What the hell is up with Biden and the NRA???

[thesquanderer]

123. I don't know that it was a good idea. I'm just saying there is some possible reasonable rationale.

Though even then, I consider it a bit of an unforced error to have brought it up at all. He was not asked about the NRA, he could have left well enough alone. Especially since he only talked about the NRA and did not distinguish between the NRA as the organization it is today, and those "responsible gun owners" who may have joined the NRA but still not support all their positions, many of which I assume even Biden would be against. So to say basically that he has no beef with the NRA was not a smart thing to say, even IF he wanted to let people know he is not "one of those people who wants to take away your guns." He could have made it more clear that he supports responsible gun ownership and even the idea of an organization to support gun rights while still saying that the NRA as an organization (under its current leadership) supports some ideas that he finds too extreme, and he could have blamed those positions on the influence of the gun manufacturers if that's the point he was trying to make. I know, it's hard to make your points in 30 seconds, but that's his job... and if you can't explain what you mean in 30 seconds, maybe you shouldn't have brought it up in the first place. Note that I am giving Biden the benefit of the doubt, that he in fact does not support the statements of Wayne LaPierre. Because I agree, that saying you're okay with LaPierre's NRA is indeed going to be offensive to many Dems.

In the end, while I can see why there might have been some benefit to what he was trying to do, I don't think it came off well. But as I've indicated in other posts, I think Biden's communication skills these days are poor, and I think the more people see of Joe Biden as he is in 2019, the less likely it is that he will be seen as our best option to defeat Trump.