Online gambling opponent to run for U.S. president
News on 29 May 2015
News on 29 May 2015
There are now two opponents of online gambling legalisation vying for the 2016 presidency of the United States; Republican politician George Pataki (70) has joined fellow Sheldon Adelson supporter Sen. Lindsey Graham in throwing his hat into a rather crowded presidential candidacy ring.
A three-time former Republican governor of New York, Pataki is perhaps more notorious in the industry for his role as co-chair of the Adelson-funded Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling .
In that role he has promoted the well-worn if inaccurate talking points of the Adelson campaign, as can be seen in the video above.
Republican political pundits don’t hold out much hope for the success of the former governor, pointing out that no prominent elected officials or donors have stepped forward in his support in a field that is one of the most competitive in recent times for Republicans.
But he is a friend and ally to top Republican donor Adelson, and that could count for something.
Pataki is regarded as a moderate in Republican terms, and reportedly supports conservation, same-sex marriage and gun control, but is light on social issues.
In a recent television advert he referred to social issues as a “distraction”, commenting:
“Defeating Islamic terrorists, shrinking government, growing the economy — these are the issues that matter most. Instead we’re debating social issues like abortion and gay rights.”
He is rather more hawkish when it comes to foreign policy, opining in a recent CNN interview that America should resolve the Middle East and IS issue by sending troops back to the region.
“I don’t want to see us putting in a million soldiers, spend 10 years, a trillion dollars, trying to create a democracy where one hasn’t existed,” Pataki said. “But send in troops, destroy their training centers, destroy their recruitment centers, destroy the area where they are looking to plan to attack us here and then get out.”
Pataki is a 1967 graduate of Yale University and a 1970 graduate of Columbia Law School, and he and his wife Libby have four offspring – two daughters and two sons.
