (see fundraising letter)
• IMPORTANT NEW CASE ON DARK MONEY DISCLOSURE

First Assignment, Fall 2018

Pick one of the items below.

• Berry and Wilcox finished most of the research for the 6th edition of The Interest Group Society by the end of 2016.  Pick any chapter and write an epilogue that brings it up to date.  That is, how have the events of 2017 and 2018 either confirmed their analysis or suggested the need for revision?
• Pick any industry (e.g., energy, finance, gambling) and analyze how it is contributing in the 2018 campaign so far: https://www.opensecrets.org/overview/industries.php.  What accounts for this pattern? Consider historical trends and the issues before Congress.  How would the industry respond if Democrats took control of the House?
• Pick any proposition on the fall 2018 California statewide ballot:  https://vig.cdn.sos.ca.gov/2018/general/pdf/complete-vig.pdf   Who are its top supporters and opponents?  Why do they take those positions?  What is the likely outcome? 
• Write on a topic of your choice, subject to my approval. 

Instructions:

• Document your claims. Do not write from the top of your head. 
• Essays should be typed (12-point), double-spaced, and no more than four pages long. I will not read past the fourth page. Please submit papers as Word documents, not pdfs. 
• Cite your sources with endnotes in Chicago/Turabian style. Endnote pages do not count against the page limit. 
• Watch your spelling, grammar, diction, and punctuation. Errors will count against you. 
• Turn in essays to the class Sakai dropbox by 11:59 PM, Friday, October 5. Late essays will drop a gradepoint for one day’s lateness, a full letter grade after that. 

US Business Groups Fight for Canada

As President Trump continues his plan to renegotiate NAFTA, US business groups such as the US Chamber of commerce, Business Roundtable, and the National Association of Manufacturers are urging that Canada be included in the agreement. They are also fighting against an automatic sunset clause that they say would create uncertainty for investors and harm job growth.

US Business Groups on NAFTA

Georgia Governor Ads

I saw these ads while I was in Atlanta this summer. Definitely something you don't see out in California. Kemp has since come under scrutiny for his "shotgun" ad, which I posted below. They are about 30 seconds each.

Parties, Elections, and the Interest Group Connection

Polarization

• Ideological gaps
• Demographic gaps
• Geographic gaps

"CQ Vote Studies: Party Unity." CQ Magazine (February 12, 2018).
http://library.cqpress.com.ccl.idm.oclc.org/cqweekly/weeklyreport115-000005263236 .

Interest groups

• JFK accepted life membership in the National Rifle Association
• In 2018, polarized view of the NRA
• Strong (but not perfect) polarization on guns in the Senate
• Interest groups and conventions -- why conventions and platforms matter to interest groups

Political Money

• Compare NRA in 1990 with NRA in 2018
• Abortion
• For economic interest groups, a key variable is chamber control:  consider insurance, casinos, banks

Limits

• A timeline of efforts to curb spending
• Federal limits
• State limits

LoopholesState elections

• Super PACs and Dark Money Groups

Interest Groups, Parties, and Elections

In chapter 4, Berry and Wilcox discuss the relationship of party organizations and interest groups.  So one aspect of the Manafort case is highly relevant. Natasha Bertrand reports at The Atlantic:

Manafort’s tenure on the campaign, spanning from roughly March through August 2016, coincided with some of the most significant Russia-related events of the election. In April, he appeared to offer the Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska private briefings about the campaign in exchange for debt relief. In July, a proposed amendment to the GOP’s party platform that advocated sending arms to Ukraine to defend against Russian aggression—a position in line with Republican orthodoxy at the time—was gutted. Later that month, WikiLeaks began dumping emails that Russia had stolen from the Democratic National Committee. Manafort also received emails from the Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos, who had already learned of Russian dirt on Clinton, offering to set up a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. By late August, Manafort was forced to formally step down as campaign chairman after reports surfaced that he was allocated millions of dollars in off-the-books payments by a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine.

Click here for a chart on federal contribution limits

But note that the limits do not apply to organizations that give exclusively to candidates for state office, such as RAGA (Republican Attorneys General Association) and DAGA (Democratic Attorneys General Association).  Two news stories discuss such organizations:







And then there is outside money:

Mobilization and Organization

"The flaw in the pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings with a strong upper-class accent." E. E. Schattschneider, The Semi-Sovereign People (New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1960).

Perceived Costs and Benefits of Policy









Solving the Olson Problem

Selective material benefits

• AARP
• American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration (ASHHRA)

Solidary benefits:  AAAE

Purposive benefits:  Unidos

Interest Groups Turn Up Pressure on Senators Before Kavanaugh Vote

Undecided senators are facing intensifying pressure from interest groups after last week's confirmation hearings. As a vote on the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court moves closer, groups representing both sides of the aisle are ramping up their efforts to sway the opinion of five key senators. Groups like Planned Parenthood, Demand Justice, and Judicial Crisis Network are pulling out all the stops in hopes that they will be able to influence the necessary senators to achieve their preferred outcome.

Bail

Bob Egelko at the SF Chronicle:

Bail bond companies have started gathering signatures for a referendum to block a new California law, the first of its kind in the nation, that would eliminate cash bail as a requirement for pretrial release from jail.

