Wayne LaPierre Speech Was A Total Public Relations Disaster, Say PR Experts

[hlthe2b]

?6

Public relations experts who have experience working with the gun industry expressed horror on Friday afternoon at the National Rifle Association's response to the Newtown, Conn., shootings.

The group's executive vice president, Wayne LaPierre, struck a scolding tone on Friday, blaming the video game industry and media for exposing youth to a culture of violence, and calling for armed police or security guards in schools: "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," LaPierre said.

Public relations professionals reached by The Huffington Post said the timing of his message, which broke a week of silence in the wake of the tragic murder of 26 children and adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School, could be an irredeemable mistake for the group.

“It was worse than if the NRA had not spoken at all,” said Gene Grabowski, executive vice president of Levick Strategic Communications, a Washington, D.C.-based issues management firm that has worked with firearms manufacturers. "The same message about the culture in another time and place might have made sense, but in context of tragedy, it seemed mean-spirited, cold and misguided."

more
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/21/wayne-lapierre-speech-public-relations-disaster_n_2346967.html

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. It's the best he's got.

The demented fuckwad just can't help himself.

The NRA is a sinking scow.

[Major Nikon]

37. Actually I don't think so

This one became an instant classic:

http://wonkette.com/453659/nra-chief-obama-trying-to-steal-your-guns-by-not-stealing-your-guns

[alp227]

42. Need that extra slash to see the actual desktop (not mobile) site:

http://wonkette.com/453659/nra-chief-obama-trying-to-steal-your-guns-by-not-stealing-your-guns/

And Mike Malloy mocked LaPierre's "Obama taking away guns" paranoia:

[paleotn]

59. paranoia to our ears....

...but I bet it sold a whole lot of guns and ammo. That is what the NRA is all about after all. A propaganda operation for their corporate masters. Kind of a familiar theme, isn't it.

[JBoy]

2. He was speaking from his cold, dead heart. nt

[Mojorabbit]

3. It was a pitiful performance for sure. nt

[spanone]

4. i couldn't be happier.

[Cha]

5. Of course it was.. getting Wayne out there before the cameras to do his

speech was the best thing for reforming America's gun safety.

United people against the NRA instead of anyone gettng fooled that they gave a shit about the poor kids and their protectors, who were slaughtered.

[renie408]

6. That is EXACTLY what I said!! I should be a PR expert!

I said that the NRA had drastically mistaken public opinion on this one.

And I was right. They really screwed the pooch in that presser.

[Uncle Joe]

7. Bullshit it doesn't make sense now and it won't make sense ten years from now.

LaPierre was/is doing nothing but maintaining an ongoing domestic arms race.

Thanks for the thread, hlthe.

[Crunchy Frog]

8. Good.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

9. Lawrence O'Donnell buried him tonight.

Didn't fail to mention LaPierre, another repuke that didn't want to carry a gun
during the VN war.

"Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the National Rifle Association - did not serve (apparently pulled lottery #97 in 1969 as a campus radical at SUNY-Albany, but weaseled out by getting a family doctor to claim he had a nervous disorder)."

I wonder how many of these war weapon fanatics never served, never saw what soldiers witness or learned what can
only be learned on the battlefield or in training.

[WillyT]

10. I Saw That... It Was AWESOME !!!

[Cobalt-60]

17. Because if they had served at all

much less in combat they would know that war is not desirable.
The louder they yell for war, the less they know about it.

[TDale313]

30. Absolutely. n/t

[mhilburn]

18. yike

If he had a nervous disorder, he should not be allowed to be around guns in peacetime. If he's not allowed to be in the army with his condition, he certainly shouldn't be allowed a "carry" permit and a million dollar salary to front for gun groups.

[Marie Marie]

21. BINGO!!! +1000

[Care Acutely]

27. He belongs on the registry HE would subject innocent people to.

[senseandsensibility]

53. What you said.

And welcome to DU.

[calimary]

66. Welcome to DU, mhilburn!

Glad you're here! Lawrence O'Donnell was utterly SCATHING!!! BLISTERING!!!!! Nothing more or less than this murderous NRA schmuck deserves.

[coalition_unwilling]

36. Like Cheney, LaPierre had 'other priorities'. Typical upper-middle-class

Fortunate Son fuckwad.

[paleotn]

60. Exactly!

Here's an oldie, but a goodie.

http://www.awolbush.com/whoserved.html

[LiberalFighter]

40. If he had a nervious disorder

what is the likelihood that there is something wrong with him mentally and he would qualify to be on that database prohibited from owning firearms?

[Zoeisright]

43. If that piece of shit had a "nervous disorder" during Vietnam,

he should be on the list of mentally ill gun humpers want and shouldn't be able to own a gun now.

