We constantly read and hear about the influence the NRA has over members of Congress. Almost as if the NRA was the puppeteer and members of Congress a bunch of wooden toys that dance to their whim.
Well, if you measure influence by money, it’s just not so.
The website Open Secrets keeps tabs on direct contributions to candidates, lobbying, and outside spending.
Where do you think the NRA ranks on direct contributions to candidates from 1998 through 2012? They’re at No. 50 with $19,153,139 donated, a tad behind the ever-powerful Sheet Metal Workers Union at No. 46 with $20,430,978. Pro-abortion Emily’s List is No. 22 with $27,036,897. And 14 out of the top 20 are groups that fund liberal causes.
The Left will, however, point us to “outside spending” in the latest election.
The NRA did rank at No. 17 with $18,896,442 in outside spending in 2012. Planned Parenthood, however? No. 23 with $14,344,130.
Keep these numbers in mind the next time you see the president gathered with a bunch of kids to make a political point. We on the right might not be so cynical if our friends on the left didn’t spend so much money encouraging the abortion of babies the president holds so dear.
The takeaway here is that the NRA’s power is not financial in nature, it’s that they have the support of actual voters who think the Second Amendment is still valid today.