Interest Groups- Blog Post #2

For the second addition of my "Deconstructing Politics in America" blog, I will be touching on Interest Groups: Groups of people with a common following, motivation, or interest, that set out to change public policy regarding this interest.

The two interest groups that I chose to research are both involved in Healthcare. From the Liberal standpoint, I researched the American Medical Association PAC, and from the Conservative side, I looked into Americans for Prosperity.

American Medical Association PAC

The main goal of this association is to have elected representatives that support doctors and their patients, and are willing to bring the issue to Congress. By having someone who is passionate about healthcare in office, they will gain the support of doctors and medical workers. A subgoal presented by AMPAC is to involve medical professionals more directly in politics and reform by holding seminars

The artifacts presented on the “Multimedia” section of the website include: Political campaign ads, videos, and photos.

Link to Photo Album: http://www.ampaconline.org/multimedia/album-1-2/

This photo album contains images the events put on by AMPAC. Specifically, it shows: the meeting of active members, educational seminars, and getting involved in government policy, which are some of their notable achievements.

This artifact is presented on the website to show potential supporters how they are carrying out their mission statement. In the mission statement, they talk about providing educational opportunities to physicians, which is shown in the section of the album labeled, “Political Education.” The ultimate goal of this organization is to get Congress members in office that will support them. Their political action is shown under “Political Involvement.” The sections of the photo album are definitely targeted towards showing people that this is a serious association that is reliable and a good cause.

This artifact is limited because most of the pictures are not from recent years, so it is hard to track the progress that is currently being made. This could present an issue, because people that are interested in joining now may not have a good idea of what it is like currently. The pictures they use are part of the rhetoric used to appeal to people, showing them that they are caring, friendly, and inclusive to those who want to support them.

Americans for Prosperity

The goal of this group is less targeted towards improving care, and more about the economy and tax reform used to control the amount of money going towards healthcare. They also want to repeal Obamacare, because they believe it causes more economic burden than civilian benefit. Ideally, they want Trump to replace Obamacare with a different healthcare system that would lower taxes paid.

The AFP website contains articles about tax reform and repealing Obamacare to influence readers towards their cause. They also have videos from political conventions and news clips that praise their efforts and show their progress.

Link to Video: https://americansforprosperity.org/afp-fox-news/

This artifact is described as a “Hit” in the “Hits and Misses” series presented on this news channel. They are shown as taking a step forward for their cause by voting for more Republicans. This gives viewers the impression that AFP is dedicated to their cause, which could possibly get them more funding. The newscaster also describes the members as “Honest to their promises of smaller government.”  This shows that they are supported by their local government, and that the members want to increase state power, which appeals to many conservative states.

This artifact is biased because it was presented in the local area of the AFP in Florida, meaning that the newscasters would obviously be in support of their actions. They do not address anywhere on their website how Obamacare has benefitted them, and instead focus only on the economic disadvantage. This limitation could harm their amount of support, because they do not address reforming healthcare to help people more, which may not interest people who want better healthcare for themselves, and who care less about money.

While both interest groups are focused on getting representatives into Congress that will support their rights, the AMPAC wants to spread education to their members, while the PFA is more concerned with economic benefit. Having supporters in Congress is one of the main goals for both group, because it is beneficial regardless of political affiliation.  By having representatives to pass laws in their favor, interests groups would be able to fulfill their mission statements, and possibly get funding, which is a large incentive. However, the laws that the AMPAC would want to pass differ from those of the PFA, because they are more involved with informing physician’s and getting them involved in government. They focus heavily on spreading political education, because by being informed, the members would be able to be proactive with matters concerning their mission statement. In contrast, the PFA is more interested in influencing the economy, instead of influencing the people in their interest group. This group focuses on the big picture of the economy, and depends on the individuals in their party to contribute to their efforts to change it, but with less focus on educating them how to do so.

Americans For Prosperity rallying against extensive taxing, one of their key points of interest.


AMPAC hosting an educational seminar to spread awareness to physicians.