Monday's Post

So, we are taking a little detour over the next couple of days. We talked about the differences between Liberals and Conservatives. The big packet of readings I handed out today, I think you will read in groups tomorrow and then continue to work on the questions (the columns) from today. You can work together. I would hope also to see more FRQ's turned in on Interest Groups. I want you to at least take a crack at the question. On Thursday your Political Parties reading questions will be due. Here's how I would answer the FRQ on Interest Groups. The question with the answer below:

FRQ on Interest Groups

National interest groups often target national level policymaking institutions to achieve their policy objectives.

Select one of the following national interest groups:

American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
American Medical Association (AMA)
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)

For the group you selected, do each of the following:Identify one major national level policymaking institution that this group targets.

Describe one resource or characteristic of the group you have chosen AND explain how it influences the choice of the target you have identified in (a).

Describe another resource or characteristic of the group you have chosen AND explain how it influences the choice of the target you have identified in (a).

My Answer

Interest groups play multiple roles in influencing government. One specific way in which interest groups influence government is through issue advocacy. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored Persons (NAACP) has an over 100 year legacy in advocating for laws dealing with discrimination against African-Americans.

1(a) Arguably, the groups greatest success in achieving its goals of anti-discrimination has been through the targeting of the United States' judiciary.

2(a) The NAACP targeted the judicial branch vis a vis the United States Supreme Court with an amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief in support of Linda Brown in the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954 that was ultimately supported by the Court. As the result of the NAACP's advocacy, The Plesy v. Ferguson ruling going back over 100 years was reversed.

2(b) The NAACP has also targeted the judicial branch in ensuring the enforcement of Civil Rights laws. Specifically, the NAACP went to court to sue communities did not comply with the Supreme Court's order on "all deliberate speed" related to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The lobbying of the courts by the NAACP has had an historic impact on the reversal of many "Jim Crow" era laws.