Will McCain Abandon His Past Efforts To Regulate Tobacco In Order To Pander To Conservatives?
Will McCain Abandon His Past Efforts To Regulate Tobacco In Order To Pander To Conservatives?
In 1998, while pushing his bill that would increase cigarette taxes by $1.10 over five years, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) argued that it was “time to put an end to” tobacco companies encouraging “children to purchase tobacco in every state in the country.” Though McCain’s bill “fell three votes short of the needed 60 to end a filibuster,” he declared at the time that he would “never” give up his efforts to regulate the industry.
Now it appears as though “never” may last only a decade for McCain. In August 2007, McCain voted against a bill that would have raised tobacco taxes by 61 cents in order to pay for an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.”Thinking that you’re going to pay for it with a $1 tax increase on tobacco is voodoo,” McCain told conservative blogger Robert Bluey.
The Boston Globe reports today that McCain may also be backing away from a tobacco regulation bill that he co-sponsored:
Now, McCain’s longtime effort to crack down on tobacco is being put to a new test. Within weeks, the Senate is expected to vote on legislation to allow the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco. McCain agreed months ago to cosponsor the current bill with Senator Edward M. Kennedy, but McCain’s policy adviser said the senator won’t commit to voting for it until he sees the final legislation.
As Christy from Firedoglake notes, McCain’s chief political adviser Charlie Black is a former lobbyist for Phillip Morris, a major tobacco company. Black, who left the company in 2001, told the Globe that “he hasn’t discussed any issues related to his clients with McCain while serving as the senator’s senior adviser in the current campaign.”
Throughout the 2008 election cycle, McCain has received $17,500 in contributions from the tobacco industry.
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C’mon - it’s McPander that you’re talking about here…Mr. FlipFlop.
March 26th, 2008 at 4:44 pmMcLyingsackofcrap
This is the jackass that is touted as a “straight shooter” ?
He’s so full of crap , his tongue is changing color……..
March 26th, 2008 at 4:46 pm“Will McCain Abandon His Past Efforts To Regulate Tobacco In Order To Pander To Conservatives?”
No.
Wait! I mean… yes!
That is to say, no he won’t, unless…
..he does in which case he will, so yes! As-in; no!
Maybe.
March 26th, 2008 at 4:51 pmI dunno… what’s a tour of duty in the Oval Office without a cigar?
March 26th, 2008 at 4:54 pmI happen to smoke like a fiend and if cigarettes are taxed any more than they are now, well I’m just going to damn well pay the extra, just as I have done every other goddam time.
March 26th, 2008 at 4:54 pmI’m going with yes.
March 26th, 2008 at 4:58 pmReich-wingers and tobacco companies have a lot in common. They both are efficient murderers and they serve no real purpose to mankind.
March 26th, 2008 at 5:00 pmPretty soon a pack of cigarettes will be cheaper than a gallon of gas
March 26th, 2008 at 5:02 pmWill McCain Abandon His Past Efforts To Regulate Tobacco In Order To Pander To Conservatives?
_______________________________________
Why not? He’s abandoned every single other principled stand he has ever taken to pander to conservatives, so it’s reasonable to assume he’ll go flippity-flop here too.
However, let’s put some of the accusations in some reasonable perspective.
First — his vote against SCHIP expansion probably had more to do with the SCHIP expansion itself than it did with the tobacco tax hike. Most of the GOP weren’t about to let that much business drift away from the for-profit health insurers, even if they used the tobacco angle as an excuse for their vote.
Second — the fact that he’s hemming and hawing over a tobacco regulation bill that HE co-sponsored is alarming, of course. But let’s wait until he actually votes against it (or says he will vote against it) before bashing him. While his waiting “until he sees the final legislation” makes him sound like a weasel, there is a slim chance that he hasn’t seen what the bill has transmogrified into because he hasn’t been there lately.
Third — as much as I would like to bash McCain for taking money from the tobacco industry, I know that big tobacco gives money to everyone, and $17,500 sounds kind of paltry compared to what some candidates get. Are there any numbers indicating how much tobacco money Obama and Hillary have gotten in the same period?
March 26th, 2008 at 5:06 pm” he declared at the time that he would “never” give up his efforts to regulate the industry.”
There you go, John Straight Talk McCain sticking to his guns!
Just like on July 6 2006 in an interview with Fortune magazine:
Pooley: Can we get the job done with the troop levels we have now?
McCain: Yes. Because politically I don’t think we could pass some proposal [to send over another massive wave of troops.] We are politically dependent on the Iraqi military and the Iraqi government.
Ouch!
and a hundred other examples besides that
March 26th, 2008 at 5:07 pmIf only we could convert tobacco leaves into a source of energy, instead of using corn.
March 26th, 2008 at 5:08 pmI do that every day at work. Hell, I should get a grant. :)
March 26th, 2008 at 5:12 pm“Pretty soon a pack of cigarettes will be cheaper than a gallon of gas”
In the UK at the moment its basically $8 per gallon, $10 dollars per pack of 20
March 26th, 2008 at 5:13 pmProgressive Thinker Says:
March 26th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
I thought this was a Progressive Blog. Instead this seems like a John McCain site. TP post something on Bush, Iraq and Corporate power. Screw McCain he’s not winning.
Last month, along with Zooey, I started wondering if TP was becoming McCainwatch.org, but I don’t think it’s a bad idea for TP to keep a close watch on McCain and debunk him, which they’ve been doing well, at least until there’s a democratic nominee to take it from there.
Some may think it’s too early and too much, but I realized that either the Obama or Clinton campaigns may use this site as a reference, if they’re not already doing so now, to make sure they have all the key areas covered in going after McCain.
March 26th, 2008 at 5:16 pmMcCain… pander?!!! Say it ain’t so. BWAAAAHHHAAAHHHAAAHHHAA!
March 26th, 2008 at 5:18 pmdeebaser Says:
March 26th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
LOL!!!
March 26th, 2008 at 5:19 pm5th Estate Says:
March 26th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
“Pretty soon a pack of cigarettes will be cheaper than a gallon of gas”
In the UK at the moment its basically $8 per gallon, $10 dollars per pack of 20
Heh. I remember paying 25¢ a pack and 25¢ a gallon. Of course, I’m older than dirt (younger than McCain, though. Heck, I’m younger than HRC). One of the reasons I quit smoking was that it looked like cigarettes were finally going to get up to a buck a pack! Wow!
March 26th, 2008 at 5:25 pmDr. Hussein Matt Says:
March 26th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Pretty soon a pack of cigarettes will be cheaper than a gallon of gas
______________________________________
Here in North Carolina (traditionally a place to buy cheap smokes), a pack of cigarettes can be had for anywhere between $4 to $5 for the premium brands, and cheaper brands can go as low as $2.95.
A gallon of regular grade gasoline goes for around $3.25. So it’s gotten pretty close.
March 26th, 2008 at 5:38 pm“My friends, because of information contained in “secret maps” obtained from a garage sale at Karl Rove’s house, and in light of the fact I am in dire need of campaign funds, I will also set aside whatever I ever said about big tobacco companies, embrace them, and say anything it takes to get them to give me money, because no one else will.”
March 26th, 2008 at 5:40 pmSure he will. He has gone back on everything he stood for before he decided to sell his soul in an attempt to be President. What’s one more flip-flop?
March 26th, 2008 at 5:46 pmProgressive Thinker Says:
March 26th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
I thought this was a Progressive Blog. Instead this seems like a John McCain site. TP post something on Bush, Iraq and Corporate power. Screw McCain he’s not winning.
It would be a hell of a lot more interesting here if TP didn’t act like McCain is the only one running for President. Frankly I’m getting pretty sick of bashing McCain. The fun has gone out of it.
March 26th, 2008 at 6:04 pmI agree Bilbo Hussein Baggins. It doesn’t seem that long ago that I complained that this site had morphed into a Huckabee-bashing site. Now it’s mostly McCain threads (with the occasional Cheney thread…ewwww).
I do think it’s probably a good idea to keep McCain’s flip flops in the forefront (since most of the MSM seems to think that McCain can do no wrong - although I just heard someone on MSNBC say that McCain will need to back away from the war issue and embrace the economy issue) but why is there no debate regarding the Democratic candidates?
March 26th, 2008 at 6:16 pmProgressive Thinker Says:
March 26th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
—Not that I think you are any part of my we, but we don’t need any of that. It will happen naturally by the will of the people
March 26th, 2008 at 6:23 pmgrasshopper clearly isn’t ready to grasp the peeble from anyone’s hand
March 26th, 2008 at 6:52 pmOf course McCain is going to wait. He has to see what the dems have “tacked on” first. I am a smoker. I smoke little cigars, they are $1.00 a pack.. ADJUST PEOPLE!
March 26th, 2008 at 7:18 pmHeadline translation: Will McCain do the right and ethical thing?
Is there any doubt as to the answer?
March 26th, 2008 at 9:55 pmNothing new here. The GOP has always been a wholly-owned subsidiary of the tobacco industry.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:18 pmYou Americians would have to be F&^%^7 STUPID to vote for an idiot like McCain. Seriously folks….think about it, he can’t ever read from a telepromter. Isn’t it about time you have a president who can read??????? Please for world sanity.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:25 pmHey guys we fixed the tobbaco tax in Canada, we all switched to POT…No fuss , no muss no problem.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:33 pmis it just me or does conservatism always support the bad guys?
March 27th, 2008 at 3:12 am