Thoughts on Misfire: Inside the Downfall of the NRA by Tim Mak
On page 2 - Lapierre’s “… insistence on saving himself, over his cause, his friends and the organization to which he devoted his adult life…” nails the current situation
Emily Canders of Penguin and Random House emailed me two weeks ago and asked if I would be willing to read the new book Misfire by Tim Mak and provide my thoughts. I’ve spoken to Tim a couple of times in the past and I have respect for his integrity as a journalist so I said yes. These are my thoughts on the book.
There is a great excerpt on the book published in Vanity Fair - The Weirdness of Wayne LaPierre, The NRA’s Reluctant Leader.
Tim Mak’s book, Misfire, should be required reading for every sitting director of the NRA and all NRA Board candidates for the 2022 election as it does an excellent job of removing the blinders on the gross mismanagement at the NRA.
Tim doesn’t pull any punches on NRA EVP Wayne LaPierre or the Board of Directors.
On page 2, Tim notes that Lapierre’s “… insistence on saving himself, over his cause, his friends and the organization to which he devoted his adult life…” nails the root symptom that the NRA Board of Directors is either unwilling or unable to process. On page 5, “It is the members that Wayne has most betrayed” nails why I have been advocating for LaPierre and his enablers on the Board’s removal.
On pages 36-38, Tim sets his sights on the NRA Board, and his aim is true. The “Politburo” Board “…exercises no genuine oversight of NRA Executive leadership…No governance over expenses…” being an NRA Director is “part of their identity…Nobodies made to feel special…Taking a stand that would risk the role is not worth it….”
That the Board could not see that “Wayne is the worst kind of manager, Unable to make snap decisions, is easily intimidated and is unable to dismiss underperformers” and on page 238 that “Wayne is allergic to accountability and responsibility” highlights their disfunction.
Any competent Board would have seen these weaknesses decades ago and brought in a competent CEO.
On page 25, Tim again nails it “ Wayne knew that board members would not act in a way other than how he wanted them to act as he had stacked the board with members loyal to him.” On page 237 it is clear that LaPierre looks at board members primarily as fundraisers. He is not interested in them actually exercising their fiduciary duty such as “investigating root causes of the crisis.” Then NRA President Oliver North, (attempting to be faithful to his fiduciary duty) would “inquire about financial issues and express concern about legal jeopardy, and Wayne telling him to butt out, that he didn’t need any help.”
Tim also does not spare the Brewer firm from his accurate assessment. Brewer serves the client to death, like spending $8 million defending the $2M Chris Cox lawsuit. He has leveraged Lapierre’s fear of jail time and legal exposure” taking advantage of the points on page 91 that “Wayne is a man driven by fear and anxiety over all other forces. He is deeply unsettled by personal conflict and this makes him prey to con men.”
I pray that the New York Attorney General’s office reads this book and recognizes that former NRA Director, Rocky Marshall’s motion to intervene and replace LaPierre and the “Politburo” board and bring in independent and membership focused experienced board members that can stop the stonewalling and provide the transparency, accountability, and governance that the NRA members deserve.
I ask that anyone interested in getting a reformer focused on transparency and accountability on the NRA Board print out the petition and legibly fill out the information. If you don’t know your NRA member number, I can get it from the membership office if I can read your name and address.
The petition is here: http://cxoservices.com/images/NRA_Petition_Blank.pdf
The NRA requires “wet” signatures, so you have to print out the petition and physically mail me the petitions.
Mail to: Frank Tait, 425 W. Wayne Ave. Wayne PA 19087
I have to submit the signatures to the NRA no later than November 16. Please mail any completed petitions to me no later than November 11.
Thank you for your support! Please email me if you have any questions at franktait@me.com
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