A generation ago, the National Rifle Association was a fairly mainstream sportsman’s group.\u00a0 A lot of us first learned to shoot in NRA safety programs and being a member was sort of like being a member of Rotary.<\/p>\n
(My wife Susan still has her NRA marksman certificate on the wall of her office.\u00a0 Our son Nicholas received his first rifle, a .22, at the age of 11.)<\/p>\n
But over the last couple of decades the organization has evolved into a front-line conservative culture-war institution, with uncompromising stances on issues like assault rifles, extended ammo clips, background checks, and concealed weapon laws.<\/p>\n
The organization’s positions are now well the right of most law enforcement organizations in the US, and even well to the right of most gun-owners.\u00a0\u00a0 This from Time magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to a 2009 survey by Republican pollster Frank Luntz, 69% of NRA members and 85% of gun owners support background checks at gun shows.<\/p>\n A separate poll showed that about 90% of gun owners support plugging gaps in federal databases, enforcing existing requirements for stocking those databases and forcing agencies to swap that information.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The NRA’s transformation is a given now, a done-deal.<\/p>\n And it’s worth noting that by adopting a take-no-prisoners approach to even the most modest gun-control measures, the organization has expanded its power significantly.<\/p>\n Which may be one of the reasons that another once-ho-hum organization appears to be following in its tracks.<\/p>\n The Chamber of Commerce used to represent a fairly snoozy, mom-and-pop business take on American political life.<\/p>\n But over the last few years, the organization has become a major conservative player in the fight to block or dismantle Democratic and progressive policies pushed by the Obama administration.<\/p>\n The Chamber opposed the healthcare law, climate change legislation, and a consumer protection bureau.<\/p>\n Fox News noted in 2009 that President Obama was trying to “neutralize” that opposition by speaking directly to the Chamber’s members.<\/p>\n “We have an open door to the ideas and suggestions of the business community including the Chamber,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, noting that administration “representatives” met with Chamber representatives last week.<\/p>\n “But it does give us pause that they continue to throw millions of dollars against productive efforts under way to reform the regulatory structure, provide access to affordable health insurance for more Americans and reduce the impact of greenhouse gas emissions — all plans essential to the continued growth and recovery of our economy.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n More recently, liberals have been complaining that in a new Chamber report, the organization argues that “blue” states aren’t as good a place to do business as “red” red states — even when Democrat-dominated states appear to have much larger and more successful economies.\u00a0 This from Salon<\/a>.<\/p>\n How about this — Americans, by an almost 2-to-1 margin, seem to prefer living in [what the Chamber described as] excessively regulated states — 139,270,097 — than they do in free market capitalist paradises like Alabama or Idaho — 67,475,959.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It’s not just lefties and progressives who have questioned the Chamber’s NRA-style approach.\u00a0 In 2009, the Apple corporation quit the Chamber because of its stand on climate change.\u00a0 This from the Washington Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a letter to the Chamber’s president, Apple Vice President Catherine Novelli wrote, “Apple supports regulating greenhouse gas emissions, and it is frustrating to find the Chamber at odds with us in this effort.” As a result, Novelli said, “we have decided to resign our membership effective immediately.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Also in 2009, three major power utilities quit the Chamber over the same issue, according to Reuters<\/a>.<\/p>\n Exelon Corp, PG&E Corp and PNM Resources Inc, said they were leaving the Chamber.\u00a0 Other companies have criticized the Chamber, which has pushed for public hearings to challenge the scientific evidence of man-made climate change.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Those departures represent a tiny blip on the Chamber’s membership rolls, and the organization has continued to push hard against Democratic and union policies.<\/p>\n