You might find yourself freaking out that NRA endorsed the Democrat for Missouri Governor instead of Republican Eric Greitens. If you think about it, though, the endorsement makes perfect sense from the NRA’s perspective.

You realize that the NRA is a lobbying firm, and lobbyists have an easier time working with an established asset like Koster than cultivating an outsider like Greitens. Recruiting and cultivating an asset is to a lobbyist as finding and selling a new customer is to a business. Businesses know it’s easier and more efficient to keep the customers you have than to find new ones. As a former Republican legislator, Koster has a track record as an asset, so the NRA would rather keep him than train a new one. That’s why the NRA endorsed Koster for AG in 2012 instead of Republican Ed Martin. Expect the abortion lobby to endorse Koster, too, because he likes abortion.

You also realize that the NRA is an establishment organization. By “establishment,” I mean the NRA plays the establishment game and horse trades with other establishment organizations. The NRA is part of the Washington cabal that operates like a shadow government. And the establishment prefers known insiders to emerging outsiders. (See the previous paragraph.) Chris Koster is the insider’s insider, having won elections for both major parties. Like a double agent in a spy movie. That makes Koster an easy asset for the NRA and the Farm Bureau and abortionists to manage. The establishment would prefer a predictable politician even if he disagrees with the establishment over an unpredictable outsider who agrees with them.

You probably know I hate the establishment and like the NRA. You might expect me to be mad at the NRA. You must realize, though, that I live in the real world. The NRA supports the Second Amendment by operating within the political establishment. I support the Second Amendment, too, so I’m glad the NRA gets its hands dirty in the establishment cesspool so I don’t have to. I wasn’t surprised by the NRA’s endorsement today. I was surprised it took so long.

Eric Greitens received the NRA’s highest grade possible for someone who’s never held office. Greitens got an AQ grade, the same as John Brunner. Had Brunner won the primary, the NRA still would have endorsed Chris Koster because the NRA always supports the most established candidate who gets a good grade.

I support Eric Greitens because he’s an outsider who hasn’t been conditioned and cultivated by lobbying firms like the NRA. You should, too, because his views of the Second Amendment are at least as good as Koster’s. If you only vote based on the NRA’s endorsement, though, you probably brag to your friends in other states that Missouri’s economy sucks and the future looks dim. Voting for establishment candidates like Koster is the best way to ensure Missouri never climbs higher than 10th from bottom. Sooner or later your kids will move to a state that has jobs, so you can stop worrying about them. They’ll probably like Tennessee better.

Hennessy's View

How the NRA Picks Candidates

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