Politicians Are Taking Longer To Adapt Than Delta And United Air-- They May Not Get Another Chance

Blue Dog John Barrow (GA) is a putz. He never belonged in Congress and never accomplished anything while he was there. After his Democratic constituents saw the ad above, they abandoned him and he lost his seat, since Republicans int appealed to had their own candidate. Pelosi and the DCCC never gave up on Barrow. When he was finally defeated, the DCCC wasted $2,382,846 trying to save him. Pelosi kicked in another $194,510 from her own SuperPAC. This year, Barrow is back at it-- this time running for Georgia Secretary of State, still pretending to be a Democrat.

The outrage over the latest brutal NRA/GOP gun massacre, the one in Parkland, Florida, is finally scaring people out of complacency-- everyone but the DCCC, who continues recruiting NRA allies like Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ), Anthony Brindisi (NY) and Jeff Van Drew (NJ). The DCCC should drop them and other NRA-Dems from their Red to Blue page, which is crawling with them, and pledge to stop supporting gun nuts (tantamount to murderers; let those politicians join the GOP where their perfidy will be appreciated). Even Republicans can tell which way the wind is blowing and are jumping off the SS NRA. But not idiots like Pelosi and Lujan. They'll be the last to figure it out. They should take a lesson from corporate America, which understands it is no longer tenable to be associated with the NRA. Delta Airlines, arguably America's worst carrier, is savvier than Pelosi, Lujan and Jeff Van Drew. "Two major airlines. A cybersecurity firm. Six car rental brands. A home security company. An Omaha bank. Companies," wrote Jackie Wattles for CNN Saturday, "have scrambled to cut ties with the National Rifle Association over the past couple of days, and the list continued to grow into the weekend. But not the geniuses who do the candidate recruiting for the DCCC. Anyone talking about cutting NRA postergirl Ann Kirkpatrick loose? Not at all-- only about the DCCC undermining her progressive opponents.

Delta Air Lines announced Saturday morning that it's ending discounted rates for NRA members. "We will be requesting that the NRA remove our information from their website," the company said in a tweet.

United Airlines followed a short time later, saying the company will no longer offer discounts on flights to the NRA annual meeting.

And TrueCar, a car buying service, said late Friday that it would end its deal with the NRA as of February 28.

The companies were the latest to abandon partnerships with the NRA amid a renewed public debate over tightened gun laws following a school shooting in Florida last week that left 17 dead.

First National Bank of Omaha on Thursday pledged to stop issuing an NRA-branded Visa card. A bank spokesperson said "customer feedback" prompted a review of its partnership with the NRA, and it chose not to renew its current contract.

There was also a wave of car rental outfits. Enterprise Holdings, which runs the Enterprise, Alamo and National car rental groups, announced that it will end the discount deal it has with the NRA on March 26.

On Friday, car rental company Hertz said in a tweet that it's also ending its NRA rental car discount program.

The NRA was advertising a Hertz partnership on its "member benefits" page as recently as Friday morning, but that listing disappeared by the afternoon.

The National Rifle Association did not immediately comment on Saturday about the decisions by the various companies to sever ties.

Avis and Budget, which are owned by the same company, were also listed as discount providers on NRA's website Friday. But when reached for comment, Avis Budget Group told CNNMoney that it too was ending its partnership with the organization.

"Effective March 26, our brands will no longer provide the NRA member discount," an Avis Budget Group spokesperson said via email.

More big names followed suit.

A spokesperson for moving van lines Allied and North American, which are both owned by Sirva, said Friday that the brands "no longer have an affiliate relationship with the NRA effective immediately."

"We have asked them to remove our listing from their benefits site," the spokesperson added. The company did not describe what kind of benefits had been offered to NRA members.

Insurance giant MetLife said Friday that it's ending its discounts on home and auto insurance for NRA members.

Symantec, which makes the Norton anti-virus software and owns the identity theft protection company LifeLock, said Friday that it is severing ties with the NRA. And SimpliSafe, which sells home security systems, said the same.

