Pac’s: Political Action Committees

Pac’s: Political Action Committees Take notes on a separate piece of paper, paying close attention to Titles and words in BOLD

Special Interest Groups Special Interest Groups work together (often times helping a candidate get elected) with similar interest in mind Sometimes its just one issue (A single interest group) Like NRA OR PETA Sometimes it is broader like the American Medical Association

Lobbying These interest groups work to convince members of the House or Senate to vote for the bills they like (or help them ) and to turn bills they don’t like (or hurt them ) A person who advocates (fights) for special interest groups are called Lobbyist For example PETA would LOBBY for a bill that supported harsh punishments for animal cruelty

PAC’s Group promoting own interest politically: a group that seeks to advance its interest by raising money to contribute to a political candidate or campaign. Limited to $5,000 per PAC but does not include advertising.

527 527: a tax exempt PAC: They have same objective as PAC’s but due to a code in the IRS code, they do not have to register with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) Example of a non-527: Tobacco company or a drug rep Example of 527: PETA,

What can a 527 do? They can pay for “issue ads” that might attack a candidate position on an issue Example: During the republican primary campaign one 527 attacked Sen. John McCain’s environmental record..the group supported George W. Bush

Restriction of a 527 They can’t directly advocate (support) the election or defeat of a federal candidate

$$$PAC$$$$ Soft Money: Money donated to the entire political party Hard Money: Money donated to a specific candidate

Question How can PACS affect an election? Do you think PACS should be able to continue to donate up $5,000 to their cause (good or bad)?

Quiz What is a PAC??

Quiz What is a 527??

Quiz How much money do PACS give out?

Quiz What is excluded from the amount of money?

Pac’s: Political Action Committees