Is it possible we might have a poker playing Vice President on the WSOP tour?
Poker Pro Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, who won the 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP), is making his case for a vice presidential run in 2008 for the Libertarian Party in the United States.
I can only assume he’s against the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Well, he better be. Barney Frank would definitely tap him for his Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act (IGREA).
His decision will be coming Spring of 2008 which happens to be the Libertarian National Convention.
First the raw facts. They have 200,000 registered voters and more than 600 people in public office. This is way more than any of the other “third parties” have – combined. They’ve been around since 1971 so they have experience on their favor over other more recent third parties. Of course, this still pales in comparison to the Democrat and Republican parties in the United States but it’s still better than some of the other parties that started up 2 days ago in someone’s basement.
The Libertarian Party has some principles that they favor. They like having markets that are minimally regulated. Laissez-faire is the word for that – which comes from the French word “let do”, meaning the government shouldn’t be handing out privileges to certain organizations or markets – just let the chips fall where they may. They are very much in favor of strong civil liberties – which is essential for those of us that really want online casino regulation. They are also in favor of non-interventionism in foreign policy – meaning that they want freedom of trade and travel to all foreign countries.
They’ve never really made a serious run for the presidency of the United States – but at this point of the game they really just want to expose their ideas and get them out there so people can take notice of them. Maybe get some defectors from the “Big 2”.
“I had a conversation with one of the top guys in the Libertarian party who wanted to get a famous poker player involved,” said Greg Raymer. “I know they approached other guys like Andy Bloch, but I don’t think Andy is very libertarian and may be too liberal. I contacted the guy after hearing of the plan and I told him I might be interested. If I decide to run, I will do some campaigning in time for the national convention next spring and hope for the best.”For the most part, third party organizations like to get one of two groups of people on their side. Either they get an experienced politician to defect from the Republicans or Democrats – or they go after a celebrity from a part of society that feels disenfranchised with the current state of affairs in the country. This is where Raymer and the poker and casino communities come in. With the United States waging war against gambling, this is a ripe time for the Libertarian Party to get sympathizers.
“It sounds like this guy (Raymer) can get the party media coverage that otherwise wouldn’t exist,” said Professor Julian Zelizer, a political historian at Boston University. “The media always covers celebrities who are running for office and that’s the advantage. The danger is it looks too pragmatic. The negative part of that is it can diminish his candidacy and the image of the party. It can work, but it’s a delicate balance. I think a Libertarian candidate would do a better job of running the country than any of the Republicans or Democrats we’ve seen. It’s inherently better when a candidate believes in the philosophy of being able to do what you deem is right, as long as you don’t hurt anyone else in the process. A third-party offers room for him to enter into the political realm. These parties need someone with some type of appeal.”
Raymer thinks if you use cocaine, then, well you’re “extremely stupid”. But he won’t stop you. He feels that politics should be free from judging on morality and should leave it in the decision of conscious choosing adults. He favors protection from the government for underage gamblers but once you hit adulthood you’re on your own – you do what you want, when you want – the government won’t stop you. He is in favor of some other government initiatives like having a national defense and police force.
What comes as a little bit less of a surprise is that Raymer is definitely in favor of legalized gambling anywhere, everywhere, and for everyone.”Personal morals are great and it’s good for a person to have them. But when you apply your morality to me, we’re talking fascism,” said Raymer. He continues: “A poker player is more likely to be a Libertarian. It’s a game of self-sufficiency where self-discipline often produces success. It’s a natural fit.”
Raymer has worked as a board member for the Poker Player’s Alliance, so he’s not a total political rookie. He’s not done with poker though. Even though he won about $5 million dollars for his 2004 WSOP win, he wants to win at least one or two more before he leaves poker for good and tries his full-time hand at politics.
Poker Pro Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, who won the 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP), is making his case for a vice presidential run in 2008 for the Libertarian Party in the United States.
I can only assume he’s against the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Well, he better be. Barney Frank would definitely tap him for his Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act (IGREA).
His decision will be coming Spring of 2008 which happens to be the Libertarian National Convention.
What’s the Libertarian Party all about?
First the raw facts. They have 200,000 registered voters and more than 600 people in public office. This is way more than any of the other “third parties” have – combined. They’ve been around since 1971 so they have experience on their favor over other more recent third parties. Of course, this still pales in comparison to the Democrat and Republican parties in the United States but it’s still better than some of the other parties that started up 2 days ago in someone’s basement.
How are they different from the Democrats and Republicans?
The Libertarian Party has some principles that they favor. They like having markets that are minimally regulated. Laissez-faire is the word for that – which comes from the French word “let do”, meaning the government shouldn’t be handing out privileges to certain organizations or markets – just let the chips fall where they may. They are very much in favor of strong civil liberties – which is essential for those of us that really want online casino regulation. They are also in favor of non-interventionism in foreign policy – meaning that they want freedom of trade and travel to all foreign countries.
They’ve never really made a serious run for the presidency of the United States – but at this point of the game they really just want to expose their ideas and get them out there so people can take notice of them. Maybe get some defectors from the “Big 2”.
“I had a conversation with one of the top guys in the Libertarian party who wanted to get a famous poker player involved,” said Greg Raymer. “I know they approached other guys like Andy Bloch, but I don’t think Andy is very libertarian and may be too liberal. I contacted the guy after hearing of the plan and I told him I might be interested. If I decide to run, I will do some campaigning in time for the national convention next spring and hope for the best.”For the most part, third party organizations like to get one of two groups of people on their side. Either they get an experienced politician to defect from the Republicans or Democrats – or they go after a celebrity from a part of society that feels disenfranchised with the current state of affairs in the country. This is where Raymer and the poker and casino communities come in. With the United States waging war against gambling, this is a ripe time for the Libertarian Party to get sympathizers.
“It sounds like this guy (Raymer) can get the party media coverage that otherwise wouldn’t exist,” said Professor Julian Zelizer, a political historian at Boston University. “The media always covers celebrities who are running for office and that’s the advantage. The danger is it looks too pragmatic. The negative part of that is it can diminish his candidacy and the image of the party. It can work, but it’s a delicate balance. I think a Libertarian candidate would do a better job of running the country than any of the Republicans or Democrats we’ve seen. It’s inherently better when a candidate believes in the philosophy of being able to do what you deem is right, as long as you don’t hurt anyone else in the process. A third-party offers room for him to enter into the political realm. These parties need someone with some type of appeal.”
The political views of a poker professional
Raymer thinks if you use cocaine, then, well you’re “extremely stupid”. But he won’t stop you. He feels that politics should be free from judging on morality and should leave it in the decision of conscious choosing adults. He favors protection from the government for underage gamblers but once you hit adulthood you’re on your own – you do what you want, when you want – the government won’t stop you. He is in favor of some other government initiatives like having a national defense and police force.
What comes as a little bit less of a surprise is that Raymer is definitely in favor of legalized gambling anywhere, everywhere, and for everyone.”Personal morals are great and it’s good for a person to have them. But when you apply your morality to me, we’re talking fascism,” said Raymer. He continues: “A poker player is more likely to be a Libertarian. It’s a game of self-sufficiency where self-discipline often produces success. It’s a natural fit.”
Raymer has worked as a board member for the Poker Player’s Alliance, so he’s not a total political rookie. He’s not done with poker though. Even though he won about $5 million dollars for his 2004 WSOP win, he wants to win at least one or two more before he leaves poker for good and tries his full-time hand at politics.