I'm just back from doing eight campaign stops in Ohiofor Obama over the past couple days. I want to get out my thoughts on the decision by the NRA to officially endorse John McCain. They're playing pure partisan politics with this decision. Based on the NRA's own standards, McCain doesn't deserve the endorsement.
But, today, the National Rifle Association demonstrated once again that it is a partisan political entity, not a organization committed to the best interests of gun owners.
In 2001, the NRA’s magazine, America’s First Freedom (no link), said that John McCain was "one of the premier flag carriers for the enemies of the Second Amendment." That came after McCain introduced federal legislation on gun show background checks, which came after McCain’s appearances in television ads support referenda in Colorado and Oregon to require backgrounds checks at gun shows.
The NRA vehemently opposed those measures, which were passed by voters. This is the McCain ad from Oregon:
The ad from Colorado is here. McCain knew that the NRA was fighting these measures and rubbed his support right in the faces of the NRA leadership.
There's a pattern of the NRA endorsing Republicans even when those Republicans don't support the NRA's agenda. In 2004 the NRA endorsed George Bush despite his long-standing support for renewal of the federal assault weapons ban., a measure also vehemently opposed by the NRA. In fact, John McCain voted for the renewal of the assault weapons ban in 2004, when he supported S. 1805, which included an amendment on assault weapons.
This history is important. It’s hard to imagine any Democrat getting a similar pass from the NRA. In fact, the NRA has been going over Barack Obama’s state senate record with a microscope to find any bad vote. Meanwhile, Obama has repeatedly expressed support for the Second Amendment and has even supported a key NRA bill, the Vitter amendment, in the U.S. Senate.
But, the NRA’s long memory on Obama is contradicted by its lack of honest scrutiny of John McCain and his record. The GOP nominee mocked the NRA to its face by appearing in those t.v. ads in 2000 and serving as the lead sponsor for gun show legislation. The NRA is holding Obama accountable for votes taken 10 years ago, but giving McCain a pass for his actions within the past 8 years.
But, the leaders of the NRA always put their own political interests first. They’re willing to spend the millions of dollars of their members’ money to fight Obama when McCain has led the charge against the organization. The NRA is spending those millions to deceive its members and other gun owners. Three independent sources-- FactCheck.org, CNNand the Washington Post, have found the NRA’s ads misleading and false.
And, the truth is that NRA has been selling out hunters on conservation interests for years. The organization that I head, the American Hunters and Shooters Association, put out a comprehensive report showing that the NRA has support Members of Congress with the worst conservation records (Read the report at: www.realhuntersrealconservation.org) Our report showed that the NRA has stood with George Bush, John McCain, and the corporate lobbyists instead of standing up for hunters and shooters' interest in protecting our forests and public lands.
Today’s action by the NRA wasn’t unexpected. It just confirms that Wayne LaPierre has made that once great institution nothing but a pawn of the right wing conservative politicians.