The NRA: National Rifle Association or National Republican Association?

The National Rifle Association (www.nra.org) endorsed Republican US Senator John McCain for president passing over  Libertarian Party www.lp.org candidate for president Bob Barr www.bobbarr2008.com, a former Republican Congressman from Georgia who turned against the Bush Administration due to its assaults on civil liberties.  John McCain has a lifetime rating in the NRA's report card of C+ while Barr, who has served on the NRA's board, has an A+ rating.

Previously, the NRA backed pro-gun Democratic incumbents to show their appreciation and I suppose to hedge their bets.  But in the Bush years with Karl Rove's strategies for making Republican majorities permanent, this policy seems to have been largely abandoned.

What do these actions show?  The NRA is officially the National Rifle Association.  However, it has become the  National Republican Association.

It is understandable given the two party stranglehold on American politics dubbed by some a "duopoly."  But is it justifiable? 

Does anyone still think that John McCain has any chance to defeat Barack Obama?  A vote for John McCain is a wasted vote. John McCain is spoiling Bob Barr's chances to defend the entire Bill of Rights, which is under threat from both Obama and McCain.

If you want "x", why endorse "X minus"?

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(About the author: Richard Cooper is a international trade executive with a manufacturing firm on Long Island, New York, USA. He is active in the Libertarian Party on eminent domain and other issues. He was chair of the Libertarian Party of New York www.ny.lp.org.)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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