"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, right, said Rep.
Chet Edwards was the best House member to
be Democrat Sen. Barack Obama's vice-president."
USA Today (Photo: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images)
"Texas Rep. Chet Edwards is the latest endangered Democrat to win a critical conservative credential: an endorsement from the National Rifle Association," Politico's Kasie Hunt informs us.
Edwards’s campaign announced he had received the pro-gun rights organization’s backing on Monday. "I cannot imagine any candidate in our district who would not want the endorsement of the NRA Victory Fund, which is by far the largest gun rights organization in the country,” Edwards spokesman Megan Jacobs said in a statement.
So what's the problem?
“Bill Flores is a strong supporter of the 2nd amendment, filled out a perfect NRA questionnaire that received an AQ rating, is a life member of the NRA and the Texas State Rifle Association and has already been endorsed by Gun Owners of America. Bill will never receive an F rating from the NRA as Congressman Edwards did in 2003,” said Flores campaign manager Matt Mackowiak.
I expressed concerns over NRA characterizing Edwards as "a strong and consistent voice for freedom and for defending the rights of Texas gun owners, hunters and sportsmen" almost two years ago. If you look at the man's record, he's been neither.
Add to this:
That must be why Chet supports this guy, you know, the guy we're told [by NRA!] will be "the most anti-gun president in American history."
Regular readers will recall one-time candidate Darren Yancy, who did a pretty good job on the Gun Rights Questionnaire, albeit with a clarification when necessity required him to change races. Here's what he has to say about Edwards:
For those that have bought into Edwards claim as a conservative blue dog Democrat, it is time to wake up from the nightmare. Now I am not saying Edwards was never conservative – I believe he had a degree of conservative principle to him when he went to DC in 1990. He has since flushed them down the toilet to be the right hand man of insanity on earth – Nancy Pelosi.
This isn't just the assessment of a political enemy. OpenCongress.org has this to say about Edwards:
Votes with party 96%
Abstains: 3%
If you agree with me that NRA's endorsement is inexcusable, let 'em know. And if you don't, feel free to give me your best shot at rationalizing it.
Gee, this sure makes me feel good about that pending Harry Reid decision they're playing coy with.
Also see: Chet Edwards on "Gun Issues" from Project Vote Smart.
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Speaking of Harry Reid...
He says a vote for Elena Kagan works out to be a vote for the Second Amendment!
I wonder when (and more importantly, how) that vote will be scored--as promised.
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Meanwhile, over in RINOville
Mark Kirk is suddenly making politically-opportunistic pro-gun noises.
Yeah, I know his opponent is also a gungrabber, but if you continually reward Republican betrayals, you'll never give the party any incentive to offer better candidates.
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Trigger Sports Live! talks guns in schools
American Trigger Sports Network host James B. Towle and I will discuss school and college campus carry today at Noon PST, including the accusation that those of us advocating it are "extremists."
What did Mr. Goldwater say about "extremism in the defense of liberty"?
Click here to join us.
More from Gun Rights Examiners:
Atlanta Ed Stone
Austin Howard Nemerov
Boston Ron Bokleman
Charlotte Paul Valone
Cheyenne Anthony Bouchard
Chicago Don Gwinn
Denver Dan Bidstrup
Des Moines Sean McClanahan
Detroit Rob Reed
Fort Smith Steve D. Jones
Knoxville Liston Matthews
Los Angeles John Longenecker
Minneapolis John Pierce
National David Codrea
Seattle Dave Workman
St. Louis Kurt Hofmann
Tucson Chris Woodard
Comments
The NRA has proven time and again with their endorsements that they have NO CLUE what they are doing! They have unfortunately many times over endorsed THE WRONG PERSON!
The truly sad part about this is there are so many NRA members that will vote blindly using the recommendation of the NRA.
People have to do their own research before heading to the polls.
I am a member of the NRA and will continue to be so, because it is required for membership in all of my shooting Clubs. That said I will always do my own research to determine who is the best PRO-2A candidate running for office and vote accordingly!
Obama expanded rights for gun owners and has shown NO bias against them as President.
Time to stop your baseless fear mongering.
my name is brody mullins and i am a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. I am looking to speak with people about the NRA's political endorsements. If you want to talk more about this topic with me, please email me at: Brody.Mullins@wsj.com
Guess the DemoSocialist agenda is okay as long as you throw the NRA a bone. The 2nd Amendment support is essential, unless the supporter disregards the rest of the Constitution. I no longer support the NRA, the socialists have infiltrated.....
I have been a proud NRA member for probably 30 years, but they are very up front about being a pure one-issue group. If they let themselves be convinced that a candidate is on their side of the gun issue, he/she gets their endorsement. It could be the candidate from the drug-running-child-molester wing of the taliban, if he pretends to support the 2A, he's golden. That's why NRA gets my dues every year, but that ton of stuff from NRA-ILA goes straight to the shredder.
I am an NRA member and this endorsement sickens me. Slimy Chet was my rep for years until redistricting got me out of his district. I think that we need new leadership at the top of the NRA. LaPierre and Cox have been in the leadership and associating with scummy politicians for so long that they now see the cesspool on the Potomac as a hot tub. I think that they have lost touch with the people who pay the dues. Chet Edwards and Harry Reid both voted for the AWB in 1994. What makes the NRA think they won't do it again? Chet Edwards was rated F by the NRA in 2003 and now he is rated A by them? What is the NRA leadership smoking? These endorsements are bad enough on their face but they are exacerbated by the fact that both Reid and Edwards have very solid 2nd Amendment supporters running against them. Their opponents are much more pro 2nd Amendment than either one of these flip-flopping democrats. Face it; the NRA leadership is more interested in electing democrats than in pro
I am a member of the NRA and will continue to be so, because it is required for membership in all of my shooting Clubs.
