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Washington is broken and divisive these days, but it wasn’t always that way and, during the Lyndon Johnson Presidency, poker helped play an important role in bringing both sides to the table, so to speak.
Johnson, a Democrat, would often play poker on weekends with leaders in the Republican party. During these games, that state of the nation and potential remedies would sometimes be discussed.
The best known of the poker playing Presidents were Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon, both Republicans.
Gambling911.com feels strongly that Eisenhower is probably rolling over in his grave looking down on the likes of Republican Arizona Senator Jon Kyl, who helped pass legislation effectively banning online poker in the United States. Eisenhower, a dirt poor kid from Kansas, used his poker winnings to pay for his wife Mamie’s engagement ring. He even used his poker winnings to purchase his cadet uniform.
Johnson, Eisenhower, Nixon and Ford, they all played poker and the games brought about plenty of bi-partisanship.
“Bipartisanship” has become a dirty word in Washington these days.
While it is true that President Obama and Speaker of the House John Boehner have recently started playing golf together, there is still plenty of space between the two on the golf course. Neither really needs to communicate much with one another playing golf.
Card games, on the other hand, pit opponents against one another, face to face.
Obama is a poker player. Boehner, growing up in his family’s bar, we suspect has seen his fair share of card games.
Maybe it’s time Obama starts hosting weekend poker games at the White House. Invite Boehner, even Senate Minority Leader, Republican Mitch McConnell. This way the two sides can play poker against one another as opposed to playing poker with the nation’s economy.
- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
