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Turning the Lights On #2: Tim Walz & Nancy Pelosi’s NRA Endorsements

Being half-free is being half-dead. It is unsustainable. Eventually death wins.

By: LaborUnionReport (Diary)  |  October 11th, 2010 at 02:30 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

By now, you’ve probably heard that the NRA has endorsed Nancy Pelosi*

[*Okay, so the NRA hasn't officially endorsed Pelosi, but it's leaders seem just fine with signing a Devil's Pact with her.]

Having been a NRA member off and on for many years, like many, I too was a believer that the venerable gun-rights group was a firm defender in America’s Bill of Rights—all ten of them. At least that’s what I believed until recently. As it turns out, though, save the 2nd Amendment, the NRA no longer seems to care about the rest of the Bill of Rights at all.

Especially troubling about today’s NRA is that fact that the organization has endorsed so many big-government Democrats in so many races, that gun owners might actually still take the NRA’s endorsement seriously.  This is especially the case when the NRA endorses certain Democrats who, like Nancy Pelosi, would just as soon use the Constitution as a piece of Charmin, as opposed to the guiding principles to which our nation should be governed.

Here’s a case in point:

Tim Walz, a member of the Democratic Farm-Labor Party, is finishing his second term as a Congressman in Minnesota.  It should be his last term.

Although Walz has gotten an endorsement from the NRA because of his “A” rating, his opponent Randy Demmer is also “A” rated by the NRA.  Therefore, but for the NRA’s foolhardy “pro-incumbent” policy, the NRA’s endorsement is useless and, in fact, it’s further evidence that Charlton Heston’s NRA (at least under its current leadership) is now only an empty shell casing.

Since his 2006 election, Walz has proven himself to be nothing more than a minion of Nancy Pelosi and the NEA/AFL-CIO/SEIU triumverant—another socialist progressive stooge out to give gifts to his union bosses. In four short years, his donor sheet looks like the who’s who of union contributors, he’s taken in over $687,000 by Big Labor and another $400,000 from lawyers.  And their money to Walz has paid off.

In the three years he’s been in Washington, Walz has voted to:

  • Effectively eliminate workers’ right to choose union representation through a secret-ballot (EFCA)
  • Give the government the ability to mandate union contracts on workers and employers (EFCA)
  • Federalize states’ labor relations for public safety personnel
  • Give away $825 billion on Obama’s failed stimulus
  • Enact the economy-killing cap & trade
  • Give unions access to board rooms of publicly-held corporations
  • Eviscerate the First Amendment (DISCLOSE)
  • Nationalize America’s health care through ObamaCare

Having only been in Congress since 2007, Walz appears to be the quintessential big-government, big-spending, union-bought politician, that Americans have become tired of.

While I don’t know enough about the Gun Owners of America yet, it is interesting to note that (contrary to the more liberal-leaning NRA) the GOA has given Tim Walz a “D” rating.  Perhaps the GOA is looking at the other nine Amendments to the Constitution and realizes that a politician who is good on one Amendment, but despises freedom in so many other ways, isn’t all that he portrays himself to be?

On the other hand, Walz’ opponent, Randy Demmer seems to understand that America is at a cross-roads. The choice is clear.


As RedState’s own Luke Matthews pointed out a couple of weeks ago:

The people of the First District are, for the most part, regular Americans who like to do business with an honest face, like to hunt, fish, own a business, and go to church.  They don’t like sophisticated nitpickers who attempt to hornswoggle with a few well-selected words.  They want truth, honesty, integrity, and most of all jobs.

They got none of that.  I think they might take it out on someone.  I think that might be Tim Walz.

Can’t say for sure.  We will have to see the polls on that probably cold November night.  It will be a night when people from Luverne, Windom, Trimont, Albert Lea, Waseca, and Blue Earth go to the polls and decide if they can trust someone like Pelosi’s man, Tim Walz, or a new face by the name of Randy Demmer.  They will have to decide if it is worth the risk, or if it needs to be done.  We will see.  But if the evidence so far has any credibility whatsoever, Tim Walz will be packing his bags and applying for a lobbyist job with the National Education Association and Randy Demmer will be leaving his farm and flying to Washington.

To help Randy Demmer beat Nancy Pelosi Tim Walz, go here.

