Article on Leach from Des Moines Registar

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Article basically says poker players are claiming they ousted Leach. I would never say that outright, but who knows? It certainly is a possibility.

Leach's camp denies poker players made the difference, and that those who called in to complain were jerks and refused to leave their names, so they have no way to know if they were even from Iowa.

At the top of the web page (see link below) you can send a letter to the editor. At the bottom is a link to the author of the article.


article on Leach and the poker vote (http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061117/NEWS09/611170361/1056)

[ubercuber]

Betting with cell phones!?! At the supermarket?! This is getting out of control! What next? Unsupervised interaction with people of the opposite sex?!! Damn country is going to hell in a handbasket!

[roxtar]

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Pappas conceded that Leach listened to poker players' arguments, even sitting down for a hand of poker in his office earlier this year with three of the world's top professional players so they could make the case it is a game of skill, not chance. "I wasn't in the room, but I think one of the pros won," Pappas said.

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LOL, One hand.

[bonds]

Conservative columnist Mark Shields addressed Leach in his syndicated column (http://www.creators.com/opinion_show.cfm?columnsName=msh) this week. He did a good job of portraying Leach as a stand up guy, certainly better than most of the cretins that are elected to public office.

Too bad he decided to make internet gaming his personal hobbyhorse.

[Uglyowl]

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However, Greg Wierzynski, Leach's chief of staff, scoffed at the notion that the gaming ban was Leach's undoing. "As we all know, when poker players have weak hands, they bluff," he said.

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What a bitter sorry man. I know when I have weak hands I usually fold!

[autobet]

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However, Greg Wierzynski, Leach's chief of staff, scoffed at the notion that the gaming ban was Leach's undoing. "As we all know, when poker players have weak hands, they bluff," he said.

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What a bitter sorry man. I know when I have weak hands I usually fold!

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Bitter and sorry because he's a losing player. Probably lost his house.

I hope you tip doesn't make it out to the masses.

[cowboyzfan]

[ QUOTE ]
Conservative columnist Mark Shields addressed Leach in his syndicated column (http://www.creators.com/opinion_show.cfm?columnsName=msh) this week. He did a good job of portraying Leach as a stand up guy, certainly better than most of the cretins that are elected to public office.

Too bad he decided to make internet gaming his personal hobbyhorse.

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actually Mark Shields is a very liberal columnist.

[Berge20]

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However, Greg Wierzynski, Leach's chief of staff, scoffed at the notion that the gaming ban was Leach's undoing. "As we all know, when poker players have weak hands, they bluff," he said.

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What a bitter sorry man. I know when I have weak hands I usually fold!

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Bitter and sorry because he's a losing player. Probably lost his house.

I hope you tip doesn't make it out to the masses.

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That's what he gets for clicking his mouse. /images/graemlins/grin.gif
Kidding, kidding. Couldn't resist.

I understand his argument. It's not exactly like poker players showed a lot of organization in the run up to the fight against the bill.

That said, I do think that in the end part of the group that did send Leach packing was the poker players. A small part in the overall wall of water pouring over the side of the GOP, but nevertheless it was there.

Did it cover the margin on it's own, who knows.

[autobet]

Just got a response from the Author to an email I sent her Friday:

Rick,

Thanks for the email; you make some very interesting points. And yes, you are correct, Iowa is hardly bereft of gambling.

Thanks, Jane Norman

________________________________________________

Dear Ms. Norman:

I have spent a lot of time on one of the most popular Poker sites online and have read of dozens of players who voted for the first time in their life, or voted democrat or libertarian after being lifelong Republicans. I had not planned on voting, but registered three weeks before the election so my voice could be heard. Who knows how many of us voted based on this issue around the nation? No one can say for sure if we swung one or two races around the country.

A large majority on online gamblers are just ordinary people playing poker 1-2 hours after work a couple of days a week. We are not addicted. We are not losing our homes. We don’t want our government, especially those from pro gambling states, telling us what to do in the privacy and safety of our homes. We are talking about the game of poker, something that is legal to play for money in your home in most states (the home game exemption). We are not talking about beating your wife or cooking Meth. People want the right to choose how they spend their free time and money.

It is especially infuriating that many of the proponents of this legislation are from pro gambling states. Iowa was the first to offer Riverboat gambling and the Racino. So you could say Iowa is a leader in the explosion of legalized gambling around our country in the last twenty years. I have seen legislators from around our country let gambling spread like wildfire, and now someone is going to act like they are saving the family by stopping Internet poker?

If legalized the industry could be taxed and regulated. This would created jobs, tax revenue, and allow the government to control and monitor the cash exchanges to minimize illegal activity.

Thanks for your article. I’m glad to see this issue getting press around our country.

Have a great weekend,
Rick

[Drac]

I heard Leach on NPR the other day. As much as I despise him for his online BS bills he acutually sounded like a decent guy and somebody who would be a good rep for his district. Maybe it was all talk but he didn't sound like the bad guy I thought he was.

[RoundGuy]

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Maybe it was all talk but he didn't sound like the bad guy I thought he was.

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He was an excellent rep. Not your typical politician, that's for sure.

