Alfonse M. D’Amato, who preceded Chuck Schumer in the U.S. Senate, was affectionately known as “Senator Pothole” for his tireless efforts for constituents on a major issue of the time.
Now he is devoting himself to another--their right to lose the rent money playing poker online. As a lobbyist for the Poker Player’s Alliance, the New York Times reports, he is working to overturn a federal ban on Internet gambling.
“The poor guy at home,” Sen. D’Amato pleads, “can’t bet $50 at home because we pass this law.”
A devoted Republican hack in Nassau County, New York, he became an accidental senator in 1980 by defeating Jacob Javits in a primary. The esteemed Javits, then fatally ill, pulled a Ralph Nader by running on the Liberal Party line, allowing D’Amato to defeat his Democratic opponent by a narrow margin.
In addition to getting road cavities filled, the highlight of his eight-year career was a reprimand by the Ethics Committee for letting his brother use Senate stationery for pursuing lobbying contracts.
The urge for public service apparently never dies.
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