The Candidates' Views on Online Poker
If you’re like me, you set the Tivo to record Lost and the Celebrity Apprentice on Thursday night and buckled down to watch the final debate between Democratic Presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton before Super Tuesday. Next week will feature nearly half of the United States voting for one of the five front-running candidates. With a critical issue like the future of online poker hanging in the balance, it’s important to catch yourself up to speed on the candidates’ standpoints. PocketFives.com went straight to the source for objective information: Poker Players Alliance Executive Director John Pappas.
Democratic Ticket
On the Democratic side, voters will choose between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Hillary Clinton
Clinton, according to the PPA e-mail, “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.”
Pappas comments to PocketFives about Clinton’s willingness to study the issue: “An open mind to regulation is something we won’t frown upon. The PPA’s position has always been that a study is nice, but regulation is better. Other countries have gone down the path of regulation and so there really isn’t that much to study. The reality is that politicians like to point to something as a reason to support it. Clinton’s study could be what they need to support regulation.”
Barack Obama
Barack Obama was elected Senator from Illinois in 2004. The PPA e-mail and an article in the Las Vegas Sun newspaper state that 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.”
He certainly does not provide as ringing of an endorsement for a study as Clinton, but as Pappas points out, “One of the interesting things is that he’s a renowned poker player. He was known to play in regular games when he served in State Legislature in Illinois. From my understanding, he still plays and still enjoys the challenge of the game. There’s an opportunity to have him understand the difference between poker and gaming against the house. The latter seems to be where his concerns with gambling have been.”
Republican Ticket
On the Republican side, the debate centers around three candidates: Mike Huckabee, John McCain, and Mitt Romney.
Mike Huckabee
Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas, has the most negative views towards online gambling of any Presidential candidate. The PPA’s e-mail highlights Huckabee’s response to a questionnaire from the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling: “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.'”
Pappas, however, doesn’t believe that Huckabee’s stance against online gaming is permanent: “He has an evangelical background. Their stance typically isn’t in favor of gambling whether it’s regulated or not. We believe that whether or not you like gambling, the way to deal with it is to regulate it, not to tell people they can’t do it and drive it underground. Politicians change their minds as the political winds blow. As the PPA grows in power and people begin going to the polls caring about this issue, viewpoints can change.”
John McCain
Arizona Senator John McCain recently picked up an endorsement from PPA Chairman Alfonse D’Amato (who supports McCain on his own, not as a representative of the PPA). The former Senator from New York knows McCain well. According to the PPA press release, McCain is on the fence on online gambling: “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.”
Pappas is not concerned about D’Amato’s support of McCain. In fact, he views it as an important opportunity: “He knew McCain; they served together in the Senate. He believes McCain has qualities to be a strong leader for America. I can only hope that, should McCain be elected, we’d have some insight into his thought process. If you have someone that’s on the fence on your issue, then what better way to educate him than to surround him with people that understand the benefits of regulation, like D’Amato? We have a great open door to be able to engage him on the issue.”
Mitt Romney
Finally, Mitt Romney is in contention for the Republican nomination. The former governor of Massachusetts lacks a “formal position” on online poker. However, according to the PPA release, Romney “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.”
Altering a candidate’s stance on certain issues is common in this stage of a primary, notes Pappas, since candidates are desperately seeking their party’s nomination: “The idea that a candidate has a values committee isn’t unusual, either. There’s a certain segment of the populous that is evangelical. Many Republicans are going to cater to that populous to gain the party’s vote. It’s difficult to nail down a candidate’s position until we figure out who our final two candidates are. Right now, the nominating process is about pandering to special interests.”
If you’re in a state that holds a primary on Super Tuesday, February 5th, then get out to the polls and vote. We’ve given several resources below for you to check out and educate yourself further on each candidate.
Election Resources
Clinton Website: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/
Obama Website: http://www.barackobama.com/
Huckabee Website: http://www.mikehuckabee.com/
John McCain: http://www.johnmccain.com/
Mitt Romney: http://www.mittromney.com/
