I saw Al Gore last night - simply amazing.

[tinrobot]

I was in the audience for the taping of a movie he's doing about global warming. After listening to him lay out the case, all I can say is that the evidence is airtight and totally convincing. In light of what's happened to the gulf coast in the past month, it becomes even more imperative - unless we do something now, we're royally screwed.

Al Gore is a great guy, very congenial and intellectually brilliant. He talked for two hours with no notes, no script, no cue cards, no bulge on his back and no little thing in his ear. Being in the audience, you could tell he knew that subject cold and wanted to know more. Not only that, but he knew how to explain it in human terms.

The audience was great during the taping, but during a little technical glitch where Gore had to stop talking, someone shouted out "You're still my president!" and the audience broke into a standing ovation. It was a very emotional moment - for me at least, because I saw that brilliant man who's so passionate and cares so much abut the world. I could totally imagine how different this country would be with an intellegent, passionate, caring man in charge.

...and I must say, for those who said five years ago that there was no difference between Gore and Bush, I say you owe the world an apology.

Anyways... I'm sure the movie will come out sometime soon, and urge everyone to go see it. It will leave no doubt as to the seriousness of global warming.

[Maccagirl]

1. Thanks so much for the story

Sometimes the "what would have been" is just too overwhelming. I'm glad that Mr.Gore knows that Americans still care.

[FreedomAngel82]

39. I agree

I wonder about that all the time. If Gore was my rightfull president. He would probably be in his second term now (and getting to sit in the chair heh heh) and there definitley would not have been 9/11 nor Iraq. Now the weather might've still happened but he would've used the money and resources to fix the leeves and protect the people. He would've put someone in charge of FEMA who would've been on the job and a professional (maybe even the guy Clinton had). I always wonder and always will wonder. *Sigh* But I also believe everything happens for a reason. What? Don't know. But it still happens.

[RiffRandell]

2. Thanks for the report.

He is a GREAT man.

[peacetalksforall]

3. I hope that event was filmed and that we can see it one day. n/t

[Mabus]

6. Laurie David

is behind the film project. I am a huge fan of Larry David her husband.

[tinrobot]

8. It absolutely was filmed

It was a taping for a movie by Laurie David that will be released soon.

Everyone MUST go see it.

[WearyOne]

4. I don't know why people ever said he was 'wooden'..he comes across

as being very sincere and intelligent

[Uncle Joe]

24. I believe it is because

the corpwhorate owned MSM did not want him to come to power, so they continued to hammer that message home to the American People until a sizable segment were brainwashed enough to believe it. If he was calm and professional he was referred to as stiff or wooden, if he was emotional or passionate, he was accused of ranting or being off his meds. That does not leave much wiggle room.

The corpwhorate owned MSM did not want an adult in charge, just as an immature teenager that wants to throw a house party while the parents are away. Furthermore, I believe the corpwhorate owned MSM waged their War Against Gore precisely because he took some of their power away and gave it to us when he championed the internet in effect democratizing information.

[FreedomAngel82]

40. It's because of him being so serious

He really cares about politics and the government and takes the job seriously. He knows all about corruption in the government from when he was a journalist so I'm sure he knows how serious the job is. He stated his reasoning in his 2000 address when he stated how the presidential job is the only job that works for the whole country. If you want to see his address you can see it here http://abletv.net/html/csDNC2000.html and other video's. There's also a video of someone following him around interviewing him for a video for the convention. It's one of the links that is just called "video". I can't remember what day though.

[July]

47. I feel the same way about Kerry.

"Wooden" is a tried and true fright wing epithet. Don't forget that when Gore ran, Kerry as a possible VP was supposed to add the charisma that Gore supposedly lacks. It's just BS from the smear team.

[wakemewhenitsover]

65. "Wooden" was just another Republican talking point.

Like the exaggeration b.s., and that he claimed to have invented the Internet -- we were being fed lies.

