After years of cherishing (and trumpeting) his A-rating from the NRA, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin has fallen out of the good graces of the most powerful gun rights organization in the United States and is about to suffer their wrath. The NRA might not have the war chest to go up against a super-rich statist like Mayor Bloomberg, but that doesn’t mean that this ad will have any less impact. Especially in the Mountain State, where gun rights are high on people’s priority lists . . .
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – The National Rifle Association is targeting U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin after years of endorsing the West Virginia Democrat.
Manchin has continued to push to broaden background checks to include firearms sold online or at gun shows.
The NRA says it launched a TV ad Wednesday urging state residents to call Manchin over the measure.
Manchin says the NRA is more concerned about political power than gun rights and safety.
The ad seeks to link Manchin with President Barack Obama and New York City Major Mike Bloomberg.
The new TV spot contrasts Manchin’s current proposal with his 2010 campaign ad, in which Manchin shoots a rifle while touting his support of Second Amendment rights.
The NRA says it will spend $100,000 to air its ad over the next two weeks.
So much meh here. Manchin is small fish right now. The NRA should be on the offensive against billion dollar Bloomberg and his cadre. Maybe also defending the senators, like Kelly Ayote, that are catching hell right now for defending our rights.
Manchin’s time will come. This ain’t it.
Agreed. $100k wasted by not spending it against Bloomberg.
You mean pro-illegal-immigration Ayotte?
Plinking a gun squish and reducing the # of Democrats in the Senate would be a nice twofer.
Ah yes, because she totally said she’s pro illegal immigration.
Our economy relies on immigration and our system is a total mess. The only issue with the ‘reform’ being pushed right now is it doesn’t do enough to relieve the system of the bureaucracy that’s come to define it.
We didn’t even have a problem until we started demanding solutions. Like is so often the case, prohibition creates most of the issues it’s intended to solve.
Good for the NRA.
Spend $ against Bloomberg?
Bloomberg isn’t running for anything. NYC is bought and paid for and Bloomberg can stay emperor of the hive as long as he wants the throne.
Bloomberg doesn’t have a vote in the US Senate or want to keep a Senate fiefdom for life.
You can’t wait until 30days before next Manchin election to spend ad $. There are going to be more antigun votes soon and the twit still isn’t getting the picture. T0o hard headed to admit he had a Sr moment and was WRONG?
Right – Bloomberg isn’t running for anything… that’s why he’s a much bigger issue than Manchin. Frankly, Joe doesn’t matter. Even if his dumb bill had passed the Senate there’s exactly zero chance it would have been passed by the house.
Bloomberg is laying groundwork for the 2014 elections, and that’s where we need to defeat him. He’s looking to win mindshare, and that’s going to win seats.
Good for the NRA! Accountability and the reaping of what they sow. So what are they going to rate Harry Reid now?
Odd they’re running the ads now, Trader Joe is not up for re-election for three more years. Maybe they should be focused on seat that’s up for grabs in 2014.
It’s running now because we’re going to see another significant push to cram UBC through the Senate here in the next couple of weeks to a month. Mark my words, it’s a coming…..again.
I agree.
This morning NBC talking heads were yammering about how “racist” this ad is because of the “dark shading” of Obama’s picture.
Manchin is the right person to target. Senators have a vote, Bloomberg is money. Senators keep issues alive or bury them. Manchin is the one for us as NRA members to target. Senators will soon be voting on the UN weapons ban. You don’t think there are not 99 other Senators watching these ads by the NRA?
FWIW, the UN treaty has zero chance of being ratified by the Senate. They need 67 ‘yes’ votes…they likely have 65 – 70 ‘no’ votes right now. Just ain’t gonna happen, in any climate.
Really? And the illegal invader amnesty bill will never pass the Senate without border control (unless a deal is done).
I love how ‘fiscal conservatives’ would rather spend billions kicking out all the illegal immigrants than simply fix the problem that made them illegal in the first place.
It will be interesting to learn how effective it is. NRA endorsements and curses are not what they used to be.
My understanding is that the NRA has a higher approval rating today than it did back in the mid 1990s.
Think our victory today in Nevada and in April on the Hill shows Bloomberg has they money we have the numbers.
Manchin did an epic fail when it came to defending gun rights in the aftermath of the Newtown shooting. I remember the media was all over it, saying (paraphrasing): “Joe Manchin, staunch gun rights supporter, comes out against assault weapons, high capacity magazines, etc…”
What killed me was how little understanding he seemed to have. He talked about how when hunting, they usually only load two or three rounds at most in the “clip,” and he talked about “assault weapons.” If he is so knowledgeable about gun rights, he should have known that the right to keep and bear arms hasn’t squat to do with hunting, that the appropriate term is “magazine” not “clip,” and that “assault weapons” don’t really exist.
He did vote against Obama’s and DiFi’s AWB and mag ban. Said he was against it since late January.
Yes, but probably after catching hell from constituents.
I agree if that what it takes to defend our 2A rights to own ARs that what we need to do.
Got too many calls from those hill people who are tooling upo to fight the revenuers, who are training with assault weapons.
Manchin should be Tared and Feathered.
I am glad the NRA is going after Manchin. Politicians need to know that there is a price to be paid if they go against gun rights.
People, people. I give the NRA credit for this but it will be a wasted effort. This is the state that elected, time and again,Bob Byrd and the other stooge, Jay Rockefeller. That voted for Mike Dukakis of all people. Manchin will bring home a big wad of pork and will be easily reelected, end of story.
Manchin took a very public lead in this, offering press quotes etc and also deviated after being on the side of civil rights.
I think he’s a perfect target because he the perfect one to make an example of. You don’t want any other senator going off the reservation, deciding to try an score brownie points by being for ‘modest’ or ‘common sense’ gun restrictions.
If he loses his formerly secure seat or even just gets burned holding on to it, it makes the other pols think twice about lining up behind Bloomberg’s line.
How long are we going to allow them to claim that there are no background checks on online firearm purchases?
Where is the NRA in this?
He’s had his 15 minutes of fame time to give it up,and try for damage control,cause he is gonna need it.The NRA has plans for him,they will make an example of him to where hopefully other would be turn coats will think twice about biting a hand that feeds you.Keep your powder dry.
Comments are closed.