Pubdate: Wed, 23 Aug 2000
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright: 2000 San Jose Mercury News
Contact:  750 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, CA 95190
Fax: (408) 271-3792
Website: http://www.sjmercury.com/
Author: Molly Ivins
Note: Molly Ivins is a Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist.

LET US COUNT THE REASONS THE UNDERDOGS NEED HELP

The Republicans and their media flunkies don't seem to understand what Al 
Gore means by "the people against the powerful"?

George W. Bush was so confused about it that he called it "class warfare." 
I especially enjoy watching Washington pundits who seem to be unable to 
figure out the fuss. They cover Washington and they have never in their 
whole lives seen or heard of a case in which special-interest money 
influenced legislation against the people and in favor of the powerful.

They missed communications deregulation (a bill written by lobbyists), 
utilities deregulation, bankruptcy "reform," banking deregulation as though 
nobody ever heard of the S&L disaster, the killing of the patients' bill of 
rights, the pittance in royalties from public lands paid by the oil 
companies, the sugar subsidy, the ethanol subsidy, and the auto industry's 
lobbying against higher pollution standards and a rating system for SUV 
rollover hazard.

What can he mean by "powerful special interests"?

They missed the drug industry's continuing rip-off of the public above and 
beyond the already wretched pricing system by sneaking drug-patent 
extensions through Congress; never noticed the insurance industry spending 
$10 million to kill health care proposals; didn't see the corporate tax 
write-off for obscene executive salaries; haven't wondered why a $1-an-hour 
increase in the minimum wage can't get through Congress; and never saw the 
National Forest Service subsidizing logging roads for the timber industry.

Why in the world is Gore trying to incite "class warfare"?

The plump comfortable commentators pulling down $1 million or more a year 
cannot understand why Gore would spout populism when everyone is doing so 
well. Absolutely everyone they know.

We have a criminal justice system that is so repellently biased against the 
poor and minorities, and so flagrantly forgiving of rich white people who 
use cocaine that it's a national disgrace. But no one wants to hear that, 
because everyone is doing just fine. What is all this populist rhetoric about?

According to the Internet, 138 stories in recent days have been devoted to 
the Gores' on-stage smooch, now referred to as The Kiss. The polar icecap 
melting got less coverage; AIDS in Africa gets less coverage.

Hey, people aren't interested in global warming. No one has noticed the 
drought; no one pays attention to those forest fires all over the West; 
people don't care about that. Al Gore talks about global warming and the 
media cry, "Policy wonk, policy wonk, boring!" He smooches his wife in 
public, and we go nuts.

The media have important things to worry about, like the new grand jury 
investigating Bill Clinton's love life because it hasn't been investigated 
enough, so no wonder they don't have time to look into how the drug 
companies stole the public's cancer research and made money off it, or how 
pathetically undertaxed corporate, industrial and mineral property is, or 
illegal toxic dumping, or the giveaway of the digital TV spectrum, or the 
ongoing effects of the 1872 Mining Act.

And of course we have far, far less time to devote to what can be done 
about all of this. Most people have no idea that anything can be done, or 
is being done. Why in the world is Al Gore fomenting class warfare?

Molly Ivins is a Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist.
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