Despite a year of blistering criticism from gun control advocates about the National Rifle Association’s hard-line stance against gun restrictions amid a spate of mass shootings nationwide, 58% in the U.S. have a favorable opinion of the NRA. CONT. Art Swift, Gallup Read more »
Most gun owners don’t belong to the NRA — and they don’t agree with it either
… Given its high profile, it’s easy to assume that the NRA represents the voice of American gun owners. But in fact, the organization’s membership numbers and survey data point a different picture. Only a small fraction of the nation’s gun owners are NRA members. Even among NRA members, there […] Read more »
Another Gun Tragedy. Don’t Expect Much Policy Action to Result
… So what can Americans expect to see in the wake of the Oregon shooting? Probably nothing at the federal level. In fact, since Sandy Hook, support for gun rights has actually risen, according to a 2014 Pew study. The National Rifle Association (NRA), widely regarded as one of the […] Read more »
Hurricane Trump
… However long Donald Trump lasts, the forces that prompted his ascent may be more politically consequential than a mere outburst of discontent from Americans in the early stage of a presidential election would suggest. Trump’s improbable success so far may have the potential to shift politics and the policy […] Read more »
Don’t worry about special interests
… Any free political system gives extra influence to those who have intense preferences. The difficulty is making sure differences in influence are mostly due to preference intensity, not social and economic inequalities. Not an easy task. Unfortunately, the US is mostly going in the wrong direction. Economic inequality has […] Read more »
The Unlobbyists
… Are the days of the glad-handing lobbyist, carrying an envelope of PAC checks and the proposed wording of a client’s legislative amendment, numbered? Carter Eskew, a founding partner of the Glover Park Group, which lobbies and provides a host of other services to clients, raised this question in a conversation […] Read more »