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Published on Nov 29, 2015
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Influences on Lawmaker's
- A great many factors influence a lawmaker's decisions. One factor is the lawmaker's personality. Some members of Congress, for example, are by nature more willing to take risks when making a choice. Sometimes the very nature of the issue determines the factors that will influence lawmakers most.
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The Influence of Voters
- The political careers of all lawmakers depend upon how the voters back home feel about lawmakers' job performance. Only very unusual lawmakers would regularly vote against the wishes of the people in their home states or districts.
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The Influences of Parties
- Almost every member of Congress is either a Republican or a Democrat. Both political parties generally take stands on major issues and come out for or against specific legislation.
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The Importance of Parties
- Republicans or Democrats vote with their parties because members of each party are likely to share the same general beliefs about public policy.
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Other influences on Congress
- Although voter preferences and political parties strongly influence the decisions of lawmakers, two other influences are often equally strong: the president and interest groups.
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The influence of the President
- All presidents try to influence Congress to pass the laws that the president and his party support. Some presidents work harder than others at gaining support in Congress, and some are more successful in getting Congress to pass their programs.
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The influence of Interest Groups
- The representatives of interest groups, called lobbyists, are another important influence on Congress.
- Their effort to persuade officials to support their point of view is called lobbying.
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Political Action Committees
- Some observers believe that the importance of individual lobbyists has declined in recent years as political action committees, know as PACs, have dramatically increased in number and influence with lawmakers.
- PACs are political fund-raising organizations established by corporations, labor unions, and other special-interest groups.
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