there, it is harder for a legislator to pay special attention to any one group. Lawmakers will be less responsive to a single-issue group when they present a problem, but they will run towards them when it is time to get elected. One of the hardest parts of an election is getting your message out to the voters. A candidate has to spend long hours on the campaign trail shaking hands and “kissing babies”. By offering themselves as a sounding board to the special interest groups they can get hope to gain the votes of people who take the groups recommendation on who to vote for. Whether or not they follow up after the election is up to them. During his first term, President Clinton left some of the interest groups that supported him during the election by approving things such as N.A.F.T.A. and welfare reform legislation. Despite this apparent slap in the face, when it came time to get re-elected, he ran back to the groups and told them exactly what they wanted to hear. Sometimes it is hard to point at a legislator and say that they voted a certain way because of their affiliation with a certain special interest. If Jerry Moran accepts money from the National Wheat Growers Association and then votes in favor of cheaper crop insurance for wheat farmers, has he sold out? He is from the first district of Kansas, which has wheat as its main economy. Ideologically he may be in line with the N.W.G.A. so why should he say no to their offer of money.Many groups such the tobacco industry give money to both parties. Some are decidedly sided with a single party: the Democrats and organized labor, the Republicans and the National Rifle Ass.. There is not a group that controls both parties of congress. Even if a group manages to persuade a large number of members in a single party to go along with them, in the age of small majorities it is unlikely that the could accomplish anything substantial. Individual legislators are more likely to cros...
