Summary
Interest groups are a collection of people who share the same concerns. These may include political opinions or are aimed at influencing various national policies. People in an interest group can meet physically via Zoom, create online pages on social media platforms, call for volunteers, or raise funds. The main interest groups are economic, business, environmental, public interest groups, and Nader organizations. Economic interest groups major in American economic issues and may include labor unions, agriculture, professionals, and government employees. Business interest groups influence the government towards various policies regarding their industry. Environmental groups for sustainability are those with a special interest in conserving the environment, including wildlife, forest cover, and snow, to ensure sustainability. Public interest groups are those concerned with civil liberties, women voters, common cause, consumer protection, and international amnesty issues. Consumer activist Ralph Nader created Nader organizations to protect the interests of consumers.
Foreign Influence
I am always worried about foreign influence in the country. The use is a major economic and global influence in politics; therefore, foreign nations’ influence has hidden motives. This is especially true when the motive of the foreign experience is looked into. Most countries that are thought to influence US politics are from the Middle East, including Taiwan, China, and Russia. These are communist countries, and therefore, they are likely to influence the US culture from capitalists to communists. In addition, most of these countries have been in the cold war with the US, which makes their influence very suspicious; hence they should not be allowed to interfere with US politicians.
The US government needs to take strong action to protect its elections because most of these influences are aimed at weakening US superiority. Most of these countries support the candidates who will bring the US down economically and politically. In addition, they support leaders who will support their policies with the US. For instance, when Donald Trump, who was supported by Russia and the Soviet Union at large, got into power, he made many visits to these Middle east countries, causing a lot of tension between North Korea and the US. These visits are not welcome because they allow these countries to study the US and its military secrets; hence, they are very dangerous for the country. For the US to continue holding its superiority, it has to cut ties with the Middle east countries and ensure they do not influence its politics.
Lobbyists
Lobbyists are professional advocates who aim to influence various political decisions for organizations or individuals. They act as a link between client organizations and lawmakers by pushing the interests of the organizations and explaining to their clients the obstacles they may face in pursuing them. Lobbyists were first introduced in the US in 1817 in the northern statehouses. This was the first time in print that the term lobbyists had been used in the US.
Roles of Lobbyists
of the significant roles of a lobbyist is contributing to the enlightenment and expertise that is needed for public decision-making. This is because they have a vast knowledge of various subjects and are used to convince legislators about certain policies. After that, the lobbyist can contribute to decision-making using their information about a certain issue. Lobbyists do not deserve a bad rap because they use their available knowledge and expertise to push various agendas. They ensure that everyone in the country has a voice and can be heard. Instead, lobbyists should be given a thumbs-up for representing the underrepresented in society.