It's time we praise Al Gore

Yes, he would have been a great president.

Hard to endear yourself to people with those lizard eyes tho.

Tipper? I hardly know her!

I never forgave him for divorcing Leslie.

R3--you're brilliant. (I was about to say the same thing!)

R4. It’s my Democratic Party, and I’ll cry if I want to. And I’ll want to if we don’t get our act together to defeat the right wing nut jobs. I’m just saying……….

Shortly after 9/11, I recall anonymous Democratic figures being cited in mainstream reporting as being thankful that Gore was not president.

R7, if they were anonymous, how do you know they were really Democrats?

^ Well, it was in the NYT. I doubt their reporters were misrepresenting their sources in an effort to promote Bush.

We'd never have gone to Iraq- or Afghanistan, for that matter- if he had won in 2000. In fact 911 would never have even happened, since it was Bush/Cheney who instigated it.

Interesting verb there, r10. 'Instigated' - he, he.

The tinfoil hats are out tonight.

R7 Wow what an insightful statistic

Here ya go, [R.11] in·sti·gate /ˈinstəˌɡāt/ verb past tense: instigated; past participle: instigated bring about or initiate (an action or event). "they instigated a reign of terror" Similar: set in motion put in motion get under way get going get off the ground get in operation start begin initiate launch institute lay the foundations of lay the first stone of sow the seeds of set up inaugurate found establish put in place organize get working get functioning activate trigger off set off spark off inspire foment kindle stir up whip up actuate generate cause bring about start/get/set the ball rolling kick off commence Opposite: halt incite someone to do something, especially something bad.

r14, that sounds like LIHOP (Let It Happen on Purpose). It was MIHOP (Make it happen on purpose).

9/11 wouldn't have happened because Gore knew about the threat Osama Bin Laden posed. While the Clinton Administration gave that info to the Bush Administration, Conde ignored it.

We would have been further in trying to prevent climate change

He likely would've been a one-termer. A combination of his Carter-like, dour personality, & the fact that, like GHW Bush, there would've been one party in the presidency for 12 years in '04. Would the republicans have given W another chance, thinking the '00 election had been stolen, or would they have regarded the Bushes as unredeemable losers?

[quote]R9: I doubt their reporters were misrepresenting their sources in an effort to promote Bush.

It's not entirely impossible. And sources have been known to misrepresent themselves to reporters.

Even assuming truthfulness all around, though, there's still anomalies. Take Joe Manchin, for instance. Identifies as a Democrat, holds contrarian conservative views; often sides with Republicans.

He wasn't perfect but the mainstream media attacks on him were unrelenting and absolutely vile. NYT, WaPo, the entire dc media were like a bunch of deranged jackals. Well they got what they wanted I guess.

R9 you realize the NYT lied about Iraq in order to promote the war right? Anything is possible.

R9 should research Judith Miller and her role in promoting the WMD lies.

[quote] He made the world wake up to the reality of climate change/

From his private jet.

Bush enjoyed immense support in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. Not hard to believe that many Democrats, albeit on background, might have thought Bush was best suited for the moment.

R23 And yacht, and multiple mansions, etc. His lifestyle of a James Bond villain contradicts his climate activism.

[quote]R24: Bush enjoyed immense support in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. Not hard to believe that many Democrats, albeit on background, might have thought Bush was best suited for the moment.

Neither R7 nor anyone else on this thread has put forth any evidence for his claim.

[quote]R25: And yacht, and multiple mansions, etc. His lifestyle of a James Bond villain contradicts his climate activism.

No it doesn't, R25. And it's funny how you'll let everyone else with those kinds of properties pass, but somehow it makes Al Gore a "Bond villain." Kind of histrionic on your part, don't you think? Besides, none of that has any bearing on the fact of climate change or our need to combat its causes.

[quote] Neither [R7] nor anyone else on this thread has put forth any evidence for his claim.

Doubt me all you wish, but I am - & have long been - a dedicated newspaper consumer. I once had a mentor who told me that serious people read the NYT & I have been a longtime subscriber. In all likelihood, what I noted reading was in the pages of the NYT.

W cheated, Al won.

Ralph Nader siphoned off just enough votes in Florida to make the state a so-called "Toss-up". Without Nader, Gore would have won handily.

[quote] Ralph Nader siphoned off just enough votes in Florida to make the state a so-called "Toss-up". Without Nader, Gore would have won handily.

But what about all the old Floridians who thought they were voting for James, not Pat, Buchanan?!

[quote]R7/R27: Doubt me all you wish, but I am - & have long been - a dedicated newspaper consumer.

Then you shouldn't have any difficulty providing citations.

[quote]I once had a mentor who told me that serious people read the NYT & I have been a longtime subscriber. In all likelihood, what I noted reading was in the pages of the NYT.

The JFK (1991) thread has underscored some issues with the NYT, particularly its tendency to editorialize/propagandize on behalf of conservative causes.

He has the charisma of a piece of toast.

[quote] Then you shouldn't have any difficulty providing citations.

From a circa '01 newspaper article? Are you serious?!

9/11 wouldn't have happened if we had a President Gore in 2001. Dubya was out golfing and reading My Pet Goat to children, and Condi was just plain incompetent. Richard Clarke said repeatedly there were red flag warnings all over the place that an attack was imminent.

