Still Learning

I have been deeply involved in the Gun Rights movement for several years. I also seek to understand the basic principles that grassroots citizen employers and lobbyists, must understand and utilize to keep their elected officials and politicians, their employees. I do that for practical research purposes on how to rev up my Mavellonialist political enterprise to empower engaged individuated supercitizens, grassroots lobbying on steroids.

Minnesota Gun Rights is a small but effective no-compromise, militant gun right organization in the Upper Midwest. The media, RINOS, Democrats and compromised gun rights organizations in Minnesota, like the NRA and Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus all accuse the Dorrs at MGR of being con artists living off of generous, patriotic donors sending them money. That is outrageous, a smear and a lie. Only MGR has been saving Gun Rights in Minnesota from being taken from us.

I am being long-winded but by setting up what is going on, I can discover how the people take back St. Paul and Washington. By participating up close and at first hand, I have been able to see what works for grassroots lobbyists and what does not. 

The Dorrs are outsiders, almost loners among lobbyists making the rounds at the Capitol. The NRA and Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus are beloved, praised, cherished--at least by Republicans--by establishment insiders at the Capitol. These lobbying groups have gotten so close to the residents operating in the corridors of power that they are heard and given access, while agreeing to endorse politicians and campaign for and provide cover for sold out politicians that brag back home about defending gun rights, while never voting on gun rights bills, and allowing the grabbers to incrementally, boldly and abruptly infringe on gun rights, until our infringed upon 2A rights are taken away, even confiscation being the law of the state.

The conventional wisdom among liberals and progressives is that politicians become corrupted and sold out, owned by special interests and their representative lobbyists, as the moneyed interests get a grip on the politicians and order them on how to vote and what legislation to sponsor. There is much truth in this.

But, it works the other way around too and no one but me--that I know of--have discovered this reality and now seek to right it out as a principle on how not to remain effective as citizen lobbyists.

What occurred is that the NRA nationally and locally, and presumably, the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, are owned by establishment politicians. To gain and keep access and influence, these tamed lobbyists become insiders who covet their access, perks and bonhomie with insider politicians. To stay popular and liked, they have to go along with what the insider politicians are up to. These tamed, grassroots lobbying organizations are ordered never to badmouth a turncoat Republican, or to warn the voters about their gun rights being eroded 15% every two years until they are gone.

Along comes fiery, militant no compromise MGR and the Dorrs, and the insiders criticize them for staying outside, for saying mean things, for not compromising, for being not humble and deferential before politicians. They criticize the Dorrs as shysters as and video-shooting outsiders that do not spend day after day with the insider politicians. But if the Dorrs did, or one day become Establishment, they will not longer really defend gun rights.

The Establishment sooner or later brings in, cuts deals with, buys off flatters off, all grassroots lobbyists until they compromise on gun rights like the NRA does. Look at the NRA patting Trump on the back as pro 2A while AG William Barr will push red flags legislation. Does Mark Rubio have NRA endorsement as he pushed red flag legislation in the federal Senate? Probably.

Let the NRA and Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus be insider lobbyists and be held to a no-compromise stance on gun rights by gun owners and pressure from the MGR. Let politicians in Minnesota come to fear again voters and gun owners and the MGR to kill gun-grabbing legislation of any kind.

Let all the gun rights organizations in Minnesota not do the self-defeating, circular firing squad thing of shooting each other while vying for turf, members and power, but continue to work independently and yet united to protect our gun rights. In that way these nonprofit, grassroots lobbyists will be less inclined to be corrupted, sold-out Establishment insiders, and MGR, out on the fringes of grassroots lobbying, can keep the heat on while not being owned by the politicians that they lobby. Once a politician gets his arms around his lobbyist, then he is that lobbyist's boss, and then that politician gan institute gun-grabbing while bragging about being pro 2A, and his owned citizen lobbyist dares not speak out against his boss and owner.