'Advocacy groups in the United States promote democracy and expand opportunity.' DiscussionThe main functions of pressure groups are to represent, offer opportunities for participation and provide further control over government, so democracy promotion is in their nature. Although in the United States their functions may actually limit opportunities by promoting elites, thanks to the great influence of selected groups through the use of professional lobbyists; the excessive power of those in the iron triangles and the corrupt avoidance of regulatory legislation. Therefore, despite the representation of minorities, the promotion of mass participation and the protection of citizens' constitutional rights, they fail to produce an overall democratic effect. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayIt can be argued that pressure groups promote democracy because they provide citizens with the opportunity to participate in the political process. AARP, a major U.S. advocacy group that promotes the goals of older adults, has 38 million members. By joining the AARP, 38 million people have been involved in the political process by supporting a group, as the representative body has such a significant number of people to suggest that the group has expanded opportunities for involvement broadly and represents the views of a wide range of people. However, it cannot be assumed that members joined to participate in politics and take active measures to support the group or that they joined simply for material benefits of pressure groups, such as discounts on pharmaceuticals, although membership a pressure group may have argued that it counted as participation. Thus, suggesting that pressure groups broaden opportunities and promote democracy. Furthermore, pressure groups promoted the rights of smaller groups in society, expanding opportunities for social and political groups that would otherwise not have been represented by “umbrella parties”. The ACLU promotes the rights of various groups and has successfully defended gay and lesbian rights through Supreme Court cases in recent years, such as 2015's Oberfell v Hodges. This is further supported by the fact that they took on the case of President Trumps Muslim Travel Ban 2017, the case illustrates the lack of representation of minority groups by major political parties as the Republican president passed an executive order that discriminated against people from Muslim-majority countries, as the case was taken up by The group's ACLU has expanded representation to cover the minority group. This shows that pressure groups promote the democratic function of politics in the United States. It can be argued that by promoting minority rights, pressure groups are restricting the influence of majorities, which limits the extent to which pressure groups can be argued to broaden opportunities. Furthermore, it can be argued that pressure groups protect democracy through their defense of constitutional law. rights. The NRA was formed to defend the American public's 2nd Amendment right to bare arms. The group has protected rights by blocking future gun legislation proposed by President Obama in 2013. By defending the Bill of Rights the advocacy groups are ensuring that the federal government does not become tyrannical or act in an unconstitutional manner, even if some oppose it overall. groups that defend the constitution tend to succeed..