__________________

“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.”Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

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  • Doc Holliday

    However, we have three weeks before the election. I hope we are going to focus on ground games and the slurs the left are throwing at our candidates as I type this. Go over to Daily Kos and see what they are doing, they are not bashing Obama anymore, they are trying to smear Republicans.

    It is correct to point out that the GOA supports certain Republicans the NRA does not. It is very correct to point out all these so called pro 2A Dems will vote for Pelosi. But what is not correct is an attempt to fight the NRA with only three weeks left. The NRA is NOT going to change their endorsements.

    We can change the NRA after the election, it will not change before. I agree we should give to the GOA and not the NRA at this point. But we better focus on our ground game now, the left will stop at nothing to keep its power. We have limited resources and limited time. JMHO

    • http://www.laborunionreport.com LaborUnionReport

      However, this is an example of where (or why) an NRA endorsement doesn’t matter. There are two candidates, both with the NRA’s “A” rating…and the NRA chooses a Pelosi liberal because of a stupid pro-incumbent policy.

      I suppose we could reduce the Constitution to one Amendment (the 2nd)…but that will only last until the NRA backs enough of Pelosi’s pawns to do away with the 2nd Amendment as well.

      It’s the proverbial yourself in the foot with your own gun.

      • Doc Holliday

        I understand why they did it, but the myopia shows they need new leadership. LaPierre and Chris Cox dishonor Charleton Heston, just like so many of our USA leaders dishonor the Founders.

        • tcgeol

          I agree entirely that the leadership of the NRA is showing all the political sense of a dung beetle, but if I recall, Charlton Heston was not a complete supporter of RKBA. He wasn’t completely against the AWB and wasn’t a fan of military-style weapons in general. I like and respect Mr. Heston, but someone like Neil Knox would be a better choice for a gun right’s icon.

          • Doc Holliday

            very few here would even know what we are talking about. I respect Neal Knox and also Charlton Heston. Heston was clear he was talking about fully automatic assault rifles. Sure, he was wrong about that, as the average joe is wrong in thinking even the Clinton Gun Ban banned full auto. But Knox did not bring in members like Heston. And Heston was a great man. Let’s just respect them both, and if we can’t, let’s drop it. :)

          • tcgeol

            There is no offense intended toward him, just an observation that, while he was a great man, he was more of a public face for the organization than a legislative and scholarly gun rights advocate.

            Other than that, I’ll drop it ;)

          • Doc Holliday

            remember, Heston risked a lot. It is dropped, let’s work together to fix things. :)

      • edintexas

        I’m tired of the supposed Conservatives on Red State who apparently believe the majority of the population is so ignorant as to vote the way the NRA recommends.

        Most of this is simply ignorance on the part of those who do not understand the basis for the recommendations. Incumbency and prior votes count for far more than promises from challengers. Period. Given that you can tell when politicians lie because their lips move (or their pen/word processor is engaged), that seems to be a reasonable standard to most people.

        Oh, what the heck. Logic is wasted on you clowns.

  • Doc Holliday

    NRA members are not going to vote for a Pelosi loving Dem because their issue of American Rifleman says they should. If anything, the NRA has reduced its own electoral power without the need for us to bash them, they have beclowned themselves on this.

    • eburke

      I live in this District and it is chock-full of hunters and fishermen.

      Tim Walz has married his vet status with his pro-gun, pro-hunting stands to paint a picture of moderation. I can’t begin to tell you how many people in this district to whom the 2A and the NRA are determining issues.

      The informed voter won’t fall for this but I have friends who are what I call casually informed voters who have said to me “Well, how liberal can Walz be if he’s endorsed by the NRA? That’s because to the casual voter, NRA-endorsement = conservative.

      That’s why I don’t want the larger message, which LUR so beautifully laid out,
      to get lost which is: NRA endorsement notwithstanding, Tim Walz is an ultra-lib representing an R+1 district.

      • Doc Holliday

        but the 2A folks I know, know that Pelosi and the Dems are a threat. I am not trying to play down the NRA endorsements, I am just saying every bad endorsement weakens the power of following endorsements.

        I bring good tidings to Red State. We are not alone in this argument with the NRA. Thousands of 2A activists are revolting, many gun rights dedicated sites are discussing this day and night.

