I swiped the following wrote from an unknown author: “Public opinion, the mass media, organized interest groups, political parties, elections strongly affect the government institutions. They are not a formal part of government, but they directly influence what sorts of people are chose to be government officials – who is elected president who goes to Congress, for example. They also affect what these officials do when they are in office and what sorts of public policies results.” Explain showing a thorough knowledge of how these groups impact the government institutions.
Influence is a powerful
force used by many groups, organization and
individuals to affect who becomes our elected
officials and what they will accomplish (or not
accomplish) while in office. The influential
entities, not a formal part of our government,
will be the topic of my discussion. Public
opinion, a group expression that attempts to
influence government; mass media, which
disseminates news and politics; organized
interests groups such as the NRA, National Bible
Asso., AARP, American Asso. Of Retired Persons,
including their lobbyists all attempt to promote
their ideas and values. Political parties, major
and third, bring together individuals in a
cohesive force to keep issues alive and push
agendas. Elections also influence government
officials’ behavior in their desire to be
re-elected as public service has become a career.
The mass media influence through visual
and print. Representing facts in an entertaining
format, feeding our emotions by sensationalizing
events or reducing information to sound better
giving us, the public, only the bits they deem
necessary and/or what the population will
consume. Politicians adjust their presentation of
self to take the greatest advantage of the media
but are frequently caught in a moment that is
ripe for sound better and sensationalizing to
their detriment.
Organized interest
groups wield a great amount of influence
especially when their group is large, and, of
course, money is power. These groups, like the
NRA, hire lobbyists to protect and promotes their
agendas. These lobbyists, so called because they
hang out in the lobby hoping to talk to a
political officer, and frequently lawyers with
influential personalities and involve themselves
with the political well being of those in office.
This puts lobbyists in a position of power of
obligation and also, just the time to express the
interest groups issues gives them an opportunity
to influence policy. And, while I’m on the
subject of lobbyists I’d like to point out that
they are often called upon by members of Congress
to help write legislation.
Though more
powerful in the past with party bosses and
influence in the daily lives of the public,
political parties still have influence in the
government. Congress itself is still organized
through partly affiliation even when making a
member not affiliated with one of the two major
parties, Republican or Democrat, align themselves
with one or the other. Political parties keep
issues alive, bringing cohesiveness to a group,
helping individuals compromise in order to gain
real weight behind agendas. Third party power is
in that ability to bring to light issues not
being addressed by the major parties and giving
the voting public an opportunity to show
legislators what we think is important
Elections influence politicians on a primal
level. The wish/desire to stay in office, to
maintain a position of power, to keep their job,
to continue working for their constituents
inspires or influences them to genuinely meet the
needs of their district nor matter their personal
agenda. The funding needed to campaign prevent
politicians from alienating interest groups, the
parties, or the media. Party leaders not wanting
to throw away a candidate with potential will not
run them against an incumbent, someone already in
office. Incumbents have a 90 – 95% re-election
rate.
I cannot separate the influence of
public opinion from the preceding areas of
influence. The public is not limited to opinion
polls in expressing group ideas in hopes of
effecting change in our government. The
congressman hoping for the election will watch
the opinion of his/her constituent and attempt to
address in some way those issues expressed as
public opinion. The power of the president is
affected by public opinion. When the polls drop,
so can the president’s power. Popularity equals
to power in politics.
Mass media,
interest groups, political parties, elections,
and public opinion all influence government
institution and officers through dissemination of
news, contributions, non-monetary support, direct
and in direct aid. Persuasion, obligation and
pressure to perform a certain way (lobbyists) is
also used to affect changes or lack thereof on
behalf of this informal part of government.