Dear David:
I’m on my way to Sin City for a wedding of one of my former students to her law school boyfriend – a mere 16 years later. It’s one of those wonderful stories–her mother will come down the aisle with the oxygen, if necessary; first marriage for both, they didn’t see each other all that time, until someone invited them both for dinner … As it happens, she spent the last six years at the White House, first in the Counsel’s office and then as Chief of Staff to the Chief of Staff, so I expect Ken Starr to be across the street writing down license plates. Seriously, there’s likely to be at least a few table’s worth who owe more than they make in legal fees, which is the new price of working for your country. These people did nothing wrong, and they collect subpoenas anyway.
In the meantime, the Congress is bought and sold, and they’re drinking champagne. Please, tell me you didn’t go to a tobacco party last night. You ask me why I have lost my faith in government and I give you the last twenty four hours in the life of the Grand Old Party. First, you go out and raise $11 million on Tuesday night. Then, on Wednesday night, you deliver.
Polls show that the country, by as much as a 2 to 1 margin, supports strong tobacco legislation. It was reported out of committee what – 19 to 1. So why did Trent Lott and his fellow Republicans kill it? Could it be the same reason they killed campaign finance reform–using cynical procedural moves to load the bill up and then tear it down in the hopes that the press and the public will be too stupid or lazy to follow it.
Where was the PAC for the kids? Not the Republicans’ top givers in the last ten years. Not like big tobacco. Sorry. I smoked for years. My father died of it.
Mr. Lott has one warped version of morality – in which homosexuality is a sin and smoking is a sacrament. Or could it just be simple greed. There are lots of times the Democrats disappoint me. But the line was clear. Big tobacco versus the kids, and big tobacco won. The end of the 105th Congress–the Congress that distinguished itself by doing nothing about education, health care, tobacco or campaign finance; its only accomplishment was to rename the airport for Ronald Reagan. Wyden was good, Daschle was good, even Torricelli was good. The Democrats sounded like Democrats, not like fake Republicans; the Republicans sounded like a caricature of themselves, gay-baiting hypocrits in the clutches of Big Tobacco.
Politically, it might help the Democrats; we’ve got our do-nothing Congress, the pigs at the trough, some issues to run on, some reason for a Democratic Congress. But I’m still mad as hell.
Tobacco is a perfect example of how money corrupts politics. The tobacco companies used their power to keep their issue away from the regulators, and keep their products flowing into the hands of new users to replace the ones who died. Only four years ago, they were still claiming tobacco wasn’t addictive. How did they get away with this? They didn’t draw attention to themselves, they deflected it. Even now, when they have lost the public overwhelmingly, it doesn’t matter. They still own the Congress. Easier to buy them.
I don’t know that Microsoft would be in better shape if Gates had started playing the game earlier – but everyone I know in Washington believes that they would be. They don’t take your money for nothing. They deliver.
Catch up later. By the time I land at Dulles, maybe I’ll be in denial too. If not, at least I’ll pick up some gossip … .
Best, Susan
