Bagehot, the shamelessly elitist economist who wrote ''The English Constitution'' in 1867, said government belonged exclusively to the ''educated thousands'' while the ''unintelligent millions'' should be entertained by the royal family, ''which delights the eye, stirs the imagination ... yet never strains the intellectual resources of the most ignorant or the most stupid.''

Bagehot considered it beneath politicians to pander to the ''unintelligent millions.'' He wrote: ''In plain English, what I fear is that both our political parties will bid for the support of the working man; that both of them will promise to do as he likes.... I can conceive of nothing more corrupting or worse for a set of poor ignorant people than that two combinations of well-taught and rich men should constantly offer to defer to their decision and compete for the office of executing it.''

In America, we have pop singers to delight the eye, Tiger Woods to stir the imagination, and well-taught and rich presidential candidates who compete for office as if they will force the elite to share their resources with the millions.

In his speech last week accepting the Democratic nomination for president, Al Gore referred to ''working families'' or ''working parents'' seven times and 11 other times referred to Americans who ''work hard,'' were ''working hard,'' displayed ''hard work'' or were ''working overtime.''

''In the name of all the working families who are the strength and soul of America, I accept your nomination for president of the United States,'' Gore said. ''They're for the powerful, and we're for the people.''

The next day Bush said Gore was waging ''class warfare.'' At first glance that echoed Bagehot's theory that class divisions had to be ''disguised,'' as in his daddy's use of Willie Horton in 1988. But Bush, also fearful of being seen as Daddy's oil boy, still panders a bit, saying he promised to ''extend the promise of prosperity to every forgotten corner of this country.'' Bush said he would be a leader ''who finds common ground.''

Underneath the pandering, the forgotten corners are drifting farther from view. During the Republican convention, The New York Times had on its front page a story about record-breaking campaign contributions next to a feature about the dying federal loan program that inspires doctors to work in poor areas. Only 1,900 out of a needed 20,000 doctors are being funded.

During the Democratic convention, the Times had another front page article in which vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman promised that the Democrats would ''expand prosperity.'' Next to that story was a feature on how the nation's largest law firms have slashed pro bono work to satisfy paying clients in the booming economy.

Trial lawyers give lavishly to the Democrats, but less than one in three low-income people who need a lawyer can get one. The Republicans slashed federal legal aid in the Clinton years with little resistance.

Now, once again, the intelligence of the ''unintelligent millions,'' as Bagehot would say, is being tested. Interestingly, Bush was so quick off the mark with ''class warfare'' he has given Gore a great opening.

In 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt said: ''These unhappy times call for the building of plans that rest upon the forgotten ... that put their faith once more in the forgotten man ... the forgotten man at the bottom of the economic pyramid.''

These are happier times, but there remain forgotten people. Gore has begun the campaign talking more about them than Bush. Gore talked about the health, education, and economic struggles of four families by name in his acceptance speech. Bush mentioned none by name in his. Gore utters the phrase ''universal health coverage.'' Bush's dad thought universal coverage was socialism.

Gore talked about fixing up crumbling schools for the millions in his acceptance speech, while Bush talked about vouchers that would allow the lucky few to escape the ''ignorant or the most stupid.'' Because he has been a Texas governor, Bush considers it an asset that ''I have no enemies to fight'' in Washington. Gore should turn that ''asset'' into a huge liability.

There are plenty of enemies of working families in Washington. These families want someone in the White House to wage warfare. Contrary to Bagehot, the ''unintelligent millions'' would be quite stimulated by a well-taught president who can delight the eye, stir the imagination, and shape up those among the ''educated thousands'' who hoard intellectual and economic resources to the point of leaving many of the millions ignorant and stupid.

Derrick Z. Jackson is a Globe columnist.

© Copyright 2000 Globe Newspaper Company

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