The NRA recently ran an ad in “battleground states” entitled “Stop Clinton, Vote Trump.” The video features a security contractor named Mark Geist lambasting Hillary Clinton for failing his comrades before, during and after the Benghazi attack. Geist’s NRA-branded ad makes no mention of Trump or gun rights.
The NRA has just released a follow-up YouTube video. In his latest one-minute diatribe, NRA Executive Veep LaPierre claims America has been taken over by elites in the media and Hollywood. They get to decide . . . “what’s news and what’s not, what’s true and what’s not, who gets protected, who goes to prison, who gets our money and who gets our vote.”
While I appreciate the subtle dig at Ms Clinton, there are three huuuuuge problems with this video.
1. It makes no mention of gun rights
While the NRA jefe’s not wrong about the unholy alliance between politicians, the “elite” media and deep-pocketed Hollywood enablers, his remarks are what marketing mavens call “off-message.” The NRA is not the National Republican Association. It’s the National Rifle Association. That’s their brand: gun rights. Everything they do publicly should reinforce their branding by at least mentioning gun rights. By failing to focus on firearms freedom, this ad fails to defend and extend the NRA brand.
2. It doesn’t strike a killer blow against Hillary Clinton
Given the NRA’s sloth-like PR process (at least in Internet terms), I reckon this video was produced before the FBI gave Ms. Clinton a pass for her illegal activities. Wrong answer. Clinton skating was the perfect opportunity for Mr. LaPierre to drive a stake through Ms. Clinton’s proverbial heart (if one exists) — by tying her exoneration to insider corruption and the resulting danger of her Anti-Gun Highness’ ascension to the throne. To gun rights.
3. It’s stinks of fascism
OK this is a bit of a stretch. But it’s on my mind, so here goes . . .
Donald Trump’s rise is a populist uprising against the status quo. You might even say it’s a movement against “the elites.” ‘Cause The Donald has. And, now, so has Wayne LaPierre. Who has thrown the whole weight of the NRA behind Mr. Trump’s personality-based candidacy to fix the “rigged” system.
Anger-fuelled populism against The Man isn’t a coherent political philosophy. It’s simple “us vs. them” animus, with a popular leader telling “us” who “they” are. Muslims, Mexicans, politicians, Hollywood producers, liberal media — whomever the restless leader targets. Who’s next? The “International Jewish Conspiracy”?
ALL Americans have a natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. ALL Americans should vote to protect them. Campaigning for gun rights should be a unifying force for individual liberty.
We are a Constitutional republic, after all, not a democracy. Democracy is mob rule. I think this ad is an invitation to mob rule, as embodied by Donald Trump, a man without any apparent respect for the U.S. Constitution. Am I wrong?
The Republican Party has allowed Trump to sh*# their bed. Now the NRA is rolling in the covers. What a mess. Victory over Hillary should have been easy.
I’d agree as far as sticking to right vs wrong rather than us vs them. Oh, and staying on topic is good idea too.
Seconded.
Blaming the game rather than the players is a smart move IMO. It’s definitely a play towards pissed off voters on both sides of the fence.
ED:
How is classism tied to being Jewish? I don’t recall any race or religious denomination being given here. Is it not true that Hollywood elites tend to trample on gun rights/support those who do as has been covered numbers times on this very blog?
There is a long sad history of Jews being identified as part of a conspiracy to subvert “the will of the people.” While the term “Hollywood elite” doesn’t automatically evoke the specter of the so-called Jewish conspiracy (previously of bankers), it raises a red flag to this son of a Holocaust survivor.
I’m not really sure why Mr. LaPierre focused on “the Hollywood elite,” anyway. As I’ve pointed out, Hollywood has done more for defending and extending American gun culture than any other force — no matter who they give their money to or support politically.
I suspect it’s because he doesn’t want to focus on the real “secret” ruling elite: the big business lobbyists who hold sway over our politicians. If the NRA went down that road, they’d be opening themselves up for criticism. So better Hollywood and the media than the real locus of corruption.
I believe Wayne focused on the “Hollywood Elites” because several highly-compensated Hollywood stars have recently been very vocal against gun rights.
In his speech at the NRA Annual Meeting, I think Wayne mentioned, or referred to, all of the “elites” by which I think he means the group of rich and powerful people that are pushing global economic integration.
In order to complete such an integration, individual nations would be stripped of their sovereignty and be subject to some form of “world central government”. In order to reach full integration, the US Constitution would have to go.
The NRA is supporting Donald Trump and American nationalism because that was the hand they were dealt by the GOP primary voters. If Ted Cruz had been the nominee the focus would be on constitutional republicanism versus globalization. It still would be “us” vs. “them”, but in a different form.
