A Citizen's Guide to Politics in America: How the System Works and How to Work the System |
Contents
3 | |
4 | |
Citizen Perot and the Contract with America | 6 |
Its the Issue Stupid | 7 |
Harry and Louise | 8 |
Vote Yes on Proposition 144 | 10 |
Everything Is on the Table | 11 |
The Anatomy of an Issue Campaign | 13 |
A Day in the Life of a Lobbyist | 151 |
Information and Lobbying | 158 |
Lobbying the Legislature | 160 |
Yes Even the President | 168 |
Influencing Corporate and Institutional Behavior | 174 |
Money Politics and Lobbying | 180 |
Grassroots Mobilization | 182 |
Identifying the Grassroots in Your Own Backyard | 186 |
The Life Cycle of an Issue | 18 |
Issue Dynamics | 21 |
Issues and Interest Groups | 26 |
The InterestGroup Explosion | 28 |
Why Members Join Interest Groups | 30 |
How Interest Groups Influence Policy | 36 |
Targets of Opportunity Issue Arenas | 43 |
Places to Go and People to Persuade | 44 |
Our Uneasy Federal System | 48 |
Implementing the Law | 57 |
Taking the Policy Initiative | 61 |
Understanding and Influencing Public Opinion | 65 |
Taking the Publics Pulse | 67 |
Exploring the Territory | 72 |
Following the Leader? | 79 |
Information and Persuasion | 81 |
Using Creativity and Imagination to Communicate Information | 89 |
Sources and Reliability of Information | 94 |
Buying Science | 96 |
Striking a Balance Between Costs and Benefits | 98 |
Media Advocacy | 103 |
Shaping the News Coverage | 108 |
Buying the Medias Attention | 119 |
Developing a Media Message | 124 |
Finding Strength in Numbers Building and Managing Coalitions | 131 |
Issue Coalitions | 132 |
Why Organizations Join Coalitions | 137 |
Membership | 138 |
The Power of Unlikely Alliances | 140 |
Governance | 142 |
Persuading Decision Makers | 149 |
Mobilizing Your Grassroots | 188 |
Mobilizing the Grass Tops | 194 |
Marketing the Issue to the Public | 195 |
Potemkin Interest Groups | 205 |
Philanthropy and Grassroots | 210 |
Issue Advocacy and the Internet | 213 |
Internet Tools of the Issue Advocates Trade | 214 |
Websites | 217 |
Grassroots Mobilization | 222 |
Flash Campaigns | 223 |
Learning from Landmines | 225 |
ELobbying | 227 |
Keys to Effective Internet Advocacy | 229 |
Initiatives and Referenda The Public Takes Charge | 233 |
What Goes Around Comes Around | 235 |
The Initiative Process | 236 |
Winning While Losing | 242 |
Even the Public Doesnt Have All the Answers | 243 |
Putting It All Together Guns in America | 248 |
Gun Control Is Contested in Every Possible Forum | 258 |
Influencing Congress | 264 |
Public Opinion and the Future of Gun Control | 267 |
Issues and Advocacy Strategies for the TwentyFirst Century | 269 |
Peering into the Future | 270 |
Issues for the Next Century | 272 |
Emerging Advocacy Strategies | 280 |
The Search for Lasting Solutions | 284 |
Notes | 299 |
Bibliography | 319 |
325 | |
Common terms and phrases
action administrative agencies agenda American benefits bill California chapter cigarette citizens Clinton coalition concerns Congress congressional constituents consumer Contract with America corporate costs courts coverage crime debate decision makers democracy Direct Democracy e-mail effective effort elected environmental focus groups funded global warming goals grassroots grassroots mobilization gun control gun manufacturers gun violence handgun Harry and Louise health-care reform homeless identify individuals influence public interest groups Internet issue advertisements issue advocacy issue advocates issue campaign join laws lawsuits leaders legislators lobbying lobbyists ment National opponents oppose organizations persuade Philip Morris political polls positions potential President pro-gun problems programs proposal public interest public opinion public policy public policymaking public support regulation represent requires seek Shooting Sports solutions stories strategies studies targeted taxes television tion tobacco companies tort reform vote voters Washington Post welfare York