A Warning to Democrats

Dave Kopel points us to a study done by the Independence Institute that showed the NRA can actually influence elections.  I think they are using a limited number of elections here.  You’d have to use more to draw solid conclusions, but it’s interesting, nontheless.  Particularly in the conclusion:

So, does the NRA have any political impact? The answer is yes. This interest group gathers information on gun control and other issues important to the members, disseminates the information to the membership, represents its members to elected officials, reports to the membership the behaviors of elected officials, and helps shape public opinion on some issues. Put another way, the NRA is like a political party, but one that cuts across the current two-party alignment.

I’d like to see copies of this passed out on the Hill to all the Democrats, to inform them, and to serve as a very subtle warning; cross us at your own peril.  Read the whole thing.

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7 thoughts on “A Warning to Democrats”

  1. This needs to be handed out to people on both sides of the isle up there on the hill.

  2. I agree Moose. I singled out the Democrats specifically because they run the show now, and their leadership would love to stick it to us if they could get away with it politically.

  3. I think you need to be a little more thoughtful in how you go about this. A powerful special interest group “threatening” politicians sends all the wrong messages, especially after all the bullshit corruption that’s coming to light more and more. People don’t want to hear about special interest groups practicing extortion right after they just voted out their last corrupt representative/senator for being in the pocket of a special interest.

  4. Well, it’s not really threatning to suggest you are a powerful lobby to a politician. They don’t really pay any attention to you if you can’t help secure or threaten their seat. The possibility of not being elected gets politicians to pay fast attention.

  5. How is a voluntary association of citizens that wants to speak out on an issue a special interest?

    I know I sound like a dirty inside the Beltway political geek when I say this, but lobbyists and special interests are not inherently bad things. Just like a gun can be abused, so can the relationship between a lobbyist or interest group and a Member of Congress.

    Every lobbyist represents someone’s interest. It may not be your interest, but that doesn’t make it evil. If Congress continues to shut itself off from lobbyists and interests groups, does anyone believe they will suddenly give a damn what folks back in their district have to say? Hell no. They’ll only be listening to their own voices and that’s probably a far more dangerous situation than taking a chance that there may be an occasional Member/lobbyist relationship gone bad.

  6. I understand and agree that lobbyists are not INHERENTLY bad. What I mean is, the current feeling among people right now because of certain lobbyists and corrupt representatives makes people think poorly of any lobbyists at all. People want a bad guy, and one of the most powerful lobbies makes a good one to be mad at, especially one that’s for the thing Rosie O’Donnell told them is bad for them. I just think it’s smarter to wait a bit so the American goldfish can forget about all the lobbyist-related things they felt angry about.

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