John McCain: An Essay, by John Karaagac: on Health Care


John Ashcroft: Sole committee vote against 1998 McCain tobacco bill

As chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, McCain became the senator charged with the issue of forging consensus on tobacco legislation--an unlikely issue in that McCain was himself an avid smoker in the Hanoi Hilton. Pres. Clinton, in a White House ceremony, endorsed the 1997 agreement to regulate tobacco--the deal that had been brokered between the tobacco companies and certain state attorneys general. The bill, christened the McCain bill, passed through the Commerce Committee by a vote of 19-1. Members of both parties, with an eye to events beyond the 1998 mid-term elections, suggested that McCain's skill in shepherding such a contentious issue through committee demonstrated presidential caliber. (The sole dissenting negative vote belonged to the conservative Republican John Ashcroft of Missouri.) The McCain bill failed in the Senate.
Source: John McCain: An Essay, by John Karaagac, p.180-187 Sep 20, 2000

John McCain: 1998 tobacco bill attempted regulation via $1.10/pack tax

Pres. Clinton, in a White House ceremony, endorsed the 1997 agreement to regulate tobacco--the deal that had been brokered between the tobacco companies and certain state attorneys general. The bill, christened the McCain bill, passed through the Commerc Committee by a vote of 19-1. The McCain bill had proposed a cigarette tax of $1.10 per pack.

Slowly but surely, however, things began to unravel, precipitated by the tobacco companies' media blitzkrieg against the McCain bill. Ultimately, the tobacco companies spent nearly $50 million in media spots.

The tobacco industry advertisements fixed on one subtle, though not insurmountable contraindication to the McCain bill. If tobacco was indeed addictive, then the addicted smoker was all but compelled to pay increased taxes. The fact that the majority of cigarette smokers were in lower income brackets made it an even more regressive tax. The McCain bill failed in the Senate.

Source: John McCain: An Essay, by John Karaagac, p.184-187 Sep 20, 2000

  • The above quotations are from John McCain
    An Essay in Military and Political History    , by John Karaagac.
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2012 Presidential contenders on Health Care:
  Democrats:
Pres.Barack Obama(IL)
V.P.Joe Biden(DE)

Republicans:
Gov.Mitt Romney(MA)
Rep.Paul Ryan(WI) 		Third Parties:
Green: Dr.Jill Stein(MA)
Libertarian: Gov.Gary Johnson(NM)
Justice: Mayor Rocky Anderson(UT)
Constitution: Rep.Virgil Goode(VA)
Peace+Freedom: Roseanne Barr(HI)
Reform Party: André Barnett(NY)
AmericansElect: Gov.Buddy Roemer(LA)
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Page last updated: Jan 13, 2013