Don't want any more new gun laws or want to recind the '94 AW ban?  Now is times for those sitting on the sides to join.
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http://www.fortune.com/indexw.jhtml?channel=artcol.jhtml&doc_id=202410
http://www.fortune.com/indexw.jhtml?channel=list.jhtml&list_frag=list_3column_power_25.jhtml&list=16&_requestid=91100

May 15, 2001

WASHINGTON POWER 25
Fat and Happy in D.C.
Republicans are busting out all over, not just in Congress and the
White House but also on Fortune's latest list of the capital's most
powerful lobbyists.
FORTUNE

Monday, May 28, 2001

By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum

Maybe it's a coincidence, but Washington is gorging on red meat.
Carnivores have stormed the capital, and this city is nothing if not
adaptive. From Smith & Wollensky to Nick & Stef's, from Angelo &
Maxie's to the Caucus Room, new steak houses have popped up faster
than a politician can pocket a campaign contribution. There are
other changes too, like the reappearance of men in boots and women
in pearls. But the biggest change is that the Republican Party
controls every lever of power in town: the Oval Office, the Senate,
the House, the Cabinet. The Democrats? Let 'em eat crumbs!
Although the Grand Old Party isn't about to get everything it wants,
a new establishment has taken hold with George W. Bush. This year's
Power 25 survey--FORTUNE's list of Washington's most powerful
lobbying groups--reflects the turn. Republican organizations are
notably on the rise, while Democratic ones are waning. For the first
time in four years, the Power 25 has a new No. 1. The heavily
Republican National Rifle Association has replaced the nonpartisan
American Association of Retired Persons as the group with the most
clout in the capital. FORTUNE's survey was conducted by mail in
March and April by the Mellman Group, a Democratic polling firm, and
by Public Opinion Strategies, a GOP firm.
Although city slickers might be aghast at the ascendancy of the NRA,
this is a highly focused, well-financed organization. Despite
high-profile school shootings and unrelenting pressure from
gun-control advocates, the NRA has held gun-control legislation at
bay. How? By electing its supporters to Congress and, last year, to
the White House. In particular, the NRA was pivotal in defeating Al
Gore in Arkansas, Tennessee, and West Virginia--all states that
usually vote Democratic. If Gore had won just one of them, he would
now be President.
Nothing inspires zealotry like a threat, and few people feel more
threatened than gun owners, more and more of whom are finding
comfort in the NRA. It has 4.3 million members, up one million since
last year, and two million since 1998. Its budget increased from
$180 million to $200 million last year, including $35 million for
political campaigns. The money supports a state-of-the-art lobbying
machine with its own national newscast, one million precinct-level
political organizers, and an in-house telemarketing department.

The
NRA's pre-election rallies in 25 cities last year drew 5,000 to
9,000 people each--often more than Gore drew.
At No. 2 on the Power 25, AARP is not exactly a has-been. Its budget
last year was a staggering $542 million. No lawmaker or President
would dare to propose changes in Social Security or Medicare without
consulting this 34.8-million-member behemoth. But AARP is also a
house divided. Half of its membership is under age 65 (people become
eligible to join at 50). It even publishes a magazine called My
Generation to appeal to baby-boomers, the oldest of whom turn 55
this year. AARP may have difficulty deciding which group to
represent: retirees or the soon-to-retire. Retirees, for example,
tend to favor keeping Social Security just as it is. Boomers
generally support changes to ensure that the program will be there
when they retire.
Another reason for AARP's slide may be its political neutrality.
GOP-friendly groups excelled in 2001. Republican bastions like the
National Beer Wholesalers Association (No. 8) moved up strongly.
Pro-business groups, including the National Association of Realtors
(No. 9), the National Association of Manufacturers (No. 10), and the
National Association of Home Builders (No. 11), also advanced. The
Business Roundtable, whose members are CEOs, went from No. 37 to No.
26.
By contrast, two mostly Democratic labor unions, the American
Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (No. 27) and
the United Auto Workers (No. 33), fell off the Power 25. The
National Education Association, a teachers' union, dipped from No. 9
to No. 14. The AFL-CIO dropped a slot, from No. 5 to No. 6. The
International Brotherhood of Teamsters barely clung to the bottom of
the list at No. 25.
Some of the changes had nothing to do with partisan politics. For
beating back Napster, the Internet music-swapping service, the
Recording Industry Association jumped from No. 40 to No. 22. Two
groups joined the list after successfully lobbying for an increase
in Medicare reimbursements--the American Hospital Association (No.
13) and the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America (No.
24). The Health Insurance Association of America rose from No. 25 to
No. 19 by helping delay a vote on the Patients' Bill of Rights. The
Power 25 poll reflects the divergent views of lawmakers and other
insiders, but on one issue there's consensus. A former highflier has
been laid low; the Christian Coalition, No. 7 in 1997 and No. 35 in
1999, fell to No. 65 this year. It has never recovered from the
departure of its charismatic director Ralph Reed.
But the overall story of the list is the triumph of the GOP.
Lobbying companies followed the same pattern as the lobbying
organizations. The new No. 1 firm is Barbour Griffith & Rogers, led
by Haley Barbour, former chairman of the Republican National
Committee. His company replaces Verner Liipfert Bernhard McPherson &
Hand (No. 3), which has a stellar but painstakingly bipartisan
roster of marquee partners (Bob Dole, George Mitchell).

Who else but the NRA!

If you complain that the NRA ain't 'radical' enough - I'll see you at the Annual Meeting voting, RIGHT???

Eric The(Lifer)Hun

This is great news!  I suspect that even a membership of 10 or 15 million would make gun control legislation a distant memory.  Politicians would truly fear the gun owner's vote.