Posted on 04/09/2015 8:58:58 PM PDT by Plummz
The NRA’s annual convention is coming up. They invited possible/announced 2016 candidates Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Scott Walker, and Jeb Bush. Two people they didn’t invite: Chris Christie and Rand Paul.
It is not surprising that the New Jersey moderate was not invited. But the lack of an invitation for Paul stands out. The Daily Beast reports that Paul did request an invitation to the convention, but was denied: However, a source with knowledge of Paul’s dealings with the NRA said the claim that he did not request an invitation to the convention was “not true.” Further, the source said, “Is that really how invitations work?” Paul has an A-rating from the NRA, but the objective grading of his gun-rights credentials has little to do with the politics of the pro-gun lobby, wherein his involvement with extremist groups tied to his father, former congressman and libertarian-icon Ron Paul, has not won him many friends. “Sometimes the NRA doesn’t like it when people are bigger defenders of the issue than they are,” the source suggested. “They also don’t like it that he helps other, stronger groups like the Gun Owners of America and the National Association for Gun Rights.” The Pauls have long been associated with Gun Owners of America. On the top right of their website, they have a Ron Paul quote emblazoned: “The only no-compromise gun lobby in Washington.” The same is true for the National Association for Gun Rights. Rand Paul has long authored fundraising pleas for the organization. The Wall Street Journal talked to the head of the NAGR, Dudley Brown, about the matter: NAGR President Dudley Brown said Wednesday that Mr. Paul is the only current or likely 2016 candidate affiliated with his organization. Mr. Paul remains a NAGR member, Mr. Brown said, but added that it is unclear if NAGR will continue to use Mr. Paul’s name in fundraising appeals now that he has officially launched a presidential campaign. The Kentucky senator, Mr. Brown said, is an excellent fundraiser for NAGR. “It was no secret that Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is more pro-gun than the NRA,” Mr. Brown said. Mr. Brown slammed the NRA as a tool of the Washington insiders Mr. Paul has focused his campaign on opposing. “I’ve been a gun lobbyist for 22 years and there’s never been a point at which we did not have tension,” he said. “We’re younger, we’re hungrier and we care less about the cocktail parties in Washington, D.C.” Whose fault is it that GOA and the NAGR are more principled than the NRA? The NRA has a long history of compromising on the Second Amendment. The NRA also has a history of supporting establishment candidates over conservatives in the primaries. It’s well known that NRA has endorsed Democrats such as Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Ted Strickland. Rand Paul has never attacked the NRA, and the NRA should get over itself. If it wasn’t for the NRA’s own decision making, there would be no need or demand for other, more principled gun rights groups. The idea that the NRA would attack someone for being more principled in defense of the Second Amendment, is, as Rand Paul told Dave Weigel, “petty.” “The interesting thing is that there’s probably no greater advocate for the Second Amendment in Congress than myself,” Paul said today. “To not be invited, probably, will serve more to cast aspersions on their group than it would on me. Because my record’s pretty clear. It probably looks a little bit petty for them not to invite a major candidate because I raised money for other Second Amendment groups.”
“Just like how can the Rand Paul supporters explain what Rand Paul meant by saying: that laws that dispportitionately incarcerates blacks most be repealed...Yeah, laws that suppositely discriminates against blacks because more of them are incarcerated than whites must be repealed, that’s St. Rand Paul’s idea.”
That is a GREAT POINT. We very often get gun laws because of out of control street crime. By Rand wanting to EMPTY OUR JAILS, we will, of course, have a return to that life. And then guess what - people will be SCREAMING for politicians to “DO SOMETHING”, and with President’s Paul’s prison-quota policies, the only thing left is collecting guns.
Sorry, but GOA and the others are just another faction of the pro-Second Amendment groups, who are posturing for your money. It matters little if they are inside or outside the NRA....they just want the money.
If you people can't see that, and would rather tear each other apart, then consider yourself useful tools of the left.
Notice that this article has no quotes from the NRA?
It is quotes from other groups, painting the NRA as some liberal organization.
Really?!
