The Political Attitudes of Poker Players

America is now in the midst of several exciting political races, including the presidential campaign. The presidential election is as wide open as any contest since 1976. At the time that I'm writing this, four Democratic candidates appear to have a reasonable shot at winning their party's nomination. Furthermore, recent polls show that the Democratic nominee (whoever he is) would run in a statistical dead heat against the Republican incumbent, President George W. Bush. There are also a number of hotly contested campaigns going on in several states for seats in both the House and Senate.

February and March are critical months for all candidates. In the coming weeks, the majority of delegates will be selected for the party conventions. Since there is so much political talk right now, this is the perfect time to conduct our own poll, which seeks to measure the political opinions of the poker community, at large. While Card Player has a policy of nonpartisanship and takes no political affiliation, this poll represents an attempt at measuring the political attitudes of the poker subculture.

There are several questions that we hope to answer in this poll. First, do poker players have different views on candidates and issues than the rest of society as a whole? Second, do poker players tend to be more liberal or conservative than the general public? Third, does a candidate's position on gambling (and poker) influence the political decisions of poker players who vote? Indeed, there are many interesting questions to explore, which will be the purpose of this survey.

In order to determine if the political attitudes of poker players differ from the rest of society, the results of the following poll will be compared with general attitudes of the American population. It is imperative that all poll results be taken within roughly the same time frame. This ensures that the opinions expressed are within the same context of political and economic events. Therefore, I will be utilizing poll results from two sources: The Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted on Feb. 6, and the CNN/USA Today/Gallop polls conducted Feb. 5-8. Once the results at Card Player.com are tabulated, I will compare those "poker player" numbers with the national poll results.

Now, let's get started:

Question 1: If forced to choose between one political philosophy, do you consider yourself to be a liberal or a conservative?

Liberal

Conservative

Question 2: If forced to choose between one political party, do you consider yourself a Republican or a Democrat?

Republican

Democrat

Question 3: In general, do you believe George W. Bush is doing a good or bad job as President?

Good job

Bad Job

Question 4: Are you "better off" now than you were four years ago – defined as February of 2004 contrasted with February of 2000?

Better off

Worse off

Question 5: Does a candidate's views on gambling and casinos influence your decision to support or oppose that candidate?

Yes

No

Question 6: If a candidate is adamantly opposed to legalizing gambling and poker, how important is that as a factor in your decision to be for or against that candidate?

It's important

It's not important at all

Question 7: Is casino gambling and/or casino poker legal within driving distance of your home? (Note: This does not include online poker.)

Yes

No

Question 8 (only for voters in areas where no legalized gambling or poker exists): Would you support a local referendum that would allow casino-style gambling and poker in your area?

Yes

No

Question 9: It's been suggested that third-party Libertarians represent a sizable percentage of poker players for their progressive views on freedom and individual responsibility. Have you ever, or would you ever, vote for a Libertarian candidate?

Yes

No

Question 10: Do you intend to vote in the general election in November?

Yes

No

Question 11: If the general election were held today, would you most likely vote for President Bush or the Democratic nominee?

President Bush

The Democratic Nominee (Kerry, Dean, Edwards, Clark)

Question 12: In general, are you optimistic or pessimistic about the nation's future?

Optimistic

Pessimistic

Please visit CardPlayer.com to vote on the question of the day. The poll will run Feb. 18-29.

What do you think? You are encouraged to visit www.cardplayer.com, where you can register your votes. You also may e-mail your comments directly to: [email protected]. Comments may be printed in a follow-up column, along with poll results. Due to space constraints, please limit your comments to no more than 300 words. All comments received may be edited for content.