Always “For the Children”

Some progressives seem to be holding Big Bad Tobacco culpable for the failure of citizens in Oregon to walk lock-step towards collective medicine.

The New York Times yesterday ran a predictable and absurd editorial fingering tobacco for the defeat of an SCHIP-lite initiative in Oregon. The editorial was titled … wait for it … “Big Tobacco Defeats Sick Kids.” According to the Times, Oregonians didn’t vote against an open-ended, budget-busting socialized health-care plan because they happen to be suspicious or judicious. Nah, they were just fooled by Big Tobacco’s media buys.

Convenient.

First of all — and I realize this is unpopular — tobacco companies still have a First Amendment right to inject themselves into political campaigns. Though, frankly, it’s irrelevant as their power is declining precipitously.

Here’s a fascinating article about Senate and House members relying on sin taxes to bolster tax hikes, especially for “children’s health bill.” This holds an inherent absurdity, as Congress tries to crush the blight of smoking while they rely on smoking to fund health care. What happens when folks quit, one wonders? I suppose government can then turn to taxes on Big Food and Big Macs.

Anyway, the piece also tells us a little about the waning and almost non-existent power of so-called Big Tobacco lobby these days.

The tobacco industry gave $3.5 million to federal campaigns and candidates in the 2006 election cycle, ranking 64th among major industry groups, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Ten years earlier, it gave $10.5 million, ranking 26th.

George Soros probably handed out $3.5 million to a “progressive” organization in the time it took me to post this.

In reality, many lawmakers, according to Associated Press, have never heard boo from a tobacco lobbyist in their career. Something you’d never learn as hip anti-smoking public service announcements continue to contend that Big Tobacco is a player in Washington — or anywhere else.

Then again, when the NYT editorial board’s narrative is disrupted a boogey man is needed.