Friday, August 12 2011
(Blue Ridge, Virginia) -- One of the oldest adages in campaigns is that “All politics is local.” Nothing could be more true, especially in the political climate in which we live. Legislators have to be attentive to constituent service, hit the proverbial chicken dinner circuit, appear in the parade, and have meetings with the voters. That's where you come in.
During the course of this year's IPCPR exhibition, a retail tobacconist from California came up to the CRA booth and said, “Do you think it's a good idea to invite our local legislator to the shop, to hear about our issues?” Of course we said, “Brilliant idea!” She noted that the legislator enjoyed cigars and was also a customer, but something more formal may be in order.
That caused another flashback to a statement from a lobbyist friend. He said, “You folks need to make the cigar shop, the barber shop.” By that, he meant having the community tobacconist as the place where politicians hang out, get their hand on the pulse of the community, listen to the constituents, and most important, hear as to why the government should be leaving cigars – alone.
It's time for a national Cigar Town Hall. It's not just the cigar shop, but the local cigar club, society, association, Herf, or related gathering of those that simply want to enjoy cigars among friends.
There needs to be an orchestrated national effort to invite local, state and federal legislators and staff into the local cigar shop, but especially federal at this juncture, due to the pending legislation to exempt cigars from FDA oversight, in the form of H.R. 1639 and S. 1461.
They need to see that cigars are not marketed to youth; that you're enjoying a luxury product that's not addictive and only contributes to your peace of mind and relaxation. They need to note the artisan nature of cigars, and that the walk-in humidor is not some evil death trap as our opposition depicts, but a traditional characteristic of the community tobacconist. They need to meet your local cigar group or club, so that they can hear you ask, “Why is the FDA trying to ruin my passion for a great cigar?” and “Does the federal government really believe they can choose my lifestyle, better than me?” They need to hear from you.
Cigar Rights of America wants to facilitate a series of Cigar Town Hall gatherings around the nation. We want to hear about invitations to legislators for Saturday morning coffee and cigars in the local shop, or with your group or club. We want to hear their response to the invitation, photos of the discussion, and the reaction of the politician. If they are a US Congressman or Senator, we want you to highlight H.R. 1639 and S. 1461 as the means to keep the FDA out of the enjoyment of a cigar. This is our moment to use the democratic process and our grassroots movement to advance legislation needed now, more than ever. We'll keep this going with every state legislature and city hall, too. We need to act. Now.
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