Scarcnet News Summaries (Advocacy Institute)
Political Fallout From Tobacco Bill's Failure Is Unclear
Length: pages
Abstract
Despite the Democrats pledge to make the defeat of the McCain bill an election year issue, the political fallout from the bill's demise is still unknown. Republican pollster Linda DiVall predicts that the bill's failure can be used to the Republican's advantage as GOP candidates reframe the teen-smoking issue to one of illegal drug use."[T]he power of the teen-age smoking issue can be completely overwhelmed when recast as a message where the candidate places a higher priority on cracking down on illegal drug use and addressing juvenile violence and enforcing the law against retailers who illegally sell cigarettes to minors." Democratic pollster Mark Mellman disagrees: "Taking money from tobacco companies and opposing this bill is a more potent negative in a campaign than being for flag burning and against the balanced budget."Andrew Kohut of the nonpartisan Pew Research Center provides a more cautious outlook on the bill's fallout. The Republican's killing of the tobacco bill "is certainly not risk free but it's not guaranteed as a poison pill either."
Sources: Alison Mitchell, "High Risks On Tobacco," NEW YORK TIMES, June 18, 1998, p. A1; Wendy Koch and Bill Nichols, "Legislation's Defeat Has Effects Beyond Tobacco," USA TODAY, June 18, 1998, p. A2; John Harris and Ceci Connolly, "Clinton Suffers Major Defeat On Tobacco," WASHINGTON POST, June 18, 1998, p. A19.