Posted on 11/11/2010 12:44:34 PM PST by neverdem
When you analyze the impact of conservative and single-issue membership organizations on the 2010 midterm elections, you find that one group’s efforts dwarfed the rest: The National Rifle Association of America.
The NRA spent $20 million on behalf of its candidates — nearly five times more than the combined effort of all other such groups.
In fact, the amount of money the NRA spent to defeat Democrat John Spratt in South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District was more than all the other Second Amendment groups combined.
The group is now well-positioned to protect gun owners’ rights at the state and federal level for the next 10 years.
As of this writing, there are 17 new Republican faces in governors’ offices, 14 of whom received an A rating from the NRA on Second Amendment issues, and two of whom received a B rating.
The most important of these might be Scott Walker in Wisconsin. Wisconsin is a state which might now join the 40 other states that allow their citizens to carry a firearm for personal protection.
It also means that 116 electoral votes that went for President Barack Obama in 2008, will now be hotly contested in 2012.
In the U.S. Senate, seven of the new Republicans are A-rated by the NRA, and one of them has a solid B+ rating. In addition, not a single incumbent senator with an A rating from the NRA lost election. This too would indicate a political tide returning.
Considering there are 100 seats in the Senate, it will take two more election cycles for the tide to completely turn. In addition, only two NRA A-rated senators could be considered at risk in 2012, while 10 Senators with NRA ratings of F, D and C will likely have contentious re-elections...
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
They endorsed a socialist in Maine.
If you want to talk about some other organization, I'm not terribly interested.
They did not endorse Reid.
Seems like it.
Does no good to explain how it all works.
Jeeez... I am a member... did you take that right away from me?
LLS
LLS
Here's what I can't figure out. In the Ohio Governor's race, they gave Ted Strickland an "A+" rating, though his current Lt. Governor sat on the board of Handgun Control, Inc., and his running mate was an admitted anti-gunner. The candidate they worked to defeat, Republican John Kasich, earned a "B" rating, and had a running mate that is openly pro-gun. Yet, the NRA actually spent a large sum of money working to defeat John Kasich. How does that make any sense?
I don’t know why some conservatives care about the NRA. I certainly do not. The NRA is neither conservative or pro-constitutional (except the 2A). All true conservative candidates support gun rights, so that’s all we need to worry about.
It’s a total joke that the NRA touts its great victory during this election cycle when, if the NRA had its way, we would still have a speaker Pelosi. The NRA supported all those Dem blue dogs, and thank God, they mostly lost. Sure they probably supported the Republican over a socialist like Barney Frank, but that was not where the balance of power was. The NRA knows this and their leader Wayne La Puke has been co-opted by the socialists.
“Do you want the NRA to be a political arm of the Republicans?”
No, I want the NRA to admit that they are an arm of the Democrat Party.
Remember when Obama and/or Holder floated a renewed and improved so-called "assault weapons ban"? IIRC, 64 rats wrote Holder to forget about it. IIRC, Pelosi, and maybe Reid, said as much. They were perfectly poised to do a ton of damage to the Second Amendment if they were not beholden to those pro-Second Amendment rats.
This campaign cycle, the NRA has endorsed 61 Democratic and 197 Republican House candidates, as well as 23 GOP and two Democratic Senate candidates.
Ask yourself why didn't all those pubbies in Congress get endorsed by the NRA?
Let’s say your flawed premise is right: that the NRA helped elect Harry Reid (as other posters pointed out, they did NOT endorse Reid).
Ergo (remember, flawed premise and all that), Harry remained victorious over Angle.
The resultant situation: Majority Leader Harry Reid. The alternate situation: Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Even if the flawed premise is correct, the NRA achieved its goal, did it not? Do you think Chuck Schumer (Brady Bill II sponsor, would have registered ALL guns federally) would be remotely friendly to gun rights?
We may have another opportunity to get a Thune Amendment (national CCW) attached to a defense bill, or other pro-gun amendments brought up.
Someone at the PVF needs to read more than the questionaire they send the candidates. Voting records might be a good start.
FU NRA! The NRA supported communist Democrats from coast to coast in 2010. No freedom-loving American should ever give the communist NRA another plugged nickel again.
They wrote a letter of appreciation, basically, not long after Reid helped them get a new range in Nevada, in May or June, IIRC. Endorsements don't go out until October. Do you need links to these facts?
Aside from endorsing at least one Dem with an anti-gun track record, they need to wake up and smell the coffee.
Insurance, health care, environmental issues all affect the RKBA in practice, especially when the health care issue is over state-provided care.
Votes on those issues can affect the RKBA as surely as an attempt to repeal the Second Amendment.
Would love to hear how you (or any other NRA haters) would run a single-issue organization where the objective is to achieve as much clout on your issue as possible.
Voting records? Someone should check out the NRA-PVF site. Earl Pomeroy’s voting record:
Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act — Cosponsored and voted for the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act that prevents attempts to bankrupt the American gun industry through bogus lawsuits
District of Columbia Personal Protection Act — Cosponsored and voted for the Second Amendment Enforcement Act and District of Columbia Personal Protection Act that would repeal the D.C. gun ban/registration statute and restore the right of self-defense to law-abiding residents of our nation’s capital
Heller Case — Signed the pro-gun congressional “friend of the court” brief in the 2008 Heller case supporting the Second Amendment as an individual right and striking down the gun ban in our nation’s capital
McDonald Case — Signed the pro-gun congressional “friend of the court” brief in the McDonald case supporting the position that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right that protects all Americans
Holder Letter — Signed the letter to Attorney General Eric Holder with 64 other House Democrats expressing opposition to the reenactment of the failed 1994 Clinton ban on semi-automatic firearms and ammunition magazines
BATFE Reform — Cosponsored and voted for legislation to force much-needed reform of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE)
Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act — Voted for the Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act that prohibits gun confiscation during states of emergency as happened after Hurricane Katrina
Protecting Gun Owners in Bankruptcy Act — Voted for the Protecting Gun Owners in Bankruptcy Act, which would ensure that a person who filed for bankruptcy would not lose their firearms, thereby maintaining the fundamental right to self-defense
Right-to-Carry in Parks — Voted last year for allowing carry license or permit holders to carry and transport firearms for self-defense in national parks and wildlife refuges
Hunting Heritage — Voted to protect hunting, fishing, trapping and recreational shooting on public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management
Someone at the PVF needs to read more than the questionaire they send the candidates. Voting records might be a good start.
Pomeroy must have redeemed himself since 1994. They know how to keep voting records. IMHO, questionaires are for newbies with blank slates. Gillibrand went from an 'A' rating in the House to an 'F' in the Senate in less than 2 years.
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.