PPA Pres, here's some advice

[mrhat187]

Currently I mean not to be negative, but probably 90% of the people who post on this forum think the PPA is a joke and has done nothing to aid the cause of online poker. I may be wrong, members feel free to call me an idiot. You want some advice on how to beoome effective here's a few ideas.

#1 Put some MAJOR cash into shutting KYL down in Arizona. Polls have already showed that Pederson can catch up quickly if the voters know who he is and KYL gets bad press. PUT MONEY INTO TAKING HIM DOWN, take every questionable thing he has done and put it on TV. Find some audio bytes where John McCain disagrees with KYL, EVERYONE in AZ loves McCain you drive a wedge of seperation there hes gone. If you create KYL to be anti McCain or opposite McCain, you could have a mexican immigrant who speaks no english running against KYL in AZ and they would win.

#2 If you make it past this year starting in JAN. of next year you need to charge a $5 a month fee to be part of the PPA. This will increase your budget immensely and give you a monthly income. Quite frankly to the people joining the PPA 5 bucks is nothing, but 5 bucks from 100,000 people each month.........you can start to get some traction in DC.

#3 Get with the AGA have a few meetings. Get the AGA on our side, get them behind either a seperation of poker from other forms of gambling, or really get them behind regulation.

#4 Send out some more updating news letters in email besides something every 3 months saying "hey lets all get together at sizzler, and yack about online poker" give me a break. If your opponents are sending out mailers atleast once a week, you have to atleast match that, preferably do better. In advertising it takes atleast 8 solid impressions before you even get noticed, PPA has maybe 1....do more. I don't care if you send out 1 email every other day saying....I had lunch with so and so, do more.

Take this advice or don't, but when it comes to business I'm never wrong. You would easily increase the PPA's voice by 1000% following those steps.

[BluffTHIS!]

mrhat,

Points #2 - 4 are good but 1 is a loser and would backfire. There are people on our side on both sides of the aisle, and we don't need to alienate them by actually getting involved in an individual campaign out in the open. And for our purposes in the short run assuming the bill doesn't pass this session and until we can get some proactive defense from the study proponents, we can achieve far more through blocking efforts by getting holds on legislation as well as through generating publicity and support for poker.

[PPA President]

Thanks for your input. Sorry that the 2+2 folks feel that way. I unfortunately have spent most of my working in the halls of Congress, and less on the communicating to poker players. I always felt it was better to do something than to speak about it.

On your input:
1. I have to agree with BluffThis. Besides the fact that the PPA does not have that kind of budget, we are trying to educate both the Republicans and the Democrats about the merits of regulating on-line poker and opposing this prohibition. Our fight is about getting the right legislation in place, regulation or the wrong legisation with an exemption for poker and not the personalities involved.
2. We will look into this. I did not think that $20 was a price point that scared away members, as this money goes directly to lobbying in DC. Perhaps this is too much money to ask for to defend the game, and as it is one-time lifetime we thought that it is reasonable.
3. We are in discussion with the AGA, and look to build on this relationship. To assume that we are not is incorrect.
4. This is a good suggestion. We need to get more newsletters out, in addition to the e-mail alerts. As I have shared on other posts, we are actively lobbying congress on a daily basis, have a professional lobbying team that represents poker players on Capitol Hill, and am active in the media. To give an inside game approach is not effective for our lobbying. I have met personally with over 100 members of Congress or their staffs over the past 4 months, and our team has met with many more. Our aim is to educate them on poker and the on-line game, break down some of their mis-conceptions and lead them toward a better approach than prohibition, that of affirmative legalization and regulation. This does not happen overnight, and the growth of an organization does not happen overnight. Other interests have been at it for years, i.e. horseracing. Politics is a process and it is about numbers of active grassroot political supporters. We are stressing our policy points as we know they are right, but politics is not frequently governed by policy. So this is why we ask that poker players get active politically, and write, call and visit their representatives, and be part of an organized movement.

[mrhat187]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for your input. Sorry that the 2+2 folks feel that way. I unfortunately have spent most of my working in the halls of Congress, and less on the communicating to poker players. I always felt it was better to do something than to speak about it.

On your input:
1. I have to agree with BluffThis. Besides the fact that the PPA does not have that kind of budget, we are trying to educate both the Republicans and the Democrats about the merits of regulating on-line poker and opposing this prohibition. Our fight is about getting the right legislation in place, regulation or the wrong legisation with an exemption for poker and not the personalities involved.

[/ QUOTE ]


Then for the next election you should send out emails updating PPA members on what seats are up for grabs. And if they want to help the known of opponents of senators or reps we know are against poker give them the tools to do so.....people are lazy. Too treat poker as something "bad" is basically saying our opponents are correct, need to show people we have power, and we are your average joe at the store.

