But we're hoping in the next few weeks House leaders will be able to turn things around for us. So far, the tobacco legislation is following a path akin to the health care odyssey of 1993. Limousine liberals, by forcing their vision of a healthy lifestyle on American workers, will cost them billions of dollars. His argument has been strengthened by two developments. First, Clinton offered a budget that relies on tobacco revenue to pay for billions in new domestic initiatives such as child care.
Republicans are even divided over taxes.
While DeLay and many of the junior lawmakers say they will fight any tax increase, others in the party see benefits to generating billions from the tobacco industry. White House aides, who realized the political punch of tobacco long before most others, are moving to steer the discussion back onto terms better suited to Democrats. Linder, who is mapping campaign strategy at the National Republican Congressional Committee and unabashedly accepting tobacco contributions for the election, said he is confident the GOP can make tobacco a winning issue for them this fall.