AIPAC is the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying firm. In 2015 alone, out of the $4,189,000 dedicated to Pro-Israel lobbying, "AIPAC accounted for $3,388,700 of that" (Geier) (over 80%!). This article concerns the political "juice" the lobbying firm. The firm, with an estimated 500 employees, lobbies in advocacy for support of Israel and Israeli- American public relations.
As mentioned in class, the firm offers selective benefits for membership. Clear to set the bar high, their lowest tier of membership, with a $1,800 entrance fee is the washington club, which offers special events featuring "some of America and Israel's most important policymakers" and exclusive "monthly conference calls" and briefings. The highest membership is Minyan, which offers meetings with the Israeli Prime Minister, Bill Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, and more for a price of $100,000. More information can be found here.
Additionally, while the lobby group does advocate for Israeli relations, it was unintended byproducts of its lobbying. Every year AIPAC holds a policy conference, of which almost every influential political figure is in attendance. If a policymaker chooses to not attend, AIPAC can use their influence to donate, or strategically not donate to those policymakers. I would classify the group as a latent group, who uses selective benefits to influence membership and thus influence policy decisions and candidate endorsements.
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