[candice]

5. Thanks for posting this...yes, what could have been

I have no respect for a partisan Supreme Court that would select a president. I had read Molly Ivan's Shrub and learned how Bush and cronies were able to take Texas backward, esp. in education and environmental controls. Yet someone who was in a position to be the president of the U.S. needed to play fair and verify that he actually did have the votes in Florida. Of course, we found out about purging the voting lists and all the dirty tricks that Jeb and Harris and Baker cooked up. Bad karma from the start! (and prior to that the way that McCain, who was the rightful Repub candidate, was taken down so sleazily.

[AlGore-08.com]

7. I was there as well - - Gore was inspirational

I thought the best part was the end - - where he explained how we can reverse global warming, and gave all those examples of how America has overcome major moral challenges in the past.

Here's my blog about it:

http://www.algore.org/weblog/janet/

There's a thread on Kos about it as well by Bloomster:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/9/24/34626/6393

F.Y.I. the original plan was for the film to be launched in December. If they're satisfied with the footage they've gotten this weekend, and at previous events, they have plenty of time to edit it, do post, and get it into distribution.

[Stephanie]

9. I got chills when I read the part about "you're still my president"

Where was this?

[SammyWinstonJack]

12. Oh so did I! nt

[tinrobot]

13. Los Angeles

They taped three sessions at a movie studio here (Sunset/Gower).

They set up a stage and seating for a studio audience. Lots of visuals, animation, and Gore even got to stand on a crane at one point (I won't give it away, but it really drives his point home about what we're doing to this planet)

[KoKo]

10. Thanks! He's a huge ray of hope in our desperate situation..

I hope he runs..don't know if he will but if he does...pick Howard Dean or Clark for his running mate. A winner!

[FreedomAngel82]

42. He couldn't Dean

Dean is chair of the party now and he stated when he ran if he won that he won't run for president in 2008. I think he and Gore would make a great team and wish he would run. Do you know why he couldn't run in 2008?

[MelissaB]

11. We inaugurated a president at out local college last night, and his speech

made me immediately think of Al Gore. He is an ecologist and spoke about global warming with fire and is determined to include and educate our community and reach out to the world.

How can I get him to speak at our college? Yeah, I'm naive, but hopeful.

[AlGore-08.com]

27. The best way to contact Gore & his staff is through his Nashville office

The Office of the Honorable Al Gore
2100 West End Avenue
Nashville, TN 37203
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

To increase your chances of Gore (or any other speaker) coming, you should organize a specific, formal request before contacting his staff - - one of the following:

1.) A formal request from an established organization like your local chapter of the Young Democrats of America, or your local Dem party organization, the Sierra Club, ACLU, a labor union, etc., etc., etc.

2.) A formal request to appear at an established academic event, like a request for him to speak as part of a series of lectures given by the Political Science Department, or an established event like your college's founders day celebration.

Keep in mind that Gore and other major figures have very heavy schedules, so the more flexible your request can be about the day and time you'd like him to lecture, the more chance you'll have that he can come to your school.

Good luck!

[MelissaB]

30. Thank you!

:hi:

[AlGore-08.com]

31. Let us know what happens

:hi:

[donsu]

14. kicking

nt

[WePurrsevere]

15. It sounds like an amazing experience. I liked Al Gore before...

but over the last few years he seems more relaxed like found his "grove" a bit more so that I find myself liking and respecting him even more now. He has class, intelligence and a truly caring heart.. unlike those that stole the election from him.

Although it's probably not going to happen, if he ran again he'd likely have my backing and my vote. I too can't help but think how much better and different this country would have been these past 5 years if he had been in charge as he should have been (except I wasn't crazy about Lieberman and he would probably have been in line for the Dem nom next).

[AnotherMother4Peace]

16. Bush's minions insist that global warming is "junk science"

Katherine DeBrecht (sp) made that statement while being interviewed on AAR. I couldn't believe she said that.

Science & education are in deep trouble in this country. We are truly going to become a third world country based on theocracy.

