It's all go for Al Gore

[AlGore-08.com]

http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,,1724582,00.html

If he's not revolutionising TV, he's saving the planet. Last week was a busy one for Al Gore

Jonah Bloom
Monday March 6, 2006

Is Al Gore: a) a media mogul who is using his grasp of the internet to revolutionise the TV business; b) a small business owner caught up in the red tape that snags so many would-be entrepreneurs; c) a one-time US presidential hopeful who fancies another shot at the title; d) the saviour of our broken planet?

This week the answer appeared to be all of the above.

(snip - - discussing Gore's global warming presentation to the American Association of Advertising Agencies)

Why was he telling a media crowd about this? Well, ostensibly because he wants the media industry to contribute airtime to an upcoming public service campaign alerting consumers to the environmental crisis we're facing.

Gore said a major new coalition of environmental, labour and religious groups would raise money to make ad buys for this campaign and that he hoped the media industry would give them a two-fer offering, essentially, double the time that the group pays for (a common arrangement with public service ad programs in the US).

(more... )

[Minnesota Libra]

1. Hope people here will get behind one candidate against neocons.......

....with enthusiasm.

[NYCGirl]

2. I sure hope c) is true! NT

[acmejack]

3. He has been President before.

May not have served, but we did elect him.

[tatertop]

4. I want to help elect him again

He is by far the best choice,
sans lo blo jo.

[joefree1]

5. Bad news is he's saving the planet for fundie repukes too

Whether or not they want him too. Go Al go!

[BattyDem]

6. "fancies another shot at the title" - ???????????????????

Please be true ... please be true ... please be true ... :bounce:

[Uncle Joe]

7. Kicked and recommended!

:kick:

[allisonthegreat]

29. I believe I could go with Gore...

Good enviromentalist...

[Uncle Joe]

36. Welcome to D.U. allisonthegreat.

:hi: I believe Al is the best statesman, environmentalist and visionary to come along in decades.

[AX10]

8. He is the rightful President.

[progressivebydesign]

9. Al is just the coolest EVER! I love the person he's become,

or actually... the person he has ALWAYS been, just finally feels he can let it out. That's the Al Gore that can win the presidency AGAIN!!!!

[dpbrown]

10. K&R for our rightfully elected President

I saw his global warming presentation when he came to Minnesota and it was wonderful.

[JudyM]

11. I love Gore and really respect him but I don't think he's electable now.

He was so caricaturized by the neocons... for some reason stiff mannerisms are more significant to the voters than integrity, ideas and brains. He's probably more electable than Hillary, though. I keep hoping someone who can really rally the middle will appear on the horizon for us.

[TankLV]

14. You mean like Nixon was just before he was elected 8 years after his

horrible defeat by Kennedy followed by numerous other defeats before his 68 victory? - That kind of unelectable?

Gore's WAY ahead of where Nixon ever was, and never had any of his baggage and losing track record, either.

So far, he's MY first choice too, unless anybody else suddenly materializes in the near future, which I think is extremely doubtful.

I like him a MILLION times better than Kerry, that's for sure!

[JudyM]

16. Why do you like him better than Kerry? Just curious.

[TankLV]

22. It's more of a cumulative effect.

Based on the fact that he was unjustly denied his rightful office by chicanery of the repuke party and the REPUKE SCOTUS.

Plus most of the things he's said and done since he "lost".

It's hard to quantify.

At the time of the last election, I was thoroughly behind Kerry and was MISERABLE when he "lost" - I had almost been brought to more than "ABB" but not quite "for" Kerry.

Kerry's equivocating about the Iraq War - not that we should get out but just that he would "fight it better" was a real deal breaker for me as far as he was concerned.

I believe Gore has been just the opposite and more willing to go out on a limb to say what he truly feels, instead of "stratergizing" to "win".

Kerry just "leaves a bad aftertaste in my mouth".

[JudyM]

28. I get that. In fairness, though, Gore's freer to say what he wants since

he's not in office or campaigning for office. While I don't like dems' straddling the fence on so many of these issues, I understand the risk they face that the vitriolic rethug spin machine can pretty much ruin their careers if they go out on a limb...

[AlGore-08.com]

31. No offense, but that's not accurate - - take Gore's position on Iraq

In September, 2002, Gore was the front runner for the 2004 nomination. Gore was over 20 points ahead of his closest (potential) primary rival, and thirty points ahead of all the other potential Dem nominees. But that's when Gore first spoke out against the (then proposed) invasion of Iraq - - while the Congress was still debating whether to authorize, Gore urged them not to authorize it. Several days after the Congress voted to authorize the invasion, Gore was asked by a reporter how he would have voted, if he were still in Congress. Gore said he would have voted against it. (All this when the invasion was overwhelmingly popular.)

Gore had a hell of a lot to loose when he took that position, and it was one of the reasons why he couldn't get funding to run in 2004.

Here's an excerpt from an OpEd Gore wrote in the NY Times in August, 2002 - - before the invasion was proposed, but (again) while Bush's popularity was sky high, and when Gore was far and away the front runner for the 2004 nomination, and only had to get back in the good graces of the DLC-wing of the party to get major fundraisers to back another run:

http://www.algore.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=75&Itemid=84

OpEd: Broken Promises and Political Deception
by Al Gore

There has always been a debate over the destiny of this nation between those who believed they were entitled to govern because of their station in life, and those who believed that the people were sovereign. That distinction remains as strong as ever today. In every race this November, the question voters must answer is, How do we make sure that political power is used for the benefit of the many, rather than the few?

For well over a year, the Bush administration has used its power in the wrong way. In the election of 2000, I argued that the Bush-Cheney ticket was being bankrolled by "a new generation of special interests, power brokers who would want nothing better than a pliant president who would bend public policy to suit their purposes and profits."

(snip)

Standing up for the people, not the powerful was the right choice in 2000. In fact, it is the ground of the Democratic party's being, our meaning and our mission.

The suggestion from some in our party that we should no longer speak that truth, especially at a time like this, strikes me as bad politics and wrong in principle. This struggle between the people and the powerful was at the heart of every major domestic issue of the 2000 campaign and is still the central dynamic of politics in 2002.

(more... )

Another really good example of Gore standing up for what's right, even though keeping quiet (or even endorsing what was wrong) would have benefited him in the short run was the attempted impeachment of Clinton. Most Democrats in Congress (I won't name them, I just suggest everybody look up their favorites) took the opportunity to stand up on the floor of their House and denounce Clinton's actions, and (at least) call for censure. Gore did not - - instead, he continued to stand by Clinton, saying that Clinton was a great President. The worst Gore said about Clinton was "Didn't you ever have a friend who made a mistake?"

If Gore had joined the chorus condemning Clinton, he would have won over the press (who instead worked to destroy his 2000 campaign). If Gore had worked behind the scenes to ensure Clinton was impeached, Gore would have been a sitting President in 2000, which would have made him almost impossible to beat. He would have been able to run for two more terms.

IMNSHO, the reason that a lot of people think that Gore has changed, or is suddenly freer to act on principle, is because most folks got their news about Gore through the MSM prior to 2002. They saw Gore in five second sound bytes on the TV news, stripped of their context - - and usually the least important or interesting 5 seconds were selected by the MSM to show. Now folks read or watch his speeches in their entirety through the Internet, and they are impressed with Gore's many strengths as a speaker (and leader): his vision, his logic, his persuasiveness, even his prose style.

Another reason that many folks think Gore has changed is because the times have changed. Prior to Smirk's installation, Gore gave excellent speeches on any number of subjects, he had the same goofy, self-depreciating sense of humor, and he never hesitated to stick to his own principles, no matter what the party wanted him to do. But his speeches were not as important, or timeless as they are now - - just as Lincoln's speeches before the Civil War were good, but the Gettysburg Address is classic; and just like Jefferson's writings before 1776 were good, but the Declaration of Independence is timeless.

[JudyM]

34. Point well taken without offense. Thanks for your thoughts on this.

[Tiggeroshii]

20. A Gore/Warner ticket would be unbeatable

...as long as the whole country is using paper ballots by that time.

[Clarkie1]

40. He's not electable for the reasons you state, imo. n/t

[roguevalley]

12. Imagine him and Wes Clark. SWOOOOOON! Could I dare to hope?

[jab105]

24. SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNN!!!!!!!!!

My dream ticket!

[indie_voter]

30. That is my dream ticket!!! n/t

[Clarkie1]

41. It would be a winner with Clark at the top for sure. n/t

[VegasWolf]

13. Wonder if he will still be scared of the fundies and pick that limp

wristed Joe Lieberman again?

[lonestarnot]

15. You go Al! Are you running for pres?

[lisby]

17. The Once and Future President

If this was another age, we'd be writing tales of how the Rightful President will return one day.

I'll vote for him again if he does.

Lisby:patriot:

[womanofthehills]

18. Best candidate as far as the environment goes

And the weather is sure getting weird

[jab105]

19. Best hope we got...

I'd campaign like crazy for Al Gore, he has become everything that I've ever wanted in a president!

[libodem]

21. I love Al Gore

This would be a different world today, less heartache and sorrow, less homelessness and hunger, less war and maybe even fewer hurricanes, if he'd been president... and yes, I do blame all the evil in the world on BFEE.

[UTUSN]

23. Flagpole: GORE-(senator)CLINTON ticket, anyone? n/t

[progressivebydesign]

33. that would be interesting....

Okay. So could Bill Clinton run as Vice President? Not that he'd ever do that, but I've always wondered about that legally. (yes, I know you meant Hillary).

[AtomicKitten]

25. AL GORE 2008.

He is hands down the best candidate we could possibly hope for and he so deserves to take the office he rightfully won in 2000.

[Wordie]

26. How about Gore/Richardson?

I'm not sold on anybody yet, but just trying that out. It has some strong elements, doesn't it?

And I think Gore has been doing some great things.

[NashVegas]

27. I'd Vote For Al In a Heartbeat

If he ran again.

[progressivebydesign]

32. Gore/Edwards?

It's always been a ridiculous notion that we had to have a Northerner and Southerner on the ticket together. The nation has swung to a "good ol' boy" mentality. (look at Bush, Bush II, and Reagan.. the faux cowboys). Two southerners could really kick ass for the democrats.

[mdmc]

35. Gore Clark

Gore Edwards
Gore Clinton
:kick:

[President Kerry]

37. Gore Obama

Al, please let it be true! Please Al! We love you out here. Remember you got the majority of American to vote for you! Don't let us down!

[mdmc]

39. check this out - it is worth the drive ! OMG

http://bernie.org/?p=154 This Friday ! :kick:

[PhilipShore]

38. Gore/ Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

[mdmc]

42. yes

[PVK]

43. What a dream come true that would be. n/t