Sorry, but this is typical liberal journalistic divide and conquer.....and many FReepers are too stupid to see it.
The NRA got a boost when Heston was there. Since his departure, they have become a bit more “moderate”. It’s a shame, I grew up in a NRA family.
—exactly—the NRA has to work in the real world of Washington, DC, —the GOA alone couldn’t elect a dogcatcher and the JFPO , while a great organization couldn’t even get a return phone call from any of the Jewish members of Congress-—
Dudley Brown has a history of bashing the NRA.
Take what he says with a good dose of salt
I took a brief look at Ferguson’s city income from fines and court fees versus that of some other suburban cities in a major metro area. Their income on a by population basis seemed out of whack to me.
This is a subject that probably deserves a better look than it gets. It would require a numerate investigative journalist, which is almost like wishing for a unicorn.
Considering their past support of Gun control. Maybe that should be overlooked? No thanks.
Keep eating your own, dolt. You swallow whatever the liberals spew out and happily come here to tear our side apart.
Meanwhile the liberals laugh at your stupidity.
You have my sympathy. You have been played for years. You have supported your own prison.
I like Paul but he says some really stupid things from time to time. Cruz rarely jumps the shark. lol. Go Cruz!
Meanwhile, you are happy to attack those on your side, doing the work of those you profess to hate.
Brilliant
Maybe I can educate you.
If you are fighting a war, not all your soldiers are equals. Not all are great fighters or totally support the mission.
That does not mean you shoot the weak ones before heading out on a mission.
Real leaders know how to use everyone on the team to advance the agenda....even those who are not perfect.
Then set the example. Monopolistic forms do not always last. The reason various guns of gun freedom have sprung up has been because of the NRA compromises of the past and support of 'liberal' persons.
Right.
These groups did not spring up after seeing the money that the NRA could raise on this issue.
Keep believing what you want.
I never put GOA down.....just that they want some of the money that goes to the NRA.
We just disagree on the issues. You will continue to attack groups like the GOA and JPFO, and I will attack the NRA for supporting Gun control.
I believe the NRA does some good work. There are things I like about it. There just seems to be something lacking.
When the Left wants something they leave no stone unturned. They are ravenous in their appetite to attain what they want.
I have never felt that way about the NRA. They do some things I like. They leave a lot on the table from my perspective.
Maybe it’s because they have to choose their battles since they don’t have unlimited resources. I don’t know. I just know there seems to be less fervor than I would like to see.
Thanks for your comments. I lean your direction on the NRA.
As for Rand, there are things I like about him and his father. I couldn’t vote for either of them based on the rest of their beliefs.
I agreed to join because I wanted to support a gun rights cause and I wasn’t aware of other groups at the time.
I agreed with one proviso. “Don’t send me the free stuff. Spend that money on the cause.”
My membership packet came. So did the freebee I expressly asked them to skip.
Then I received mailers frequently. It caused me to come to a conclusion similar to yours. They spend too much on junk mailers I could care less about.
If they want to send a quarterly update, fine. It was far more than than type of thing.
I like the NRA (have their credit card) but 5 his is absolutely stupid beyond measure. Not supporting someone because they also support the GOA?
WAKE THE HELL UP NRA!
That is exactly what I think, too.
I’m getting sick and tired of nodding my head and saying, “What he said..”, trailing your comments!! LOL!!
Conservatives, however, better get use to the Rand Paul weight in this race, whether they like it or not. He inherited a machine that is ready to be aggressive, if he doesn’t lose them, and he has every chance to appeal to moderates and Independents who are very interested in Rand Paul, including his quirks, his attitude, (toward both parties), and his hands off foreign policy.
Seems to me that a lot of conservatives are backing away from the damn neo-cons. I’m one. (Too many constrictions on our soldiers in theater.) So, he isn’t scaring the beejeebies out of me if our sons have to go. I like that the Arabs get to lay some human coin in the game, instead of sitting around grooming their turban, stroking their beard, watching us take the shells.
I’m about Cruz, but I dread us eating our own again, including Paul. Well,...I don’t really mind giving Jeb Bush the heave ho. :)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.