are usually composed of two to four interest groups that form a mutual relationship in which one group supports the others and in turn gains something. In Congress, each faction has more lobbying power due to support and help brought by their political partners. Few critics still worry about iron triangles since many have been broken up by rising public interest groups and legislators who know how much power iron triangles are capable of producing. Furthermore, the same public interest groups focus on specific factions and change the political scheme by offering political benefits to politicians who pursue public interest and the breakdown of faction alliances (Kernell 2000, 449).When James Madison and the other founding fathers met to draft the Constitution, they envisioned a country with political freedom and opportunity for every citizen. They intended for every person, from the wealthy aristocrat to the poor working man, to be represented in Congress. While the word pluralism was not yet used, its foundation is Page 4clear in the Constitution. When James Madison wrote Federalist No. 10, he was not expecting the growth of numerous factions in United States politics (Kernell 2000, 450). He did however, hope that America would be able to avoid tyranny brought by an overwhelming majority. Understanding the potential of America, Madison prophesized that the large geographic area of the United States would contain many diverse interests, creating special interest groups that would hold enough power to inhibit the majority from applying too much pressure to Congress. This early form of pluralism welcomed society’s various interests and endorsed “the idea that those competing interests most affected by a public policy will have the greatest say in what the policy would be” (Kernell 2000, 54). Madison drew the expectation that politicians today would be as politically determined as he and would therefore fight fo...
