This is what our NRA membership dollars go toward?

[ConstitutionCowboy]

... I didn't watch the video and only read a select few of these posts. Our opposition will stop at nothing to discredit us,our rights and those who work to defend them. Divide and conquer is a tactic that the antis know well and use often.

Sorta makes me wonder why the NRA Board of Directors is doing it to its own rank and file ... ?

Woody

 

[millertyme]

Pretty funny video. You want to do something to combat the redneck stereotype (assuming it doesn't apply to you) you need to do something local and make yourself more visible.

Issue #1 - Do just what the video said - Get off your butt and vote. Nothing will do more to maintain our rights and promote self-interest than to actually do it by voting for people who support what's important to you.

Issue #2 - The NRA is like an AFL-CIO Union. You pay dues under the auspices that they are going to look out for you and your rights, which they have to an extent. But as a previous poster said, those dues you pay also contribute largely to the campaigns of politicians and the somewhat lucrative salaries of the individuals who run the organization. You might be surprised how much you could make working for the NRA. Oh yeah, they also sponsor firearms and hunters safety courses and proficiency courses as well. Which you also have to pay for on top of your dues.

Issue #3 - If you're offended by the parody of gun owners as rednecks, take a look around. Some of the things we read here on THR look to have been written and posted by said rednecks, especially in the S&T forum. That's not saying that all or even most of the posters in that forum meet that criteria but enough do. Go to any other firearm related site and you'll find the same. Appearances, although often deceiving, are likely to contribute more to stereotypes than the actual existence of behaviors attendant to the stereotype. I'm sure everyone of us has them, and most of the time we're probably wrong, but the way a person presents him or herself without speaking tends to help us formulate an opinion of them based on a stereotype.

 

[Sam1911]

and the somewhat lucrative salaries of the individuals who run the organization. You might be surprised how much you could make working for the NRA

There have been some interesting discussions of that subject here on THR.org.

The upshot of it seems to be that the directors of the NRA and NRA-ILA make pretty middle-of-the-road salaries for folks in similar roles in other national advocacy groups.

I'm glad we pay them well. I'd sure hate to have some bargain, second-stringers running our Association. This is the BIG leagues. Play-for-keeps politics on the biggest political stage in the world. I want us to pay for the very, very best political activists money could ever buy!

Every time Chris and Wayne out shmooze, out talk, out debate, and humiliate Paul Helmke, Rebecca Peters, Josh Sugarman and the like, I think to myself, "That's money WELL SPENT!"

 

[millertyme]

I'm glad we pay them well. I'd sure hate to have some bargain, second-stringers running our Association. This is the BIG leagues. Play-for-keeps politics on the biggest political stage in the world. I want us to pay for the very, very best political activists money could ever buy!

Every time Chris and Wayne out shmooze, out talk, out debate, and humiliate Paul Helmke, Rebecca Peters, Josh Sugarman and the like, I think to myself, "That's money WELL SPENT!"

I understand that. It's too bad, but that's what it takes. Maybe if we'd just elect people who don't have to be paid for then NRA dues wouldn't have to be used to pay charlatans to run the operation, thus getting back to the real issue here - Get out and vote.

 

[Sam1911]

Maybe if we'd just elect people who don't have to be paid for then NRA dues wouldn't have to be used to pay charlatans to run the operation, thus getting back to the real issue here

Who? What? Lost me there. Who are we supposed to elect to be what? Who are the charlatans?

 

[millertyme]

The people we do elect - Politicians that must be schmoozed and wined and dined by charlatans, also know as lobbyists.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

Low brow humor at it worst....yuck.

BTW I'm all for paying the big shots at the NRA big money for what they do. Can Wayne Lapierre afford a high end Porsche? I hope so.

 

[Sam1911]

char·la·tan
–noun
a person who pretends or claims to have more knowledge or skill than he or she possesses; quack.

...

—Synonyms
impostor, mountebank, fraud, fake, phony.

So...you're saying the directors of the NRA and NRA-ILA are frauds, fakes, and phonies?

I'm so glad we have folks in those places with thick enough skin to endure the "thanks" they get from those they represent.