        • eburke

          day and I don’t have the time to engage in that fight as well but you have my best wishes and encouragement in your quest to wrest that once august body from the hands who have taken it away from the grassroots.

          Thanks for all you’re doing in the fight to preserve our 2A rights. ‘Tis greatly appreciated.

          • Doc Holliday

            it is comparative advantage at work. We all do what we can for the greater good. The left would not know about that, they only study Marx.

  • smitch61

    That’s really all I have to say.

  • northernrockiesguy

    I wrote NRA regarding their support of Reid and informed them my NRA subscription fee was going to Sharron Angle……and it has gone to her X 10. Will never send them another check, Am a gun owner for over 60 years and long time NRA member. Hopefully they get enough flack they change their financial support methodology.

    AARP got the same type of letter from me.

    • Finrod

      .

    • hidlins

      I did the same thing!

  • Doc Holliday

    OH MY GOD.

    well there is another organization to write off the list. This is why the name means nothing, lots of veterans groups are better.

    btw, this is why I worry about lack of focus, so many groups are stabbing us in the back, we need to be the ones to push this fight!

    • http://www.laborunionreport.com LaborUnionReport

      They could have endorsed Pelosi too.

      [holding breath...]

      • Doc Holliday
    • Doc Holliday

      it seems the VFW and their PAC are so divorced, they don’t even agree on endorsements. http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=news.newsDtl&did=5596

      this goes to show that a lot of these stodgy bureaucratic orgs like the NRA and VFW are out of touch. Maybe they are afraid of the Tea Party? Maybe they are afraid of the people?

      • davesinsanantonio

        despise the people.
        It seems that as one rises in any organization that the tendency is to think of oneself as smarter (read “better”) than those who have not so risen. Thus, one begins to feel more affinity with others of a similar status in other such groups than with the “underlings” in one’s own group. That is why the RINOs are so friendly to and desirous of comity and civility, “reaching across the aisle”, than they are in upholding basic principles. They become the establishment elite and give up their principles, and sometimes even their organization, for the sake of their “class”.

    • Scope

      is endorsing Tom Perriello, the far left radical Progressive here in VA-05 also.

      I don’t know much about the VFW. Is there membership mainly of the older generation. It seems to me that the older some get, the more they start depending on the government for their support, hence their support of the Democrats. Would that be true with the VFW?

      With all the talk of entitlement reform, and, it is a part of Ryan’s Roadmap, the D’s have been scarring the elderly that the R’s will cut their benefits. That’s why Wasserman-Schultz refused to answer the question about the possibility of Obama’s Debt Commission proposing entitlement cuts. So, for political purposes they are using that against the Republicans for the upcoming elections, but, in December, the Democrat majority on the Debt Commission will call for those cuts.

      • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

        Like Ed, I had a chance to talk with Orson Swindle about this today.

        • Doc Holliday

          is so divorced from the VFW leadership. I really don’t get it. I mean, could I start a Daily Kos PAC and endorse Pat Robertson?

    • fpete13527
  • eburke

    with Randy (was privileged and pleased to vote for him at the nominating convention in April) and he is the real deal. As the clip of him shows, he knows *exactly* what this election is all about: those who believe in the heavy hand of government vs those who believe in the founding principles of our nation.

    I hope this thread doesn’t devolve into a discussion on the NRA because that would be missing the larger point which is: Tim Walz is an ultra-liberal, union lackey. His 8% lifetime ACU rating puts him to the *left* of Dennis ‘The Menace’ Kucinich @10% and just to the right of Bernie Sanders (who’s a freaking Socialist for crying out loud) who is at 7%.

    In this wave election year, there is *no* reason for Tim Walz to continue to represent this R+1 district that, until Walz won it in 2006, has been Republican since the 1890′s except for the 12 years that fiscal conservative Dem Tim Penny occupied it.

    Randy is a Young Gun and the NRCC is running ads on his behalf but as LUR pointed out, Tim has gobs of union and lawyer money and needs all the help we can give him.

  • chihank

    The NRA does endorse Dem incumbents just to so the media how bi-partisan & independent they are.

    Will the Tea Parties end up dojng the same in the future? Tea Party Express endorsed Walt Minnick in ID as their token Dem endorsement. However Minnick disavowed the endorsement after the NAACP claimed the Tea Party movement is “racist”.

