Tobacco money is everywhere

How can you vote for a measure that might cut into tobacco revenues when the companies that manufacture and sell tobacco products are paying your election campaign costs?

That is the apparent reality for Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) who has accepted nearly half a million dollars ($482,000) from tobacco interests to help him win election. Since the 2000 elections the tobacco industry has handed over nearly $25 million to help fund federal elections. Nearly 80 percent went to Republicans, including President George W. Bush, who took more than $250,000 from tobacco interest for his two elections.

Obviously, it's more than coincidence that Sen. McConnell leads the drive to bury the SCHIP program that would use additional tobacco taxes to provide insurance coverage for children from poor families.

As much as I oppose this sort of persuasion, the track being taken sounds too easy. The vote was solid in favor of SCHIP. It was the veto by the President that stopped the measure from being enacted. He cited financial reasons and worried that the measure would motivate too many families to switch from private to government insurance.

Sources cited include The Center for Responsive Politics (re campaign funding by tobacco interests).