 

[atblis]

I like it. It's absurd, mocking, but then makes it's point. Vote! This "pry it from my cold dead hands" crap really does sound absurd.

The ad is targeted at gun owners. Most gun owners are not as portrayed in the ad, and we know it. What it's really mocking are the elitists who think we are.

The "enemy", whatever you'd like to call them (liberals, etc.), are elitists and already have their minds made up about guns and gun people. On top of that, they already flat out make crap up to suit their purposes, so the commercial doesn't matter regarding "the enemy".

 

[millertyme]

I'm not calling them frauds, fakes or phonies according to the conventional definition, more the historical definition. "Silver-tongued", as the translation goes. Maybe even then it's a little too much to call them. That's not my thanks for their work. I appreciate their work, I'm just a little irritated that so much has to spent to defend something we've all be given freely - the right to defend ourselves. I understand what it takes, all I'm saying is it's too bad we have to stoop to the same levels as the opposition, which according to a layman's perspective, "that's not very high road." Capitalism permeates every singe thread of our society and politics is no different. He who pays the most gets the most. I have a received a lot more for the money I've spent with the NRA than I ever did with the USW.

I know it's an idyllic notion to think that we could vote into office only people who agree with us, especially given the masses of individuals who disagree and are willing to spend lots of money to make their point.

 

[millertyme]

The ad is targeted at gun owners. Most gun owners are not as portrayed in the ad, and we know it. What it's really mocking are the elitists who think we are.

The "enemy", whatever you'd like to call them (liberals, etc.), are elitists and already have their minds made up about guns and gun people. On top of that, they already flat out make crap up to suit their purposes, so the commercial doesn't matter regarding "the enemy".

Even more, I think the ad was directed towards gun owners just like the ones in the ad that get together with their gun owning buddies and throw around rhetoric and quotes but nothing significant is ever accomplished. I think the motivation is to educate that group of gun owners that what they can do to actually make a difference is get out and vote. Maybe they have some kind of statistic that shows people who fall into that category are less likely to vote. Does anyone know if this was televised and if so what network it was televised on?

 

[ConstitutionCowboy]

Every time Chris and Wayne out shmooze, out talk, out debate, and humiliate Paul Helmke, Rebecca Peters, Josh Sugarman and the like, I think to myself, "That's money WELL SPENT!"

Yeah, but when I see(listen to) Wayne LaPiere pull that schmoozing on someone like Tom Gresham when he should be contrite, it's time to replace him! He isn't the only mouth piece out there!

Woody

 

[GunLink]

attacking our greatest ally in the defense of our RKBA isn't going to further our cause.

The NRA isn't a diety which issues edicts its devotes must accept and follow. It is an Association of members asking to be represented (to have THEIR voices to be heard!) as a cohesive group.

Yahtzee.

Note that the bumper stickers read "I'm the NRA and I vote" not "I'm in the NRA and I vote"

NRA members and ILA/PVF/etc contributors who don't like how said organizations are spending contributions (such as with videos you don't care for)...let them know. You have a voice in the matter.

 

[Old krow]

NRA members and ILA/PVF/etc contributors who don't like how said organizations are spending contributions (such as with videos you don't care for)...let them know. You have a voice in the matter.

I agree, and I will. I don't particularly care for how gun owners were represented in the video, but at least there's a message getting out there. I mean come on! Blue denim vest and a red headband?? That's so late 70s, everyone knows it's camo these days!

 

[danprkr]

FWIW - Worked with a guy once who was a frequent extra on the Walker Texas Ranger show. Said Chuck was a nice guy, and did have a great sense of humor about himself and his image. He's also a HUGE supporter of not just the RTKBA, but freedom in general. So, if Chuck is alright with it, I'm alright with it. Just don't make me watch it again.

 

[inherentical]

I laughed. I know more than one guy that would fit right into that group, down to the canadian tuxedos.

 

[labhound]

I think the "get out and vote" message could have been delivered without implying that gun owners that would be classified as "rednecks", "bubbas", and "hillbillies" don't vote! A lot of good people are "rednecks", "bubbas", and "hillbillies" and they vote in every election and to imply that they don't is demeaning! The more I think about this video, the less funny it becomes, and it wasn't hitting on much to start with!