I don’t think the average American gives much thought to the effects of globalization on sovereignty but so many are hurting economically that Trump’s message resonates strongly. If they did understand the effects of globalization on sovereignty, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and associates would be winning in landslide elections and putting a stop to any attempt to diminish our Constitution any further and restore it to prominence.
This year, our Constitutional Republic hangs in the balance. Unfortunately, the only choice that we have that may save it is Donald Trump. I sure hope he picks a good running mate.
Well said. The NRA has to pick a side (and it sure isn’t going to be Hilary’s). Otherwise, it’s making an enemy of both candidates. Unfortunately it’s Trumps but that’s the fault of Republican voters…
Back in college I had a Jewish roommate who was 100% convinced everything and anything done by anyone ever was rooted in anti-Semitism. Once, at a Best Buy, he couldn’t steal away an employee who was already helping someone else. He started shouting “Best Buy hates Jews!” “Best Buy is anti-Semetic!” and my favorite “Best Buy? More like Worst Buy!”
The moral of the story is sometimes media just means media. You can sprinkle hints of anti-Semitism on whatever you want. Doesn’t mean it is.
There are other reasons for events besides somebody being a thing. Notably somebody doing a thing.
Here’s my take as a Gentile who’s concerned about the current state of affairs in this country and the NRA’s ad. I believe fascism can originate in both left and right-wing ideology. I believe that we are witnessing the rise of a left-wing fascist state in this country via the Obama regime and the maddening collaboration of the justice system and weak Republican opposition. People are worried about the attack on their civil rights and freedom. They’ve sent their elected representatives to DC and watched them do nothing to stop the abuses. They view Trump as someone who will stand up against the abuses, and are so desperate for relief, that they are willing to overlook his shortcomings and tendencies toward authoritarianism. In other words, the people feel they’re caught between a rock and a hard place. They know the rock will eventually kill them. They hope the hard place won’t. I think the NRA feels the same way.
While gun rights are important, and the very reason for this site, the bottom line is and must be that ALL RIGHTS are important and that the preservation of gun (arms) rights is of huge importance in allowing the people an ability to resist the erosion of all those other Constitutionally protected rights.
While the NRA is correct that we must choose Trump, barring some exceptional event at the convention, you are also correct that he needs to make the NRA inclusive and to at least mention that our Second Amendment protected right to keep and bear arms belongs to all Americans for the same reason – fight tyranny, whichever political party attempts to impose it.
A guess on my part this is aimed at the independent voter, who does not have a strong feeling for or against firearm laws. The left loves to take a swing at the NRA, painting them as the evil organization that EVERYONE should hate. This message paints them to be the group that feels due to their status they have an oversized say in our political system. Which is sadly true, but also the right has the same elite group that feel the common man/woman is not smart enough to know what is best for them and do not deserve a right to say who we should elect. They are rich therefore have the right to pick and chose who is elected. They don’t own Trump which is why the elite right has lost their minds and not supporting him.
Rail against the “elite” Wayne.
It’s a heck of a life wining and dining legislators at A-list Washington eateries, and using NRA dues to pick up the tab.
Elite actually.
To paraphrase a once frequent trope from this site: The NRA, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Republican Party.
Maybe we should be looking harder at GOA.
Yeah that awful Elite money grubbing Wayne. Guessing it must be great to have everyone in the world hate you, death threats all the time…much better than the head of GOA or NAGR…if anyone main stream even knows who they are (they don’t). That’s why NRA has to wine and dine…the other orgs have no sway…none. I still support Pratt and Brown (see, I know) but no one gives them the time of day, hence the political game NRA has to play
Knock knock, who’s there, THEM, them who, them who want to take your guns and Liberty.
Time and again, either by verbal declaration or hot microphone democrats stated they want our guns. Clear the trench with a PEN.
Hillary just got a hall pass to shit on everyone’s 2A. If she’s elected, what was America is no more.
Unbelievable.
Has it ever occurred to you that there is a controlling Cabal and that the Repubs and Dems are merely two political-wings of the same Globalist-Collectivist Party designed to play off one another and fool you whilst the ball is consistently advanced down the field?
Well, has it?
Both wings of the ‘Globalist-Collectivist Party’ feeding specific and selected red-meat to their respective wide-eyed slack-jawed faithful so they can have a battle to ‘throw the other turds out’ each election cycle, both wings of ‘the party’ advancing the same globalist agenda which requires a destruction of the Constitution, ultimately Amendment II and the Liberty it enumerates and Individual Liberty itself?
If you think that America will be destroyed if Clinton is elected and only if we vote the staged Republican can we have a hope of saving it, well, then, I cannot but shake my head in wonderment.
Puppets and domestic enemies from BOTH wings of the Globalist-Collectivist Party have been steadily and deliberately destroying this ‘once’ Republic for many decades.
Where have you been, other than seemingly faithfully participating in the staged clown-circus of our own demise?
