Krugman: Gore Derangement Syndrome

[RamboLiberal]

On the day after Al Gore shared the Nobel Peace Prize, The Wall Street Journal’s editors couldn’t even bring themselves to mention Mr. Gore’s name. Instead, they devoted their editorial to a long list of people they thought deserved the prize more.

And at National Review Online, Iain Murray suggested that the prize should have been shared with “that well-known peace campaigner Osama bin Laden, who implicitly endorsed Gore’s stance.” You see, bin Laden once said something about climate change — therefore, anyone who talks about climate change is a friend of the terrorists.

What is it about Mr. Gore that drives right-wingers insane?

Partly it’s a reaction to what happened in 2000, when the American people chose Mr. Gore but his opponent somehow ended up in the White House. Both the personality cult the right tried to build around President Bush and the often hysterical denigration of Mr. Gore were, I believe, largely motivated by the desire to expunge the stain of illegitimacy from the Bush administration.

And now that Mr. Bush has proved himself utterly the wrong man for the job — to be, in fact, the best president Al Qaeda’s recruiters could have hoped for — the symptoms of Gore derangement syndrome have grown even more extreme.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/opinion/15krugman.html?hp

[WillyT]

1. Gotta Love That Last Part !!!

<snip>

So if science says that we have a big problem that can’t be solved with tax cuts or bombs — well, the science must be rejected, and the scientists must be slimed. For example, Investor’s Business Daily recently declared that the prominence of James Hansen, the NASA researcher who first made climate change a national issue two decades ago, is actually due to the nefarious schemes of — who else? — George Soros.

Which brings us to the biggest reason the right hates Mr. Gore: in his case the smear campaign has failed. He’s taken everything they could throw at him, and emerged more respected, and more credible, than ever. And it drives them crazy.

<snip>

Link: same article

:bounce::rofl::bounce:

[lligrd]

8. Meanwhile, * Took Everything He Could And Emerged

more ignorant and less intelligible than ever. And he wouldn't even let them have that beer with him.

[Seabiscuit]

20. That last paragraph stuck in my head as well. Gotta love anyone who "drives them crazy".

[FREEWILL56]

55. The truth drives them crazy

and he just reminds them of the truth.

[eyepaddle]

33. I read the column before I checked your response

and yes, I could tell which part you were talking about.

Touche' Mr (Dr?) Krugman! :)

[frebrd]

2. K&R n/m

[NYCGirl]

3. Bravo to Mr. Krugman! He got it absolutely right. NT

[simpleone]

54. I agree

My aunt mabus and uncle Admiral Loinpresser said to say :hi:

[hedda_foil]

4. Which brings us to the biggest reason the right hates Mr. Gore ...

"Which brings us to the biggest reason the right hates Mr. Gore: in his case the smear campaign has failed. He’s taken everything they could throw at him, and emerged more respected, and more credible, than ever. And it drives them crazy."

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

[Demeter]

5. It's Guilt, Remorse, and Fear of Retribution

Their little "gentlemen's agreement" is now openly discussed on the Internet, if not yet the MSM, their little "gentlemen's clubs" are being laid waste as corruption and influence peddlers go to jail, their little "gentlemen's contracts" are turning out to be dry wells that will eat up all their ill-gotten goods as the mortgage fraud melts away like the Polar ice cap, and hedge funds and the dollar itself crumble to dust.

It's not a good time to be a bad guy, not any more. The limits have been reached. There is nothing left to steal, and no one to steal it from, except the crooks and their stolen wealth.


Upon further reflection:

Krugman explains the entire faith-based fallacy of the GOP in one sentence:

"So if science says that we have a big problem that can’t be solved with tax cuts or bombs — well, the science must be rejected, and the scientists must be slimed."

That's what happens when one is sold on a solution that doesn't line up with the problem, from women's need to control their fertility, to climate change. Science starts with observation and works to a model and makes conclusions from it.

Idiots start with a gut feeling, and try to bend the world to fit.

[EVDebs]

6. Shhhh. The NSA is listening ! Gotta run. Hide the Almanacs ...

POTENTIAL TERRORIST USE OF ALMANACS
http://cryptome.org/fbi-almanacs.htm

They have lost their minds and shredded the Constitution.

[lolly]

7. Explains their hatred for Clinton, too

Actually, of both Bill and Hillary

They all thought they'd beaten him into submission when they found that silly blue dress.

All the networks were predicting he'd resign within the week. He was done, he could never stay in the presidency--they were all sooooo sure they'd won

But he stayed in and ended with fabulous approval ratings--their hatred exploded exponentially at that point.

[Tesha]

15. And by staying in the Presidency, he *ASSURED* that we'd have...

And by staying in the Presidency, he *ASSURED* that
we'd have President Bush and *NOT* President Gore.

We'd have been far better off if he'd resigned.

Tesha

[Kolesar]

21. So, the "blue dress" should have been the path to succession of a Gore presidency?

I don't think so.

[Tesha]

23. It would have been better than handing the keys to the White House...

It would have been better than handing the keys
to the White House to the Republicans on a silver
campaign issue.

Tesha

[Kolesar]

25. the 2000 race was *not* decided by the ejaculate-electorate ... eom

[Tesha]

27. An incumbent Al Gore would have been unbeatable. (NT)

[Kolesar]

28. He "met you halfway" by putting Joe Lieberman on the ticket

How did that work out?

[Tesha]

31. Again, I ask, "Who do you think I am?"

> He "met you halfway" by putting Joe Lieberman on the ticket

Again, I ask, "Who do you think I am?"

I despise Joe Lieberman and didn't think very kindly
of him in 2000, either!

Tesha

[dickbearton]

50. Tesha, you are confused...

The keys were not handed to the Criminal Bush, the keys were
stolen by the Criminal Republican Party.

[NashVegas]

24. That's Speculation, Not Fact

And if history is anything to go on (Nixon/Ford) it's also incorrect.

[Tesha]

32. The Nixon saga was quite different. Actual laws were broken. (NT)

[NashVegas]

36. Oh, Well That's Different, Then

PS - Al Gore Jr. *won* the 2000 election - without Bill Clinton stepping down.

[Tesha]

41. He won it by a small-enough margin to steal it right back.

This factoid (that Gore won) seems pretty damned irrelevant
seven years out. And if he really did win it, why was *NO
DEMOCRATIC SENATOR* willingto stand in the well of Senate
and support that concept when the Congressional Black Caucus
came calling?

Tesha

[flyarm]

9. cause their little scum bag murderer is hated worldwide..more so than Osama..

and Al Gore is loved and respected world wide..

haters live to hate..and they are pathetic haters!!

they are small sniveling losers..just like little lord pissy pants is..they know damn well he had to steal 2 elections..in order to fuck up the USA and the world!!

fly

[wtmusic]

10. They wouldn't be deranged if Al wasn't a potent force

S'all good. Derange away -- their blood pressure, not mine.

[TahitiNut]

11. "drives right-wingers insane?" That's not a drive. Not even a short putt.

It's a gimme. :shrug:

[dickbearton]

51. Exactly, you can't drive them insane, they are already insane. Right-wing nuts all.

[jpgray]

12. Krugman gets it. So does Somerby

Hopefully this spreads to the Washington press corps someday. Kit Seelye and Ceci Connelly will never understand, I'd wager.

[hfojvt]

43. I just read Somerby and he is complaining about Krugman

Okay, then I read Krugman and Weintraub and Gitlin before coming to DU.

I can see Somerby's complaint. Krugman claims that the hatred of Gore comes from "wanting to make Bush more legitimate as President" and he also claims it is partisan - Republican hatred of Gore.

What that misses is the war that started on Gore in 1999, and it was waged by alot of people, who supposedly are not even Republicans. It was waged by the So-Called Liberal Media - the New York Times, The Boston Globe, the Washington Post. It was even abetted by "The Nation". The motherfu$%ing Nation!!! Of all magazines! :wtf:

Alexander Cockburn wrote a piece sliming Gore in October of 2000, and Katrina waved it into print. Cockburn was still doing it about three months ago, when he trashed not only Gore, who he said was owned by the TVA, but also the very idea of global warming which he compared a fundamentalist religion.

As Somerby points out today and a month ago, even Bob Herbert, who is usually excellent and reliably liberal, took a turn at bashing Gore in October of 2000. So did our darling Arianna Huffington. Although she has switched sides, she still glosses over her own conduct in election 2000. Kit and Ceci will never "understand" because they are decorated veterans of the war on Gore. As that war was engaged in by a Confederacy of A$$holes, Kit and Ceci were probably awarded Medals of Honor by that Confederacy.

[road2000]

45. Bob Herbert Link?

Do you have a link to a Bob Herbert column bashing Gore? I don't recall that. I hate to think Herbert participated in the pile-on.

[hfojvt]

48. check today's Daily Howler. Somerby quotes it extensively

http://www.dailyhowler.com/

edit: okay, I guess you need the http

[Swamp Rat]

13. They fear Gore will run for president.

They know he would beat Hillary in the primaries and destroy the repuke candidate in the general election.