    • Doc Holliday

      and bureaucracies begin to take on a life of their own. This is why I have always ignored the Tea Party Express, and any other group that tries to take over the movement. There are too many ne’er do wells in any movement. Everyone wants to be chief.

  • drfredc

    NRA =

    National
    RINO
    Association

  • skorrent1

    They are not biased pro-GOP or pro-Dem. If an incumbent has been with them in the past, then they will stick with him in the present. That’s what non-partisan means. We all know an incumbent has more weight than a newbe.

    NRA deserves support for the work they did in DC and Chi. If you want to support the CfG, or Fair Tax or TEA Parties, too, go for it.

    • ihateliberals

      The fact that the Democrat has an A-rating and is incumbent is just down right stupid if what you really care about is the constitution and the Bill of rights. This Democrat no matter what good he has done in one fail swoope has negated his good by support of the Obamacare which takes so many of our rights away and fly’s in the face of the constitution. This democrat can no longer be depended upon to support the 2nd amendment if he can be bought of fin backroom deals. The AARP and now the NRA have given way to stupidity in their leadership just like the GOP with Micheal Steele. My NRA membership was due for renewal this month. It will not happen now and I canceled my AARP membership last year. these guys have to learn who is in control. They re spending my money and with thier continued stupidity they will not be getting it anymore. I now give to the individual candidates which allows me to pick the ones i want to support.

    • ihateliberals

      The longer an incumbent is in office the more corrupt he becomes. Care politicians are the worst thing the founding fathers left us. It allows for dynasties to be formed and for things to become even more corrupt. You can’t tell me that out of 300 million people you can’t find 535 qualified people to serve our nation every 8 to 10 years. The longer they are in office the more corrupt they get. sometime the more inexperienced they are the better they can serve because they haven’t been corrupted yet. The battle cry is “Take Out The Trash on November 2nd”. Term limits should be the next big agenda item after Obamcare repeal.

      • davesinsanantonio

        They also did not want parties. Washington often wrote or spoke about the dangers of “faction”, which meant political parties in his day. The Founders did not expect decent men to seek office. In fact, to many of them the desire for office was evidence of lack of qualification for office. They expected a man’s friends and neighbors who knew him to be wise and upright to vote him in to office and he would serve, usually at financial loss to himself, and then return home and live under the laws he had made (thus insuring that all such laws would not hurt himself, and thus be a protection to the interests of his neighbors as well.)
        As far as term limits go, there is no reason, save laziness or greed, that the voters cannot take care of that whenever they sense that their neighbor has gotten too big for his britches. The citizens can easily limit the term of any politician they choose.

      • powertothepeople

        there have been many cases of people who have served lengthy terms in office who did not give up their morals, standards, or convictions. DeMint is one prime example.

        Term Limits may be the new thing to support. But it is our job to hire these folks, it is our job to fire them. If people are too lazy or too stupid to vote bums out, so be it. But term limits are not the way to go. We have the freedom to vote who we feel will best serve this country, term limits simply deny us that freedom. Our time is better served waking up the public and educating the dumb, so that those who abuse their seat or abandon their principles are fired the very next election.

    • http://908StraightSt.wordpress.com/ mbecker908

      The NRA may in fact be “single issue”. The Democratic Party is absolutely opposed to the NRA position on it’s “single issue” and the idea that a Democrat will vote in a way not authorized by the leadership of the party – who are virulently anti-gun and anti-2A – is the height of foolishness.

      See the pro-life debate and Bart Stupak. The NRA will one day suffer the same fate as pro-life groups who bought into the lie that there are either “conservative” or “pro-life” Democrats.

      The NRA did good work a long time ago. They’ve long outlived their usefulness, actually that happened about the time Charleton Heston died.

    • powertothepeople

      so I will copy it and paste it here for your enjoyment. ]

      The problem a few here can not seem to understand is that while the NRA may claim to be a one issue organization, but they really are not. It is a pie in the sky claim that is not backed up in reality.

      Many of our rights are dependent on the others remaining in place. Take away the right to free speech, and you have no voice to complain that the guns were taken away. Take away the 4th Amendment, all of a sudden all gun owners are being raided for no apparent reason, then the guns are removed for

  • nam6768

    There is a BIG problem with the endorsement by the PAC. It is seperate of the VFW.

