Home / Poker News August 2008 / Republicans finalize campaign platform. Re-include anti-gambling text
Republicans finalize campaign platform. Re-include anti-gambling text
Posted by: James Carter. - Thu, 2008-08-28 14:42
A couple of days ago, online poker news portals were abuzz with how the Republican Party dropped the anti-online gambling language it had included in both its 2000 and 2004 platforms, from its draft ahead of the November election. Some party officials were quoted justifying the move as one meant to "make the tent bigger”, to appeal to a wider electoral base.
The PPA was one step short of opening the champagne bottle as executive director John Pappas hailed the move as a “small victory”, and a rightful result of the efforts and funds the PPA didn’t spare in the first half of 2008. Good thing nobody went as far as to actually congratulate the Republicans on their decision, because only a few hours after the draft had been approved, the anti-online gambling paragraph has been re-included in its former shape. Around 160 poker players had posted comments on the GOP’s website prior to the temporary removal of the concerned paragraph, including
WSOP Champion Greg Raymer.
As the language got reintroduced, euphoria turned to rage as post began pouring in again, this time reminding the Republicans in no-nonsense terms of the number of votes they lost as a direct consequence of their decision. Some posters accused the GOP of being a tool in the hands of different interest-groups, which can supposedly manipulate the party at their will. One poster pointed it out that the paragraph only stayed removed for a couple of hours because presumably that’s how long it took for the concerned interest groups to react to the news. Another poster decried the fact that as an adult he/she did not need the GOP to forcefully protect him of anything, and especially not of the evils of on line gambling.
Regardless of the public outrage, the language has been re-introduced and it will probably be passed with the rest of the document on Sept 1, by the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn. Comments can still be posted on the matter on the GOP’s website, so if you feel you have an opinion, don’t hesitate to make your voice heard.
