Quote:
Originally Posted by PPADrew
WASHINGTON, DC. (October 21, 2010) – PokerPAC, the political action committee of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), today released the list of Congressional candidates it has endorsed for the 2010 mid-term elections on November 2nd.
“Through the efforts of the Poker Players Alliance and its members, more and more of our elected officials in Congress are seeing the value of establishing a safe, regulated market for online poker. This year’s election is critical to ensuring that candidates are elected who support the rights of poker players and who choose to take action to protect American consumers,” said PokerPAC chairmen Former Senator Alfonse D’Amato and Former Congressman Toby Moffett. “PokerPAC is proud to endorse these candidates who have been advocates for poker players and this great game we all love.”
PokerPAC based its endorsements on whether a candidate demonstrated their support of poker via votes on online poker legislation, such as H.R. 2267, co-sponsorship of bills, Congressional letters of support and public statements. Through these actions, PokerPAC is confident these individuals will be strong advocates for poker rights in the next Congress.
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Just thought I'd revive this thread in an effort to get PokerPAC to endorse
pro-poker candidate Jack Arnold-- challenger to staunchly anti-poker incumbent Marsha Blackburn in Tennessee's 7th House District.
I suspect that much of the reason why PokerPAC endorsed so few non-incumbents in 2010 is that few if any of them really care much about the issue of legalizing online poker. Given that, I think it's really important to recognize those few challengers who do make an effort to show their support for the cause. Moreover, because a pro-poker challenger unseating an anti-poker incumbent is exactly the sort of message that PokerPAC should be looking to send to Congress (see Leach, Jim), I sincerely hope that it might be willing to throw it's support behind Jack early on in this election cycle in order to help him win his race. Thus far, it's been a week since I reached out to Chairmen D'Amato and Moffett on Jack's behalf, and we haven't heard a peep. For your convenience, that letter is recopied hereon:
_________
Dear PokerPAC Chairmen D'Amato and Moffett,
My name is Daniel Horwitz, and I am the campaign manager for pro-poker Congressional candidate Jack Arnold— the 2012 challenger to longtime anti-poker incumbent Congressman Marsha Blackburn.
As you may be aware, during her time in Congress Marsha Blackburn has consistently acted to obstruct any and all federal legislation aimed at creating a legal online regulatory framework for our citizens to enjoy America's favorite pastime. During her very first term in Congress, for example, Marsha Blackburn affirmatively voted to ban internet gambling deposits by credit card, and like so many other misguided Congressional Representatives, she also voted to support the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006. Additionally, Congressman Blackburn has
explicitly distinguished online poker from activities that she considers to be “legal and recreational,” and as a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, to this day she continues to refuse to hold a markup hearing for HR 2366. Especially given the fact that Marsha Blackburn purports to be a “small government conservative” while she’s on television, her consistent efforts to prevent the legalization and regulation of online poker in the United States become even more inexcusable.
In stark contrast to Congressman Blackburn, Jack is a proud and outspoken advocate for the cause of legalizing and regulating online poker here in the United States. His candidacy and his considered stance on our country’s need to bring online poker back home the United States have also been extremely well received by the online poker community, and toward that end, Two Plus Two owner Mason Malmuth recently called for poker players to
“do all we can to help Jack Arnold win his seat.” For your reference, Jack’s formal position on legalizing online poker can be found at his campaign facebook page
here.
Given Jack’s ardent support for the cause of legalizing online poker, and given that Marsha Blackburn is a firmly entrenched incumbent with more than a million dollars in her campaign warchest already, I write you today in the hopes that Jack can count on PokerPAC’s early support for his candidacy. Unseating Marsha Blackburn is going to take a level of grassroots advocacy from the online poker community along the lines of that seen for ex-Congressman Jim Leach’s opponent in 2006, and early assistance and exposure from PokerPAC and the Poker Players Alliance is going to be absolutely essential. That said, it is my sincere belief that an upset victory over a 10-year incumbent like Marsha Blackburn would trigger a vital turning point in the discussion, and would send a clear message to our Representatives that it is no longer acceptable to oppose a common-sense regulatory policy that allows Americans to play a skill game like poker in the privacy of their own homes— something which many of us consider to be a fundamental right.
When you have a moment, please let me know whether Jack will be able to count on PokerPAC’s and the PPA’s early support for his candidacy. Additionally, if you have any questions about Jack’s position on legalizing online poker or if you would like Jack to submit a formal candidate questionnaire, please feel free to email me here at
daniel.a.horwitz@jackarnoldfortennessee.org any time. For your convenience, Jack’s FEC identification information is as follows:
-The FEC Committee ID for the "Committee to Elect Jack Arnold" is: C00503656
-The FEC Candidate ID for Jack Todd Arnold is: H2TN07160
Thank you both in advance for your prompt consideration and early support.
Best,
Daniel Horwitz
Campaign Manager, Jack Arnold for Tennessee
Two Plus Two
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