The National Rifle Association is the consummate boogeyman of the Left, a sort of all-powerful specter hovering over every political and societal nook and cranny. There is probably no organization in society so consistently reviled and so publicly slandered as the NRA. Actors Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman, for instance, both recently told the NRA to “fuck off” and “eat shit,” respectively. It is difficult to imagine the response if a couple of conservative public figures hurled such invective at Planned Parenthood. But it’s the NRA, so everyone giggled about it.
Liberals tend to credit the NRA with far more influence over our electoral process than it actually has. It is highly popular to accuse Republicans of being “in the pocket” of the gun lobby — but the NRA is, all things considered, a relatively unremarkable campaign contributor.
