Topic: Presidential Campaign 2008
Did McCain Choose Palin to Forestall NRA Endorsement of Barr?
It is certainly a question worth asking since McCain is on such thin ice with the NRA.
by Darren Wolfe
(libertarian)
Sunday, August 31, 2008

It is certainly a question worth asking. Let's look at the people involved. John McCain, the Republican nominee for President,  only has a "C" rating with the National Rifle Association (NRA). He has even been described as "one of the premier flag carriers for the enemies of the Second Amendment" by the them! Not only that, McCain has earned the NRA's anger with his campaign finance reform that limits their ability to support candidates. He's on thin ice with them to say the least.

The Libertarian Party candidate for President, Bob Barr, on the other hand, was a member of the NRA's Board of Directors. He also has an A+ rating with them.


Enter Sarah Palin, a lifetime member of the NRA and now the Republican nominee for Vice President. She is well known in conservative circles for her staunch support of gun rights. Certainly selecting her is reassuring to the NRA.

While I'm not suggesting that the NRA's endorsement of a Presidential candidate was the only factor in McCain picking Palin, the mere possibility that they might have endorsed Barr very well could be a much bigger factor than the mainstream media and the Republican Party will ever admit.

Could it be that he's courting the NRA to make sure that they don't end up not endorsing anyone for President? That too is a possibility. This author can not say exactly what they were thinking. These are questions that only the McCain campaign can answer. Hopefully they will be asked and answered honestly.

©2008 Darren Wolfe, all rights reserved. You must have written permission from the author in order to republish this work.
Published: Sunday, August 31, 2008
Last modified: Sunday, August 31, 2008

The views expressed in this article are those of Darren Wolfe only and do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Darren Wolfe is solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.

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Reader Comments:

Posted By: FormerLPMember
Date: 2008-08-31 23:20:49

Can you name one LP candidate that the NRA has ever endorsed?

Yes, I am also a FormerNRAMember. I quit them over a decade ago after I opened my eyes to their lack of principles. They (NRAILA) would constantly send out notices calling for support for one Republican candidate after another using fear tactics suggest as "you may have to turn in your guns if candidate x does not receive your support". There were many of these type of communications to the members suggesting that if the members wanted to keep their guns they should support the republican candidate x. Whenever I asked (many times) why they were not supporting LP candidate x, I got responses that they were committed to preserving our second amendment right to bear arms and by supporting pro gun candidates we would succeed. They never would acknowledge or use the word Libertarian in their communication. It was if they had added the word to their spellchecker as an invalid word.

The NRA does not have principles or they would never support any candidate who has voted for any gun law or gun restriction.

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Posted By: Darren
Date: 2008-09-01 03:39:51

Former,

To the best of my knowledge they haven't endorsed any LP candidates. That's beside the point, though, since their no LP policy could change. Who knows?

As I made clear in the article, the while NRA & Barr are not the only factors in McCain's desicion  to choose Palin, they must have been part of the equation.The Rs & Ds do think ahead a bit & no doubt want to make sure that the NRA continues their no LP policy. Selecting Palin assures that.

Lastly, you're right about the NRA having no principles. My impression is that they represent gun manufacturer's interests more than gun owners & gun rights. They should change their name to National Republican Assoc.

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