Posted on 11/30/2006 2:41:26 PM PST by neverdem
WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives wastes no sympathy on defeated members. So at the beginning of this week, Jim Leach of Iowa sat in an office almost devoid of furniture, the walls stripped bare of the mementos of his 30 years of service — with just a few hours remaining before the painters moved in to prepare his domain for its new occupant.
Leach, who once had been chairman of the Banking and Financial Services Committee, would have been in line to head the Committee on International Relations in the next Congress, had Republicans maintained their majority and had he been re-elected.
But he lost, 51 percent to 48 percent, to college professor David Loebsack, as Democrats won top-to-bottom victories in Iowa earlier this month.
Leach, noted for his independence, was the only Iowa legislator to oppose going to war in Iraq. That kind of record helped him prevail in past races despite his heavily Democratic district, which gave a higher percentage of its presidential vote to John Kerry than any other district held by a Republican.
But this year, two special factors helped tip the balance against him. First, he became a target for crafting the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which passed Congress as part of a larger bill in October and was signed into law just before the election.
The Poker Players Alliance, which had fought the measure banning banks and credit card companies from servicing Internet gambling firms, targeted Leach and other sponsors with e-mails to its members and publicity in poker magazines. A post-election survey paid for by the gambling group found a net 5 percent swing against Leach attributable to that issue.
John Pappas, the spokesman for the alliance, said it is putting together a presentation for the new members of Congress using...
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
Unless you can vote in open primaries, you lose that way. I'm thinking of switching from Conservative to R to vote in their primaries. In NYC, many register as dems to screw up their primaries either way, i.e. vote so hard left that the clown won't be acceptable in the general or try to get the most reasonable dem because the RINO is a loser in the general election.
Republicans stayed home rather than vote for anti-war candidates. Leach lost because of that. The gambling thing may have hurt him too -- and well it should have -- but the media will do anything to avoid admitting that there is public support for the war.
And boring.
I like a big noisy crowd of 14 other people at a craps table with chips to knock over with the dice. That's fun if you can think on your feet. You'll find sitting to be quite boring if you learn this game.
And boring.
I like a big noisy crowd of 14 other people at a craps table with chips to knock over with the dice. That's fun if you can think on your feet. You'll find sitting to be quite boring if you learn this game.
Next, why don't protect ourselves against alcoholism and we outlaw drinking alcohol at home? Maybe ration food so we don't overeat at home? I'm not sure I like the ideas you're coming up with, so maybe we control what news media you can read/watch/listen to at home?
Well if it was just 1, it was enough.
I agree that online gambling is stupid, but history has shown time and time again that trying to protect people from their own stupid behavior never works.
Then don't.
But don't tell the rest of the world what they aught to do.
The issue itself may seem trivial, but censoring the Internet as a remedy tells me that this politician is clueless about the Constitution. Furthermore, the online gambling bill extends American law enforcement overseas, where in the absence of a clear-and-present military threat to the US, it has no real jurisdiction.
I voted agsinsgt Jon Kyl this time, despite a generally good platform. because of his support for this bill and because of his multiple votes to forbid Americans from shopping around for drugs.
You will be able to be engaged in the process if you vote in primaries. Primaries are important. This is where we must fight our battles.
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