Agenda Setting and Lobbying

Agenda Setting and Lobbying
Discussion 1: "Agenda Setting" Please respond to the following:
•	Analyze the U.S. political system of agenda setting from this week’s reading. Give your opinion of the main techniques that the two (2) major political ideologies use in order to ensure that their depiction of an issue remains in the forefront of a policy debate. Provide a rationale for your response.
•	From the first e-Activity, utilizing the pluralism or elite theory, infer the degree to which the current economic status of the average American household is progressing or regressing. Provide justification for your response.
Discussion 2: "Lobbying" Please respond to the following:
•	Suggest the primary strategies that interest groups use in order to amass resources and gain power in an effort to create political pressure for policy change. Support your response with at least two (2) examples that illustrate the potential impact that the influence of interest groups exerts upon policy change.
•	From the second e-Activity and weekly reading, compare the trend analyses from both time frames, and give your opinion on surges of public attention between the two (2). Provide support for your rationale.