Tuesday, November 6 is the day Americans go to their polling places to cast their vote for the person they wish to be the next President of the United States. There will be other local, county, and state elections on each ballot, but the focus tomorrow will obviously be on the Presidential race between the Democratic incumbent Barack Obama and the Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
Everybody has their own reasons for voting for a certain candidate (or voting against one), but if you are passionate about poker and are determined to make that the deciding issue in this election, here is a little cheat sheet on where the men stand on our beloved pastime:
Barack Obama
The Democrats are generally considered more sympathetic to the plight of poker players than Republicans. Our own President has even been known to play in some home games now and then. But while most would assume that a vote for Obama is a vote for poker, that’s not necessarily true. It’s not necessarily untrue, either, and that is part of the problem. The Obama camp has never really taken much of a stand on online poker.
President Obama himself has never addressed the issue publically, which is not particularly surprising, given the more important national and international issues on his plate. In May, however, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council Brian Deese, during the White House’s “We the People” campaign, did offer some opinions on internet gambling in response to an online poker petition. Unfortunately, they offering nothing that we haven’t heard before.
Deese said that while “The Administration understands that many Americans engage in paid online poker games for entertainment purposes,” online sports betting is against the law and it is up to the states to determine if other forms of internet gambling are legal. He then proceeded to list the dangers of online gambling, citing problems with location and age restrictions, fraud, and money laundering.
On a slightly positive note, he added, “The Administration will continue to examine this issue and is open to solutions that would help guard against the use of online gambling sites as tools for conducting illegal activities or preying on unsuspecting individuals to the extent that online gambling is permitted.”
Mitt Romney
Mr. Romney is without question against online poker, letting it be known that he supports a block on the game during the Nevada primary. With that opinion, he is right in line with his party’s platform. In August, the official Republican Party Platform spelled it out in black and white on page 32:
Millions of Americans suffer from problem or pathological gambling that can destroy families. We support the prohibition of gambling over the Internet and call for reversal of the Justice Department’s decision distorting the formerly accepted meaning of the Wire Act that could open the door to Internet betting.
Not all Republican legislators are in lock-step formation when it comes to online poker; there are some that are actively fighting to make online poker legal and regulated and many others who support the game. When the platform was published, Poker Players Alliance VP of Player Relations Rich Muny said, “It is unfortunate that the authors of the plank are at odds with many House Republicans who are leading the charge for licensed and regulated online poker, but it is even worse that they are so out of touch with the actual voters.”
Interestingly, Mitt Romney’s running mate, Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, has been given an “A” rating by the Poker Players Alliance.
Gary Johnson
No, he has no chance to win, but there is one other candidate that poker players might want to consider: Gary Johnson. Johnson had originally attempted to earn the Republican nomination, but after being pushed out early in the primary season, he ended up becoming the Libertarian Party nominee. Johnson is a staunch supporter of online poker. There is no grey area with him on the matter.
On his website, a page dedicated to his stance on internet poker reads
YOU’RE GETTING A RAW DEAL
IT’S YOUR MONEY. THE GOVERNMENT HAS NO BUSINESS TELLING ADULTS HOW THEY CAN SPEND IT.
That is followed by Johnson’s own quote which reads, “The federal government should not be involved in restricting lawful commerce that doesn’t harm anyone.”
As an added bonus, Johnson takes a line out of poker players’ mouths right on his home page with his tag line, “Be Libertarian One Time.”
