Musings...

[Tuff_Fish]

Giuliani courting the NRA... priceless.

link to whole story.

WASHINGTON -- Republican Rudy Giuliani sought to reassure the National Rifle Association of his support for a constitutional right to bear arms as rivals Fred Thompson, John McCain and Mike Huckabee contended the former New York mayor is no friend of gun owners.

In a direct appeal Friday to the powerful lobbying group, Thompson, McCain and Huckabee stressed their backing for gun rights and record of siding with the NRA. Giuliani, who once referred to the NRA as "extremists," tried to explain his shifting views on the issue.

The NRA's support is prized as the group blankets its 4 million members with ads, mailings and phone calls. Before the 2008 election, it hopes to increase its numbers.....


And, you guys want whatever the heck it is we want? Try coming up with $15.5 million. I can guarantee that if we had this kind of effort, we would have legal state blessed online poker in California in no time.

link to article

SACRAMENTO – With opponents still gathering signatures to overturn their new gambling compacts, four of California's most powerful Indian tribes yesterday launched a multimillion-dollar television campaign to sell the lucrative deals to the public.


The ads, which emphasize benefits of the multibillion-dollar agreements, were planned to air in the state's major media markets, said Roger Salazar, a consultant for the coalition, which includes Sycuan of El Cajon, Pechanga of Temecula and two other Riverside County tribes, Morongo and Agua Caliente.
Opponents, including the Pala band of San Diego County, are attempting to qualify ballot measures that would put legislation that ratified the compacts before voters on Feb. 5.

Signatures for the four separate referendums do not have to be submitted until Oct. 8.

Salazar said this is not the first time an opponent has gone on TV before a ballot measure has qualified. The campaign cited as examples the early, well-financed opposition to four initiatives Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger backed in the November 2005 special election.

“This is our opportunity to educate voters about the benefits of the agreements,” Salazar said. “As voters understand what these agreements bring to the table, they like what they see.”

Salazar would not disclose how much the tribes plan to spend on the opening round of TV spots. The four tribes have amassed $15.5 million in a campaign account.

The compacts offer hundreds of millions of dollars in added revenue to the state. But opponents – the casino workers union UNITE HERE, two horse tracks and two rival gaming tribes – contend the agreements encourage reckless expansion that could hurt other tribes. Pechanga and Morongo could have up to 7,500 slot machines each.

“In 1998 voters authorized tribal casinos in exchange for a promise of modest casino growth that fairly shared revenues with taxpayers,” said Cheryl Schmit, head of the gambling watchdog Stand Up for California. “The 'Big 4' deals break that promise.”

Robert Stern, president of the nonpartisan Center for Governmental Studies, said the early television buy was unusual, the measures likely will qualify and the tribes want to “shape the public opinion early on.”

Now, about that initiative of mine...... [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

I am seriously thinking of a "do over" on the initiative.

Lessons learned.

Get a strongly committed group involved before submitting the initiative. (PPA perhaps, CTA, veterans?)

The state still needs to get a significant slice of revenue, but it need not be on too heavy a burden. Make sure the beneficiaries are going to give significant help to the effort. (suppliment to the lottery, can we say CTA?)

No HUD/multitabling restrictions written in. Why make enemies we don't need. The operators will run the thing for the best interests of themselves. Lobby them for what you want when you have a reason to lobby.

State run or private. Makes no difference to me, but the state (taxpayers and beneficiraries) still needs a decent cut of revenue.

Just thinking out loud. California is so very ripe for an initiative legalization effort. Poker could generate almost as much revenue as the additional slots the Tribes are fighting over. The amount of press, money, and public awareness this has generated is quite astounding.

Tuff