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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe True Source of the N.R.A.s Clout: Mobilization, Not Donations
WASHINGTON Few places have seen the National Rifle Association wield its might more effectively than Florida, where it has advanced a sweeping agenda that has made it easier to carry concealed weapons, given gun owners greater leeway to shoot in self-defense and even briefly barred doctors from asking patients about their firearms.
To many of its opponents, that decades-long string of victories is proof that the N.R.A. has bought its political support. But the numbers tell a more complicated story: The organizations political action committee over the last decade has not made a single direct contribution to any current member of the Florida House or Senate, according to campaign finance records.
In Florida and other states across the country, as well as on Capitol Hill, the N.R.A. derives its political influence instead from a muscular electioneering machine, fueled by tens of millions of dollars worth of campaign ads and voter-guide mailings, that scrutinizes candidates for their views on guns and propels members to the polls.
Its really not the contributions, said Cleta Mitchell, a former N.R.A. board member. Its the ability of the N.R.A. to tell its members: Heres whos good on the Second Amendment.
To many of its opponents, that decades-long string of victories is proof that the N.R.A. has bought its political support. But the numbers tell a more complicated story: The organizations political action committee over the last decade has not made a single direct contribution to any current member of the Florida House or Senate, according to campaign finance records.
In Florida and other states across the country, as well as on Capitol Hill, the N.R.A. derives its political influence instead from a muscular electioneering machine, fueled by tens of millions of dollars worth of campaign ads and voter-guide mailings, that scrutinizes candidates for their views on guns and propels members to the polls.
Its really not the contributions, said Cleta Mitchell, a former N.R.A. board member. Its the ability of the N.R.A. to tell its members: Heres whos good on the Second Amendment.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/24/us/politics/nra-gun-control-florida.html
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The True Source of the N.R.A.s Clout: Mobilization, Not Donations (Original Post)
ehrnst
Feb 2018
OP
Takket
(21,607 posts)1. we need to turn NRA ratings into a badge of shame for GOP candidates
ehrnst
(32,640 posts)2. We also need to learn from their tactics. Where do they buy ads? How do they stoke fear?
That is the leverage they have. We need to start there.
That is where we can match them $ for $ with no campaign laws to deal with.
The AARP could be another good example of mobilization of a specific population.
OnDoutside
(19,965 posts)4. Yes an A rating should be akin to pedo.
edhopper
(33,604 posts)3. They have a platoon
of single issue voters that swamp politicians at the mention of gun control.
We need the same fire power for regulation.
The NRA needs to be drowned out by the majority.
aikoaiko
(34,183 posts)5. Yep, it's the primary system where the NRA is most powerful.