What are the most powerful Special Interests in the USA?

[i4indyguy]

 Notably absent from your list (which was very good) would be AARP.

I would go with...

1)AARP
2) Wall street/financial industry
3) AIPAC
4) NRA
5) Teachers Unions
6) Fossil fuel extraction industry
7) Silicon Valley.

My reasoning for placing AARP, teachers unions, and AIPAC  so highly? There are very few special interests in Washington that do not have an opposite interest fighting against policy. It is also rare to see such an imbalance of voting power, fundraising clout, and public opinion that genuinely scares law makers.

For reasons religious and cultural, the united states has some 'special bond' with Israel. The influence of pro-Israeli policy concerns crosses bipartisan lines (jewish money on the left, Judeo-Cristian values on the right).  What opposes their interests? CAIR? Center for American Islamic relations? Please. 5% as powerful. If that.

I would say that wall street, the NRA, and the Fossil fuel industry have lost clout in recent years, though not because they are any poorer or less organized.  Both bankers (Sen Warren) the NRA (mass shootings) and FF (global climate change) have had to confront the rise of well funded opposition views.

Teachers unions still remain powerful, though only within the dems.
My reason for putting AARP #1 is that they have successfully chopped the entitlement reform agenda of at its knees. There have been absolutely no high profile politicians willing to discuss ANY changes to Medicare or SS without grandfathering in everybody within 15 years of retirement and benefits.   This is a phenominal win, that nobody talks about.  It also means any entitlement reform won't be helpful until it is FAR FAR too late.

[i4indyguy]

 CAIR? Center for American Islamic relations?

Those are the same Group, bro. But, there is a powerful Arab Lobby in the U.S. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/08/24/the-arab-lobby-in-america-alan-dershowitz.html (here's a good article on it.  I wouldn't go as far to say it's more powerful then the Israeli lobby (because it's clearly not...), but the Arab lobby most certainly is a thing.

As I stated the Saudi Lobby is pretty dang powerful, and it's a large chunk of the Arab Lobbying force. And that's the key to understanding the Arab Lobby. Arab-Americans don't really have a strong lobby (they have the Arab American Institute, AAI, but it's  not even close to being super big) but Arab countries do.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar being the three players that are around the most.

Ah, yes. I know. Perhaps i could have used the punctuation better.