On Tobacco Issues, Advocates Say All Presidential Candidates Better Than Bush

Source from:  nbc4i.com By SEAN MUSSENDEN Thursday, May 22, 2008 05/23/2008

Whoever wins the White House in November, anti-tobacco advocates say, one thing is clear: The next president will be an improvement over the current one. Over the last eight years, President Bush has often sided with tobacco companies against legislation to curb smoking, they say. "This administration hasn't been particularly positive on a tobacco-control agenda," said Paul Billings, vice president of national policy advocacy for the American Lung Association. With the lackluster economy, the Middle East and the extended Democratic primary battle dominating the presidential race, scant attention has been paid to the candidates' views on key tobacco policy issues. A review of Barack Obama's, Hillary Clinton's and John McCain's voting records and proposals reveals that all three candidates have fought for stricter tobacco control measures than Bush. "It's hard to point to a lot of positive tobacco-control actions on the (current) administration's part," Billings said, citing: --Bush's opposition to allowing the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco products; --Bush's veto of a children's health insurance bill last year that contained a substantial cigarette tax hike; --Bush's indefinite delay in sending to the Senate for approval a treaty to reduce global smoking rates; --The decision by administration political appointees in the Justice Dept. to greatly reduce monetary penalties - from $130 billion to $10 billion - the government was seeking in a racketeering case against tobacco companies. In a contrast to Bush, all three remaining candidates are co-sponsors of pending legislation to give the FDA oversight of tobacco products. The bill passed key committees in the House and Senate, but final passage this year is by no means certain. Though it has strong support in both chambers, Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., a McCain ally, has pledged to use a variety of procedural moves to block consideration in the Senate. If it does pass, Bush could veto it. If it fails to pass this year, the change in administration would increase the odds of passage next year, tobacco-control advocates said. "The fact that all three remaining presidential candidates are strong supporters of giving FDA authority over tobacco distinguishes them from the current administration," said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. The legislation is supported by Philip Morris, the nation's largest cigarette maker. It is opposed by Reynolds American, the second largest, and other tobacco companies. A spokesperson for Philip Morris declined to comment on the impact of the administration changeover on the legislation, calling such discussion "premature." A spokesperson for Reynolds American did not return a phone call seeking comment. EARLY FDA BID FAILED Even before Clinton and Obama arrived in the Senate, McCain, in the late 1990s, led an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to give FDA authority to regulate tobacco. He bucked party leadership and several tobacco companies in backing the legislation. The move helped define him as a maverick Republican, an image that helped him win the presidential nomination this year. His anti-tobacco stance was not without cost. In 2000, McCain was driven from the presidential race after losing to George W. Bush in the South Carolina primary, where he faced a barrage of negative ads funded by tobacco companies and their allies. "I'm not angry at the tobacco companies for doing what they did. They made me a household word. What kind of a household word is another question," McCain said in 1998, after tobacco groups funded an earlier wave of negative ads against him. But McCain has not been a foe of the tobacco industry on every issue. Late last year, he sided with Bush in opposing a children's health insurance bill that was funded in part by a 61-cent-per-pack tax hike on cigarettes. Though McCain had supported cigarette tax hikes earlier in his career, he said he was against the legislation because of the cigarette tax increase. Both Obama and Clinton voted for the bill. TOBACCO LOBBYISTS ON STAFF Over the last week, several top McCain advisers have resigned from his campaign because of their lobbying work. One top McCain adviser who remains, Charlie Black, lobbied for several years for Philip Morris. His wife, Judy Black, a former Tobacco Institute executive, also plays a role in the campaign. Black, who is on leave from his lobbying firm, BKSH & Associates, has said he has not lobbied McCain on issues of importance to current or former clients. Mark Penn, a top strategist for Clinton, also worked for Philip Morris, helping the company develop a strategy for lobbying Congress on key regulatory issues. A review of federal lobbying records did not turn up any Obama campaign staffers or advisers who have worked as lobbyists for tobacco companies. CLINTON AND OBAMA Though Clinton and Obama have not been in the Senate as long as McCain - Obama came in 2004, Clinton in 2000 - both sought to restrict tobacco use earlier in their careers. Clinton, as first lady, banned smoking in the White House. Her failed health care overhaul in the early 1990s called for cigarette tax increases. That provision was extremely unpopular in tobacco-growing states. In Kentucky, a pro-tobacco crowd at a rally burned her in effigy, according to the book "Bill Clinton: Mastering the Presidency" by Nigel Hamilton. In the Illinois legislature, Obama sponsored or voted for several bills to increase cigarette taxes, increase the age to buy cigarettes and restrict advertisements, according to a review by the University of Michigan's Tobacco Research Network. Of the three candidates, only Obama has smoked recently. Clinton never acquired the habit, and McCain gave up his decades ago. Obama said he gave it up after his wife told him she would not let him run for president until he did. During a televised debate last fall, Obama said he had successfully kicked the habit. "You know, the best cure is my wife," he said. Enditem