Where Jews and Judaism Meet the Political Road!
When Power Fades: Interest Group Politics and America’s Jews
Access to power and the ability to influence the political system are never guarantees. Power is illusive and power centers are constantly shifting, as societies change, and political systems evolve.
How might we measure Jewish political influence today within the United States? There are multiple and, at times, competing Jewish advocacy interests. Within the Israel advocacy community, one can identify a variety of players [AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), J Street, AJC (American Jewish Committee), ADL (Anti-Defamation League), ZOA (Zionist Organization of America), IPF (Israel Policy Forum) etc.,] advancing an array of US-Israel positions and policies. Correspondingly, within the tenacles of Jewish advocacy interests, there exist today single-issue organizations (environment, religious educational concerns, food insecurity, etc.,) as well as multi-agenda structures (i.e., Religious Action Center of the URJ and JCPA, Jewish Council for Public Affairs).
A body of literature on “interest group politics” provides some useful insights into the characteristics that define successful organizing initiatives for such entities as organized labor, the business sector, and the gun rights lobby. For interest groups to achieve their political goals, they must produce “deliverables”: to mobilize their constituencies and to turn out voters, to galvanize funders, to shape elite opinions and public support, and to identify opportunities and threats. A core attribute involves community cohesion, where groups can demonstrate clear and consistent leadership messaging and the capacity to act collectively. Interest group politics are dependent upon access to financial, technical, and media resources.
Coalition building involving partnerships with a broad number of constituencies allows such interest group actors to translate their priorities into the public good. “Strategic positioning” suggests that these political players understand the art of timing, the effective use of policy windows, and the necessity of “being present” at critical moments within the decision-making process.
Interest groups, such as the Jewish community, can be highly influential if they are able to “convert” their small numbers of supporters into “high political value” performers. Due to their geographical concentration in key districts and swing states, Jewish organizations can exercise a heightened level of influence. Correspondingly, high donor engagement and significant voter turnout rates lend credibility to their case. The presence of strong institutions and networks of connections offers them the mechanism to mobilize. Jewish groups have operated with a degree of message discipline and exhibit a strategic understanding for effective coalition building. Overall, considering its limited demographic size, the Jewish community has tended to over-perform.
Measuring “Access to Power”:
Political scientists usually look at seven measurable access and influence indicators:
- Regular direct meetings with policymakers
- Representation on advisory councils/committees
- Consultation before legislation/regulation
- Policy outcomes aligning with group preferences
- Placement of allies in government/staff roles
- Ability to block unwanted policies
- Public acknowledgment by officials as key stakeholders
The Bottom Line:
The most politically successful groups are usually not those with the largest population base, but those that can best answer a politician’s core question:
“Why do I need you, and what happens if I ignore you?”
If an interest group believes that it can take down a politician who either dismisses or opposes the group’s core agenda, this capacity provides a litmus test demonstrating its actual influence and political strength.
The Erosion of Power and Influence:
What are the factors that contribute to the weakening or effectiveness of interest groups?
Fragmentation Profile: When there is a perception that a particular interest group’s leadership is divided and weakened and that there are significant ideological and factional divides, political elites elect to abandon support for such group’s agenda.
Political Realignment: Politics is about winning elections and if power players view a group to be expendable or toxic, they will move to realign with other constituencies.
The Usefulness Factor: If political elites no longer view a group’s votes, money or legitimacy as core to their ability to govern and/or win elections, such players are viewed as expendable.
Counter Mobilization: As opposing groups emerge and begin to organize and mobilize, political elites will likely switch to take advantage of such growth opportunities.
Changing Demographics: Political parties realign to take advantage of acquiring new constituencies, while unloading interest groups that are perceived to be losing their voter/political base.
Policy Overreach: When interest groups perceive that they have greater influence and power than they actually possess, such assumptions alienate and distance traditional allies and politicians.
Declining Relevance: If the agenda of a group is seen as no longer primary to the interests of political players, policy makers will focus elsewhere, unloading their former supporters while embracing emerging constituencies.
Case Study: Pro-Israel Advocacy and Jewish Public Policy Organizations
Indeed, in so many ways, the network of organizations and groups that comprise the community, especially around Israel-based organizing, serves as the baseline for studying and measuring interest group politics. By every measure, Israel advocacy, and to a lesser degree Jewish public policy efforts, meet these core criteria:
- Strong organizing systems
- Bipartisan relationship-building
- High donor engagement
- Clear and focused agenda
Some Reflections on Jewish Power and Influence:
At a time of deep political division and partisanship, interest groups in general are less successful in processing their agendas and this appears to be the case for Jewish interest group politics and the pro-Israel community. In light of the growing criticisms and deepening divides around Israel, advocacy for the Jewish State has become increasingly more challenging. Similarly, with the onset of overt antisemitism, Jewish groups are finding it more difficult to attract coalitional partners and to advance their core policy interests.
As noted above, when interest groups lose their advantage and status, their power is correspondingly compromised. The current political environment is producing new challenges to the power position of American Jewry: How has the performance of Jewish interest groups changed over the past several years, and what might this mean for the role of Jews within this society moving forward?