Politics Essay

Mr Watts

Politics

Georgina Roberts

Explain, Using examples, the difference between sectional and cause groups in US politics.
There are a wide range of different pressure groups in America they are usually categorised
according to their membership and their aims. Sectional pressure groups are groups that
represent a particular section of Society, for example, employers, workers, or religious groups
and so on. In contrast, cause groups are based on shared values. They seek to advance specific
causes and range from charity activities, poverty reduction, education and the environment.
Sectional pressure groups are concerned to protect the interests of their members.Members of a
sectional group are personally concerned with the outcome of events as they usually gain
economically or professionally. Membership is limited to people in a particular career or
occupation for example a trade union like the AFL-CIO who supports blue collar workers and
Bernie Saunders. In 1984 this group had 18 million members which was about 20% of the work
force, however this has declined due to the lack of effectiveness when it failed to prevent a
federal law that outlawed secondary picketing. The AFL-CIO is weakened by the fact that there
are individual trade unions inside this group who have their own autonomy. Other examples of
sectional pressure groups include the NAACP, The Christian Coalition, the AMA and the NFIB.
On the contrary, Cause pressure groups are open to any one who wants to advance a particular
idealism. They aim to lobby Congress and gain support among society and the political office.
The National Rifle Association is one of Americas most successful Pressure groups, with roughly
5 million members over America. They seek to uphold the constitution and grant people the right
to bear arms as well as to educate people how to safely use a fire arm. The school shootings at
Sandy Hook and Dunblane have sparked great controversy in America about the right...