 

[Nasty Ned]

I've read a lot of NRA bashing here tonite and it makes me wonder.

Surely these people are aware that without the NRA none of us would be able to own a gun today and that's a pure fact. So they issued a production that all of us did not agree with or enjoy watching. Lighten up people.

Nasty Ned

 

[Kentucky_Rifleman]

I despise the fear-mongering the NRA uses... BUT...

They are still the biggest dog on our side of the fight.

I hate getting panhandled every week... BUT

They have done more to keep my guns in my hands than all the other groups combined.

I'm still paying my dues, and I will until I die.

It's the best RKBA dollar you'll ever spend.

KR

 

[Sam1911]

I guess I'm speaking to myself as well here, but folks, let's keep the "Why I love the NRA" and "Why I hate the NRA" stuff in the other thread: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=545598

This thread is just for discussions of the video.

 

[millertyme]

Originally Posted by dictionary.com
char·la·tan
–noun
a person who pretends or claims to have more knowledge or skill than he or she possesses; quack.

...

—Synonyms
impostor, mountebank, fraud, fake, phony.

No crap, Sam? I know the definition just as much as I knew when I originally posted. As you likely read in my post before you edited yours with the included definition. My argument was and still is that it's pretty sad that we have to buy off politicians and schmooze them. It's the behavior in general I disagree with, not how much LaPierre makes or that he's good at getting people on his side. If it's the truth, then it shouldn't have to be sold and no one should have to be coerced into agreeing with it.

Surely these people are aware that without the NRA none of us would be able to own a gun today and that's a pure fact

Surely posting something like this would lead to speculation as to what exactly is a "pure fact" and are you sure they're the ones responsible for my ownership of firearms today? Maybe I'm a criminal and have acquired my firearms illegally. I'm not, but just to point out your error. The NRA has done little to preserve or endorse the rights of violent felons to own firearms, yet many of them do. The Supreme Court of the United Sates has done more than the NRA since it typically comes down to their discretion whether or not an individual has the right to keep and bear arms, not a lobbyist.

I recognize they do a lot in the sphere of firearm ownership and the politics involved. I personally don't think LaPierre makes an exorbitant amount of money but it does sound like a pretty lucrative gig. So he drives a Porsche. He makes a lot of money doing a job I'm sure most people on this site would love - petitioning for the individual's right to keep and bear arms in any place and at any time. Wayne has quite the responsibility, something I'm sure most of us wouldn't want.

And as for the renecks, bubbas, and hillbillies who are offended by the NRA's depiction in this ad: If they're actually offended it goes a long way to undermine the backwoods toughness often associated with their station in life (maybe just another falsely laid stereotype). If they're offended let them say it.

 

[ol' scratch]

That was funny. Obviously a parody designed to break down stereotypes regarding gun owners.

 

[mustang_steve]

The humor in it was pretty subtle, it was aimed towards a very spcific group of non-voters, but done in a way that I'm not sure it will help or not.

The low-class nutbar image they were portraying could insult those they are trying to reach, however to the rest of us (who should see the joke), it's there, it's funny, but not funny enough to make it memorable.

Chuck, you can do sooooo much better.

 

[JohnBT]

"The NRA is like an AFL-CIO Union. You pay dues under the auspices that they are going to look out for you and your rights, which they have to an extent. But as a previous poster said, those dues you pay also contribute largely to the campaigns of politicians"

For the umpteenth time, federal law PROHIBITS using dues to support political campaigns.

That is why there is an NRA-ILA, NRA-PVF, etc. and why they send requests for money under their name and not under the plain old NRA name. It's the law.

You really need to do your homework before you go shooting off your mouth about something you clearly don't understand.

John

 

[JohnBT]

"The fund-raising that sustains NRA’s legislative activities is conducted by ILA. Federal and many state election laws dictate that funds used to assist candidates for office must be raised separately, and that is the task of NRA’s political action committee—the NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF). Neither NRA member dues nor contributions to ILA can be used directly for the election or defeat of candidates."

- NRA FAQ