[ QUOTE ]
2. We will look into this. I did not think that $20 was a price point that scared away members, as this money goes directly to lobbying in DC. Perhaps this is too much money to ask for to defend the game, and as it is one-time lifetime we thought that it is reasonable.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you missed my point......I'm saying take more money MUCH MORE, Me and probably 99% of PPA members could care less about a one time $20 fee, and could really care less about a $5 a month fee, hell if I thought it would make a difference I'd pay 20 a month or even 100. I'm saying change to a monthly donation/subscription program, heck you could setup a Paypal Subscription service to do the funds collection for you and place it as selling a "monthly newsletter". Boom your now making $500k a month to help poker.

[ QUOTE ]
3. We are in discussion with the AGA, and look to build on this relationship. To assume that we are not is incorrect.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the type of information you can mail out, we LOVE to hear this. We LOVE to hear your doing something for us, then we won't gripe on the PPA.

[ QUOTE ]
4. This is a good suggestion. We need to get more newsletters out, in addition to the e-mail alerts. As I have shared on other posts, we are actively lobbying congress on a daily basis, have a professional lobbying team that represents poker players on Capitol Hill, and am active in the media. To give an inside game approach is not effective for our lobbying. I have met personally with over 100 members of Congress or their staffs over the past 4 months, and our team has met with many more. Our aim is to educate them on poker and the on-line game, break down some of their mis-conceptions and lead them toward a better approach than prohibition, that of affirmative legalization and regulation. This does not happen overnight, and the growth of an organization does not happen overnight. Other interests have been at it for years, i.e. horseracing. Politics is a process and it is about numbers of active grassroot political supporters. We are stressing our policy points as we know they are right, but politics is not frequently governed by policy. So this is why we ask that poker players get active politically, and write, call and visit their representatives, and be part of an organized movement.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ok you don't need to say who you met with specifically or give details just give us PPA members something so we don't bad mouth you. It takes a strong foundation to build any house, we are your foundation feed us information. Even a simple daily/weekly EX. "Boy was busy today with some meetings, think we may have even gotten through too a few people. Simple....easy....quick.......and I would LOVE to hear such things even if it was BS. Atleast then I would be telling other players to join the PPA, instead of saying its a waste of time.


EX. "Have some more business coming up next week, email us if you want to know how you can directly help the PPA." That is simple easy and would go a LONG LONG LONG ways with PPA members I know it would with me. Hell I would do any of the above for you and happy to show you how to set it up and manage it.

[Aardhart]

What about commercials aimed at TV viewers who don't follow poker forums or politics? If everyone who watched the WSOP contacted their congresspeople, their is no way the bill would pass. The commercials don't even have to be paid by the PPA. The websites could sponsor the spots themselves (Harrah's style: we look out for you). ESPN has a vested interest; maybe they could reduce the rates for these spots. [I apologize if these are already running. I don't have cable right now.]

[renodoc]

Its bizzare that the sites aren't doing more. They are on the gallows and the rope is round there necks...

How bout some "PPA benefit tourneys" on the bigger sites? Even if the rake for one tourney per week went into the PPA it would be a lot more than they have now...

[Mason Malmuth]

PPA President:

I agree with the poster.

For you to have success here, you need to accomplish three things in my opinion. They are:

1. You need to explain exactly what the various bills in front of Congress will do and exactly how they will damage Internet poker.

2. You need to do a much better job explaining exactly what it is your organization does and exactly how the money is being spent for the good of poker.

3. You need to show that your organization is associated with the right competent people who can get the job done.

In the past, I've read from you that you can't really explain exactly what you're doing because it could hurt your lobbying cause. I don't know if that's a legit defense by you or not since I'm not familiar with how successful lobbying works. But if that stays your position, I think you're just hurting yourself and your organization by coming on here.

www.twoplustwo.com is the best place in the world for you to communicate and interact with the poker public. In fact, the people who post here should be a good cross sampling of the people you need to get support from to have any chance of success. But if most of them think you and your organization are a joke, I don't think you'll be very successful.

You're welcome to post here as long as you stay within our guidelines (which includes no solicitations). If you do a good job, you should be able to turn the opinion around and that will help build your organization.

MM

[Mason Malmuth]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for your input. Sorry that the 2+2 folks feel that way. I unfortunately have spent most of my working in the halls of Congress, and less on the communicating to poker players. I always felt it was better to do something than to speak about it.


[/ QUOTE ]

Are you actually serious when you write something like this? You're asking people to join your organization and send money. Don't you think they want to know where the money is going?

