POTUS candidate campaigns for poker player vote

Presidential Candidate Openly Campaigning for Poker Player Vote | PokerNews:

"For the first time, a presidential candidate is openly campaigning for the poker-player vote. Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson has set up a Web page targeting poker players.... The Republican candidate for 2012 asks players to 'participate in your freedom' by pledging $25, $50 or $100 to his campaign by clicking on images that look like poker chips.

"'He cares about this issue,' said Poker Players Alliance executive director John Pappas, who had lunch with Johnson in Washington, D.C., last month. 'He also realizes there is a serious voting block of people out there and believes that their ideologies, not just on poker but [on] other issues, probably align with his.'

Johnson is expected to be in Las Vegas this week ... to attend the TwoPlusTwo.com World Series of Poker party on Thursday night at the Wynn Poker Room and then be at the PPA booth at the Rio on Friday from 1 to 3 p.m."

Read more: http://www.pokernews.com/news/2011/07/presidential-candidate-openly-campaigning-for-poker-player-v-10663.htm

Ron Paul campaign raises $4.5 million in second quarter | Reuters

Ron Paul campaign raises $4.5 million in second quarter | Reuters - Jason McLure, July 1, 2011:

"Paul, a favorite of Tea Party fiscal conservatives, was well behind the prodigious $15 million to $20 million raised by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in the same period. But aides said Paul pulled in far more than he had for the same period during his failed 2008 presidential campaign....

"Unlike early front-runner Romney, who has tapped into a Rolodex rich with Wall Street and financial industry contacts, donations to Paul's campaign typically come in small amounts."

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/01/us-usa-campaign-paul-idUSTRE76063U20110701

Poll finds Johnson, Romney best GOP candidates in NM | NMPolitics.net

Poll finds Johnson, Romney best GOP candidates in NM | NMPolitics.net - Heath Haussamen, June 30, 2011:

"In the new poll, Johnson trailed Obama by three percentage points, 46 percent to 43 percent. Romney trailed 49 percent to 42 percent. Tim Pawlenty trailed 51 percent to 36 percent. Michele Bachmann trailed 52 percent to 37 percent. Herman Cain trailed 52 percent to 36 percent. Sarah Palin trailed 56 percent to 36 percent."

Read more: http://www.nmpolitics.net/index/2011/06/poll-finds-johnson-romney-best-gop-candidates-in-nm/

"Who is the Tea Party candidate for president?" - NYTimes.com

Tea Party Leaders Look to Bachmann, Paul and Perry - NYTimes.com - Kate Zernicke, June 27, 2011:

"Who is the Tea Party candidate for president? If a gathering of about 100 Tea Party leaders in Washington on Monday gives any indication, it’s Representative Michele Bachmann (who just announced her candidacy), with Representative Ron Paul and Gov. Rick Perry vying for a close second....

"Leaders from Tea Party groups in about 40 states gathered in the Washington offices of FreedomWorks, the libertarian advocacy group that cultivated the Tea Party movement....

"A (completely unscientific) voice-vote straw poll ... found almost no support and even a few groans for Sarah Palin; loud boos drowning out a handful of cheers for Mitt Romney; nays for Jon M. Huntsman Jr.; and support but dismissals that 'he can’t win' for Herman Cain.... Mrs. Bachmann, a Minnesota Republican, seemed to do best among women in the room, while Mr. Perry did best among men, and Mr. Paul, also of Texas, did best among younger people in the room.

"But there was a lot of loud applause for the final candidate: 'undecided.' And there was a lot of debate after the straw poll about whether Tea Party supporters should back the Republican nominee, regardless of whom they support now."

Read more: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/27/tea-party-leaders-look-to-bachmann-paul-and-perry/

Rep. Ron Paul Ramp Up Efforts to Scale Back Military Commitments | The State Column

Rep. Ron Paul Ramp Up Efforts to Scale Back Military Commitments | The State Column:

"A bipartisan group of six Members of the House of Representatives today released a joint letter calling for a reduction in U.S. military spending by scaling back worldwide military commitments. The letter was signed by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), Congressman John Campbell (R-CA), Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ), Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC), Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI), and Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX).

"Members of the bipartisan group, who disagree on a wide range of other issues, express strong agreement that deficit reduction cannot be accomplished without substantial reductions in military spending....

"over the past year the idea that excessive military spending must be reduced as part of a long-term deficit-reduction plan has gained wider acceptance. The President’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform recommended reductions in the budget of the Department of Defense of $100 billion by 2015."

Read more: http://www.thestatecolumn.com/texas/rep-ron-paul-ramp-up-efforts-to-scale-back-military-commitments/

Ames Straw Poll: Ron Paul outbids rivals for prime real estate - latimes.com

Ames Straw Poll: Ron Paul outbids rivals for prime real estate at Iowa straw poll - latimes.com - Robin Abcarian, June 24, 2011:

"The Ames Straw Poll, a quadrennial Iowa ritual for Republican presidential candidates, does not take place until Aug. 13. But Thursday, some would-be nominees ... bid for spaces outside the Iowa State University arena where the poll ... takes place.

"The Ames Straw Poll raises money for the Republican Party of Iowa, which requires candidates to spend a minimum of $15,000 for a space in the area outside the arena. The bigger and closer the space, the higher the price.

"Today’s highest bidder, according to Craig Robinson of The Iowa Republican website, was Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. Paul, a formidable fundraiser whose libertarian bent guarantees a passionate if modest following, outspent the rest of field with a bid of $31,000."

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-iowa-straw-poll-20110623,0,6023685.story?track=rss

Is Gary Johnson a Libertarian? - FoxNews.com

Is 2012 Presidential Hopeful Gary Johnson a Libertarian? - FoxNews.com - John Stossel:

June 23, 2011 - "Someone was missing from last week's Republican presidential debate, and that's too bad.... Gary Johnson....

"When he was governor, he vetoed 750 bills and shed a thousand state jobs. That made Republican and Democratic politicians mad, but in a state with a two-to-one Democratic advantage, this Republican was re-elected.

"'I got re-elected ... by saying no to the government,' he told me. 'I was a penny- pincher.'
His political philosophy comes down to this:

"'The government has a role to protect me against individuals that would do me harm – whether that be property damage or physical harm. The federal government has an obligation to protect us against foreign governments that would raise arms again us. But beyond that, government does way too much.'"

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/06/23/is-2012-presidential-hopeful-gary-johnson-libertarian/

John Stossel - Candidate Gary Johnson | LibertyPen | June 29, 2011: