Facing Lost Rental Car Discounts, the NRA Will 'Stand and Fight'  

By Whitney Kimball  |  February 26, 2018 | 1:12am
Politics

Unfortunately, we are now acquainted with NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch, the human face of a breed of hydra spawned by GOP ejaculate, incubated in hell and then fed by money (one of those steps might be out of order, but money can’t ejaculate?) Anyway, Loesch has been making the rounds on network television, even appearing to instruct Trump on his approach to gun control this weekend, reiterating that “nothing’s been proposed yet,” but “it’s great” that he’s “has this listening session.” (Rather than, say, raise the minimum age for purchasing assault rifles as he has suggested, she says we should arm more teens). According to the Center for Responsive Politics the NRA spent $11.4 million for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and $19.7 million against Hillary Clinton’s; the NRA spent a total of $51.8 million on 86 candidates in the 2016 federal elections with an 73% success rate. There is no reason for Loesch’s voice to be heard in the debate over the murder of 17 students and educators in a school in Florida, other than a loud base and money. But now we get to see what happens when the NRA-*gasp*–loses airline discounts.

#BoycottNRA began trending this week since Think Progress published a list of companies, mainly insurance and travel, which offer discounts and perks to the five million NRA members who pay a $40 annual fee. The campaign has succeeded in pushing most companies to sever ties. On Saturday, the NRA published a press release saying that it will not be cowed by such injustice:

The law-abiding members of the NRA had nothing at all to do with the failure of that school’s security preparedness, the failure of America’s mental health system, the failure of the National Instant Check System or the cruel failures of both federal and local law enforcement.
Despite that, some corporations have decided to punish NRA membership in a shameful display of political and civic cowardice. In time, these brands will be replaced by others who recognize that patriotism and determined commitment to Constitutional freedoms are characteristics of a marketplace they very much want to serve.
Let it be absolutely clear. The loss of a discount will neither scare nor distract one single NRA member from our mission to stand and defend the individual freedoms that have always made America the greatest nation in the world.

Okay.

Accusing companies of scare tactics, when the stakes are trying to keep automatic rifles out of the hands of mentally unstable teens, aside–the core implication that people’s belief in the second amendment could be swayed by the loss of NRA membership perks seems illogical even about its own members. Why would anybody’s patriotism hinge on a minor fiscally sensible decision to maybe to stop paying a club membership fee?

At this writing, by Think Progress’s count, those shameful and cowardly companies include:

  • First National Bank of Omaha
  • Enterprise, Alamo, and National
  • Symantec
  • LifeLock
  • MetLife
  • Chubb
  • SimpliSafe
  • Teladoc
  • Hertz
  • Allied Van Lines and NorthAmerican Van Lines
  • Avis and Budget
  • TrueCar
  • Starkey Hearing Technologies

And companies which have confirmed that they will continue to offer NRA perks or have declined to comment:

  • LifeLine Screening
  • ManageUrID
  • Life Insurance Central
  • Medical Concierge Network
  • eHealth
  • Lockton
  • HotelPlanner.com
  • Vinesse Wines
  • FedEx

On Saturday, United and Delta also announced that they would no longer offer NRA members discounts on flights to its annual convention.

The boycott has also called for Apple, Google, and Amazon to remove NRA videos, which none of those streaming services have yet acknowledged.

 
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