The NRA convention isn’t really about guns

The Republican clown car stopped outside the NRA Convention in Houston this weekend and a group of people Bill Maher calls the "Axis of A**holes" jumped out to perform.

The Republican clown car stopped outside the NRA Convention in Houston this weekend and a group of people Bill Maher calls the “Axis of A**holes” jumped out to perform.

Former governor, and failed 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin told the crowd, “This is about who we are and what kind of country we want to be.” Palin later said that “freedom is destroying itself.”

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

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Yes, all of the conservative clowns are getting into the act, including “Governor Good Hair,” Tea Party Republican Rick Perry, who assured the NRA faithful, “There is still a place that loves freedom in America, where people can pursue their dreams free from the knee-jerk regulations that occur.  That place is Texas.”

But Perry and Palin are just the warm-up acts for the NRA political pitch. Failed Fox News host Glenn Beck is scheduled to entertain the head-shaking crowd Saturday night.

And then there’s the NRA’s big headliner on Sunday. Remember the guy who made this dire prediction at last year’s NRA convention:

Ted Nugent’s not dead and he’s not in jail, but he is scheduled to play at the convention tomorrow.

Musician and gun rights advocate Ted Nugent listens as U.S. President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress February 12, 2013 in Washington, DC. Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) invited Nugent as his guest for the President’s speech. Facing a divided Congress, Obama concentrated his speech on new initiatives designed to stimulate the U.S. economy. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Nugent and the rest of the these nuts are all preaching the same dangerous message this weekend. They all talk about “freedom,” but what they’re really drumming up is fear. Make no mistake, this NRA convention isn’t really about guns, it’s about using scare tactics to move the GOP even further to the right.

So far, it’s working out pretty well.  A new Farleigh Dickenson University poll asked Americans if they think an “armed revolution” might be necessary to protect their rights. 44% of Republicans said “yes.” They’ve become convinced by their “thought leaders” that armed revolution might actually be necessary within the next few years.

The leaders of the conservative movement are using such charged, partisan rhetoric that they’re convincing millions of Americans we’re on the verge of a civil war. How can President Obama, or any Democrat, pass a fair budget, protect Social Security or even reform immigration while almost half of Republicans think they need to arm themselves to go to war against their fellow Americans?