Yeah, and union membership is required for many jobs. You need to find better clubs.
The NRA endorsement use to be the gold standard. Nowadays it has lost a lot of credibility. Their expansion into other areas or their failure to endorse candidates true to their beliefs And then they turn there back on stupid bills like Micro-Stamping Study that Arkansan House Members Boozman (R) and Ross (D) introduced. Because they each have an NRA A rating, I am suppose to think this makes sense? Suprisingly, they are mum on the subject. I have read all the reasons that they are doinging this or their attempts to justify. But you don;t mess with the 2nd Amendment. You don't study what if scnearios.
i cut up my life member badge and mailed it to nra and insisted they erase my records. i was paid up and was refused a part refund.. im done with bs'
they have chosen to "hang separetly",,later.
when he can, reid will stick his thumb in their eye,,and laugh about it. AND BE SURE,THEY SELL THE MAILING LIST, DONT BE ON IT
NRA Membership....
Something I have chosen to do without, permanently. Aside from their incessant telemarketing, which appears to be symptomatic, I won't support what they have become politically. Single issue my bushy tushy. They're either stupid or guileful, all these issues are related including the second amendment.
Somehow they always seem to be missing in action and/or cutting into line, or they are on the wrong side for obscure, even opaque, reasons. Then when they explain their positions on an issue it's like watching a bad vaudeville act.
I'm gonna keep my money and donate to the Second Amendment Foundation. I'm gonna buy bullets with the rest of it, maybe a bayonet or two.
I'm an NRA'er. I have been for many years and am obviously not one bit ashamed of it.
But I am also a 40 year AT&T employee and get really tired of seeing well deserved complaints about my company in the local paper's "action line" column. Trust me folks, it's not the employees or company, IT'S THE LEADERSHIP.
For the same reason, I get cranked up about the stuff I see about NRA on this forum. Although some of it is over the top, sadly the NRA leadership deserves a lot of what I have seen here. For that reason, I returned my last fund raising letter directly to Chris Cox informing him that there would be no further contributions until I see how they handle any endorsement of Harry Reid. Should they, God forbid, endorse that weasel, my future "political speach" will go to SAF.
Isn't having Nancy Pelosi giving you her recommendation kinda like the "Kiss of Death"?
Sometimes it's fun to play "What POSSIBLE Reason…?" Let's see. Maybe it's more NRA "tactics" — to "promote" Chet to a position that "isn't worth a bucket of warm spit" so they can shoehorn someone better into his local district. But that means putting him "one step away" from the guy who has the biggest chance of "losing it" since Nixon. What to think, what to think…
Yesterday I got a "check enclosed" mailing from the NRA offering me $600 off a life membership if I sent them $400 right now. I'm putting a nice letter in the envelope instead. Hope they are sufficiently disappointed.
David, I know this is out of place, but gun people need to know about the lawsuit atack on Clayton Crammer and the Armed Citizen. I hope you will check into this also. Thanks for all the great articles
DDS Said "Trust me folks, it's not the employees or company, IT'S THE LEADERSHIP."
you pay the dues that support it... if you didn't agree with them, you wouldn't support them. there are better places to send that money, like the GOA or the JPFO.
Great Article, David! When will the members of the NRA wake up and realize that the insane are running the asylum?
The NRA is pretty much an anti-gun organization, still parading around like they give a crap about the 2nd Amendment. The only thing the NRA cares about is the NRA. They don't care about us small people (citizens) and our right to keep and bear arms. They want people to have single shot hunting rifles, and be able to only keep a six shot revolver in your home. Yeah that's the right to keep and bear arms alright. *eye roll* Or maybe you can carry that six shooter in public, but it must be concealed, because open carry scares the sheeple.
Here is an image I put together of NRA's 2002 "F" rating of 'ol Chester:
img716.imageshack.us/img716/4007/chetedwards.jpg
OK, NRA leadership, let's hear it? Wassup,NRA leadership? Tell me it was a regional ILA flunkee who's responsible for this; - AND THEN "FIRE" HIM!
The NRA has a history of undermining solid pro-gun candidates and supporting lesser individuals for the sake of claiming a win.
The NRA was created to support reasonable gun control laws and they admitted this in the March 1968 issue of the American Rifleman
The NRA brow beat Illinois gun owners into supporting gun control at town hall meeting held State wide. I had neighbors that went to a meeting and spoke against the proposed law.
If you spoke out too boldly against the gun control laws you were pulled aside and told that Mayor Daley had to have gun control or the Blacks were going to burn Chicago to the ground and start killing and rapping.
If you didn’t take the warning you were labeled a Black Lover
The racial tension was so bad in 1965 that a sign was placed at the city limits of an Illinois town telling blacks to not get caught in town after sun down.
Past NRA compromise and concession have brought us to this point in time and we are paying for it.
In I
The NRA was founded in 1871 by three former Union Army generals who were not happy with the level of marksmanship displayed by their troops in the Civil War. "Reasonable" (or unreasonable) gun control laws would not become an issue until the 1930's or thereabouts. Perhaps you were refering to NRA/ILA?
In Illinois Pat Quinn is supporting an effort to place a semi-auto ban on the November ballot over 100 petitions have been filed with the state Board of Elections
With the history of vote fraud in Illinois and the layout of the State means Chicago could decide the future of gun rights in Illinois once and for all. Needles to say the NRA is against the effort and they’re asking for money to stop it.
As much as I can’t stand NRA/ISRA compromise I maybe forced to support their efforts in stopping this bill
Bob in VA. - "It could be the candidate from the drug-running-child-molester wing of the taliban, if he pretends to support the 2A, he's golden."
That's why I quit sending them my money. Nobody can be that stupid by accident.
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