NRA puts weight behind Republican Senate campaign with moral attack

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/26/nra-republican-senate-campaign-moral-attack

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The National Rifle Association unveiled a blistering attack on the moral state of America on Saturday, as it stepped up a campaign to help the Republican Party seize control of the US Senate in November's midterm elections and the White House in 2016.

Accusing President Barack Obama and the former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg of “doing their damnedest to destroy this country”, the leaders of the influential lobby group vowed at its annual meeting of members to resist the pair’s efforts to pass tougher gun control measures.

But this traditional pledge was overshadowed by the launch of an expanded campaign to defend what they called “American values”, based on a litany of complaints about modern life ranging from people failing to hold doors open for others to the proliferation of text messaging and email.

“The character of our nation, and all of our values, are at risk,” Wayne LaPierre, the NRA’s chief executive, told members gathered in Indianapolis. “These aren’t old values, these aren’t new values – these are the core freedoms and core values that have always defined us a nation.”

Declaring that “everywhere you look, something has gone wrong”, LaPierre said America’s future depended on “the good guys” such as NRA members, who “look at the world around us and shake our heads in sad disbelief, and can’t help but wonder what in the world has gone wrong with our country”. He called on them to “save and take back a really great country”.

Railing against “elites” such as politicians, school teachers and “media celebrities”, all of whom he dismissed as liars, LaPierre described a country in which citizens who still valued “truth, honesty, kindness, virtue, generosity, humility, mutual respect, plain decency” were under siege.

He premiered a TV advertisement for the midterm campaign, in which young NRA supporters lament that in America today “the gates of success swing open for hypocrites, chameleons, bullies and yes-men” and “filthy crimes go unpunished”. Between bleak urban scenes and a soaring string soundtrack, one declares: “It’s time to believe in the good guys again.”

LaPierre echoed the clip’s script in his speech, claiming that while the 5 million NRA members “still hold our hands over our hearts and sing the national anthem” and “respect our elders”, America had become a place “where cowards don’t help the fallen elderly man, or walk right past the crying child who’s clearly too young to be there alone”.

At the start of the annual meeting, the group's members applauded as its youngest life member, a two-month-old girl called Elizabeth from Spring, Texas, was paraded onstage by her father.

Jim Porter, the NRA president, promised in his own remarks that the organisation would help end Democratic control of the upper chamber in Washington later this year.

"There's nothing more important than who gets elected to the US Senate,” said Porter. “It's time that majority leader Harry Reid becomes after the next election the minority leader."

Looking beyond this autumn to the contest to replace Obama in two years’ time, Porter said: "We are going to flex our muscle in November and the November after that. And I know you can't wait until November 2016."

LaPierre agreed: “We won’t rest until November of 2016.”

The NRA leadership promised to confront Bloomberg, who earlier this month announced that he would spend about $50m (£30m) of his fortune to fund Everytown for Gun Safety, a pro-regulation lobbying group to oppose the NRA. The pro-gun group has for years ploughed millions into congressional contests and spent $32m on contributions to candidates, political committees and lobbying in 2012.

Chris Cox, the NRA’s chief lobbyist, mocked a claim the former mayor made in an interview earlier this month that he was certain to have earned a place in heaven.

“I actually don’t know what’s bigger,” said Cox. “His bank account, his arrogance, or his hypocrisy.”

Cox went on: “He thinks that with enough deceptive TV ads, political contributions and self-serving press conferences, he can buy the hearts and minds of the American people. He thinks he can buy freedom that countless Americans have given their lives to defend.”

Another video clip shown by LaPierre directly tackled Bloomberg.

“This guy thinks he can scare us into running from the fight to protect our rights and our freedoms,” one young man says of Bloomberg in the clip, before others also claiming to be NRA supporters each pledge to donate $25 to help resist the billionaire’s efforts.

“Let’s see who crushes who,” says one.