interest groups

Interest Groups As Americans devote less and less time to an active participation in politics, they are increasing their participation in interest groups. As a result politicians are losing touch with the constituents that they represent. To the modern politician, the special interest and “the people” have become objectively indistinguishable. It is natural for people of like minds to want to form an interest group, and with the proliferation of hyperpluralism Americans are finding that …

…a way to live with them. Madison stated in federalist 10 that there were two ways to get rid of interest groups that he called “factions”: “one, by removing its causes; the other by controlling its effects.” Madison and the founders thought that removing the factions was “a remedy that is worse than the disease.” “The latent causes of faction are thus sown in the nature of man.” In other words; learn to live with them.