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54 4 The 1998 State Elections: Bridgehead for Action So extensive and favorable were the results of the MCI launch in December that many committed legislators and advocates,along with DeMarco’s deputy Glenn Schneider, began to harbor hopes that they were going to pass a big cigarette tax in 1998.“Had a big argument with people,” DeMarco says. “They asked, ‘Why is this a two-year plan? Let’s just get it done this year.’” While he agreed with Schneider that they should give it their best shot—“You just don’t ever know what can happen,”Schneider said—DeMarco was certain it would take two years from the launch of the campaign in the summer of 1997, as well as an election, for the public education and coalition-building stages of the initiative to build sufficient political steam to win. DeMarco had a long list of good reasons for his certainty.At this juncture, the campaign was not a threat even to wavering legislators. Mike Miller, still Senate president, still with virtual control over the Senate, remained adamant in his opposition. Miller’s legislative allies—senior senators from tobaccogrowing districts—still sat on the key Senate committees. Most Republican delegates and senators were still riding the “No tax increase—read my lips” crusade (immortalized by the Senior Bush’s presidential campaign pledge). Even Democrats were skeptical of MCI’s polls showing voter support for a cigarette tax increase. Finally, Governor Glendening was gun-shy of another embarrassing defeat at the hands of the legislature. Though a committed tobacco tax advocate, he was looking over his shoulder at the last election’s close call; his Republican opponent then,Ellen Sauerbrey,had never ceased running and gearing up for a November 1998 rematch.Her mantra? Tax cuts. The 1998 State Elections: Bridgehead for Action 55 Stage 3. The Trial Run Despite all of these unpromising conditions, DeMarco supported an all-out effort to force the legislature to confront the tax issue in the 1998 session , which would open in early January. His goals remained the same:“to set the agenda, to get it before the public. Put the bill in, hold a lot of major press conferences, get hearings where we laid out our proposal, hear what the other side had to say,hear what the questions were.” One of the most important things in this kind of strategy is to understand when you’re not going to pass something.It’s a whole different way of dealing with the legislature when you know that they’re not going to pass it. You’re working to raise public consciousness.That’s controversial with some advocates who say you have to work to pass it every single year because every time you don’t pass it more kids are dying,but my response is:“It’s not going to pass.You can do all these things to get it passed,but it won’t.But you’re not going to pass it next year either if you don’t deal with it as part of a longterm strategy.” There’s a lot less tension in your stomach at a hearing where you don’t think your bill’s going to pass than at a hearing where you really need to pass the bill.It’s very useful to have the attacks against the bill when you have time to adjust it.You learn why it didn’t pass and you can respond. Media Advocacy for the Trial Run As the 1998 legislative session approached,DeMarco’s cultivation of the media began to pay off in a second wave of media coverage and framing, this time with a salvo of strong editorials. Early on, DeMarco says, “We spent a good deal of time meeting with and educating editorial board writers.It is very important to take time to reach out to the ed board writers and answer their questions long before you ask them to write an editorial.” On November 16, 1997, a Baltimore Sun editorial called upon Governor Glendening to ignore the General Assembly’s defeat of anti-smoking measures he had backed the previous year and“give it a second try,especially if the proceeds are earmarked for programs aimed at reducing youth smoking.” Why should Glendening butt his head against the legislative wall again? Because not only did the Lake poll show overwhelming support for a “whopping” tax, editorialized the Sun, but “equally telling were poll results indicating voters...

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