BY GREGORY A. HALL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON -- President Clinton faces a losing battle today in trying to convince Kentucky farmers he wants to protect them, U.S. Sen. Wendell Ford predicted Wednesday night.
The Owensboro Democrat has challenged the president's handling of a proposed settlement that has soared to $506 billion that aims to curb teen-age smoking. Mr. Ford says the current bill is greedy and goes too far in penalizing the tobacco companies. That, in turn, hurts Kentucky farmers.
President Clinton will visit Carrollton, Ky., today to talk about federal tobacco policy.
"They want to come down here and, I guess, feel our hurt," he said. "We're going to let them feel it (today). My farmers have got to be taken care of or I'm not going to be for anything."
The senator, who is retiring when his term ends in January, made the statements in an interview with the Enquirer before speaking to the Covington Business Council's annual dinner.
Major cigarette companies abandoned support of the deal on Wednesday, saying Congress has turned the settlement into an attack on the industry and smokers. The companies had agreed to a $368 billion settlement that would have given them more protection from liability lawsuits.
Other congressional leaders and Mr. Clinton said they would proceed anyway, but Mr. Ford said Congress can't make the deal work without the companies' support.
"If they don't do it right and reasonable, then I think there'll be so many problems they won't be able to reach their goal, which is the reduction of youth smoking," he said.
Without the tobacco companies' voluntary compliance, the Constitution prevents a ban on advertising by tobacco companies, he said.
"I don't think that we can have one (agreement) that flies if the companies won't sign on because advertising is a major part of it," he said.
Mr. Ford predicted that tobacco companies will declare bankruptcy and reform themselves to alleviate their liability and get around the settlement.
Tobacco deal 'dead' Latest news from Associated Press
