All of what has just been said is not meant to suggest that interest groups are above reproach. On the contrary, they can be, and often are, criticized on several counts. The potential "bad" side of interest groups is sometimes all too apparent. Many of them push their own special interest which, depite their claims to the contrary, are not always in the best interest of other Americans. Their critics often make these specific charges:

1.Some interest groups have an influence far out of proportion to their size, or, for that matter, to the public good. Thus, the contest over"who gets what, when, and how" is always a fair fight.

2.It is sometimes hard to tell just who or how many people a group really represents. Many groups have titles that suggests that they have thousands-even millions-of dedicated members. Some organizations that call themselzes such things as "The American Citizens Committee for..."

3.Many groups do not in fact represent the views of all of the people for whom they claim to speak. Very often, both in and out of politics, an organization is dominated by an active minority who conduct the group's affairs and make its policy decisions.

4.Finally, some groups use tactics that, if they were to become widespread, would undermine the whole political system. These practicws include bribery and other heavey-handed uses of money, overt threats of revenge, and so on.

What are interest groups?|It's role|Good or Bad?|Types of groups|Criticisms