Should Private Corporations Influence Elections

Interest groups have a lot of influence over decision that the government makes and has made. These groups, when formed right, are highly organized and have a definite agenda they are trying to push that is important to them. Interest groups will lobby in congress as well as other levels of government to get new laws and regulations passed.

During local, state, or federal election there is a limited amount of time and information that a voter has to help him/her decide for which candidate he or she wants to vote. Before the ruling in Citizens United v FEC, private donations from voters were needed to provide candidates with financial means to create commercials, billboards, etc. In turn, this gave the voters a voice in who is to lead their government. Corporations were limited in the amount they could provide to their candidate of choice. After the ruling, corporations can now match every private donation and contribute an unlimited amount on top of that in order to support their candidate. This creates a problem because a corporation can potentially suffocate voters with campaign ads without the other candidates' ads being heard. Therefore creating an uneven debate and platform for Democracy to work.

The interest groups often lobby members of the congress for favorable policy. The members of congress often listen as well because they are depended on the interest groups for political advertising and campaigning during the

The inter workings of Congress have been studied extensively by Richard Fenno and David R. Mayhew. Mayhew’s study of Congress took place in Washington, while Richard Fenno conducted his research by following politicians within their congressional district. Mayhew attributes three primary goals to congressmen- getting reelected, achieving influence within Congress and making “good Policy”. Fenno also attributes three basic goals, having influence inside the House than other congressmen. Second, helping their constituents and thereby insuring their reelection, and lastly helping make good policy. The purpose of this paper is to research a member of Congress and to make a direct connection between his activity in Washington and his home district. The paper will answer whether the congressmen is a delegate or trustee. Are the actions a pursuit for reelection? Are the committee assignments a path for movement within the House or outside? What legislation has he/she sponsored or co-sponsored and does it directly reflect his/her districts political view. And finally, do major industries and interest groups within his/she district affect the way he/she votes.

Congress is perhaps the most despised branch in our government. It is widely considered broken and outdated, and many believe it ignores the wants of the American people. In this paper, I will discuss Congress in depth and shed light on this controversial branch.

The United States congress is the most powerful group of politicians within the Governmental system under the United States Constitution. Congress is the glue that holds the United States together upholding its roles and responsibilities detailed in the Constitution on a daily basis. Which so much power Congress members are held in high regard for what they do, Congress’ main responsibly stems from making laws to declaring war. With all this power and responsibility you would assume that there would be no room for congress to make mistakes or even be dysfunctional. Due to high egos and self-centered politicians, congress has become very dysfunctional,and heavy-handed over the years. As well as the shortcuts Congress members have maneuvered

Members of congress are faced with many tough decisions during their time in public office. They have to balance the interest of their constituencies with the interests of outside influences such as political parties, special interest groups, or national interests. These interests are rarely aligned and require tough decisions to be made when voting. When preparing to vote on a major issue congress members are inundated with different opinions sent in by email, mail, phone calls, and social media (How a Member Decides to Vote). Congressional agencies provide reports and studies, special interest groups send in background material, and fellow congress members provide recommendations (How a Member Decides to Vote).

Congress is mainly known for enacting laws that are brought upon them but they are also responsible for many other things. There are two parts of congress, the senate and the House of Representatives. Aside from making laws congress plays several other roles like conducting congressional hearings on certain issues and potential scandals that arise. Congress speaks on a variety of issues and must assist constituents with government-related issues that occur.

Lobbyists often deal with legislators and members of regulatory agencies. Although legislators are brought together in Congress to develop policy and serve the national interests, each legislator is first and foremost responsible to their own constituency. This superseding responsibility gives lobbyists their ammunition. Attempting to influence Congress as a whole is not only impossible, but would be too easily seen by the public and thus might attract attention to an already questionable facet of our political process. Metaphorically speaking, Congress’s armor is strong and impenetrable when they are united as one. Lobbyists stand no chance against this fortified body of legislators. Instead they go after individual legislators, utilizing a strategy that if successful, creates

Throughout history, there have been many factors that seem to have influenced the operations of Congress. Some of these factors have been the committee system, seniority, and political parties. These are only a few of the factors that actually have an influence on Congress’s decisions of certain operations.

The “Move to Amend” organization has put forth a proposed twenty-eighth amendment, that if ratified to the U.S. Constitution would take the constitutional rights away from all artificial entities such as corporations, and limit all campaign expenditures including the candidate 's own contributions and expenditures. The Supreme Court has ruled on multiple occasions that according to the fourteenth amendment corporations are individuals that have constitutional rights. If corporations have the same rights as individuals, then under the first amendment they have the right to spend their money on political campaigns as they choose. I am against both parts of this proposed twenty-eighth amendment, the Supreme Court has already set precedence and I believe that the addition of this amendment would directly contradict the first amendment since political speech is at the core of the first amendment. If you set limits on campaign expenditures, you are limiting someone’s ability to effectively campaign and get their message out. If a corporation chooses to spend large sums of money on political advertising then that is their choice, most people don’t want to be told how they can spend their money and neither do corporations.

Political campaigns are affected a great deal by outside sources. Outside sources such as super pacs and lobbyists can often give a great deal of money into political campaigns and remain anonymous. We as voters often pay so much attention to a campaign but we never stop and think about where all the money that goes into a campaign comes from. Political campaigns can easily sway our votes. Next time we see a political campaign on television or in ads we should stop and think about what is happening behind the scenes and who's investing money into the

Lobbyists meet with elected officials to resent their cases, and provide public officials with information, they try to influence those who make governmental decisions. Lobbying to ensure favorable national policies and to prevent unfavorable ones has become massive in American industry. I agree when political scientists say that lobbyists serve a useful purpose, injecting valuable information into the legislative process. I allows people to be informed. By receiving information they are able to exercise their democracy by choosing between the proposals and evaluate them more deeply, selecting the candidate that would benefit them the most or will act in a way that would create favorable impact to their situation.

Interest groups have squeeze their way to American politics and has become every influential in the process. These groups are the definition of soft money and the true people’s voice. Interest groups have the ability to make unlimited donations to presidential candidates to help them gain a successful campaign. In return that interest group gets their beliefs exposed to the public and electors. To gain exposure usually includes televised ads that hypes their stances. Interest groups support ideals that many americans agree with main because it has millions of members and supporters. Interest groups’ large and even small amount of members prove it massive effectiveness in politics. Interest groups are also knew for the information they directly

The L.A. Times continues this point when they write that, “Like Obama, we believe that society benefits when businesses look beyond the bottom line and support the betterment of their communities and the nation” (L.A. Times). So if businesses have the potential to better the nation by expressing their political opinions, it provides another reason to why businesses should have a say in the political process. While these ideas are controversial, with the opinion that believes that many businesses will still have their own interests of priority, this is not so different from other individuals and groups whom only involve themselves in politics for their own personal benefits. Now, pay no mind to the negative side that can go for either businesses or individuals because if there is still that chance that a business can benefit its community and country, they should be able to say what they need to influence the