NRA president David Keene to GOP: Grow or die

Political parties have only two choices in this world, NRA president and former head of the American Conservative Union, David Keene, told the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday: "They grow, or they die."

Keene asked the conservatives in the audience to remember that "Our movement and the Republican party are not the same." The party, Keene said, is simply "the vehicle we've chosen to accomplish our political and policy goals."

And sometimes, Keene said, that vehicle needs a tune-up.

He recalled the new people brought into the Republican fold by 1964 GOP nominee Barry Goldwater and former President Ronald Reagan. At the time, Keene said, the party establishment was nervous that these newcomers would rock the boat.

"They came anyway," Keene said, "and we have to accept the fact that when new people come in, they want a vote."

"Party establishments tend to want voters," he explained, "they just don't want them...participating in decision-making."

He recalled the strength demonstrated by former Rep. Ron Paul, R-Tex., among young people during his bids for the presidency in 2008 and 2012.

"This year," Keene said, Ron Paul's son, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, became "a hero....to conservatives across the country" for his 13-hour filibuster objecting to the Obama administration's policy on targeted drone strikes.

In return, Paul was rewarded by an "aging presidential candidate" -- that would be Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. -- who said, according to Keene, "We don't want people like him because he appeals to young people."

McCain, who supports drone strikes, accused Paul of staging a reckless filibuster to appeal to "libertarian kids in their dorm room."

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And that won't cut it, said Keene: "If the Republican Party adopts exclusionist parties, it won't win, it won't succeed, and it -- like movements and parties in the past -- will be looking back at its glory days."

"Fortunately," he added, "many, many Republicans and most conservatives recognize this need" for fresh blood.

Keene did not address the ongoing push for stricter gun laws in Washington. The NRA has steadfastly opposed President Obama's proposals to reduce gun violence, which include a ban on military-style assault weapons and a national background check system for gun buyers.

[tonyspdx]

Rand Paul is the perfect candidate, because both the GOP and the Dems hate his politics. If only people could realize that the Libertarian Party is what the country needs.

[GOP-R--Con-Men]

The NRA should take its own advice by not opposing common sense laws to address gun violence.

[rpiny82]

With all their intransigence and demographics trending strongly against them its no longer a matter of speculation. The GOP will die. They are dying already and are powerless to stop it. All they can do now is to take their dwindling, dying base and separate them from their money via campaign contributions in order to support the party hierarchy.

[ludvig1-2009]

The problem with trying to grow the Greedy Old Party is there are only so many nutcakes in America. You are severely limited trying to recruit people who don't exist.

[hypnotoad72]

Given this NRA dude has guns, that's probably the weapon of choice he'll use to carry out his plan with.

[167irishboy]

We don't want gay marriage.

You've lost all the conservative Democrats because you support, with legislation, the as_ho__s who run the corporations we in America work for that have stripped the workers at the bottom of the company of pay and benefits and rewarded them for the record profits by paying lots of executives 20 to 30 million a year.

Just keep rubbing our faces in it and we will be glad to vote for the party that supports, through legislation, pro-union values. We won't care if the candidate grows horns, sprouts a tail, and spews fireball from their eyes. Standing up at the pulpit, rolling around on the floor speaking in tongues, and the lover of money don't go together. We are COMPLETELY tired of your love of money.

These people (big business) study worker demographics to the infinite degree like we are lab rats. They know exactly how much to give American workers to allow them to just keep their heads above water. Kind of like the old "company store" gone nation wide. They set the prices in the store to keep the workers in debt their whole lives. In return, the workers who produce record production records and profits NEED to work until they die or until they just physically can't. Then these are the same people (Republicans) who want to take away ANY hope of retiring with even a small nest egg by eliminating "social liberal programs" medicare and social security.

You guys are going to disappear at the voting polls. We don't want to work until we die without being able to afford, maybe one vacation and a couple ball games with our families without having to take out a loan that we repay for five years while we watch our company executives buy 40 five star homes around the world and a custom DC 10 to get them there.

A hundred years from now the younger generation will be asking their great grandfathers what a Republican was because they have to write a paper about them in history class.

So long Republicans or whatever you rename yourselves, just keep counting your money because we'll be voting for the party that supports unions.

[hypnotoad72]

We don't want gay marriage?

What relevance does that wedge issue have to do with the wedge issue involved in the article?

BTW: Ayn Rand took social security, despite railing against it, the moment she needed it, and took it in her husband's name.

And what's your take on corporate welfare, even giving handouts to corporations that offshore jobs (and even as means to drive down your wages with)>