Do they also believe that evolution and stem-cell breakthroughs are based on "junk science"?

[tinrobot]

21. Gore answered that quite well

He compared the naysayers to the tobacco companies and how they sowed doubt about smoking for decades.

[AlGore-08.com]

28. And proved that scientists agree - - but the MEDIA says they don't

Like the entire presentation, it was really well documented.

He jammed in some much information into that short span of time. I say again - - the documentary is going to totally ROCK.

[FreedomAngel82]

43. I can't wait for the doc!

I'm going to definitley buy it. I remember after Katrina hit Maher had a scientist on his show and asked about global warming and the guy explained it very easily and a way anyone could understand (even my younger cousin's) and Maher asked if there were any scientists who didn't believe it was happening and the guy said a very small percentage but most scientists believe it's going on. That kind of surprised me there were scientists who didn't believe it was happening. Maybe those are the people who are helping Bush fill people's heads with that false info.

[jokerman93]

17. What if he's open to taking back the presidency?

I'd go for an Al Gore/Wes Clark ticket in 2008. Do I have any "Ayes"???

[Moosepoop]

19. AYE!!!

Absolutely.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

20. That would be a great team - 2 very intelligent men

I second the nomination.

[juajen]

23. I could vote for that ticket

Of course, I also love Hillary, Dennis, John and John. Great democrats, all a zillion times better than the nuts in power.

[Raksha]

48. You have another Aye!

I made up my mind while reading this thread: Al Gore/Wes Clark 2008. We NEED an "environmental president." It's no longer optional or "wouldn't it be nice." It's a matter of national security in the most basic sense.

[jokerman93]

52. How true

From here on out, as far as one can see, sustainability is a matter of national security -- if not for the world.

This is the fork in the road. No more chances.

[Snotcicles]

18. Don't forget Tipper, what a class act couple. n/t

[FreedomAngel82]

44. They are so cute!

[Kazak]

22. NBG!!!

:thumbsup:

[Mabus]

51. You got that right!

NBG in '08!

:woohoo:

[snappyturtle]

25. "You're still my president!" If only.............

:cry: :cry: :cry:

[Chomskyite]

26. When that guy yelled that . . .

. . . I probably would have lost it and cried like a baby.

[Larkspur]

29. His presentation is part of a feature-length documentary due out this

December. See this Grist Magazine article -- Esprit de Gore:Gore is transforming into fiery climate evangelist
http://grist.org/news/muck/2005/06/09/little-gore/index.html -- for more information

I'm looking forward to seeing Gore's presentation too.

[Blue Belle]

32. I can't wait to see the movie....

I wish President Gore was in his second term right now... :(

[Pathwalker]

33. PLEASE! tell me what was President Gore's reaction

to the crowd's reaction? How did he reply?

[tinrobot]

35. Very modestly

He smiled graciously, and let us applaud. Then he made some quip about the audience getting out of control.

I really truly wish he would run, but I walked out of there with a gut feeling that he probably wouldn't. He wasn't talking at all like a politician (which is also why he's so damn appealing)

[AlGore-08.com]

37. To be totally cynical, if he was planning a run, NOT talking like a pol

Would be the best possible strategy he could have right now - - your remark about why he's so appealing now is why. He's already got the base, what he needs is for the media to lighten up, and the independents and moderate Republicans to see him as the statesman that he is and the unifying figure he can be.

The few interviews he's given this cycle, the press has been much, much, much more reasonable toward him. Jay Leno actually listened to what Gore had to say in his last interview, which may be a first.

Regardless of whether he's considering another run or not considering one, he has to be non-partisan for the documentary to work. Imagine that Newt Gingrich actually had an idea that was good for America (work with me - - anythings possible). If he presented that idea to the public as "Republicans rule, Democrats drool", would any of us even bother to check out his idea? Not even for a millisecond. But if Gingrich presented the idea as nonpolitical, and was not running for any office, he would get a lot more independents and dems to check out the idea. We'd even see posts on DU saying "I can't believe I agree with Newt Gingrich on this, but I do."

