Jim Geraghty of The Campaign Spot has his take on the Holder deal which is pretty similar to mine:
The risk of defeat is high, and the rewards for victory are pretty small. And when you pick your hill to die on, you have to recognize that the consequence of failure is that you die.
Beyond differences on strategy and priorities, Erick’s characterization is irksome. Do Wayne LaPierre, John Sigler, Chris Cox, et al, really seem like the kinds of folks who change their minds because Reid and Leahy told them to? Do you really think that “pressure” from those two is all it takes to get the NRA leadership to change their minds? Come on.
Read the whole thing. Jim isn’t an NRA insider or a real big gun guy, but he knows politics. I’m not just parroting marching orders from Fairfax when I say this crap.
As an erstwhile 3per I’d like to be mad at the NRA too. I’d like to demand that they spend their political capital on defeating Holder.
Except that it won’t matter – Hatch is in, Barr is on board. Any reasonable person knows that the gun issue isn’t going to stop Holder.
That said I’d still like to see the NRA do a little more than just send out a letter. What, I don’t know, but if not grades then SOMETHING. Hopefully at least a big press conferance, if not testimony, stressing how Holders record belies Obamas claim to suport gun rights.
Still, I’m not like MANY of the rest of the 3pers that insist on shooting themselves in the foot in refusal to be members of the NRA. As a life member for 35 years I remember quite wll the “jack-booted thug” ad (I think I have a copy from the newspaper) and applauded that. But I’m not sure it helped the NRA or our cause.
The 3pers and others who, for whatever SILLY reason, refuse to give one more “dime” to the NRA are only hurting themselves, AND the cause.
The NRA is like any other organization – it does what its members want it to. If the 3pers and others who denigrate NRA would become members then maybe they could influence it. But I guess that is too practical.
On another practical note though, I just picked up another AR. I’m not foolish either.
I’d sure as hell like to know where all the “Bush is satan” folks are with regard to Holder’s ass wiping with the 6rg amdt.
Scott, would hunters joining PETA change their anti-hunting stance? Probably not. Why do you think people who disagree with the NRA for selling them out over and over and over and over again would have any impact there either?
The analogy doesn’t work, Tom. PETA wants to completely ban hunting, and all eating of animals. In fact, if PETA had their way, no animal could be used by a human for anything.
I would presume that most threepers, even if they feel NRA gives away too much, don’t believe that NRA is actually introducing legislation to ban gun owns and lock their owners up in jail for nothing more than thinking about the Second Amendment.
Hunters joining PETA would be like threepers joining VPC.
Scott has a point. Only by becoming engaged will threepers have a seat at the table. Throwing rocks at the group when they can search their database to see you’re not a member does you no good.