[ QUOTE ]
1. I have to agree with BluffThis. Besides the fact that the PPA does not have that kind of budget, we are trying to educate both the Republicans and the Democrats about the merits of regulating on-line poker and opposing this prohibition. Our fight is about getting the right legislation in place, regulation or the wrong legisation with an exemption for poker and not the personalities involved.


[/ QUOTE ]

Well, how are you going about his? and when you say "regulating on-line poker," what exactly does that mean?

[ QUOTE ]
2. We will look into this. I did not think that $20 was a price point that scared away members, as this money goes directly to lobbying in DC. Perhaps this is too much money to ask for to defend the game, and as it is one-time lifetime we thought that it is reasonable.


[/ QUOTE ]

What are your expenses? What is your salaryand that of the other officers? How much money have you collected? How much is left after expenses to spend on your lobying efforts? What are your goals? And most importantly, how do you intend to spend your lobbying money and exactly what are you trying to accomplish?

[ QUOTE ]
We need to get more newsletters out, in addition to the e-mail alerts. As I have shared on other posts, we are actively lobbying congress on a daily basis, have a professional lobbying team that represents poker players on Capitol Hill, and am active in the media. To give an inside game approach is not effective for our lobbying.

[/ QUOTE ]

Since you don't release any information as to what it is you are doing and you won't give an inside approach, I wonder how many people here think you don't do much of anything.

[ QUOTE ]
I have met personally with over 100 members of Congress or their staffs over the past 4 months, and our team has met with many more. Our aim is to educate them on poker and the on-line game, break down some of their mis-conceptions and lead them toward a better approach than prohibition, that of affirmative legalization and regulation. This does not happen overnight, and the growth of an organization does not happen overnight.

[/ QUOTE ]

Who have you met with? What have you accomplished? What mis-conceptions do they have and how are you breaking this stuff down? As long as you keep all of this a secret, you're not going to get any support here.

[ QUOTE ]
Politics is a process and it is about numbers of active grassroot political supporters. We are stressing our policy points as we know they are right, but politics is not frequently governed by policy. So this is why we ask that poker players get active politically, and write, call and visit their representatives, and be part of an organized movement.

[/ QUOTE ]

Again you need to get specific. What you just wrote would be the equivalent of us publishing books that say over and over again that you need to play well. If we did that without being specific, we wouldn't sell many books.

MM

[SNOWBALL]

[ QUOTE ]
PPA President:

I agree with the poster.

For you to have success here, you need to accomplish three things in my opinion. They are:

1. You need to explain exactly what the various bills in front of Congress will do and exactly how they will damage Internet poker.

2. You need to do a much better job explaining exactly what it is your organization does and exactly how the money is being spent for the good of poker.

3. You need to show that your organization is associated with the right competent people who can get the job done.

In the past, I've read from you that you can't really explain exactly what you're doing because it could hurt your lobbying cause. I don't know if that's a legit defense by you or not since I'm not familiar with how successful lobbying works. But if that stays your position, I think you're just hurting yourself and your organization by coming on here.

www.twoplustwo.com is the best place in the world for you to communicate and interact with the poker public. In fact, the people who post here should be a good cross sampling of the people you need to get support from to have any chance of success. But if most of them think you and your organization are a joke, I don't think you'll be very successful.

You're welcome to post here as long as you stay within our guidelines (which includes no solicitations). If you do a good job, you should be able to turn the opinion around and that will help build your organization.


[/ QUOTE ]

Hi Mason,

You spit hot fire. I'm tired of joining organizations that are called "associations" or claim to be "grass-roots." Usually they just want my money. The last time I was on the phone with an environmental organization I am part of, I told them "Hey, I've been a member for more than six months, and you never call me or email me. Why not ask me to write a letter or just update me on whats going on?"

It's pathetic, and there's no excuse for this stuff. When I was a union organizer, I always kept in contact with the membership about what was going on. They were informed, and involved, and we got the job done in a big way because we had a lot of support. Also, we certainly did lobbying (not me personally), but we didn't take a cloak and dagger approach.

Best,
Jordan

[Wynton]

We've been through this many times at this forum. Someone expresses dismay or disappointment at how invisible the PPA seems to be to its membership, or 2+2. Then the PPA explains that it is unable to divulge the various details of its inside-lobbying. Like Mason, I'm not a lobbyist so it's difficult for me to evaluate how good their lobbying strategy may be.

But I do know that the PPA is not acting like a true grass roots organization (and perhaps that was never its plan), i.e., a group that makes a concerted public effort to rally people and sway public opinion. Maybe it's about time for someone else to step up to the plate and create such an organization, rather than criticize PPA for what it may never become.