Molly Ivins February 13

AUSTIN, Texas — The singular genius that political cartoonists have for capturing the-way-it-is in just a few words has always moved me to the shameful state of envy.

Last week, Ben Sargent of the Austin American-Statesman perfectly caught our current political dilemma with a drawing of Joe Citizen gasping with stupefaction in front of a television that is blaring, "My opponent has viciously attacked me, daring to say I ran ads attacking him for attacking me for attacking him for daring to say I broke my promise not to run any attack ads ..." Yup.

One thing you might keep in mind about this unedifying ad mess in both the Democratic and Republican primaries is that attack ads wind up lowering our opinions of both candidates in a race and turn us off both of them. We end up with that sour, cynical, "Oh-why-bother-to-vote?" feeling.

And that, beloved readers, benefits the party favorites by turning off independents and nonvoters and young voters and everyone except ideological zealots and party hacks. Hope it doesn't work this time.

Now, on to matters more refreshingly disgusting.

"A group of GOP attorneys general, including John Cornyn of Texas, is soliciting corporate donations to help elect more Republicans philosophically opposed to bringing big lawsuits against big companies — the kind that cost the tobacco industry an estimated $246 billion. A bonus for the donors is that the contributions to the Republican Attorneys General Association are untraceable to the public."

The story is reported by Bruce Hight in the American-Statesman. (The initial idea for the group was reported by The New York Times last June.) Texas' Cornyn is on the executive committee of the group, headed by South Carolina AG Charlie Condon.

Good grief. Look at it this way: At least we'll never have to listen to any politician again promising us that big campaign contributions "only buy access — they don't buy policy." Tell it to the Marines.

Can you believe these guys? They put out a letter offering corporate donors four annual membership levels ranging from $25,000 to a piddly $5,000, but also reminding them that "there is no statutory limit" on how much a corporation, an individual or a political action committee can contribute.

The group has already raised about $250,000 but doesn't have to report who has contributed because donations are not made directly to the AGs' association. Instead, they're deposited to a nonfederal account of the Republican National Committee used for state elections.

The RNC donations are then credited internally to the AGs' association.

Is this a beauty or what? Republican AGs elected to be the people's lawyers are saying: "We won't sue you for using Joe Camel to push cigarettes on our kids, we won't sue you for poisoning our kids with lead paint, we won't sue you for violating antitrust laws, we won't sue you for price-fixing, we won't sue your for cheating our consumers — if you just give us big contributions. Buy your way out of a lawsuit; it's well worth the money. Remember, the state of Texas alone nicked the tobacco companies for $17.3 billion."

Guess which party gets huge contributions from the tobacco industry?

Twelve of the 42 AGs in states where the office is elective are Republican.

According to legal experts, AGs have gone from relative obscurity a decade ago to become the nation's leading advocates for consumer rights and prosecutors of corporate misconduct. Sen. Orrin Hatch said in 1997, "Let's face it, the state attorneys general are accomplishing many things that we in Washington should be doing but simply do not have the political character to get done."

According to The Dallas Morning News last summer: "The attorneys general have challenged industries once believed too powerful. By teaming together, they have confronted issues that Congress, the U.S. Justice Department and state legislatures would not take on. ... As a result, business advocates are energetically seeking ways to restrain or undermine the efforts of the state lawyers." And now they've found it.

Mississippi AG Mike Moore, a major player in the tobacco wars, said: "Companies that run afoul of the law or hurt consumers or defraud the states are on notice that we are going to come after them. No company is too big, no industry is exempt." Unless, of course, it can buy its way out of the law.

Cornyn's excuse for all this is that the Democratic AGs seek changes in social policy through litigation instead of legislation. "We should not be making social change and establishing public policy through the courthouse instead of the statehouse." I have news for him: Lawsuits against corporations are brought under existing law.

Before you know it, we'll be hearing cries for "attorney general restraint," just as we heard from the right on "judicial restraint." "Judicial activism" is any decision that the right doesn't like.

I thought I'd heard everything. And these are the people who criticize President Clinton for renting out the Lincoln Bedroom — which is certainly tasteless, but at least the surgeon general hasn't ruled it hazardous to your health.

Molly Ivins is a columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. To find out more about Molly Ivins and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

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