Tex 1 Ch 22

bundling

interest group

issue advocacy

lobbyist

political action committee (PAC)

The Grange was an early interest group that exerted influence over the Constitution of 1876 and focused on the concerns of a. labor unions. b. business owners. c. railroads. d. farmers.

Because getting access to legislators and government officials is difficult, interest groups often hire a. Texas-based celebrities, who attract extra publicity. b. many, many college students, who make the group look stronger. c. local stay-at-home parents, who have time to travel to Austin. d. former legislators and government officials, who can use their friendships and personal connections to gain access.

Lobbyists are individuals a. who volunteer to help a public interest group. b. employed by interest groups to try to influence government policies. c. who are hired by elected officials who serve as liaisons between interest groups and the member. d. who file lawsuits as a method of influencing public policy.

Because gaining access to legislators imposes on their time, lobbyists have responded primarily by a. organizing frequent protests to attract media attention. b. holding signs in the seats in the House and Senate chambers. c. providing entertainment (e.g. dinners, golfing, etc.) for elected officials. d. collecting signatures on petitions.

_________________ are considered to be the strongest and most influential interest groups in Texas. a. Business and corporate interests b. Labor interests c. Consumer interests d. Environmental interests

Policy makers and elected officials benefit from developing relationships with lobbyists for all of the following reasons except a. they gain information and expertise in areas of special concern to the group. b. interest groups often donate campaign funds. c. lobbyists provide volunteers and publicity for campaigns. d. lobbyists attend meetings of legislative committees in the place of members of the legislature.

Campaign contributions come primarily from _________________ interest groups. a. labor b. single-issue c. public d. business or corporate

Interest groups attempt to influence policy in which of the following governmental institutions? a. The Texas legislature b. Texas's administrative agencies c. The Texas court system d. All of the above

Each of the following is an example of a civil rights group except a. League of United Latin American Citizens. b. Mexican American Legal Defense Fund. c. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. d. American Federation of Labor — Congress of Industrial Organizations.

It is often claimed that ________-oriented interest groups, or "The Lobby," dominated the Texas legislature. a. business b. labor c. local government d. consumer

The Texas Medical Association is an example of a _________________ interest group. a. business or corporate b. professional c. labor d. single-issue

A _______________ is formed by an interest group to donate campaign funds to political candidates. a. charitable organization b. political trust c. political action committee d. shell corporation

Which of the following PACs spend the least amount of money on lobbying and campaigns in Texas? a. Single-interest b. Labor c. Professional d. Business

Interest groups have certain advantages over private citizens, including a. time. b. money. c. expertise. d. All of the above

Interest groups form to a. win elected office. b. overthrow the government. c. influence government to adopt policies favored by the group's membership. d. None of the above

Lobbyists in Texas provide all of the following except a. political support. b. information. c. campaign contributions. d. Lobbyists provide all of the above.

Interest groups participate in the political process by engaging in all of the following activities except a. mobilizing voters. b. providing campaign funds. c. offering research and education programs. d. running candidates under the interest groups' names.

Common Cause is an example of a ___________ interest group. a. single-issue b. professional c. public d. business or corporate

Late Train

One important way for interest groups to gain access to those in Texas government is to employ ______ as lobbyists. a. former legislators and government officials b. celebrities c. retired sports stars d. political science majors e. Republican campaign consultants

What did "Bo" Pilgrim do in 1989? a. He bought a number of votes on a controversial bill by offering legislators free turkeys for Thanksgiving. b. He was convicted of bribing three Texas legislators with promises of free fried chicken for life. c. He distributed $10,000 checks to state senators while lobbying them on a bill. d. He established the first political action committee devoted solely to Texas politics. e. He united a number of food production companies to create a single industry lobbying group.

By 2007, there were approximately ______ registered lobbyists in Texas. a. 3,000 b. 500 c. 5,500 d. 9,100 e. 1,800

Bribery is a. unheard of in Texas politics due to the stiff penalties involved. b. most commonly offered in the form of steak dinners. c. legal as long as the payoff is publicized. d. a common practice with lobbyists. e. a rare, but not unheard of, problem in Texas today.

Which of the following is not a reason for forming a PAC? a. Lobbyists who deliver substantial PAC money to a candidate can more likely gain access to that candidate. b. PACs are allowed to donate unlimited amounts of money directly to a particular candidate. c. PACs are a way for interest groups to send a message to a candidate that they are willing to back with money. d. Candidates are more likely to notice a substantial contribution from a PAC than numerous small contributions from individuals. e. PACs can serve as middlemen to provide money to candidates that the PACs members do not want to support publicly.

Which interest is not represented in a list of the top interest groups in Texas? a. agriculture b. public employees c. the gas and oil industry d. trial lawyers e. the environment

Texas trial lawyers frequently ally with a. consumer interest groups. b. pharmaceutical companies. c. the gas and oil industry. d. public employee unions. e. environmental groups.

In 2008, how many of the 130 incumbents from the Texas House of Representatives lost their race? a. zero b. fifty-eight c. fifteen d. thirty-five e. five

Which of the following is the best example of a public interest group? a. Texans for Lawsuit Reform b. the Texas Medical Association c. the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund d. Common Cause e. the Texas Bar Association

The practice of combining several individual campaign contributions into one larger contribution from a group in order to increase the group's impact is known as a. bundling.http://quizlet.com/11426290/edit/ b. hard money. c. PAC-ing. d. soft money. e. bribery.

Which of the following groups have had notable political success by litigating in federal courts? a. business lobbyists b. civil rights groups c. professional groups d. public employee interest groups e. chemical company lobbyists

Which of the following is not a description of an interest group? a. It is typically only active at the national level of government. b. It attempts to affect public policy. c. It is designed to pursue a common goal. d. It is usually made up of a large number of people. e. It seeks to achieve its desired goals through political means.

As in the U.S. Congress, most campaign contributions in Texas go to a. incumbents. b. political parties. c. Democrats. d. supporters of business interests. e. Republicans.

On average, incumbents in Texas are able to raise ______ challengers. a. ten times as much as b. five times as much as c. three times the amount of d. twice as much as e. 50 percent more than

What is the function of EMILY's List? a. It is a PAC that raises money from the petrochemical industry. b. It is the largest victims rights group in Texas. c. It provides early campaign funding for female candidates. d. It is designed to help raise money for the Texas teachers unions. e. It is an organization that lobbies for more government efforts to stop child abduction.

Which of the following is not a reason that interest groups are useful to politicians? a. Interest groups can supply campaigns with workers. b. Interest groups provide necessary information and expertise to politicians. c. Interest groups can mobilize voters and mount publicity campaigns. d. Interest groups provide politicians with an agenda on which they may run for office. e. Campaign funding often comes from interest groups.

The Texas Medical Association is best described as what kind of interest group? a. ideological b. public interest c. civil rights d. pubic employee e. professional