    VFW Leadership at Odds with VFW-PAC

    KANSAS CITY, Mo., Oct. 8, 2010 – The national line officers of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) are at odds with the VFW Political Action Committee (PAC), calling the methodology process used by the PAC

  • nam6768

    because of this stupid endorsement.

  • docdave

    I am an Endowment Life member of the National Rifle Association. I am a Republican and consider myself to be a strong conservative. Upon reading some articles here I became quite concerned about reports that NRA is giving endorsements to (many) Democratic candidates.

    I emailed NRA regarding this issue, below is what they said. The folks can decide for themselves where this issue goes from there.

    All conservatives need to unite together in order to take back our country from a socialistic assault. Bitterness and arguments between conservative groups will NOT do that.

    Here is the response from NRA to my email. FYI: ILA means

    • http://908StraightSt.wordpress.com/ mbecker908

      a function of utter stupidity on their Leadership.

      Any organization with a real focus on their central purpose would use Kyle and his bosses for target practice.

      I hope GOA rises to the challenge and puts the jerks at NRA on the closest breadline. NRA isn’t even a skeleton of the organization that was led by Charleton Heston.

      • fatwhiteman

        “I hope GOA rises to the challenge and puts the jerks at NRA on the closest breadline. NRA isn

    • Tbone
    • powertothepeople

      is that while the NRA may claim to be a one issue organization, but they really are not. It is a pie in the sky claim that is not backed up in reality.

      Many of our rights are dependent on the others remaining in place. Take away the right to free speech, and you have no voice to complain that the guns were taken away. Take away the 4th Amendment, all of a sudden all gun owners are being raided for no apparent reason, then the guns are removed for “officer/public safety” or just because they can. Then take away the 5th Amendment, and your trial is a scam where your guilt was already decided.

      The biggest one to worry about is the 10th. Once this one is destroyed, which they are trying to do that now, all the other rights are worth about as much as toilet paper after use.

      The NRA is full of it. And so is the few on here who keep repeating the tired rhetoric that the NRA is only supposed to protect the 2nd Amendment and/or they deal with many gun issues. It is a BS argument, the NRA knows it, and the people who regurgitate it know it. In order to protect the right to have guns, you must keep all the rights in place and safely protected. And when they endorse a party that as a whole has attacked nearly every right we have, they are dead wrong for doing it. I could care less how much a liar claims to be for gun rights, when they trash all the other rights, they will trash the 2nd when their party calls them to do so. And the same goes for the leftist republicans.

      The whole issue can be bottled up into this statement. The NRA should only support the party and more importantly the people who will defy any incursion on the Bill of Rights, all of them. If a person is willing to let any or all of the rights to be attacked, they are not worthy of the support of real Americans or the NRA. They must support solely the people who believe the rights are an absolute. If no one fits that mold, then endorse no one. But there is no way anyone with a lick of sense can claim there is a single democrat out there that has a proven track record, not BS talk, of protecting the whole Bill of Rights and the entire Constitution with due diligence. There are none and since there are none who protect the whole thing, we should never see a democrat on the endorsement list of the NRA, period.

    • acat

      Show me a Dem who would vote against Pelosi or Reid (or Durbin).

      Elections have consequences, including the election of the leadership of the House and Senate – that is, a Pelosi-led House isn’t going to bring anything firearm-friendly to the floor. Period. The NRA can claim that’s not the fault of their Dem candidate all day, doesn’t make it true.

      The NRA leadership appear incompetent or malicious. I don’t give a rat’s left nut which it is – are they really stupid enough to believe electing Dems who will back the current speaker and majority leader will help, or are they happier being lobbyists in a state of gridlock rather than having to actually .. lobby .. the leadership at NRA needs changing.

      This is something for NRA members to figure out how to do… and one start is not quitting in protest – but instead figuring out what to do about it.

      Mew

  • 1stsgt

    I was a member many years ago and rejoined about a year ago. Big mistake!!!! All they wanted it seems to me was my money as I was being continuely being asked for money. I found about the donations to the dems and that the AARP was included. I dropped the AARP in the 90s when Hillary was trying to get the gov to take over healthcare. I will not give gthe NRA another red cent. BWT I don’t vote for demorats!!!!!