Clinton Pro-Casino Stand Will Hurt Her in Hudson Valley, Obama Against the Expansion of Gambling

[Dems Will Win]

Just got this email from the local Obama volunteers:

Hillary is for Casinos in the Catskills and Obama is Against The Expansion of Gambling

If you thought the casino fight in the Catskills was over, think again. Besides the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe filing a lawsuit against the Secretary of the Interior over his rejection of the Monticello casino, the next President will actually be making the final decision on casinos in the Catskills, not Spitzer. It's a federal matter in the end.

If you are in favor of casinos in the Catskills, Hillary is the candidate for you on Feb. 5. Clinton has long supported developer efforts to put Indian gaming casinos in the Catskills. Nevada-based Empire Resorts, which would operate the proposed Sullivan County casino in partnership with the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, lists Hillary as a supporter of Catskill gambling on their Web site.

Clinton has said that casinos are an "economic development tool" and said that "for many places in the country, it seems to be an important part of what they are trying to do to revive and maintain an economic base." In her first campaign for Senate, Hillary supported Indian gaming in the Catskills and Upstate.

When asked by the LA Times on January 18th about the social costs of gambling, like wrecking middle class families and tripling local bankruptcy rates, Clinton replied, "Any human activity has social costs, really," she said, adding later: "Life is filled with trade-offs, and you have to do the best you can to balance the pluses and the minuses."

Mrs. Clinton’s big gaming industry fundraisers include the senior executives of Harrahs, Jan Jones and Philip Satre.

In contrast, if you are against casinos in the Catskills and Ulster County, Senator Obama has never been in favor of the expansion of gambling, saying that the "moral and social cost of gambling, particularly in low-income communities, could be devastating." And, with casinos, "you'll have a whole bunch of people who can't afford it gambling their money away, yet they're going to do it." Obama has opposed expanding specific gambling projects in Illinois.

"There's a fundamental question here," said the Rev. Tom Grey, executive director of the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling. "Until this point, Obama's statements seemed to suggest that he did not buy into the industry arguments that this is a product like golf or Starbucks that should just go on Main Street. And Hillary, by attacking him, seems to have come down clearly on the side of the industry that this is economic development." (LA TIMES - "Clinton Plays Gaming Card against Obama" Jan 18 2008)

On Feb. 5, if you are opposed to Ulster County casinos, your only vote is for Barack Obama for President. Go to barackobama.com and sign up to volunteer or donate today or stop by the new Obama field office in Rosendale.

This is the first time there has been a field office in Ulster County for a Prez Primary! I found the link to the Empire Resort Web site that lists Hil as a gambling supporter:

http://www.empireresorts.com/index.php?id=44#c145

And I just found the LA Times article: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-gambling18jan18,0,5486987,print.story?coll=la-home-center

PLEASE RECOMMEND IF YOU HAD NO IDEA HILLARY WAS PRO-CASINO AND OBAMA OPPOSED TO EXPANDING GAMBLING SO OTHERS FIND OUT

[Gman]

1. Hillary sneezes, Bill hands her a tissue

Obama is against sneezing and complains that Bill and Hillary are ganging up on him.

What a whiner.

[Bitwit1234]

2. OH so it seems he who is the king has two sides to his face

he wants all the casino workers to vote for him, BUT HE DOESN'T BELIEVE IN GAMBLING. Did someone tell him that was the thing to do right now...gee when he goes to NJ is he going to be FOR gambling, and how about in those states where the Indians have all those casinos,,for oh yes...but then in the south where they dont' he's gonna be against. Spin spin flop flop all around the lilac bush.

[Bobbieo]

3. No one ever mentions the benefits casino gambling has done for the various tribes

thoughout the country. Yes, we are the "Invisible Americans"!!!!