And so do the Dems

Most Senate Republicans view the death of campaign-finance reform as a victory, but at least one well-heeled group of adversaries will use it as an excuse to put their money where their cigarettes might be. Trial lawyers, helped by the GOP’s move to kill federal tobacco legislation and its caps on lawyers fees, are spending more than ever on the political process, and the money isn’t going to the majority party.

The primary lobbying arm of the American Trial Lawyers Association through early 1998 had given $1.5 million to federal candidates; $1.4 million of that went to Democrats, according to a recent Washington Post story. That’s small change compared with the $55.1 million lawyers gave federal candidates between 1989 and ’96.

And there is plenty more where that came from. Without the fee caps on the tobacco settlement, lawyers are counting on windfalls as tobacco lawsuits plod on state by state. As long as the GOP keeps trying to streamline business by limiting lawsuits and Dems keep coming up with additional consumer protections, lawyers will know whose torts to toot.

Some Republicans already are complaining that Democrats are raking in big bucks from the lawyers, which, they conclude, shows you where Democratic interests lie. But Republicans have had the opportunity twice this year to turn off the spigot by banning soft money and twice they have, as a party, fought to keep the money flowing.

When will they learn that voting with Tobacco is bad for their political health?