State election officials authorized a trade association, the American Bail Coalition, to circulate petitions Monday to place the referendum on the November 2020 ballot. If the association collects 365,880 valid signatures of registered voters by Nov. 26, the law will be put on hold until the voters decide whether to repeal it. Otherwise, the law, SB10, would take effect in October 2019.

The measure, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Aug. 28, would abolish the system of requiring defendants to post bail, in amounts based on the level of the crime and a defendant’s record, in order to be freed while awaiting trial. At least one-third of jail inmates in California are being held because they are unable to post bail, and the system has been criticized for keeping poor defendants locked up while richer ones go free.

Instead, judges would decide whether to release defendants after an assessment of the danger they pose to the public and the likelihood they would return to court for trial. The assessments would use formulas based on the charges and circumstances of each case, but individual judges would have the last word.

The new law would also eliminate the bail bond industry in California, whose chief source of income is the non-refundable 10 percent fee that companies charge to defendants for posting bail.

So here is just another case of an economic interest group simply promoting the good of its members, right?  The situation is more complicated, as the LA Times reports:

The legislation’s passage should have been a victory for criminal justice reform advocates who for years sought to eliminate money bail. But some early backers, including the ACLU of Northern California, dropped their support amid concerns that the final version of the bill would allow judges to incarcerate more people for longer periods of time. They said it also did not include enough oversight over risk assessment tools, technological analyses that rely on computer algorithms to predict a person’s likelihood to break the law again, which studies have found can exhibit bias against communities of color.

Bail agents say they have received calls from defense lawyers and civil rights groups, including at least two groups in Los Angeles, who have shown an interest in joining the effort to oppose the new law.

“I think eventually it will be a lot more than just the bail industry,” [American Bail Coalition director Jeff] Clayton said of the voter referendum.

The ACLU on Friday declined to comment on whether it would join the industry’s efforts. Civil rights groups are waiting on the state Supreme Court to review a ruling on a judge’s authority to set bail.

Interest Groups in the Mass Media

• Major League Baseball and Drone Lobbying
• Revolving door: Joe Lieberman and Jon Kyl
• Pork* and the Hurricane
• Catholic Church lobbying

*Literal dead-pig pork, not infrastructure

But so you don't get too cynical...

Madison's Dilemma and the Advocacy Explosion

Federalist 10:

The latent causes of faction are thus sown in the nature of man; and we see them everywhere brought into different degrees of activity, according to the different circumstances of civil society. A zeal for different opinions concerning religion, concerning government, and many other points, as well of speculation as of practice; an attachment to different leaders ambitiously contending for pre-eminence and power ... But the most common and durable source of factions has been the various and unequal distribution of property. Those who hold and those who are without property have ever formed distinct interests in society. Those who are creditors, and those who are debtors, fall under a like discrimination. A landed interest, a manufacturing interest, a mercantile interest, a moneyed interest, with many lesser interests, grow up of necessity in civilized nations, and divide them into different classes, actuated by different sentiments and views. The regulation of these various and interfering interests forms the principal task of modern legislation, and involves the spirit of party and faction in the necessary and ordinary operations of the government.

The Expansion of Interests

Changing demographic makeup:





New types of businesses and jobs

Stock ownership (St. Louis Fed):




POLICIES MAKE POLITICS:  

• Compliance Officers
• Affirmative Action
• Title IX Administration

Diminished Barriers to Association

Tocqueville (Lawrence/Mayer ed., p. 518):

It often happens in democratic countries that many men who have the desire or directed toward that light, and those wandering spirits who had long sought each other the need to associate cannot do it, because all being very small and lost in the crowd, they do not see each other and do not know where to find each other. Up comes a newspaper that exposes to their view the sentiment or the idea that had been presented to each of them simultaneously but separately. All are immediately in the shadows finally meet each other and unite. 

Trade and Professional Associations

• The IRS recognized 63,866 trade and professional associations in FY2016.
• Examples
• About a quarter of US workers need an occupational license, up from about 5 percent in the 1950s.

Labor Unions

• 

Non-economic

• The IRS recognized 1,237,094 charitable and philanthropic organizations in FY2016

Interest Groups: A First Take

Just about every potential interest group has an organization -- even registered sex offenders.

Movies

The First Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Mine Workers v. Illinois Bar Assn.  389 U.S. 217 (1967)

We start with the premise that the rights to assemble peaceably and to petition for a redress of grievances are among the most precious of the liberties safeguarded by the Bill of Rights. These rights, moreover, are intimately connected, both in origin and in purpose, with the other First Amendment rights of free speech and free press. "All these, though not identical, are inseparable."Thomas v. Collins, 323 U. S. 516, 323 U. S. 530 (1945). See De Jones v. Oregon, 299 U. S. 353, 299 U. S. 364 (1937). The First Amendment would, however, be a hollow promise if it left government free to destroy or erode its guarantees by indirect restraints so long as no law is passed that prohibits free speech, press, petition, or assembly as such. We have therefore repeatedly held that laws which actually affect the exercise of these vital rights cannot be sustained merely because they were enacted for the purpose of dealing with some evil within the State's legislative competence, or even because the laws do, in fact, provide a helpful means of dealing with such an evil. Schneider v. State, 308 U. S. 147 (1939); Cantwell v. Connecticut, 310 U. S. 296 (1940).

Some data

An interest group struggle is unfolding as we speak: