The importance of Vaping staying Politically Neutral.

[Neloish]

I would like to take a moment of everyone's time to explain why it is in the best interest of vapers everywhere for vaping to stay neutral Politically.

First the only thing that attaching vaping to one political party of the other will do is make it a target for the other party. If vaping is attached to a certain party then it becomes a target for the opposition and makes it hard if not impossible to find a common ground. A Republican is not going to listen to a organisation that is aligned with the Democrats, nor would a Democrat listen to a organisation that is Republican.

Secondly our congresses track record shows that what they really care about is money, the voice of big business is going to be heard loudest because they are the ones "donating" millions of dollars to the campaigns of our congressman to get them reelected. Since we do not seem to have millions in lobbying money our best hope is the use science and facts and apply to reason. Becoming politically affiliated destroys our credibility, a congressman would defiantly not want to listen to a group that supported the opposing party.

Finally the reason we care about vaping is because we believe that it has the capability to not only save our lives, but also the lives of millions of other smokers. We are all scared and nervous about what the FDA is going to do, but I believe that the best course of action is not to put faith is a bought and paid for congress, but to put our faith in each other and the science that everyday is proving what we already now that vaping is saving our lives. So vote how your heart tells you to vote, and don't let fear guide you.

Thank you for your time.

 

[Ctor]

The current administration is already targeting vaping. It's already not politically neutral.

 

[vsummer1]

The current administration is already targeting vaping. It's already not politically neutral.

Exactly. And here in California, a Republican saved the ban on vaping the Democrats tried to slide in another bill for his signature. Because of that one item, he refused to sign it.

Your are TOO LATE, the Dems with their over regulation and nanny mentality have their teeth in it.

 

[xanderxman]

Agreed. Too late for the neutral train. As soon as one party sees something they can go after and say they are helping the public it is too late for that issue. Just look at the whole soda issue. Extralarge poritons of soda are under attack. I agree with the underlying idea but shouldn't we, as consumers, be allowed to make those choices? And really, what is stopping me from ordering two smaller sodas? The whole thing just seems like a "look what I did for the health of the public" thing at election time.

 

[Luisa]

I would like to take a moment of everyone's time to explain why it is in the best interest of vapers everywhere for vaping to stay neutral Politically.

First the only thing that attaching vaping to one political party of the other will do is make it a target for the other party. If vaping is attached to a certain party then it becomes a target for the opposition and makes it hard if not impossible to find a common ground. A Republican is not going to listen to a organisation that is aligned with the Democrats, nor would a Democrat listen to a organisation that is Republican.

Secondly our congresses track record shows that what they really care about is money, the voice of big business is going to be heard loudest because they are the ones "donating" millions of dollars to the campaigns of our congressman to get them reelected. Since we do not seem to have millions in lobbying money our best hope is the use science and facts and apply to reason. Becoming politically affiliated destroys our credibility, a congressman would defiantly not want to listen to a group that supported the opposing party.

Finally the reason we care about vaping is because we believe that it has the capability to not only save our lives, but also the lives of millions of other smokers. We are all scared and nervous about what the FDA is going to do, but I believe that the best course of action is not to put faith is a bought and paid for congress, but to put our faith in each other and the science that everyday is proving what we already now that vaping is saving our lives. So vote how your heart tells you to vote, and don't let fear guide you.

Thank you for your time.

Please educate yourself on the 3 year fight CASAA has fought for all of us. I know it must seem confusing if you are not aware of the battle that has been raging to keep ecigs available for all of us. It might help if you joinedd CASAA,go to the CASAA site and you can access all the information on the legislative information,scientific tests on ecigs etc. This might help you understand the political climate that has made many of us activists.

 

[yvilla]

I commend your effort Neloish, but as of yet apparently everyone who has responded has missed your point.

And no Luisa, just because the original poster doesn't subscribe to the view that there something inherently left or right wing about supporting/not supporting vaping, or tobacco harm reduction itself, doesn not mean he or she is confused. I'm a case in point - completely familiar and invloved with all the struggles to keep vaping and other tobacco harm reduction alternatives available and unhindered by unreasonable strictures and regulations - yet completely turned off by the notion that somehow one side or the other in partisan politics is either our enemy or our friend.

I say what we need to do is continue to tackle the Antz and the FDA and local and state lawmakers and whoever else may be considering throwing up roadblocks or bans against THR alternatives head on, on the issue of THR. There is no left or right to it.

 

[Luisa]

I commend your effort Neloish, but as of yet apparently everyone who has responded has missed your point.

And no Luisa, just because the original poster doesn't subscribe to the view that there something inherently left or right wing about supporting/not supporting vaping, or tobacco harm reduction itself, doesn not mean he or she is confused. I'm a case in point - completely familiar and invloved with all the struggles to keep vaping and other tobacco harm reduction alternatives available and unhindered by unreasonable strictures and regulations - yet completely turned off by the notion that somehow one side or the other in partisan politics is either our enemy or our friend.

