Defeating Jon Kyl

Moneyline · #1 08-09-2006, 01:44 PM

I don't think it's a stretch to say that Arizona Senator Jon Kyl is poker's #1 legislative enemy. He is up for re-election this November, and while he does have a lead in the race it is far from insurmountable. Kyl's main opponent is democrat Jim Pederson , and while Pederson's position on online gambling isn't known it's hard to imagine him being worse than Kyl on the issue. If poker players can stir up enough trouble for Kyl on this issue, then other politicians who are pro-banning may be more inclined to not take action.

Hopefully this thread will jumpstart some discussion on what we can do to keep Kyl from being reelected. Here are some of my thoughts... please share yours.

- Encourage friends or family who live in Arizona to vote against Kyl.

- Place an anti-Kyl ad in a magazine like Cardplayer that circulates in Arizona cardrooms. I know this isn't possible for most of us, but this might be feasible for someone like TruePokerCEO who presumably has some money.

-If you live in Arizona, vote for one of the other candidates and let your poker playing friends know why.

-Make a financial donation to the Pederson campaign.

-Contact the PPA and encourage them to find out which candidates are on our side of the issue so we can make more informed voting decisions this fall.

A lot of people play poker online, and with some effort I think we have a good chance of shaving away some of Kyl's lead.

Lawman007 · #2 08-09-2006, 02:31 PM

Thanks for bringing this up. This is a great idea. I think the most effective thing would be to contribute to Pederson's campaign, which you can do by credit card or debit card on his website:

http://www.pederson2006.com/

This idiot Kyl is the main senator pushing this BS bill, and if he loses the election the bill will probably never come up again. If he wins, I guarantee you that he will try to get it passed again next year even if he can't get it done this year, so defeating him should be a top priority of every poker player.

Talk is cheap. We all need to put our money where our mouth is. It doesn't have to be much. Just contribute what you can afford. I'm going to do it, and I urge everyone else who wants to continue to be able to play poker on the internet to do it, as well.

CasinoPimp · #3 08-09-2006, 02:46 PM

Good post - I made a decent contribution to Pederson.

va1halla · #4 08-09-2006, 03:00 PM

[ QUOTE ]
while Pederson's position on online gambling isn't known it's hard to imagine him being worse than Kyl on the issue.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would gladly donate some funds if I knew he was against banning online gambling. If someone knows about his stance on this isssue please let us know. If many of us donate a little bit of money, and let him know why, that could be a strong statment.

mattnxtc · #5 08-09-2006, 03:58 PM

somebody from the state needs to email him and find out his stance

TruePoker CEO · #6 08-09-2006, 03:58 PM

Good post.

If Senator Kyl is too busy campaigning, the bill will stall out. If he loses, it will likely die for at least two years.

Contribute DIRECTLY to the fight for your right to play online poker by tieing up or defeating Senator Kyl.

IF you play poker online from the US, make a contribution today as Lawman suggests above. (How about 2 Big Blinds or 2x Your hourly win rate ?)

Forget about the "PPA", this money will go to work directly against the biggest support HR4411 has in the Senate.

Too bad Pederson's campaign doesn't take Neteller as an option.

Nate tha\\\' Great · #7 08-09-2006, 04:04 PM

[ QUOTE ]
somebody from the state needs to email him and find out his stance

[/ QUOTE ]

Peterson's stance doesn't matter so much. Kyl isn't important for being one vote out of what is undoubtedly a solid majority in the Senate. He's important for being a champion of the bill, who can lobby on its behalf, and bring it to the floor.

Moneyline · #8 08-09-2006, 04:11 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
while Pederson's position on online gambling isn't known it's hard to imagine him being worse than Kyl on the issue.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would gladly donate some funds if I knew he was against banning online gambling. If someone knows about his stance on this isssue please let us know. If many of us donate a little bit of money, and let him know why, that could be a strong statment.

[/ QUOTE ]

If a lot of us contact Pederson we may get a response.

Here's a copy of an email I sent him today that you can feel free to use yourself. It's not perfect, but we might hear back from him if we make a big enough deal about this.

[ QUOTE ]
Dear Mr. Pederson,

As you probably are aware, your opponent Jon Kyl has made banning online gambling a top priority of his. I am one of the legion of poker players who believes Kyl's endeavor to be foolhardy. Kyl's proposed law is hypocritical in that it allows some forms of online gambling to be legal (like horse betting), but others illegal (like poker); and the proposed legislation would only serve to drive consumers away from gambling venues that are regulated by bodies like the London Stock Exchange and toward criminal enterprises.

The reason I am contacting you about this is because I want to know where you stand on this issue. Do you support regulation of internet gambling, an outright ban, or leaving it alone? Poker players constitute a large portion of the population and the recent actions by the House of Representatives have caused us to become more politically aware than one might expect. Taking a stand against Kyl on this issue will garner support for your campaign among typically apolitical gamblers.

Best Wishes,

My Name

[/ QUOTE ]

Lawman007 · #9 08-09-2006, 04:37 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
somebody from the state needs to email him and find out his stance

[/ QUOTE ]

Peterson's stance doesn't matter so much. Kyl isn't important for being one vote out of what is undoubtedly a solid majority in the Senate. He's important for being a champion of the bill, who can lobby on its behalf, and bring it to the floor.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nate is 100% correct. This bill is Kyl's pet cause for some bizarre reason, and if he is not re-elected it will die a quiet death.

Pederson's stance on the bill is irrelevant. He may have to say that he supports it for political reasons, but I guarantee you that he won't push to have it passed like Kyl is doing.

The key is to defeat Kyl, and Pederson is the only person who can do that, so all poker players should contribute to his campaign for that reason alone, regardless of his "official" position on the bill.

I would suggest that you e-mail Pederson after you make your contribution and tell him why you, an out-of-state resident, have contributed money to his campaign.

Lawman007 · #10 08-09-2006, 04:51 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Good post.

If Senator Kyl is too busy campaigning, the bill will stall out. If he loses, it will likely die for at least two years.

Contribute DIRECTLY to the fight for your right to play online poker by tieing up or defeating Senator Kyl.

IF you play poker online from the US, make a contribution today as Lawman suggests above. (How about 2 Big Blinds or 2x Your hourly win rate ?)

Forget about the "PPA", this money will go to work directly against the biggest support HR4411 has in the Senate.

Too bad Pederson's campaign doesn't take Neteller as an option.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow! TruePokerCEO and I actually agree on something?! [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] The world must be coming to an end. LOL

Seriously though, I do disagree about one thing: the amount of your contribution. Don't limit it to 2bb or 2x your hourly rate if you can afford to contribute more.

Think about how important online poker is to you and contribute as much as you can afford to contribute. If 2bb is all you can afford, then contribute that, but if you can afford to contribute more, then by all means do so.