NRA Considers Controversial Endorsement

The National Rifle Association is considering the endorsement of Harry Reid for re-election to the Senate from Nevada. Speculation is that this is a political calculation. Although Reid is vulnerable, his defeat is unlikely to be accompanied by a Republican takeover of the Senate. This would leave the Senate Majority Leader position open. The Democrats would probably install either Chuckie Schumer or Dick Turban, both of whom are on record opposing Second Amendment rights. Reid is currently trailing Republican Sharon Angle by double digits in most polls. Angle was backed by the Tea Party activists in the primary, much to the chagrin of the Republican establishment, who endorsed former State Senator and former party chairperson Sue Lowden.

Many NRA members have already said that they will cancel their membership if the organization endorses Reid. However, my question to those of you who place a priority on Second Amendment rights (slickjay, Luke...) is this:

In an election in which the state of the economy will be the #1 issue, unless any new national security situations arise, will this endorsement matter? Unemployment in Nevada is currently at 14.2% (compare that to 6.3% in Kansas). Las Vegas has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation. Will this endorsement make any difference? Will the number of people who vote for Reid based on this endorsement, if any, outnumber the people who would otherwise not even vote, but will make the effort to vote for Angle right after they cancel their NRA membership?

The NRA will never endorse Reid. That political calculation- simple as it is- will just be too much for your average rank & file NRA member to stomach. They've listened to Rush and Hannity rant and rave about Reid & Pelosi for a couple years now... no way in HELL they're gonna vote for the guy.

That said, unless you exclusively follow Rasmussen polling (and I know you do, EP), this is still a pretty tight race. Times are hard in Nevada particularly... but are people desperate enough to oust an entrenched senator who brings home the 'bacon' (aka Pork) in favor of 'chickens for checkups' Angle? I dunno... kinda doubt it. And the NRA clearly doubts it too, otherwise they wouldn't be considering this implausible scheme.

Bighead wrote:

The NRA will never endorse Reid. That political calculation- simple as it is- will just be too much for your average rank & file NRA member to stomach. They've listened to Rush and Hannity rant and rave about Reid & Pelosi for a couple years now... no way in HELL they're gonna vote for the guy.

That said, unless you exclusively follow Rasmussen polling (and I know you do, EP), this is still a pretty tight race. Times are hard in Nevada particularly... but are people desperate enough to oust an entrenched senator who brings home the 'bacon' (aka Pork) in favor of 'chickens for checkups' Angle? I dunno... kinda doubt it. And the NRA clearly doubts it too, otherwise they wouldn't be considering this implausible scheme.

Has the NRA established its price?

Not sure what you're getting at. The NRA has made it apparent on several occasions that they're willing to cut deals (much to the chagrin of assorted purists). But what 'price' are you talking about?

Bighead wrote:

Not sure what you're getting at. The NRA has made it apparent on several occasions that they're willing to cut deals (much to the chagrin of assorted purists). But what 'price' are you talking about?

Did you read the link? Was $61,000,000 in pork enough to buy the NRA?


U.S. Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. (with scissors), and NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre (to Reid’s right) cut the ribbon to open the Clark County Shooting Park in Nevada. Sen. Reid played an integral part in getting the shooting range opened by securing the land and funding.

No, I didn't see the link. Hadn't heard these details before- I'll have to read up on it.

I have my doubts about the whole thing. Taken at face value (and there's ALWAYS more to the story), this isn't going to go well for the NRA. Particularly in THIS political climate.

The NRA has got away with quite a bit of deal-cutting over the years simply because it's the biggest and most prominent gun lobby around. But with Tea Party Fever sweeping their rank & file... they're ASKING for trouble if they pursue this strategery.

And I hope they come to their senses. The pro-gun-rights lobby is one of the few parts of the Republican Coalition that I still agree with. I'd hate to see them come apart at the seams.

Got to agree with Bighead on how it plays out. NRA will offend membership but will not sway their vote.
Then, since it won't change their vote, perhaps it was a calculated move to make the gun-hating liberals either vote Angle or stay home and not vote.

Justoo wrote:

Then, since it won't change their vote, perhaps it was a calculated move to make the gun-hating liberals either vote Angle or stay home and not vote.

That's some pretty flaking reasoning unless you buy into the Limbaugh/Beck/Hannity caricature of Libruls.

