In 2008, NRA Shot Blanks. American Hunters and Shooters Hit the Target.
By Ray Schoenke at January 6, 2009 - 5:08pm
I just got back from spending the holidays with my family out on the Eastern Shore of Maryland where I got in some great time with the grandkids. I was able to sneak out to the duck blind early in the mornings and do a little shooting. That always gives me some time to think. It's been a couple years since we started the American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA). And, I have to admit, it's exceeded my expectations especially as I look back at the last year and what we accomplished. While I was out there I realized it has been just over a year since I wrote my first diary on DailyKos, on the subject of how global warming was impacting hunting. This community has been very suppo rtive of our work. So many of you share both my commitment to gun rights and my love for the environment.
It’s been a crazy year, especially because of the NRA leadership’s vow to spend $40 million to scare voters into defeating Obama and his so-called "gun-grabbing" cohorts.
Let me tell you straight out, the NRA failed. In 10 of the 11 states where the NRA Political Victory Fund's efforts against Obama were concentrated -- gun-friendly regions in states like Colorado, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico – they lost. They got Texas right; McCain won, but was that state was ever in doubt? Today, as the new Congress is sworn in, we're seeing a slew of new members who defeated NRA-backed incumbents and candidates. And in House contests, NRA-backed candidates in pro-gun states, like Ed Tinsley (NM), Bill Sali (ID), Steve Chabot (OH), and Phil English (PA), also lost.
For their efforts, the National Journal (sub. req.) ranked the group #2 in their "Bottom Five" of effective political gr oups. On the plus side, the NRA’s histrionics and fear mongering tactics did succeed in bolstering gun sales after the election, which is a good thing in this dreadful economy.
So why is the NRA "shooting blanks" these days? Because they don’t get it. The landscape has changed. With the Supreme Court overturning the D.C. gun ban, our gun rights are secure and government confiscation is off the table. Now, we can actua lly talk about responsible gun laws, conservation, public access, global warming – and even the economy.
My organization, AHSA, is dedicated to these issues, and when we looked at the two candidates running for president, we saw clearly that only one of them "got it," and that was Barack Obama. Obama didn’t pretend to be a gun owner, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t understand the concerns of sportsmen. In addition, he is a constitutional scholar who agrees that gun ownership is an individual right, and he knows that guns are viewed differently in different parts of the country.
So we went all out for Obama, I was a fulltime surrogate for the campaign and did more than thirty campaign events in Ohio, Florida, Colorado and Minnesota. The campaign aired a radio ad in the battleground states and a YouTube video that featured me, and sent direct mail with my face on it as we ll. AHSA also ran an extensive outreach campaign to dispel the myths and lies the NRA was promoting in the swing states. The AFL-CIO also touted our endorsement of Obama in mailers to gun owners in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Furthermore, our success against the NRA was mirrored at the congressional level, too. We worked to educate folks about nine Senate and House candidates this year. Seven won and their terms start today. This includes Senate candidates Kay Hagan (NC), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Mark Udall (CO) and Tom Udall (NM) and House Candidates Walt Minnick (ID-01), Harry Teague (NM-02) and Eric Massa (NY-29). We also endorsed Delaware’s new Governor, Jack Markell.
At AHSA, we spent far less than the NRA’s $40 million dollars, but we didn’t campaign on fear. Time and time again the folks I met said they had enough of the NRA fear mongering and crying wolf. And as we move from the election into the inauguration of our new president, we are glad to see that the extreme right-wing agenda of the NRA has been exposed. Folks are no longer buying their "snake-oil" style politics, and we are excited to see what change the Obama administration brings to our great country. I've already met wi th the Obama transition team. I'll do everything I can to make sure the new administration keeps our issues front and center.
I check this website to see what their up to once and a while. This guy is unbelievable.
Folks are no longer buying their "snake-oil" style politics, and we are excited to see what change the Obama administration brings to our great country.
"we've exposed them"...exposed what exactly? What exactly needs to be exposed?Guys....what's happening to our country? "snake-oil tactics" what tactics? Wow.....