I say what we need to do is continue to tackle the Antz and the FDA and local and state lawmakers and whoever else may be considering throwing up roadblocks or bans against THR alternatives head on, on the issue of THR. There is no left or right to it.

I don"t believe I said this was a left or right issue,but I do believe until this current HHS Secretary and the FDA Commissioner are replaced we do not have a fighting chance. It would also be helpful to be able to replace the current Senators who are chairman of the FDA oversight committee.

 

[Bill Godshall]

I see the related thread started by rolygate that mentioned my name and Romney's in its title was moved and subsequently closed before I got a chance to post a comment.

When members of one political party sponsor and champion 95% of the proposed legislative/regulatory measures on any issue, it is inaccurate and (I think) irresponsible to claim that the issue isn't a partisan issue.

In fact, the Obama administration and other Democrat politicians (not me or others who are pointing out the facts) have increasingly made e-cigarettes a partisan political issue since 2009.

Had it not been for the lies, fearmongering, executive misconduct, regulatory and legislative campaigns by a Democrat controlled White House, Democrat State AGs, Democrat Governors, Democrat controlled State Legislatures, Democrat controlled City Councils, and Democrat controlled Boards of Health, I wouldn't have spent about 5,000 hours during the past four years working to expose and defeat their hundred plus measures to ban the sale or use of e-cigarettes and/or tax e-cigarettes.

Utah was the only state where efforts to ban the sale and use of e-cigarettes were led by a Republican, and that state is an anomaly.

It would be nice if all of the loyal Democrats who claim that vaping is not a partisan issue (or that it shouldn't be a partisan issue) would work to expose and defeat legislative and regulatory efforts to ban the sale and use of (and to tax) e-cigarettes (or you could simply scroll down this legislative news thread for the past 4 years), as it is quickly obvious that this has been, is, and will continue to be a politically partisan issue.

 

[Swampey65]

Amen Bill.

And, thanks for all of your ( and the other's at CASAA's) hard work.

 

[Neloish]

Hi Bill, first I would like to say that I have a great amount of respect for you and all you do for THR.

This issue first came up after your comments on E cig Advanced (Podcast: Bill Godshall on FDA, regulation and the future of e-cigarettes | Ecig Advanced News) and while you do make some good points I believe your thinking is flawed.

It might be a boon to vapers in the short term if a new administration took over, but just like life politics is ever changing. A good example is the SOPA/PIPA mess from earlier this year. Lamar Smith's bill was attacked by a unprecedented amount of opposition and defeated. However, he has tried 3 times to get a similar bill pushed though congress. When I look at (OpenSecrets.org: Money in Politics -- See Who's Giving & Who's Getting) I can see that a large amount of campaign money is coming from the MPAA and RIAA. It follows that Lamar Smith will keep trying to push bills for the RIAA and MPAA as long as he is getting this money.

On the other hand current figures show the Health Lobby has contributed $155,288,333 this year alone 36.5% to democrats and 46.1% to republicans. The big issue right now is all the money they are losing with Obama Care, but if a new administration takes power and Obama Care is destroyed do you really think that the money won't find it ways into the pockets of Republicans who will do just what big Pharma wants?

Money is the key thing here, they have it we don't. A Republican administration is a band-aid, the only way we can really assure the survival of vaping is to use science be active with our Representatives on both sides. Science that shows vaping is much much safer then smoking is the key to the survival of vaping. Not jumping onto one corrupt party or the other. In the end it is going to come down to the efforts of CASAA, the venders, and this and other vaping communities to fight for e cigarettes.

We are up against a billion dollar industry, but if people can come together and defeat SOPA then I believe we can come together and beat the forces against e cigs.

Numbers (http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/index.php)

 

[Phi]

Deleted .

 

[Black Strat]

Using vaping as a political tool is a mistake. Politicians, regardless of affiliation are sadly primarily influenced by lobbyists and the "what's in it for me" attitude. It really doesn't matter if tobacco is bad or vaping is good. It all comes down to money. Every time.

 

[DC2]

Money is the key thing here, they have it we don't. A Republican administration is a band-aid, the only way we can really assure the survival of vaping is to use science be active with our Representatives on both sides. Science that shows vaping is much much safer then smoking is the key to the survival of vaping. Not jumping onto one corrupt party or the other. In the end it is going to come down to the efforts of CASAA, the venders, and this and other vaping communities to fight for e cigarettes.

There are some who feel a band-aid could give us the time needed to get our house in order.
It could change the entire course of the future of not just us, but all vapers that might follow in our footsteps.

But that's easy for me to say, since I wouldn't vote for Obama with a ten-foot poll.


And no, that doesn't mean I support Romney either

 

[sonicdsl]

There are some who feel a band-aid could give us the time needed to get our house in order.
It could change the entire course of the future of not just us, but all vapers that might follow in our footsteps.

But that's easy for me to say, since I wouldn't vote for Obama with a ten-foot poll.


And no, that doesn't mean I support Romney either

Gary Johnson 2012!!

 

[thew92]

It is very important for CASAA or any other origination fight for the rights of Vapers call themselves a bipartisan organization. If one party is against us then we need to reach out to that party and communicate the facts with them and try and change that party from the inside. This is the only real answer for the long term.

 

[Eric A. Blair]

Nel, I've seen this movie before and liberals and statists like to legislate first and ask questions later. NY banned MMA at first, just because. Right now the left wing is our biggest enemy. See the Boston ban, NJ vaping ban...I thank them for that (the taste of Marcado and TN cured mixed liquid tastes so much better when I know I feel like an outlaw lawbreaker in my office

Your better defense would be the real "heal the world make this a better place" leftists. They hate Big Phrrma, ecigs competition. I'm sure this article from the NY Times was posted. But there is hope for bipartisan agreement. Saving lives is good.


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/08/s...but-they-have-some-unlikely-critics.html?_r=0

If you want a truly frustrating job in public health, try getting people to stop smoking. Even when researchers combine counseling and encouragement with nicotine patches and gum, few smokers quit.

Jump

But there’s a powerful group working against this innovation — and it’s not Big Tobacco. It’s a coalition of government officials and antismoking groups who have been warning about the dangers of e-cigarettes and trying to ban their sale.

The controversy is part of a long-running philosophical debate about public health policy, but with an odd role reversal. In the past, conservatives have leaned toward “abstinence only” policies for dealing with problems like teenage pregnancy and ...... addiction, while liberals have been open to “harm reduction” strategies like encouraging birth control and dispensing methadone.

When it comes to nicotine, though, the abstinence forces tend to be more liberal, including Democratic officials at the state and national level who have been trying to stop the sale of e-cigarettes and ban their use in smoke-free places. They’ve argued that smokers who want an alternative source of nicotine should use only thoroughly tested products like Nicorette gum and prescription patches — and use them only briefly, as a way to get off nicotine altogether.

 

[Eric A. Blair]

Some guy named William Godshall was even quoted in the article!

 

[DirtyPaws]

It might be a boon to vapers in the short term if a new administration took over, but just like life politics is ever changing. A good example is the SOPA/PIPA mess from earlier this year. Lamar Smith's bill was attacked by a unprecedented amount of opposition and defeated. However, he has tried 3 times to get a similar bill pushed though congress. When I look at (OpenSecrets.org: Money in Politics -- See Who's Giving & Who's Getting) I can see that a large amount of campaign money is coming from the MPAA and RIAA. It follows that Lamar Smith will keep trying to push bills for the RIAA and MPAA as long as he is getting this money.

That's not a good example. SOPA/PIPA was universally non-partisan. You mention Lamar Smith being the sponsor, but, no mention of the Democrat supporters? How about the fact the Nancy Pelosi and Ron Paul were both against the bill. If those two can agree against an issue I think it's safe to say it's probably not a good argument.

35 Dems/19 Reps: Who in Congress Supports SOPA and PIPA/PROTECT-IP? | SOPA Opera | ProPublica

Nothing on the Dodd comments:

"Candidly, those who count on quote 'Hollywood' for support need to understand that this industry is watching very carefully who's going to stand up for them when their job is at stake."

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/government/chris-dodd-and-the-mpaa-bribery-or-politics-as-usual/11152

Now, technically, given these stats - it's probably safe to say it's a Dem supported issue. I wont go that far - I'm saying SOPA/PIPA crossed political lines. Something, I don't think can be said right now for e-cig use.

On the other hand current figures show the Health Lobby has contributed $155,288,333 this year alone 36.5% to democrats and 46.1% to republicans. The big issue right now is all the money they are losing with Obama Care, but if a new administration takes power and Obama Care is destroyed do you really think that the money won't find it ways into the pockets of Republicans who will do just what big Pharma wants?

Two critically important points you missed:

• In 2008, Obama was FAR AND AWAY the front runner in Health Lobby contributions. To the tune of 13 MILLION dollars more: Health: Top Recipients | OpenSecrets
• He's leading Romney this year by 2 MILLION dollars: Health: Top Recipients | OpenSecrets

I mean, if we take you at what you said earlier and "follow the money" it leads firmly to the pocket of the president. The offices taking the "Quit or die" stance (HHS and FDA) are BOTH appointed directly the executive branch. Namely, this president.

I wont go as far as Bill did and tell people how to vote, but, I will say - you have no choice but to acknowledge that for 46,000 Americans the decision will be "Quit or die" if the current administration stays in office.

 

[nobutts1]

Hi, My name is Donna, I am in total agreement with you. I have just come from a board meet at my local VFW club that has outlawed vaping... I got so angry that I left the building without a word.. it is better to speak with a, calm, educated, and a knowledgeable voice, to enable the message to be heard. Because I was so angry i left the building, I will go back in when I recover from anger. The big problem is "ignorance", therefore I am not "mad" about their decision, but I am mad about the media and it's stupidness, there is no point at all in "outlawing" vapor! it's vapor, dummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -We on this forum ........... have to be the "grassroot" of educating the public!

 

[nobutts1]

I am on it. I would not vote for Obama with a ten foot pole ither, nor liar dummmy Romney, but I do have to vote. Romney it is! damn it.