[Bozita]

11. That title line wins the "No Shit, Sherlock!" award for the current month

[AZ Progressive]

12. That Face should be made into a Halloween Mask

[agentS]

13. I don't think he was talking to us (the public)

It sounded more like he was demonstrating the NRA's commitment to psycho (not normal) gun owners.
I don't know the gun crowd that well, so YMMY on the effectiveness of his speech.

[ellisonz]

29. +1

I think Wayne LaPierre knows nobody but the extremists believe his bullshit.

[uponit7771]

33. +1!

[salin]

46. Worse yet... he was lobbying on behalf of gun manufacturers

to sell more of the weapons to the hard-core gun enthusiasts (and if they can leverage selling more high powered guns to their local schools - all the better for their patrons - per profits.)

[tblue37]

47. Unfortunately, these a**holes are reaching

the audience they are aiming for.

Gun sales--especially of the most deadly kind--and ammunition sales--especially of the "massacre magazine" types--are up drastically over these past few days, because the gun extremists are terrified that they might not be able to buy them later.

The local rag reported today that these guns and clips are flying off the shelves of the stores that sell such things in our area.

[NYC Liberal]

56. Shades of Romney at the NAACP and Ryan at the AARP...

[RomneyLies]

14. BRAVO to Wayne LaPierre

The piece of shit just did more to insure sensible gun regulations singlehandedly than thirty years of the Brady Center.

[AgingAmerican]

15. Sorry pal

Your days and your ways are numbered.

Soulless asshole.

[alfredo]

16. He's just a front man for the gun industry. He's their hired gun.

[mountain grammy]

19. To think of the last minutes of those kids' lives, then to see Wayne LaPierre

spouting his shit fills me with more hatred and disgust than I though possible.

[laundry_queen]

62. Ditto. He makes me want to vomit. Sick fuck. nt

[dionysus]

20. spot on review, LaPierre is a sick bastard

[Liberalagogo]

22. "The same message about the culture in another time and place might have made sense...."

No, I don't think so, you effing jackass.

[Marie Marie]

23. ONG - He was just awful.

Considering the timing of his little speech, this man could not pry even 1 compassionate statement from his cold dead heart.

[yewberry]

24. Guardian UK nailed it: So defensive it was downright offensive.

I can't believe that they had the gall to play the victim regarding "all the noise and anger directed at us over the past week."

Pathologically self-involved.

[agent46]

25. The answer

...to our cultural sickness is a siege mentality? I don't think so.

[Kennah]

26. As an NRA Life Member, I shake my head and wonder if he's actually pushing for new gun control laws.

Grover Poopyhead, who's on the NRA BOD, and who isn't going to stand for any tax increases, would never agree to 100K plus new cops on the federal dime. Of course, that could be paid for out of the Defense budget, and they'd never miss it. Hell, put 4 cops in every school, and it's still just a fraction of the Defense budget.

I'll be curious to see the trend of polls of the American people, but I suspect they are going to have a WTF reaction.

He perhaps helped in the passage of a new "assault weapon ban", but since they aren't real bans it's of little consequence. I suppose it could be the road to a real ban of semiautomatics, which could make a real difference, but I would not bet on it any time soon.

[raquel69]

28. We don't need 4 cops at every school

yet we are living in a new reality where we need to improve school security because a few killers will target them. Just like we did with airports after 9-11 IMO.

[Kennah]

31. We have a choice in the U.S. on gun control--Canada or Israel

Both have restrictive laws, but they are very, very different.

The confiscations and disarming of Canadians through banning semiautomatics hardly seems likely here. The Australia and the UK also follow this path. Each of those countries had a far lower violent crime rate even before they imposed draconian gun laws.

The Israelis have security everywhere because they are in a state of war, which we are as well. As such, I think we stand a better chance by follow the Israeli model, which means a lot of very restrictive licensing, psych tests, etc. Oh one can carry a gun for protection there. We should continue that as well, but it needs to be "hardened". This is also a much more expensive route, but perhaps it will take that for us to realize we need to start changing.

[Leopolds Ghost]

34. We are in a state of war? Really?

[yellowcanine]

35. I noticed that also. Israel is in a state of war. Canada isn't. The U.S. isn't. Therefore we

should follow the Israeli model rather than the Canadian model. Perfectly logical to me.

[exboyfil]

38. Or we continue the war analogy

Who are we at war with? Except for Fort Hood it appears we are at war with gun lovers - in particular European American and Asian American gun lovers.

Interesting thought - Do the Israelis allow the Palestinians carry guns in their midst?

[Hippo_Tron]

45. Israel also requires you to have a reason to own a gun

And IMO that's something we ought to consider here.