It blows my mind with some Americans and their amnesia--they've forgotten all of this and continue to vote for Republicans. I guess Trump was repulsive enough to get some of them to wake up, but still...

He ran the worst Presidential campaign ever. He could have won easily by campaigning with Clinton who exited the office - despite the GOP's machinations and obsessions with his blow job - with the highest approval ratings ever. But no, prudish Prince Albert wanted nothing to do with that adulterer. Then he and his wife divorced.

[quote] 9/11 wouldn't have happened if we had a President Gore in 2001.

Would 2/26 have happened if we had a President Gore in 1993?

R35, Clinton had very high public approval ratings, but his personal approval ratings were very low. Hence Gore's VP selection of Joe Lieberman - Clinton's biggest in-party critic. The Gore people have said since 2000 that their internal polls showed that Clinton was a big drag on the ticket.

The only good thing about Gore losing in 2000 is that we didn't wind up with a Vice President Joe Lieberman.

I was definitely attracted to him when he was younger...

I told ya! I told ya! I told ya we were gettin' hot! You believed me not!

He’s the best. Truly fucked over in 2000–mainly by Clinton. I love Clinton but his antics tanked Gore. We would be living in a much different world if Gore had been elected.

R37 "the Gore people have said since 2000..." Of course they have because those assholes lost a campaign they should have won by a mile.

Picking Lieberman as his Veep was another sign Al had the worst campaign team evah. His campaign manager was Donna Brazile...

[Quote] And yacht, and multiple mansions, etc. His lifestyle of a James Bond villain contradicts his climate activism.

So, thus, climate change must not really exist!!! —Or so the GOP jumped to conclude.

In actuality, as Gore testified to Congress, he bought carbon credits and offsets for all his carbon use.

Also, does anyone really expect him to cross the Atlantic in a sail boat? Unfortunately other practical non carbon using transport methods dont yet exist

R43 people level the same accusations at Greta Thunberg lol. it's like what's she gonna do get in a dinghy to paddle to summits

[Quote] Picking Lieberman as his Veep was another sign Al had the worst campaign team evah.

It made sense at the time because Lieberman was seen as moral as opposed to Clinton

The media had it out for him, they're responsible for Bush II. Even "liberal" journalists like Mo Dowd wrote *scathing* critiques of him. He sighed a lot; big deal. He wore too much makeup; big deal. He was like a schoolmarm; big deal.

It didn't make sense at the time R45; he lost. And not campaigning with Clinton and on Clinton's record was a factor in his loss. Bill Clinton was a very popular president and remained so even after impeachment.

Lieberman was and is a crypto-Republican. Picking him was a blunder; it didn't take a single vote from W. but it sure kept a lot of Dems home on Election Day.

Gore, like LBJ, had trouble being his real self in public. That contrasted greatly with Bush. It has been said that, in private, Gore was much more like the public Clinton, while the private Clinton was much more like the public Gore.

Your first paragraph represents a very ahistorical understanding, R47. Despite his high job approval ratings, Clinton was personally held in very low regard; Gore’s internal polling showed him to be a great drag on the ticket.

[Quote] It didn't make sense at the time [R45]; he lost. And not campaigning with Clinton and on Clinton's record was a factor in his loss. Bill Clinton was a very popular president and remained so even after impeachment

While Clinton may have had a high rating, one of ten factors that won Bush the presidency was his insistence that he was being morality back to the WH. Gore made a miscalculation separating himself from Clinton but it’s a miscalculation only understandable in retrospect. At the time, it felt like a good idea because Clinton was bruised by the Monica Lewinsky bullshit

I knew that polls were being made up by parties when the GOP announced a poll that apparently women found GWB more handsome than Gore.

That was BS and every single one of my female friends knew it

GWB was a drunken incompetent who served as a stooge for evil Cheney et al. On 9/11 we were attacked by Saudi backed terrorists and in response we invaded and destroyed Iraq. Iraq had no WMDs (and they knew that) and had nothing to do with 9/11 causing the snake pit Iran seems to be exploiting today.

I don't believe any of this would have happened if Gore had been elected.

America votes for stupid people when it votes GOP—Reagan, GWB, Trump.

For Dems, American demands brilliance—Clinton, Obama.

WTF??

I'm good with Joe, R53, but brilliant he is not.

That cunt wife of his was enough not to vote for him.

R43, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, However, the belief that mankind can actually control Mother Nature is a narcissistic one. That’s where the problems start. Climate has always shifted. There is A LOT of money in environmentalism. Countries like China are never going to change their ways. So while you’re there living like a homeless person to fight climate change, the rest of the world will continue doing what it’s doing. Life is short. Many of the ideas to fight climate change end up hurting the environment in other ways. You’re better off living your life and dropping the morally superior act, which is what it is - virtue signaling. Let us know when you’ve driven up all your electronic devices.

Going Green always ends up hurting the poor while the rich, who have their Going Green bumperstickers on their cars, get catered to.

[Quote] I'm good with Joe, [R53], but brilliant he is not.

He has, however, turned out to be among the most productive presidents in history