The NRA’s mythological reputation is not matched by reality

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Here is the Return on Investment chart from a segment of the Rachel Maddow Show on Wednesday (below the fold), revealing that the political support of the NRA is not as powerful as the politicians in its thrall seem to think. NRA shooting blanks:

The source for the data can be found on this page from the Sunlight Foundation.

The information on the NRA specifically is here
and paints an interesting picture. The organization did support 27
candidates who won, and opposed 6 candidates who lost, but less than 1%
of their spending went to those races, indicating they were sure bets
that didn't actually require an political influence from the NRA. In the
races where they did try to throw their weight around, particularly the
presidential race, their record is abysmal (i.e., a 0.83% rate of return).

The NRA invests a great deal of time and energy in maintaining its mythology that it is the 800 pound gorilla not to be messed with in electoral politics, a mythology not matched by reality. The NRA is, however, very good at turning out very loud absolutist bullies quick to shout that "the guvmint is coming to take your guns!" at the drop of a hat who drown out any rational discussion of reasonable regulations of firearms — supported by a majority of responsible gun owners — as the  Heller decision expressly permitted. These absolutist bullies are "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing," like Frank Antenori. The feckless media villagers need to stop giving these absolutist bullies more attention than they deserve.

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