Pro-gun Democrats win endorsements from NRABy Ben Pershing
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 7, 2010 Not a lot of things have gone the Democrats' way this year, but dozens of their House candidates are getting a late boost from an unusual source: the National Rifle Association.
So far this year, the NRA has endorsed 58 incumbent House Democrats, including more than a dozen in seats that both parties view as critical to winning a majority.
The endorsements aren't the result of a sudden love for a party with which the NRA is often at odds. Rather, the powerful group adheres to what it calls "an incumbent-friendly" policy, which holds that if two candidates are equally supportive of gun rights, the incumbent gets the nod.
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The policy is frustrating Republicans who think the group is hurting its own cause and the party's chances next month.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/06/AR2010100606329.html Friendly Fire: Republicans Fume at NRA's Endorsement of DemocratsOctober 28, 2010 5:45 PMNational Republicans are furious with the National Rifle Association, their natural ally, for endorsing 58 incumbent Democrats who support gun rights. And with Republicans aiming to win control of the House, some are promising retribution for the NRA next year.
“In about a week, the NRA will find themselves on the bad sides of a few dozen new Republican members of congress. They have put their credibility – and also that of their members – on the line for the sake of ingratiating themselves with a bunch of liberal Democrats who are about to lose, and lose badly,” said one senior GOP operative who requested anonymity to speak freely.
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The NRA has already gotten a fair amount of flak from conservatives this year. First, the organization worked with Democrats to carve out an exclusion in campaign finance legislation Democrats were pushing. The legislation ultimately died in the Senate, but the NRA’s endorsement made Republican’s party line against it more difficult in the House.
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An NRA endorsement is still extremely important in much if not most of the country. It might be the single most important endorsement a candidate can get. But the NRA’s willingness to endorse outside the Republican party might be why its endorsement still carries so much weight. It is not a strictly partisan organization. emphasis added http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2010/10/democrats-with-nra-endorsements-have-republicans-fuming-getting-creative.html And just how frustrated were Republicans at the NRA? Here's an example. The NRA is Helping Preserve the Anti Gun Democrat MajorityBelieve it or not, the only ones who might help Nancy Pelosi save her House majority are those who run legislative affairs at the NRA. So called Blue Dog Democrats across the nation are campaigning as red meat conservatives in their home districts, while running deceptive ads about their Republican opponents. They campaign as if they have nothing to do with the Democrat Party that they propelled to power and which passed all of the nefarious legislation that they purport to oppose. The sick irony is that the more successful these liars are in distancing themselves from Pelosi, the more likely it will be that Pelosi will remain Speaker. Here is my previous report on the need to expose the blue dogs. Also, check out the Club for Growth’s excellent report on the lie of the conservative Democrat.
Fortunately, as long as the conservative rhetoric is coming from the Democrat candidates themselves, the voters aren’t buying it. However, when the NRA parachutes in and endorses that Democrat for reelection over their 2nd amendment champion Republican opponents, people might give credence to their claims of being born again conservatives. The sad thing is that the NRA is endorsing Democrats in the very districts that we must win in order to obtain 39 seats.
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The NRA political hacks keep repeating ad nauseum that they endorse pro second amendment candidates, not conservative ones. But here is the problem. They are endorsing those who belong to a party that is anti gun at its core, and who are only pandering to the gun lobby to get elected in their right leaning districts. Worse yet, they are endorsing these frauds over staunch pro gun legislators like Andy Harris (MD-1) and Kristi Noem (SD-At Large). They make it seem as if they are endorsing pro gun Democrats over anti gun Republicans!
Do they not see through the election year pandering of the blue dogs? Are they unaware of their Republican challengers, many of them having stellar pro gun records in state legislatures? Can they really say with a straight face that dingy Harry is just as pro gun as Sharon Angle? Do they understand that even if the blue dog is sincerely pro gun, it is totally worthless because he will be preserving the anti gun majority who control the leadership positions, chairmanships, and Rules Committee? Surely, these veteran politicos are aware of the political dynamic of the 2010 elections and the legislative process. They simply care about their own self preservation and political clout on the Hill, even at the expense of the second amendment.
http://www.redstate.com/dhorowitz3/2010/10/05/the-nra-is-helping-preserve-the-anti-gun-democrat-majority/
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