Don’t go all intellectual on me. Here’s the break down.
It’s called the Uniparty. Learn all about the how and why here. https://theconservativetreehouse.com/
Your choice is in a two party system is just that TWO. Hillary if you want to turn in your guns, or Trump if you want to see a good ole knock down drag out in the peoples house. Lever pulling for Trumpster.
If you think, I’m wasting my vote on the green party or libertarians your nuts.
Um…a simple and blunt laying out of the facts does not constitute ‘going all intellectual’, unless, of course one is attempting to marginalize what was laid out by deeming it so.
Also, where did I say, imply, or even suggest a vote for one of the parties you mentioned?
The point I made had nothing to do with other parties. It stands as written.
Fact is, the only voting related issue I raise is calling for the unwavering principled-application of the measure/yardstick of the Founding Principles and the textual Constitution to measure ALL candidates… rejecting any who do not measure up.
Failure to do so places one squarely in direct support of their known anti-Liberty/anti-Constitution past, their past and current rhetoric/advocacy and their future actions.
It really is as simple as that, regardless of how one attempts to rationalize or justify it to be otherwise.
Your attempt to frame things as being a necessity to support one or the other staged anti-constitution turds is, well, stupid, to me. Your mileage obviously varies.
“ALL Americans should vote to protect [their natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms].”
I agree. Unfortunately, reality shows us that many (perhaps around 40%?) of the people in the United States of America voluntarily dismiss their right to keep and bear arms. Even worse, many of those people knowingly vote for politicians who make promises to send government agents to actively infringe on our right to keep and bear arms. Sadly, I don’t see any easy or effective way to win those people over.
Sorry, I don’t see even the slightest hint of “Jewish” in the slap aimed at the elitist referenced in the video. I do see strong reference to what we all see: that the laws just don’t apply to powerful DC politicians, especially the Democrats!
It’s a mistake. They need to stay on message about gun rights.
Straying into all the other political claptrap just dilutes the message and helps the other side. I know gays who are buying guns now. Catering to the same old OFWGs and Rush listeners isn’t really productive.
This is the kind of rhetoric that gets the NRA painted as a partisan organization. And, much like the GOP, the NRA is its own worst enemy.
Gee BDub-I hope the NRA IS partisan. While the republicans suck the dumbocrats hate me and my gun rights. And RF-you’re a mite sensitive about this…
We are playing for all the marbles, and I think the NRA gets that. If Hillary wins, she will appoint enough leftist justices to silence the Bill of Rights for the rest of our lives and the lives of our children. It is as simple as that. If we do not stop Hillary, the NRA, GOA, and every other pro-2nd amendment group will die. I am not sure why no one else seems to get that. This “I am too proud to vote for Trump” is insanity. Ask yourself this: If you lived during WWII, would you allow Hitler to conquer the world because Stalin, a ruthless tyrant, was on the side of the allies?
Both Clinton and Trump are each unacceptable as candidates for president of the United States.
I don’t need to be reminded that the Supreme Court hangs in the balance.
Frankly, I don’t see Trump as having any more reverence for the Constitution than Clinton. He’ll say or do anything to get elected…like campaigning with a previously unopened bible that his mother allegedly gave him as a child.
If the Republicans can’t find a way to substitute a more suitable candidate at the convention then I’ll hold my nose and vote for Johnson. He’s far less objectionable than either of the two charlatans.
Trump doesn’t need to have more reverence for the Constitution as long as his running mate does.
Really?
And which running mate would make Clinton acceptable?
The same. A running mate that believes the US Constitution and our Constitutional Republic are most important.
Hillary would never pick anyone like that. She has to pick someone that is worse than her (like Obama picked Biden).
What does that even mean, really?
Would it not be of critical importance that the guy/gal who would be actually be the potus and who would be taking constitutional-actions based on that elected office, to be the one to have reverence and/or strict adherence to the Constitution?
“Am I wrong?”
Yes. Not everything that happens in the universe is an antisemitic conspiracy.
At the risk (lol and who cares) of angering and/or utterly puzzling some NRA-sycophants…. it is my assessment that anyone not aware of the NRA being a Quisling ‘govt approved’ gun privileges organization is either willfully ignorant, an abysmal failure at even a modicum of cognitive reasoning, a willful opponent of Amendment II’s absolute prohibition on government from infringing upon the Natural Liberty to keep and bear arms, a blind non-principled pragmatist, or just pain dirt-stupid.
I cannot arrive at any other conclusions.
That is all.
NRA is part of the UNI – Party elite. Their willingness to abolish REAL ‘ Due Process ‘ is PROOF.
Both the NRA / Cornyn / Toomey bills AND H.R.. 5611 are DEFECTIVE !! — House Votes this afternoon , gun bills MAY be offered. *** Call your Reps. 202-225-3121 *** Call NRA – and say ‘ You DO NOT speak for ME ‘ 703-267-1141.