Unlike most folks in Hays, I actually know some honest-to-goodness Birkenstock-wearin', latte-sippin', gun-o-phobe Libruls. And what you suggest is no more likely than your average Tea Bagger voting for Harry Reid. It'll never happen; I don't care WHO the NRA endorses.

If they don't like either candidate they may stay home. Less votes for the dem.

Yes, I reckon staying home is a possibility- but the gun issue isn't nearly as effective at riling the Librul base as it is at riling the Conservative base. I doubt that rank & file Libruls will care much about Reid's association with the NRA- but I'm confident that they'll NEVER vote for 'Chikins 4 Checkups' Angle.

Reid and the NRA are strange bedfellows- and IMO Reid has little to lose here. But the NRA has a lot to lose- particularly now that the Tea Baggers make up a big chunk of their members.

And the debate continues. Do the hopelessly blind masses vote for the guy who lays them on the right side, or the left, (AKA Republican or Democrat) as he buries his huge diseased political member in their posterior.

The lesser of two evils argument is not only as lame as it was 30 years ago, it's being lame is now apparent to almost all. Yet they still hope and support their traitorous parties.

I agree with you, Ratzilla. Problem is that I can't even imply a solution. What we're dealing with here isn't so much about structural problems or even our single-party system. This is just human nature on a large scale.

I would say a whole new party in power of a strict Constitutionalist mindset. Unfortunately nowdays half the country is either deathly afraid of the unknown, or still brainwashed by their party. I know a couple of Tea Party guys, but they aren't really different in that they still lean heavily towards the Republican party as the Great White Hope.

And there lies our problem. Each side is still defiantly blaming the other for all that's wrong instead of looking at the whole story. It's so damn rediculous and whether anyone likes it or not it implies 90% of the US voters are simple minded fools easily taken in. And I'm not saying the public are all stupid. For some reason even pretty intelligent types are just very gullible, and or clinging to the hope that their preferred party will solve everything. Either that, or they are part of the problem. In that respect, I have no simple solution either.

Bighead wrote:

Yes, I reckon staying home is a possibility- but the gun issue isn't nearly as effective at riling the Librul base as it is at riling the Conservative base. I doubt that rank & file Libruls will care much about Reid's association with the NRA- but I'm confident that they'll NEVER vote for 'Chikins 4 Checkups' Angle.

Reid and the NRA are strange bedfellows- and IMO Reid has little to lose here. But the NRA has a lot to lose- particularly now that the Tea Baggers make up a big chunk of their members.

Actually, I think Reid has a pretty good pro-gun rights voting record over his career. Trouble is that he has a miserable record as far as economics goes. He never saw a tax increase that he didn't like. So if Angle is just as pro-Second Amendment as he is, this should be a non-decider.

I take it you aren't too impressed with Angle. I was very much in favor of Danny Tarkanian in the primary, but Angle caught fire with the "red meat" Tea Partiers and rode to the win. But she would definitely be better than Dingy Harry.

And the song remains the same. No discussion of getting the traitorous bastards of the corrupted two party system thrown out and replaced with a new breed. Everyone is accepting that they are gonna get screwed, so they'll just fight over whether it'll be with a red, or a blue condom.

Politics has gone sour because all of you have allowed it. You have been led like mindless drones to believe there can only be two parties in power. And you're all so scared that "throwing away" your vote on someone completely different will let the other party win that every single one of you has really thrown their votes away to the same corrupt system. Our founders would probably say you all deserve what you get.

The facts are simple folks. If "ALL" of you don't send a message to "BOTH" parties in power that we are sick of the shit that "BOTH" parties are responsible for then nothing will change. You run around with your heads up your butt thinking so what if that guy loses something because you don't want that, or you don't like him anyways. Well you all damn well better start thinking about what "your" politician wants to take away from that other guy. because "his" politician is coming after you. And now both parties are hosing all of us on an increasing basis.

They talk big of bipartisan voting and reaching across the aisle, but it seems that our butts are what they are tag teaming.

But once again I'm sure I wasted my time. Because everyone reading this is either owned by republicans or democrats.

Yep. You wasted your time.

Yeah Bighead, I know. But nobody can say I don't try. With the exception of Moran and small local races there hasn't been a republican or democrat that's gotten my vote for some time. I may not be able to fix the mess or change the minds of party loyalists, but I damn well can say I didn't happily bend over for the screwing.