Political Quotes

“I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy, and I appreciate his leadership on this issue. I have listened to my friends on the other side of the aisle, and I am saddened that they somehow feel that this is boiling down to some sort of notion of choice, discrimination against African Americans. Let's get a grip here. The cigarette is the only product which, if used as directed, will kill you. That is why Big Tobacco has become a genius at marketing. They have to replace their customers that they kill every day by the thousands. That is why they are looking at being able to hook, especially, young people who are more impressionable, and they will smoke longer if they are addicted. That is how they hooked my father. He was part of the GIs in the Pacific who got free cigarettes and became addicted. It killed him. This is the latest chapter in this insidious marketing juggernaut. I am sorry, it is not discrimination against African Americans who somehow have a genetic predisposition toward menthol flavoring. That is the result of tactics by Big Tobacco, by using advertising, politics, culture to target this population, and it has been successful. Their use is much higher than the general population. Dealing with vaping and e-cigarettes is the latest chapter in that recruitment that they have to replace the customers who die.…”