United States Representative Bob Goodlatte hates, hates, hates online poker. Wishes it would die. And in the U.S., thanks to his efforts to get the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) passed, it almost did. Yet despite all that, Rep. Goodlatte is currently one of the poker industry’s strongest allies against Sheldon Adelson and the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA), a bill which aims to ban online poker across the country. This is why conservative advocacy group the Center for Freedom and Prosperity wrote him a letter last week telling him to continue his opposition to the bill.
Why is Rep. Goodlatte, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, (possibly) on our side now? He hasn’t had a change of heart, but rather it’s an “enemy of my enemy is my friend” scenario. He is a one of the biggest supporters of states’ rights in Congress and has already conceded that RAWA would harm the ability of the states to decide for themselves whether or not they want to legalize online gambling. He hasn’t exactly completely against RAWA, but he knows it is a sticky situation.
In the letter, the Center for Freedom and Prosperity appealed to Rep. Goodlatte’s support of the Tenth Amendment (the states’ rights amendment) that even though he is against online gambling, “…politics and one’s personal views should not trump the ability of states to regulate their own affairs.”
The letter goes on to say:
RAWA is an outright assault on federalism. The legislation tramples on the Tenth Amendment by banning state regulation of online gambling – further chipping away at the balance between state and federal governance. The bill would overturn state laws already on the books in three states and would prohibit states from selling lottery tickets online for their own constituents – rolling back at least another six state laws.
The Tenth Amendment was designed to protect states from the unmitigated power of the federal government, because a government powerful enough to tell states they cannot have Internet gaming for their residents is also powerful enough to one-day force gaming on the states. Weakening the Tenth Amendment today will do permanent damage to it.
The Center also adds that any attempt at a compromise, such as somehow banning online gambling on a federal level, yet grandfathering in states that have already legalized it, won’t work. It’s defeat RAWA or bust.
The letter concluded:
We encourage you to continue to stand up for the Constitution, the Tenth Amendment, and the ability of the states to regulate their own affairs. We assume there will be a last ditch effort prior to the 2016 elections to see this provision enacted into law, perhaps as part of a larger spending package. We urge your continued principled opposition to the Las Vegas rent-seekers pushing for this measure. This bill is an assault on the constitutional values we all hold dear.
The letter was signed by a dozen representatives of different organizations, all collaborating under the Center for Freedom and Prosperity banner. They are:
Andrew F. Quinlan, President Center for Freedom and Prosperity
Michelle Minton, Fellow Competitive Enterprise Institute
Thomas Schatz, President Council for Citizens Against Government Waste
Dan Schneider, Executive Director The American Conservative Union
David Williams, President Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Seton Motley, President Less Government
Andrew Moylan, Executive Dir. R Street Institute
Carrie Lukas, Managing Director Independent Women’s Forum
Bob Bauman, Chairman Sovereign Society Freedom Alliance
Norm Singleton, Senior VP Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty
Heather R. Higgins, President Independent Women’s Voice
Jeffrey Mazzella, President Center for Individual Freedom