Some things should NEVER be compromised ……….. Get IT ….??
Best article I’ve read yet on this kamikaze bastion of a website. 😉 Very on point sir fox.
I liked the ad. Anti-Establishment is hot right now on both the Left and Right. It’s better that the NRA reflect the current political climate than be out of touch. I didn’t think about Jews at all…
It is extremely disturbing to see LaPierre acting like this. I fear this is just the latest in a history of capitulations by the NRA that I wrote about this past week, having had a hand in string of supporting and knuckling under to allow really bad laws to be enacted that have proven to be worthless in achieving their original intent of preventing violence, while infringing on the rest of us and driving the market’s prices to ludicrous heights. Combined with Ryan’s secret meetings with Democrats to capitulate on further ineffective and unbalanced laws that make us less safe, it is getting downright depressing. I knew Ryan was a bad idea when he presented his so-called financial plans for the country that seemed like it was conceived by a 6th grade dropout who once read a bad news article on government. His flip-flopping on so many issues – recently his quick caving in on supporting Trump and now on gun control has proven his weakness and inability to lead the House and his decisions and inaction have become an anchor around his neck (“Paul Ryan’s Dream Crushed”; Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-weigant/paul-ryans-dream-crushed_b_10846288.html).
I’m warming up to Gary Johnson now that he’s been able to get some face time in the media; I can’t really see any downside; when compared to Trump, seems like an angel sent from Heaven. I know that no one is perfect and he most probably has plenty of issues I would normally be concerned with, but like I said, when compared to the alternative it isn’t any comparison at all. I must have had my head stuck in a hole in the ground to have ignored him as an alternative; I just wish the rest of the country would come around to ANY alternative. Am I missing anything important here that is relevant to the point of being totally wrong about our limited choices?
Although the gun issue did indeed help to defeat Al Gore this time around things unfortunately for gun owners are vastly different. Many gun owners I have spoken with plan on voting for Hitlery. They believe that the Republicans will keep control of both Houses and that Hitlery will not be able to pass any gun ban laws. The average gun owner is retired or near retired and they will be voting with their pocketbooks. They know that Obama took what he could get to get some form of Health Care reform passed but it fell far short of making health care affordable and failed miserably with prescription drug coverage which is bankrupting many people even though they have health coverage. In other words most people will be voting for Hitlary even if they own guns not realizing the tremendous damage Hitlery can do to the Second Amendment even if she cannot by pass gun ban laws through Congress. By appointing anti-gun Supreme Court Justices local Cities and even States can pass unconstitutional gun ban laws and the Supreme Court will rule in their favor no matter how outrageous the gun ban laws are. In the last few weeks the life appointed dictatorial Supreme Court and lower courts have consistently voted to trash the Second Amendment despite Scalia’s ruling before he died.
The shame of it is recent polls have shown Kasich could defeat Hitlery by a wide margin in an election but Republicans erroneously believe Trump running as an independent would cost them the election. Kasich is a shrewd disingenuous politician who would be a god send to greedy businessmen and could win over a lot of Democratic blue collar voters as well with promises of a better life which he would rather commit suicide over than keep. The up side is that Kasich probably would prevent any draconian gun ban laws being passed except for assault rifles which he would probably ban. Ditto for Trump as well as he would also ban the semi-auto rifles too once in office and probably have magazine bans for pistols too while like Kasich becoming a god-send to rich greed monger businessmen.
In short both gun owners and the common man will gain nothing and lose everything in this election. The American people will continue to lack social programs because of obscene wastage of scarce tax dollars on constant wars of rape, pillage and conquest to make the American Businessmen more and more wealthy and the American gun owner will feel the hangman’s noose tightening daily around his Second Amendment rights until the ultimate goal of the outlawing of gun ownership or the expense of owning even a few obsolete firearms financially impossible except to all except the exceedingly rich and powerful as it is in all nations, its nothing new.
“I think this ad is an invitation to mob rule, as embodied by Donald Trump, a man without any apparent respect for the U.S. Constitution. Am I wrong?”
Yes you are wrong, Robert. And, more importantly, you should know better than to buy into the leftist trope that political conservatives are somehow more prone to fascism than liberals. Actually, the reverse is true (and again, Robert, I really shouldn’t have to tell you this). Fascism is a form of socialism where the state controls the means of production and private property remains in private hands—but serves the centrally planned economic interests of the state. It is out of this inherently corrupt alliance that the totalitarianism of the fascist state (i.e., Italy and Germany) emerges. This this country, thanks to the leftist Obama administration, we currently have what is popularly called “crony capitalism”. That, however, is simply a metaphoric reference to fascism. Claiming that someone who is committed to market capitalism, as Trump certainly is, is somehow a “fascist” is quite wrong.