His global warming documentary has got hit written all over it. He looked healthy at Cannes. People are saying he's making complex issues simple to understand and has the science to back it up.
It's a non-political issue, as he says, framing it as a moral issue. Every chance he can.
But then, while the other timid, leaderless Democrats have an opponent President at 29%, an opponent Congress that they best by double-digit percentage points, yet still seemed scared of their own shadow like little groundhogs to frightened to come out of their hole on their Special Day -- "No sunlight, please! We're scared little groundhogs!" -- here's Al Gore saying what's on all of our minds.
So now the Swiftboating begins, with more than one rightwing loonbag calling him a Nazi or Hitler or whatever they're fetishizing, in their down-is-up world they so desperately want us to believe in. That link is a really brilliant report from MSNBC's Countdown, that I think is crucial to see it right now because:
- First they ignore you (helps if you grow a beard)
- Then they laugh at you (like back in 2002 when he started giving brilliant speeches like this one)
- Then they fight you (here we are)
- And then you win.
Two things are significant.
#1: The battle has been enjoined.
Gore came out with a movie, the corrupt GOP rightwing scoundrels launched their first attacks. Just watch -- the more Gore continues to assert himself, the more they will attack, slime, try to undermine any devious way they can.
So if you think there's time, there isn't. The war is on, and now is not the time to equivocate in support of Gore or the honest goal of saving our whole planet for those who come after us. It's time to stand up to these lies, particularly the ones that paint Gore as less than truthful, and aver that Al Gore is an honest man, certainly as honest as you'll find at the level of politics he's played in his career.
Which leads me to significance #2:
It's Al-effin-Gore. Not Hillary Clinton or John Kerry or Harry Reid or Charles Schumer or Rahm Emmanuel or Mark Warner or Bill Clinton. Or even Howard Dean, although he's laying the groundwork for a 50 state strategy. Everyone has a part to play, but for the past six years no Democrat has played the part of leader, at least not convincingly.
Bush claims to be a leader, or Decider or whatever you are when 71% of your constituents do not approve of your current performance in office and you act like it's their problem.
Gore doesn't waste time making insecure claims, he just leads. He's been out in front on the Iraq debacle, BushCheneyCo fiscal insanity, attack on the Constitution, NSA/FISA criminality, and now the biggest threat to earth. I mean, which guy would you want to have defending us from alien invasion? Bush? In a spacesuit?
I'm hoping Gore eventually runs, but that if he does he times it right and doesn't jump the gun just because people like me want some assurance that he will.
Al's genius is that he's done a classic Dick Tracy move. Tracy would prepare, sure, corner the outlaws, but you would never, ever, fire a preemptive shot. That's dirty, what the bad guys do.
This was the myth mid-20th Century America grew up with, the honor threshold for being a good guy. It made sure that when you used violence, all other avenues had truly been exhausted.
At the heart of it, that's our original sin in Iraq. It's not a matter of how the war was "managed", it was never a good idea. Even if you think you might have gotten away with it -- it was never moral.
So, the opposite of Crazy Pistol George, Al has put himself out there boldly and drawn fire. And sure enough, those idiots started shooting.
But like Tracy, this time Al's prepared. His shield is that he isn't running for anything. So when they attack him, they attack science (which we already know they often reject). They attack reality. They attack morality.
Like I said, they're not planning to stop. Imagine Al actually throwing his hat in the ring, what kind of ammo do you think they'll eventually try?
Al Gore, reborn as true moral compass, has lit the fuse, been fired upon and, from hereon out, sides will be drawn.
It's alive.
6 comments:
Outstanding post my friend. I'll have to link to this one tonight. Like you I feel split about Gore running in that I absolutely want him to however am torn about wanting the assurance of him announcing and the strategist says he should wait until the crescendo hits a roar.
It's just clear that no one else is either able or willing to lead, at least not on that level.
I should have proofread my comment but I think you understood what I was getting at. It's obvious that "elections" are starting earlier each time and it now feels like we've hit the point where "waiting" for anything no longer makes sense. This is not about elections anymore. It has literally become a mission to save our country and civilization from the darkest, most corrupting forces within itself.
I'm not in a position to tell Al what the best strategy is for him. But I know what it is for me now. Whether he's decided or not, I have. I'm going to support any and all efforts to put him BACK in the White House where he belongs.
I'm actually optimistic because Gore is the adult now and clearly has some internal strategy going on, whether he runs or not, and the green platform can't be realistically hijacked by the GOP after so many years of abuse. Unless Bush or Frist makes a credible environmental movie that earns $70k/screen its first weekend out, these guys got nada, especially as all that greenery is antithetical to their corruptors.
Keep in mind, that of all the potential candidates, Gore, should he decide to throw his sunshade in the ring, will be the one of only two candidates to ever have run and lost a presidential campaign. Like Kerry, he's been dragged through the muck before. Yet, here he is, probably the most potent non-candidate there is. We all know that the Repubs will try their best to drag him down... but they already did that, he not only survived, but he technically won. What more can they throw at him that they haven't already?
I'm with Slick on this one. It was like trying to recycle Geroge Bush drug use and drunk driving arrests in 2004 -- that horse had already paraded by and no one cared to see it again!
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