Multi-Issue, Internet-Mediated Interest Organizations and their Implications for US Politics: A Case of MoveOn.org

Abstract

The dramatic rise of advocacy groups in US politics over the last three decades now provides alternative modes of interest aggregation and articulation to citizens. One of the most influential advocacy groups in recent elections has been MoveOn.org, which has embraced both disruptive and institutional politics (and vacillating support for the Democratic Party). This manuscript suggests that MoveOn's organizational model and mobilizing tactics call for new theorization of Internet-mediated independent political groups and their affect on US politics and collective behavior. It examines the variables related to MoveOn's posturing and choice of activities across divergent tactical repertoires, and adds to the extant literature on the blurring tactics between contentious and institutional politics by addressing the complexities of groups that fit neither into the category of social movement organization nor into interest group, but rather focus on multiple-issue agendas.

Keywords:

• e-Activism
• political advocacy groups
• multi-issue agendas