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22nd
January 2009 - Barack Obama is sworn in as the
President of the United States of America
January
2009 - Barack Obama immortalized in pop culture as
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5th
November 2008 - the president-elect of the United
States is Barack Obama
24th
November 2007 - Kevin Rudd elected new Australian
Prime Minister

Arnold
Schwarzenegger
Barack
Obama Poker Article Appears on Cover of National Journal,
by Jessica Welman - 4th December 2009
(Credit:
Poker News Daily)
Since
the inception of the game, poker has often been invoked
as a metaphor for other parts of life. Similarities
have been drawn between poker and business, poker
and relationships and, most recently, poker and politics.
The latest article to draw comparisons between government
and gaming was recently published as the cover story
of the National Journal. The feature piece examines
President Barack Obamas tenure in office and
draws comparisons between his political decisions
and his poker game.
National
Journal is a 40-year old weekly publication that covers
the U.S. national political scene and emerging trends
in policy. The magazine is primarily read by the Washington
political sect who, thanks to author Will Englund,
now have some new insight on how President Obamas
style of poker play may be influencing his policy
decisions.
Englunds
feature-length piece begins with his view on how poker
imitates life. In his words, If there is a single
game that comes closest to recapitulating modern existence
that both mimics and informs the logic of a
cluttered, challenging, bewilderingly complicated,
less-than-all-knowing, partially comprehensible human
society it is poker. As Englund notes,
Obama is not just a metaphorical poker player, he
is also an avid fan. Fellow politicians and card sharks
have referred to his playing style as cautious, patient
and, oddly enough, conservative. In other words, our
President is a bit of a nit.
The
article offers insight from both poker author James
McManus, whose books include Positively Fifth
Street and the recently released Cowboys
Full: The Story of Poker, as well as Harvard
Law School Professor Charles Nesson. Nesson is also
the founder of the Global Poker Strategic Thinking
Society, a Harvard student group designed to promote
how pokers strategic thinking that may be applicable
to other avenues of life.
In
the National Journal piece, both Nesson and McManus
described Obamas style of play as traditional
and Englund cites the game of Stud, in which players
have ostensibly more control over each street of play,
as the type of game in which the President would excel.
His work on public health insurance is used as an
example of President Obamas conservative and
cautious style as well as his ability to keep his
holdings close to his chest and not let the opposition
know exactly what he is planning.
The
analysis of Obama as a poker player also includes
a discussion of botched bets and misplayed hands and
offers some predictions about the type of strategic
decision-making the President has in store for the
future: Look for Obama to stick with Stud, where
memory and insight and experience and calculation
rule the table.
On
the whole, the article praises the game of poker as
a way to sharpen critical thinking skills. Nesson
speaks to the games practical application in
politics, business, and day-to-day interactions. The
piece also traces the long and storied presence of
poker in American politics. Former President Richard
Nixon was known to have funded his early political
campaigns with poker winnings and several game theorists
have served as political consultants over the course
of U.S. history. More recently Obama and several other
politicians have openly admitted their fondness for
the game. Another example of a politician and poker
enthusiast is former Senator Alfonse DAmato,
who now serves as the Chairman of the Poker Players
Alliance (PPA).
The
article is currently on the Journals official
website, but it is only available to subscribers of
the magazine.

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