[JDPriestly]

49. With whom are we in a state of war?

We are supposedly out of Iraq and getting out of Afghanistan.

With what country are we in a state of war?

And if we are in a state of war, why haven't taxes gone up to pay for it?

[Kennah]

54. Ourselves

[Leopolds Ghost]

55. We have always been at war with ourselves

[Kennah]

61. Specifically, war on drugs, poverty, and the 99% in general

[calimary]

67. Welcome to DU, raquel69!

Good to have you with us! Only problem is - there were armed guards at Columbine. There were armed guards at Virginia Tech. Hell, Fort Hood had nothing BUT armed guards - all over the compound! Did that make any difference? Did that stop any of those shooters? Did that do any good at all? We just had several of those "good guys with guns" mowed down in the last few days - in Pennsylvania - WHILE wayne lapierre was actually on TV, giving his bullshit speech! THREE state troopers I believe it was. Seems to me all it'll do is inspire armed nutcases to figure out ways around those armed guards. Figure out what kind of rounds they make, what patterns they patrol, and what hours they're on duty and in what locations on campus. If my kids were still of school age, I would think twice about sending them to some armed camp.

Got a gun problem? Well then we need to add more guns! MAKES NO SENSE TO ME, WHATSOEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dems to Win]

32. All I could see was the blood on his hands and $$$$ falling out of his pockets....

[exboyfil]

39. Article from Forbes

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkroll/2012/12/22/the-nras-communications-crisis-crisis/

[DianaForRussFeingold]

44. Food for thought.. Thank you.. Very enlightening article!

"seven days of silence were followed by an unhinged, tone-deaf caricature that the British press had to note as “not a parody.”

Oh, and no questions by the press until the Sunday morning newstalk shows? The press should have left at that very mention. Let the NRA buy advertising time instead. "

[Dustlawyer]

41. COMPLETE CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM is the only answer.

We need actual representative government, not lobbyist controlled puppets!

[JDPriestly]

48. " mean-spirited, cold and misguided."

Doesn't that pretty much sum up the NRA?

[DFW]

64. It sums up the whole Republican party

But there's money involved--LOTS of it. So the NRA, as long as it remains a lobbying front for the gun industry and not a hobby organization, will not be going away. Same goes for its Republican allies.

[Kaleva]

50. He might as well have given free Bushmasters with the NRA logo to the families of the victims

[Cleita]

51. If all they are worried about is public relations no wonder there was a disaster. n/t

[Initech]

52. Yup he's fucked. That was a truly epic fail.

[Care Acutely]

57. K & R

[napkinz]

58. the man is DESPICABLE!

[love_katz]

63. ...mean-spirited, cold...

and I would add nut-bag insane.

Misguided? Methinks Mr. Pierre knew exactly who he was 'guiding' his speech to. Witness the increased sales of assault weapons and huge magazines of ammo.

I very much HOPE that this speech DOES turn out to be a PR debacle for the NRA.

For justice will be best served if the consequences fall on them for a change.

[calimary]

68. Welcome to DU, love_katz (btw, I do, too!)!

Good to have you with us! Remember walmart, too. They steadfastly REFUSED to stop selling bushmasters and other personal weapons of mass destruction. I, too, hope that speech marks the beginning of the end for the NRA's power and influence. Or just its end, PERIOD. I noted with some irony that the speech was scheduled on the day the Mayan calendar designated as the end of the world. Here's hoping that's EXACTLY what it winds up being for the NRA!

[dorkulon]

65. Gee, good thing the experts weighed in; it's not like any idiot could have told you that.

[NoGOPZone]

69. Ya think? nt

[farminator3000]

70. What The NRA's Wayne Lapierre Gets Paid To Defend Guns aka don't puke on your shoes

Last edited Thu Dec 27, 2012, 10:41 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/danbigman/2012/12/21/what-the-nras-wayne-lapierre-gets-paid-to-defend-guns/

Where did all the money go? About $33 million went to salaries and wages (not including the top brass), $28 million went to advertising and promotions. By far the biggest items were membership outreach: $57 million for membership communications, $24 million for printing and shipping, $16 million for educational programs. Just about $10 million went to the NRA’s lobbying arm, the Institute for Legislative Action.
More than $12.7 million went to Akron-Ohio based InfoCision, a huge telemarketing company that lists a broad spectrum of blue chip non-profits as clients– including Smile Train, the American Diabetes Association, Easter Seals and Unicef—as well as the College Republican National Committee and companies like Time Warner and AT&T.

ha! double ha!

is that what they call it? wtf? membership communications my ass. "got enuf guns? nope. well get more" costs 57 million?

[farminator3000]

71. also, there is something missing from this thread. where are all the gun lubbers?

5000+ views and not a SINGLE defense of that a-hole??