To Court Blue-Collar Vote, Light Up

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• Someone Get the President- Elect a Cigarette

  Nov 20, 08 1:19 PM CST
  America has elected a member of a hated minority as president. That’s right, Barack Obama is a smoker. Oh, sure, he claims to have quit, but Michael Kinsley of the Washington Post isn’t convinced. Obama admitted falling off the wagon in June, yet no reporter has asked him about it since. It’s disgusting and it sets a bad example, but Kinsley thinks maybe we should let it slide. More »

• Fewer Than 20% of US Adults Smoke, a First

  Nov 13, 08 2:10 PM CST
  Smoking in the US is at its lowest since cigarettes became widespread after World War I, Reuters reports, with fewer than 20% of adults in the country lighting up—the lowest figure on record. Observers credit the gradual decline to awareness, bans on smoking in public places, and prohibitive taxation. Still, smoking is estimated to kill 443,000 people a year. More »

• 'Ex' Smoker Obama Still Lights Up

  Oct 9, 08 2:20 AM CDT
  It's not easy staying healthy during a grueling campaign, admits Barack Obama, who even fesses up to bumming a few cigarettes. He still manages to squeeze in six 45-minute workouts per week—but the ex-smoker admits giving in to temptation and sucking down the  occasional coffin nail, Obama tells Men's Health. He advises would-be quitters to eliminate key smoking connections, like smoking after a meal.
  More »

• Boston Bans Drugstore Cigarette Sales

  Sep 5, 08 6:26 AM CDT
  Boston's health honchos have approved some of the country's toughest anti-tobacco rules by banning sales at some stores, the Boston Globe reports. The new rules forbid pharmacies and campus convenience stores from selling cigarettes. They also ban smoking on bar and restaurant patios. The city's cigar parlors, previously exempt, will also have to stub out after a 5-year grace period expires.
  More »

• Does W. Va. Blowout Really Hurt Obama?

  May 14, 08 11:06 AM CDT
  Barack Obama's West Virginia loss by a whopping 30 points probably won’t cost him the Democratic nomination, writes John Dickerson in Slate. But the loss does put a chink in Obama’s argument that he can unite disparate groups, since, apparently, these powers have failed him among at least one key voting block—the blue-collar whites that are Hillary Clinton's base. More »