I'm not saying Gore's playing possum.

I'm not saying he's not.



I'm just saying he needs to run in 2008 DAMN IT!!

[Uncle Joe]

41. Well said AlGore.08.com

and you have a pretty possum.:)

[FreedomAngel82]

45. I hope he does too

And I think it's wise what all the democrats are doing now. The only democrat I know of who has actually confirmed anything in 2008 is Joe Biden when he was last on the Daily show. I think it's wise since anything could happen from now until 2008. You don't want to give away your plans before it all goes down. The rightwingers right now are mostly focusing on Hillary and I just don't think she is going to run personally. Of course I could be wrong, but 2006 is important first and we have to take back the House and Senate and get justice and hold real hearings. Then we can worry about 2008, but I do hope he runs again.

[Pathwalker]

46. Thank you so much for replying. Al Gore's credentials

on environmentalism should be beyond politics by now. Sadly, in *'s world, everything is now politics. I know I'm very partisan in this matter, but I honestly believe that only by President Gore assuming his rightful place - as the REAL President, can America begin to undo the extreme damage wrought by this mis-adminstration.
I don't just cry for what has happened since the Coup of 2000, I cry for what we could have been with him as our leader.

:cry:

[AlGore-08.com]

49. In Smirk's world, everything is politics. But here in reality

Katrina changed everything.

[otohara]

34. We Was Robbed

I admire him so - thanks for sharing your story

[Jamison]

36. Global warming is in full effect where I live.

A local weathercaster here in St. Louis has said this is the 2nd hottest September ever on record here so far. The hottest was in 1953.

[FreedomAngel82]

38. Great account

Yes. Gore is the best and he's so intelligent and always ahead of the time. Sometimes it's like he's a spirit here in his body who can easily see the future or came here to warn us or something. Know what I mean? And he definitley is so passionate about everything he talks about. I just love Al Gore and it's guys like him who make me proud to be a Tennessean. And yes he is my president (and so is John Kerry). I wish he would run again, but I understand if he doesn't want to and I will still always support Al Gore.

[ptolle]

50. airtight

The evidence is indeed as airtight as scientific evidence can be. However, Exxonmobil esp. and the rest of the energy companies have spent enormous amounts of money not so much to refute the evidence, but to cast doubt on the evidence and the methodologies and the concept in general.It's worked. Couple of months ago Mother Jones magazine did great article on this complete with diagrams tracking the money to and out of various RW thinks tanks to individuals and legislators.I also recommend highly Chris Mooney's The Republican War on Science.

[radio4progressives]

53. Thanks for sharing - Too Bad Gore didn't show America who he was in 2000.

But even though he ran a terrible campaign, and even performed worse debates with that intellectual nit wit who stole the election and is still occupying the white house -

GORE STILL WON THAT ELECTION.

[AlGore-08.com]

56. Just F.Y.I. Gore started his campaign 20 points behind

He was outspent 2 to 1, had a divided party (most of whom were more concerned about the power struggle between the left wing and the moderates than whether Gore won or lost), and the most hostile press in history. He still beat Bush by a half million votes - - and got more votes than any other Presidential candidate before him (including Clinton and Reagan). If all the votes which were cast in Florida had been counted, Gore would have won Florida by a narrow margin - - but if all the people who tried to vote for Gore had been able to cast ballots, he would have won by at least 50,000 votes. Smirk was the one who ran a lousy campaign - - he blew a 20 point lead, and even blew a fixed election in Florida. He was only installed because five Supreme Court Justices dishonored their office by being partisan hacks.

And F.Y.I., according to the polls taken after all three 2000 Presidential debates, Gore won all them.

[Greylyn58]

54. I would have loved to see Gore speak

I bought the book he wrote on Global Warming a while back--Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit and though it is hard to follow sometimes, it was convincing evidence on what was/is happening to our planet.

Gore is brilliant and it makes me cry thinking of all the things he would have done to improve this country.

Then contrast that with the current Misadministration. It's disgusting.

[Chicago Democrat]

55. I BELIEVE AL GORE IS THE MAN WHO CAN SAVE OUR NATION!

and maybe the entire world.


A BRILLIANT MAN. Handsome ('Love Story' is about him and Tipper!) Forgive Tipper! Frank Zappa's ghost! I BESeech Thee!


A TRUE DEMOCRAT!


AN ARISTOCRAT WHO IS NOBLE! LIKE RFK, Jr.! Like JEssie Jackson, Jr.! THESE ARE OUR NEXT GENERATION!

A MORAL MAN... Not "STAINED" as Clintons are.


GORE 2008

[Joebert]

57. I hate to be the unpopular one...

I'm new here, but how did Lieberman get the nod as his VP?

My concern is that no matter who is the best candidate, the big money will force another asshole down our throats.

I mean Biden? He's not even remotely progressive. We'll never get a decent candidate if big money continues to run the show.

[Name removed]

58. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[AlGore-08.com]

66. In order to understand, you have to remember what the 90s were really like

1.) The media and the right spent eight years smearing Clinton and his admin, so that Clinton was already regarded as a national joke and a symbol of corruption by the time the Monica Lewinski scandal broke. Clinton privately assured Gore and HRC that he (Clinton) did not have an affair with Lewinski (and since the right had dredged up a number of women who had falsely accused Clinton of sexual harassment and rape, they certainly had some reason to believe him). Clinton, Gore and HRC then publicly attacked the charges as false. Clinton then admitted that he did actually have an affair with Lewinski, and admitted that he lied under oath about it - - and lied to Gore and HRC, making them look like they were accessories after the fact. Despite the fact that Clinton lied to Gore, Gore stood by Clinton through the impeachment. The majority of Dems were calling for Clinton to be censured (including MoveOn) and a few called for his impeachment or resignation.

Gore began his campaign two months after the impeachment attempt against Clinton had ended. Clinton remained personally unpopular throughout the campaign: while there was a part of the base with whom Clinton was still very popular, a larger number of voters were disgusted with Clinton's affair and his lying under oath. (Every time Clinton spoke publicly about Gore's campaign, Gore went down in the polls - - and Rove's publicly stated strategy for 2000 was "to make people see 'Clinton' when they hear 'Gore'.) Because of the backlash against Clinton, Gore began the 2000 campaign 20 points behind, and was expected to lose in a landslide.

2.) Prior to the impeachment, Lieberman did not have much of a national name; he was known primarily a as a friend of Clinton and a moderate who was able to work with Congressional Republicans. In September 1998, Lieberman was the first major Dem to speak out against Clinton's behavior - - although he did not suggest any action that needed to be taken (such as censure, impeachment or resignation).

A lot of the left, who had been working against Clinton for eight years, celebrated Lieberman's action. From Ariana Huffington:

http://www.ariannaonline.com/columns/column.php?id=475

From The Realm Of The Unthinkable To The Realm Of The Inevitable

September 10, 1998

The arrival on Capitol Hill of Ken Starr's report, gift-wrapped in 36 humble cardboard boxes, sounded like the ominous knocking of fate in Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. But the real turning point in the Clinton crisis came a week earlier when Sen. Joe Lieberman stood up in the well of the Senate and delivered the speech that changed the course of the Clinton presidency.

"I felt lonely out there," Lieberman said afterwards. Like the little boy who alerted the public to the fact that the emperor wore no clothes, Lieberman had the courage to state the obvious. The 24 minutes of his speech changed forever the terms of the political debate about the president's future. In the process he reminded us that one lonely man, armed with truth, can still change the course of history simply by exercising leadership.

