An effigy of Hillary Rodham Clinton was doused with gasoline and burned as a congressman, a state senator and a gubernatorial candidate stood by at a tobacco rally against President Clinton's health care reform plan.
"Burn, baby, burn," chanted Stan Arachikavitz, president of the Kentucky Association of Tobacco Supporters."If we don't stand up for tobacco, we'll go down with it," U.S. Rep. Ron Lewis told the crowd of about 100 people gathered Saturday to protest administration plans to hike cigarette taxes to fund health care reform.
Arachikavitz poured gasoline on the effigy, which hung from a wooden frame like a scarecrow in a dress, adorned with a tag reading, "I'm Hillary." A country band played as two women set the effigy ablaze.
"Hillary didn't last as long as my Marlboro," Arachikavitz said afterwards.
Matthew Wills, a Republican candidate for Congress, also spoke at the rally, which Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gatewood Galbraith attended.
State Sen. David Boswell, who also spoke, said later that he had not known about the effigy.