But this time -- if you'll pardon the pun -- he bet on the wrong horse....

[MagCFO]

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I heard Leach on NPR the other day. As much as I despise him for his online BS bills he acutually sounded like a decent guy and somebody who would be a good rep for his district. Maybe it was all talk but he didn't sound like the bad guy I thought he was.

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F*ck him. I don't care if he sounded like a good guy or not, he's an ass in my mind.

[Uglyowl]

Great e-mail Rick. It makes me happy to see people spending time writing and voicing their opinions.

[Berge20]

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I heard Leach on NPR the other day. As much as I despise him for his online BS bills he acutually sounded like a decent guy and somebody who would be a good rep for his district. Maybe it was all talk but he didn't sound like the bad guy I thought he was.

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F*ck him. I don't care if he sounded like a good guy or not, he's an ass in my mind.

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Because he has a policy disagreement with you?

[rjoefish]

He was actually a good rep. for most of our district but I voted against him because of the gambling backing and because I'd rather see a Dem. in office. As to which was a stonger reason, gambling is 2nd.

[Berge20]

Totally understand voting against him.

Saying "F-him" and "he's an ass" because of policy disagreements is part of the reason our country is so strongly divided politically. We can no longer have civil discourse when we all don't believe the same things.

I know this is just a message board, but I think it is symbolic of some of the larger problems we are having.

[strikes2k]

I agree with the F*ck him sentiment expressed. If he came out and said the TRUE reason he sponsored this legislation that would be one thing. But LIEING about the reasons behind the legislation makes him, as well as most politicians, a jerk and deserving to be ousted.

As a side note, this is the reason our country is so divided politically. Politicians don't do what their constituents want. They do what gets them the most money for their reelection. If we want to see this country stop being so divided then we need massive election reforms so that our elected officials have an incentive to do what WE want.

[sweetjazz]

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Totally understand voting against him.

Saying "F-him" and "he's an ass" because of policy disagreements is part of the reason our country is so strongly divided politically. We can no longer have civil discourse when we all don't believe the same things.

I know this is just a message board, but I think it is symbolic of some of the larger problems we are having.

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This is a really good point. I actually listened to Leach on C-Span's morning call-in show and he gave a pretty good argument for the gambling ban. I mean good in the relative sense given what he was working with. He was generally respectful of people who disagreed with him.

Yes his policy was flawed. Yes I find it troubling that he thinks government should be used to legislate private behavior rather to preserve individual liberty.

But he was definitely a decent guy and it is very likely he sincerely believed in the cause he was promoting. For all we know he has someone close to him who has screwed up his life gambling and this has distorted his perception of what online gambling is really like.

I am glad that he lost the election, but I don't see the need to carry venom against him. Bill Frist, whose actions were much more centered around increasing his power and campaign warchest, on the other hand...

To put Jim Leach in the same ballpark as Bill Frist is to simply surrender your ability to make distinctions in character amongst the people who have very different worldviews than you.

[sweetjazz]

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However, Greg Wierzynski, Leach's chief of staff, scoffed at the notion that the gaming ban was Leach's undoing. "As we all know, when poker players have weak hands, they bluff," he said.

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What a bitter sorry man. I know when I have weak hands I usually fold!

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Wierzynski went on to add, "Conversely with strong hands like pocket aces in a large multiway pot, poker players like to slowplay their hand."

[Bilgefisher]

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I am glad that he lost the election, but I don't see the need to carry venom against him. Bill Frist, whose actions were much more centered around increasing his power and campaign warchest, on the other hand...

To put Jim Leach in the same ballpark as Bill Frist is to simply surrender your ability to make distinctions in character amongst the people who have very different worldviews than you.

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This is a very good point. Frist seems dirty and underhanded. I would have dislike him less for passing the gambling bill if he actually believed in it. Based off his actions of supporting other gambling interests, I don't believe he is anti-gambling.

[addictontilt]

Bilge -

It was about securing the "base" or the religious right for the 2008 election for Frist - nohing more, nothing less. The only message we can send back is that we will hold these politicians responsible for the issues. Votes matter, nothing else does

[jimmytrick]

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I heard Leach on NPR the other day. As much as I despise him for his online BS bills he acutually sounded like a decent guy and somebody who would be a good rep for his district. Maybe it was all talk but he didn't sound like the bad guy I thought he was.

[/ QUOTE ]

F*ck him. I don't care if he sounded like a good guy or not, he's an ass in my mind.

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Because he has a policy disagreement with you?

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Its not a just a policy disagreement when it affects your life.

[addictontilt]

Thats why its about votes - vote em out, when they begin to mess with your life

[Berge20]

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Its not a just a policy disagreement when it affects your life.

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Sure it is. If you start taking stuff personally, it clouds your judgement and then we can't maximize our efforts to protect or support our policy positions.

[Bilgefisher]

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Bilge -

It was about securing the "base" or the religious right for the 2008 election for Frist - nohing more, nothing less. The only message we can send back is that we will hold these politicians responsible for the issues. Votes matter, nothing else does

[/ QUOTE ]

No arguement here.