ABSTRACT
The pluralist nature of American politics means every group and every interest has an equal right to pester, cajole, plead, and bargain with the government— just as they all have an equal right to make their views known to the public. Alexis de Tocqueville, a French aristocrat and political thinker, noted in the early nineteenth century that Americans exercise the right to form associations more often than their counterparts in other nations. Even today, Americans are still joiners. The government responds less to the will of the people than to the people who are involved in the process; motivated and well-organized groups can be more effectively involved than individuals or less well-organized interests. The American political system is characterized by a variety of interest groups battling for government action and public support and employing a number of different techniques to achieve their goals.