None of the companies gave details about why or when they decided to cut ties with the NRA, but the news comes as the hashtag #BoycottNRA has circulated widely on social media.

After the shooting in Parkland, Florida on February 14, survivors of the massacre have protested for stronger gun laws. Students across the country have walked out of class to demand new restrictions on the sale of firearms and an end to mass shootings in the U.S.

Some survivors of mass shootings confronted NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch at a CNN town hall on Wednesday. Loesch blamed a flawed system for letting people who shouldn't be able to buy guns slip through the cracks.

Two other companies-- the insurer Chubb and Wyndham Hotel Group-- confirmed to CNNMoney Friday that they've recently ended partnerships with the NRA. However, those decisions were made prior to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last week.

Chubb said in a statement that it "provided notice of our intent to discontinue participation in the NRA Carry Guard insurance program" three months ago.

The NRA Carry Guard program offers coverage for certain costs associated with gun-related accidents or incidents in which the gun owner claims they lawfully acted in self defense.

Lockton, another insurance firm, continues to underwrite policies for the NRA Carry Guard program, according to the NRA's website. Lockton did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wyndham Hotel Group said in a statement that it "ended our relationship with the NRA late last year."

Saturday we listed 12 House candidates from every part of the country vowing to vote for a ban on selling assault weapons. "It worked in 1994, and should be reinstated," said Hawaii state Rep Kaniela Ing. I grew up in Alabama, and i understand hunters," said Michigan candidate Ellen Lipton. "Assault weapons are not for hunting." Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, the leading candidate in Albuquerque: "I unequivocally support an assault weapons ban. Military weapons have no place on our streets." American companies and smart political leaders are denouncing the NRA. Lujan and Pelosi should get onboard by throwing Ann Kirkpatrick, Jeff Van Drew, Anthony Brindisi, Andrew Janz and other gun nuts overboard, very publicly, very loudly.

Smart Democrats are communicating with voters the way Katie Porter was doing in Orange County yesterday: "Since the Parkland shooting, Mimi Walters hasn't had a lot to say. And there's the reason. The NRA has bought her silence. The reason the NRA and other special interests are so powerful in this country has nothing to do with the issues or what voters want. The reason special interests own Congress is because the Citizens United decision stacked the deck against working Americans by allowing corporations and billionaires to spend unlimited sums to advance extreme agendas. We've got to pass real gun reform in this country. But we'll only be able to get Congress back to a place where its serving us instead of special interests if we change our campaign finance laws."

Austin progressive Dem Derrick Crowe took just as hard a stand yesterday, not one you're going to hear from any DCCC-Democrats, like Collin Peterson (MN), Henry Cuellar (TX), Tim Walz (MN) and Darren Soto (FL):

The NRA exists for one purpose: to serve the interests of gun manufacturers. They profit from the sale of assault weapons, and they’ll profit if the GOP starts arming teachers in response. They’ve bought our Congress and this president.

I am not for sale. I refuse all corporate PAC money, signed the No Fossil Fuel pledge, and the No NRA Money pledge.

According to Quinnipiac, 67% of Americans want a ban on assault weapons and 97% of gun owners want universal background checks. When the majority of Americans want something and we don't get it, you need to ask, "why?" The "why" is that powerful business interests have bought our political system.

The NRA. Big Pharma. Private health insurance. The Military Industrial Complex. The Prison Industrial Complex. Oil and Gas Companies.

And Omaha progressive Kara Eastman sent out a similar e-mail to her supporters in Nebraska late yesterday:

The gun lobby has far too much control over some of our elected officials. Congressman Don Bacon has taken over $18,000 from the NRA to advance their agenda. 

It’s time to listen to students, parents, and teachers, not the gun lobby. Our children’s lives depend on it.

Weapons of war such as the AR-15 should not be available to everyday citizens and sensible gun safety laws are long overdue.

Arming teachers is not the answer and not what teachers want. They want to feel safe in their schools and to know their students are safe too. "More guns" is not the answer.