Molly Ivins August 20

SAN DIEGO — In the aftermath of the Republican Rally in San Diego, a nasty case of mutual exasperation between the party and the press has developed. The press is grumpy because there was no news at the rally, and the Republicans are delighted there was no "news," since the press defines news as conflict.

Danny Wattenburg observed, "If the '92 convention in Houston was mean, this one is meaningless." Sheesh, when House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the meanest man in America, is reduced to rhapsodizing about beach volleyball, where's the news?

The press was especially frustrated because the conflicts that made the 1992 R's convention such an interesting mess are still present but were beautifully masked. In other words, they see a giant con job. The R's, naturally, were pleased with their pretty television show and resented all attempts to interfere with it. This mutual frustration is especially crucial for television journalism, which made its air time available to what many regarded as unadulterated propaganda; the R's felt that all journalistic attempts to provide context and analysis were unfair.

The more philosophical broadcast journalists are now saying: "OK, grow up. A political convention is now a television show. There it is, so let's stop whining that it's no longer a forum for political debate and get on with it." The more sophisticated version of this argument is that television changed conventions in the first place, so why whine if conventions have changed for television? (All hands stand back dutifully after this case is made, murmuring in awe, "Ah, the irony, the irony.")

As for me, I'm with Sherlock Holmes — the key is the dog that did not bark in the night.

The subject that dare not speak its name, the elephant in the national living room, is increasing economic injustice. As we move from a representative democracy toward corporate oligarchy, our politicians are afraid to even whisper about the phenomenon — because, of course, we have a political system bought and paid for by the corporate oligarchy. And the media are owned by it, too.

Just a few examples: Among the most impressive displays of lobby muscle at the Republican Rally were major stakeholders in the upcoming debate over utilities deregulation.

At least a million dollars in lobbying talent on a single side of the multisided uts de-reg battle could be observed at one party. And just in time to remind us all how much is at stake, the state of Vermont has just moved to revoke the license of Citizens Utilities in that state on grounds of systematically evading oversight of construction projects and using misleading accounting methods to overcharge customers. Citizens Utilities is in trouble in other states as well; Arizona officials say it wants to charge customers for such perks as trips to Europe, an executive chef and a fleet of Cadillacs.

Southern Pacific and Union Pacific, recently joined in holy wedded merger, were in San Diego spreading hospitality aplenty — that's to make up for the fact that their merger will leave many a small American town stranded. So long, Burgsville-on-the-Plains; have a canape and grab some of that chardonnay. Ain't deregulation grand?

If I were of a conspiratorial turn of mind instead of having sensibly concluded that history is largely determined by human stupidity, I would probably see some connection between the corporate oligarchy and the endless Republican refrain that governmentisbadgovernmentisbadgovernmentisbad. Instead, I see the brilliant connection between the fact that more and more Americans are paying no attention whatever to politics and the fact that politics is addressing nothing important about their lives.

Poor Bob Dole has gone forth to trumpet the unlikely message that a 15 percent across-the-board tax cut will solve all problems (plus a 50 percent cut in capital gains for the rich, plus he will balance the budget without touching Social Security or Medicare while increasing defense spending). The fine print on that plan is so bad that it's not just a question of not signing it — don't even touch the pen.

A correction of sorts: An aide to Rep. Henry Hyde, he of S&L fame and chairman of the Republican platform committee, points out that the abortion plank in the platform does not specifically say, "No abortion even to save the life of the mother." In fact, "except to save the life of the mother" was specifically taken out, you see, leaving no exceptions, and that makes a huge difference, you see. We see.

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Molly Ivins is a columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

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