(snip)

Suddenly, the lions of the grand old Democratic Party had found their voice. It was as though Lieberman had given them all the Heimlich maneuver and expelled giant fishbones from their throats. In a staggering demonstration of the power of one man to move mountains, he moved the Democrats' abandonment of the head of their party from the realm of the unthinkable to the realm of the inevitable. Principle and a deep concern for the country are now pulling them in the same direction as expedience and political survival.

(more... )


3.) The moderates and the left had been fighting for control of the Dem party for at least 20 years. Under Clinton, the DLC (moderates) became the dominant force in the party. Many in the left objected to Gore's role as a founder of the DLC and his role in the Clinton admin, and/or honestly felt that the party needed to move much farther to the left to win in 2000 and/or they demanded ideological purity from Gore. A lot of the left saw Gore's projected loss in 2000 as a chance to take back control of the party. (And some individual members of the left saw Gore's projected defeat as an opportunity to run for President themselves in 2004.)

But Gore did not subscribe to many of the DLC's positions (he said in 2002 he had "evolved beyond" them), and ran a populist campaign in 2000. Many DLCers found this unacceptable, some because they demanded ideological purity, some because they sincerely believed it would lose the election, some because they also saw a Gore 2000 loss as their ticket to a Presidential run in 2004.

Lieberman was the chair of the DLC in 2000. Picking Lieberman appeased some of the DLC into supporting Gore's run.

3.) The media was universally hostile to Gore throughout the 2000 campaign, at least partially because he refused to trash talk Clinton. But the media loved Lieberman. After Gore picked Lieberman as his running mate, he got the first positive press of his campaign. The press continued to heap praise on Lieberman throughout the campaign.

4.) Just like today, Lieberman was really good at working with Congressional Republicans. They loved him. Since the House and Senate were almost certainly going to remain in Republican hands, Lieberman's ability to get Republicans on board would have been vital to implementing Gore's agenda.

5.) Lieberman's popularity with Republicans included the rank and file Republicans and conservative to moderate independents. Lieberman's inclusion on the ticket helped Gore in the swing states where Clinton most hurt Gore. Lieberman was instrumental in Gore winning Florida.

6.) At the time, Lieberman and Gore were close friends. (This seems to have changed sometime between 2001 and 2003.) Gore is a human being like the rest of us: given a choice of subordinates, he preferred to work with somebody he got along well with, rather than somebody he didn't know or didn't like.

7.) Possibly most importantly, when Gore was considering who to pick for his running mate, his campaign discussed whether America was ready for a Jewish Vice President. Gore's decision was that if it wasn't, it should be. Choosing Lieberman, the first Jewish person on a major party ticket, was a major advance for civil rights.

[Chicago Democrat]

67. I don't think Leib would get the nod now...

Lieb blew it since then...

[gulfcoastliberal]

59. Gore in '08!

The other Vichy Dems who want to run should just stay home, for the good of the country and the world.

[Ladyhawk]

60. I apologize to the world.

I didn't know how big a difference there really was between Bush and Gore. All I can say is that I'm sorry. All I can do is try to make up for it.

I'm sorry, world. You have no idea how sorry. :( All I want now is justice and peace for everyone.

[Lisa]

61. the USA was a world leader in global warming science and policy ...

NCAR, GISS, GFDL, the Pew Institute -- top scientists including James Hansen and Stephen Schneider -- Al Gore going to Kyoto and rescuing that treaty. An American drew that famous curve, showing the increasing atmospheric CO2.

And that's just for starters. The climate change researchers I work with (Canadian and American) say that it causes them physical pain, to see the work of their stateside colleagues being denigrated and belittled by the White House. It was Americans who were getting international credit for bringing environmental issues to our attention -- and now Bush and Co. are gleefully trashing a legacy which goes back many decades, built up painstakingly by US agencies and universities (with investments by the American taxpayer).

[blue agave]

62. kick

[arwalden]

63. Nice! --- Thanks...

:thumbsup:

[wakemewhenitsover]

64. RE-ELECT PRESIDENT GORE!