Super Tuesday: Candidates and Voters Go All-in

Super Tuesday is a huge day for aspiring presidents. With voters in 24 states weighing in on who will represent their party in November’s election, Super Tuesday usually spells out who will be thanking their delegates at this year’s conventions.

The candidates will be weighed on their opinions about Iraq, the economy, the educational system, terrorism, national security, the crumbling infrastructure, immigration, and many other hot topics. Online gambling may not be at the top of their to-do lists, but maybe it should be.

Boasting nearly 900,000 members, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) is quickly gaining an ear among the elected and the want-to-be-elected. Over the last few months, the grassroots organization has steadily bombarded elected officials with information about online poker and has begun recruiting state representatives to take the fight to a local level.

It also released a presidential candidate guide for its members and encouraged them to contact the candidates. In honor of Super Tuesday, the guide of front-runners is presented here, along with some extra info about the candidates.

Democrats

Barack Obama

As an avid poker player — and no doubt a natural strategist — Obama most likely understands that poker is game of skill and not luck, and therefore is not a gambling game. Whether he’d go to bat for poker as a game of skill is still in question.

Obama said he wants a study done on regulating and taxing Internet gambling in America. He has said nothing about Florida Rep. Robert Wexler’s bill that would legally make poker a game of skill.

The PPA’s opinion of Obama is:

The senator is from Illinois and winner of the Iowa Democratic caucus. Obama has recently expressed that he worries that the Internet is "a Wild West of illegal activity", and supports a study of Internet gambling and supports regulation to address the worst abuses (Las Vegas Sun, 01/18/08). He is reputed to be a good player, and doesn't mind letting it be known that he enjoys playing poker for money. These stories are even on his own website. When contacting the campaign, be sure to let them know you are an undecided voter and a proud poker player.

Contact his campaign through: my.barackobama.com/page/content/contact/

Hilary Clinton

Hilary Clinton’s only real known stance on online gambling is that she supports having a study done about it. As Senator, she did support the development of a casino in Niagara, New York.

And the PPA’s opinion of Clinton:

The two-term senator from New York won the New Hampshire Democratic primary. She has recently expressed that she supports the industry’s position: to study Internet gambling to see whether it can be fairly regulated so that individuals can safely participate in it and American businesses can compete in the international market (Las Vegas Sun, 01/18/08). When contacting the campaign, be sure to let them know you are an undecided voter and a proud poker player.

Contact her campaign through: www.hillaryclinton.com/help/contact/

Republicans

The Republican presidential candidates strive to represent the religious base, a group of voters who hold strong moral viewpoints. As a result of these viewpoints, those voters, and thus their candidates, don’t hold an appreciation for gambling or poker as much as, say, Phil Ivey.

Ron Paul

Ron Paul, one of the exceptions to those anti-gambling ideals, is one of 45 co-sponsors of Barney Frank’s H.R. 2046 bill that would basically wipe the UIGEA off of the books. He is a friend to online poker players simply because he believes wholeheartedly that the government doesn’t belong in its citizen’s private lives.

And here’s part of what Paul told his colleagues about H.R. 4411, the Internet Gambling Prohibition and Enforcement Act that was introduced in 2005 and ultimately failed:

“To start with, I can see some things that are much more dangerous than gambling. I happen to personally strongly oppose gambling. I think it is pretty stupid, to tell you the truth. But what about political ideas? What about religious fanaticism? Are we going to get rid of those? I can think of 1,000 things worse coming from those bad ideas. But who will come down here and say, just think of the evil of these bad ideas and distorted religions, and therefore we have to regulate the Internet?”

Here’s what the PPA says about Paul:

In keeping with his Libertarian philosophy, Congressman Paul is a proud supporter of our cause. Rep. Paul has supported and sponsored pro-poker legislation, and has also made time to visit with PPA grassroots members, poker celebrities, and citizens lobbyists every time we have asked. His credentials on allowing adults the freedom to play poker are unblemished.

Mike Huckabee

Religion colors Mike Huckabee’s views on online poker and gambling. He’s an ordained Southern Baptist minister and served as the president of a religious TV station. He is God-fearing and is absolutely against gambling for that reason.

The PPA’s bio spells it out:

Republican Iowa caucus winner and former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee does have a clear position OPPOSING Internet Poker. Mike Huckabee responded to the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling's questionnaire (the only candidate to respond, by the way). In it, he promised to veto any legislation repealing UIGEA or otherwise clearly legalizing online gaming.

Here is the question he was asked, complete with its bias and inaccuracies:

1) Last year, Congress voted overwhelming to criminalize most forms of Internet gambling. This year some members of Congress are promoting legislation to legalize Internet gambling. If such legislation passed, would you veto it? Huckabee answered "yes". That's about as clear as it gets.


John McCain

John McCain has been found a few time times throwing dice and playing blackjack at Las Vegas casinos, but he very much wants to end wagering on college sports, both through the Internet and at sportsbooks.

Here’s what the PPA says about him:

The New Hampshire Republican primary winner does not have a specific position on Internet poker, but does appear to have been influenced by his fellow Arizona Senator Jon Kyl, who is a vigorous opponent of our rights. McCain, however, has always been willing to consider both sides of an issue and may simply need to know how strongly PPA members feel about this issue. We encourage you to contact his campaign and ask whether he has a specific position, and of course, to let them know you are an undecided voter and a proud poker player.

Contact his campaign through: www.johnmccain.com/Contact/


Mitt Romney

Although Mitt Romney said his faith as a Mormon won’t affect his policy, he is working hard to gain the religious vote during these primaries. As a Governor, he promised to veto slot-parlor expansion in Massachusetts.

Here’s what the PPA says about Romney:

The former governor of Massachusetts has no formal position on internet poker. However, he - like Giuliani - has contorted his issue positions wildly in a bid to gain support from social conservatives. As part of that effort, Romney tapped Tom Coates, Vice President, Truth About Gambling, Iowa, to his "Faith and Values Steering Committee." Coates, in turn, is vigorously opposed to gaming of any sort. We urge you to contact the Romney campaign, and ask whether the candidate has a specific position. As always, be sure to tell them you're an undecided voter and a proud poker player.

Contact his campaign through: www.mittromney.com/ContactUs

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