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.