[laylah]

14. And I fear he won't

run. It is looking less likely every day. I hope I am wrong.

[JTFrog]

26. I agree.

[Cronus Protagonist]

40. Gore is "The One"

No kidding either. :P

[City Lights]

16. Krugman nails it again!

Thanks for posting!

[Supersedeas]

35. the OBL comparison works about everywhere else for the Neo-fascists

[spanone]

17. i live in tn. and the letters to the editor show how fucking ignorant some tennesseans are

[NashVegas]

18. I Was Out of Town When the News Came Down About the Nobel

Got back late last night, and this morning did a Google news search on 'al gore.'

Results came up with about a 9:1 ratio of anti-Gore editorials to news articles about the win.

What the fuck?

"Gore Derangement Syndrome," indeed.

[Az]

19. Gore speaks about responsibility and humanity

Two words that drive any good Corporatist into a frenzy. The mere idea of being responsible for one's actions is enough to do the job. But to add humanity into the mix going too far. Surely that is clear to any uncaring profit driven sociopath.

[gratuitous]

22. A terrific column

And while I don't think Gore drives these people nuts just by being correct, the Right just goes nuts as a matter of course. Krugman's depiction of Gore as the anti-Bush is spot on. Seven years after the Supreme Court stole the election of the president and handed the White House to the Republicans on the dubious legal premise that the constitutional right of paper ballots to equal treatment trumped voters' rights to have their votes counted, it's become clear that this was a disastrous slope, and our country has been slipping away ever since. The oligarchs truly fear the citizenry, and if we ever took to the streets as we should, they'd use up all their bullets eliminating their enemies, only to be overwhelmed in the end anyway.

[Javaman]

29. Like I always say, moron* is the anti-Gore. nt

[Elspeth]

30. Great article. Thank you for posting it.

Cheers

[in_cog_ni_to]

34. I LOVE the last paragraph of the article:

Which brings us to the biggest reason the right hates Mr. Gore: in his case the smear campaign has failed. He’s taken everything they could throw at him, and emerged more respected, and more credible, than ever. And it drives them crazy.

RUN, GORE, RUN! Drive them completely INSANE!:bounce:

[Iwillnevergiveup]

37. Yesterday I was reflecting on

how many people are so comfortable stating somewhat angrily, "Gore won't run." A friend and I were collecting petition signatures to get his name on the California primary ballot. We reminded them that Al Gore himself has not stated as such, and that we were trying to demonstrate to him that he has legions of supporters who would work for him, send him money and vote for him. Some said "O.K., I'll sign," others said, "No way." My friend and I wrote them off as Republicans.
And we'll keep on keepin' on!

[Martin Eden]

38. K&R for KRugman

Damn, he cuts right to the heart of it!

[ourbluenation]

39. Krugman nailed the gore-haters. This is EXACTLY what's going on.

:kick:

[wicket]

42. K & R

:kick:

[dogindia]

44. ray AL ray.

ray ray ray of hope. is that hurrraaayyyyy?

[codjh9]

46. He is SO correct, and the nuts are SO f-ing NUTS! n/t

[samsingh]

47. why does the right have such insane hatred of President Gore

who has humbled their bastard child bush?

[sweetladybug]

49. samsingh, the answer is simple. The right can not control Al Gore

Gore 2008!!!!!!!!

[Cronopio]

52. Reality drives right-wingers insane.

Gore speaks for reality and benefits from doing so in the long run, totally confounding their self-serving "our slime rules the universe" theory.

Right-wingers can't do anything about reality because it's too big for them, so they attack the spokesman out of spite.

Too bad for them.

[madrchsod]

53. it`s driving who ever runs "hillary is 44" nuts also...

http://www.hillaryis44.org/?p=286
Hillary Is 44 » Blog Archive » Hillary Clinton Al Gore Syndrome

http://www.hillaryis44.org/?p=282
Hillary Is 44 » Blog Archive » Al Gore’s Great Prize

"Krugman utterly failed in this latest column to tackle PINOs, Naderites, Big Blogs, and Big Media. He also failed to take on his fellow New York Times columnist Frank Rich. Recall Frank Rich’s recent column Is Hillary Clinton the New Old Al Gore?

http://www.hillaryis44.org/?p=286
Hillary Is 44 » Blog Archive » Hillary Clinton Al Gore Syndrome

[Ms. Clio]

56. kickin' it

"The Shrill One" ;-) nails it again, per usual.