It looks like the tobacco buyout may be passed within the next few months. House Republicans have attached a buyout to a larger tax bill. Their version has no FDA regulation, and will be a big headache in the Senate. My guess is that the GOP are doing this to try to pin the blame on "obstructionist" Democrats if they don't want to pass the version without FDA regulations. Bush has already jumped onboard and much of the main media like Pravda on the Hudson has totally ignored his initial opposition to a buyout. I just hope that the tobacco farmers don't blame Democrats if this doesn't go through. I'm tired of the GOP turning their losing issues around to make Democrats look bad.
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/news/nation/8848152.htm
Meanwhile, there is more rancor in the North Carolina GOP gubernatorial primary, as several candidates are accusing another (a former state party chairman) of using party resources for his own candidacy. This seems like usual intraparty bickering to me but is coming at a time when that state's Republicans have enough knives in their backs as it is.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NC_GOP_RESOURCES_NCOL-?SITE=NCASH&SECTION=US&TEMP
LATE=DEFAULT
Adam Clymer has announced that he will run as a third-party candidate against Arlen Specter and Joe Hoeffel. He says they're exactly the same on every issue and voters need an alternative. Now Hoeffel just needs to get Specter-Democrats to realize why they should support him. If he can siphon some of those votes away he might have a chance. Do you think Clymer can get 26,000 signatures to make the ballot?
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=132-06042004
Meanwhile, Montana's GOP are facing an extremely vicious gubernatorial primary to replace the much-hated Judy Martz. They haven't had a Democratic governor in 16 years, boast that their state has become even more Republican in the past few years, and say they have nothing to worry about. As a result, candidates are tearing each other apart over a no-new taxes pledge, over whether one man's running mate is a legal resident of Montana, and so forth. Meanwhile, the Democrat is fairly popular and has a Republican running mate.
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/06/04/build/state/50-davision
-running-mate.inc
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/06/06/build/local/32-brown-da
vison.inc