Our chapter on interest groups notes that just about every conceivable interest has an organization. Bloomberg reports on one example that you might not expect: fraternities (h/t BK).
About 40 percent of U.S. senators, and 25 percent of U.S. representatives, belonged to fraternities or sororities in college. On April 24, more than a dozen of these grateful alumni extolled Greek life at an annual $500-a-plate dinner in a Washington hotel ballroom for “FratPAC,” the industry’s political arm.See the Open Secrets entry for FratPAC. and a 2011 Open Secrets blog post.
One by one, they took the podium and praised fraternities for teaching them loyalty, leadership, and practical skills.
“We learned to tap a keg,” declared Representative Steven Palazzo, a Mississippi Republican and Sigma Chi brother, who then yelled a cheer as hundreds of FratPAC donors applauded.
Many of the legislators also pledged support for FratPAC’s pet legislation: a multi-million-dollar tax break to let fraternities and sororities use charitable donations to renovate and help build chapter houses.
