Would Al Gore rather be rich than president?

[FreeStateDemocrat]

WEALTH
Following His Green Dream
By Tony Dokoupil and David A. Kaplan | NEWSWEEK
Nov 26, 2007 Issue

Al Gore just won a Nobel Prize for teaching the world to think green, but he's also showing he knows a thing or two about another kind of green: money. Since 2000, according to published reports, the former veep has transformed himself from a public servant with around $1 million in the bank to a sparkling private consultant with a net worth estimated to be north of $100 million. He's a senior adviser to Google, a board member at Apple and now a newly minted general partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the Silicon Valley venture-capital firm that made billions investing early in Netscape, Amazon and Google.

Gore has pledged to hand over his KP "salary" to Alliance for Climate Protection, a nonprofit he chairs. But the gift is more symbolic than material. Gore's salary—his cut of the 2 percent "management fee" that KP partners get on all investments—is typically a sliver of the total compensation that VCs receive. If Gore's profit-sharing deal is anything like the firm's other 23 partners, he's also in line to collect tens of millions of dollars a year. That's because partners carve up 30 percent of the profits if and when the alternative-energy start-ups that KP supports go public or are sold. (Kleiner Perkins declined to comment on Gore's compensation, but his communications director, Kalee Kreider, confirmed that he plans to donate only his "guaranteed income" to charity.) Should Gore's prospecting unearth a clean-energy gold mine the size of Google—which earned billions for KP partners—his share of the loot could make him U.S. history's richest ex-veep. Emphasis on "ex": Gore's relationship with KP is perhaps the strongest signal yet that his days in politics are over. The firm is notoriously secretive about its finances, and it's unlikely that KP would strike a deal with Gore if the association could subject the firm to public scrutiny. And anyway, with the kind of money Gore stands to make, why run for president?

http://www.newsweek.com/id/71011

[polichick]

1. Gore was elected president and the country screwed him over...

How can anyone blame him for moving on ~ for finding another way to further his cause?

[bighart]

13. your two assertations are mutually exclusive.

If he was elected president, then how did the "country" screw him over?

[polichick]

14. imo the country screwed him over by standing silent when...

...the Supreme Court made a completely political decision. We elected him, knew that what was happening was wrong, but felt powerless to stop it. I'm not trying to be too hard on us ~ but it makes sense that Gore wouldn't want to go that route again, with the system still as corrupt as it is.

[Deja Q]

2. It's easier to do, and his customers helped him get there.

:shrug:

[yellowcanine]

3. Why does everyone think they know what motivates Al Gore? Most people don't

even know themselves well enough to know why they do the things they do. Why do people assume they know what is going on inside Al Gore's head?

[Crabby Appleton]

12. I agree nt

[Al Federfer]

4. Who wouldn't? n/t

[Tuesday Afternoon]

5. 2 questions = 2 answers

Would Al Gore rather be rich than president? Who wouldn't? :D

And anyway, with the kind of money Gore stands to make, why run for president?
Altruistic nature of the man, kindness of his heart, pride in himself, honor and glory of serving his fellow countrymen. :patriot:

[peacetalksforall]

10. I'm starting to resign myself to the idea that he may be able to do

enough for the planet in the path he seems to be taking.

I haven't read about the company he has signed up with - I don't want to be disappointed in involvements they might have that follow the same old corruption. I'm terribly disappointed in reports about Google's cooperation in spying.

I think he is altruistic and could have been persuaded - but one great gift, imo, is that the filthy, manipulative corporate networks won't be as eager to accuse of him of wearing the wrong colors, his neck, his weight, and the lies about his lies.

Corporate networks went to the depths of taste, manners, American generosity, and Repbulican filth in their coverage of him. But, to them, he was more than 'fair game'. They crapped all over a decent person, because they have NO MORALS and HIGH OR AMERICAN STANDARDS FOR THEMSELVES.

The depths of Republicanism in this country knew and knows no bounds of decency.

[Virginia Dare]

6. Why couldn't he be both?

most of them are these days.

[Amanita]

7. This is obviously a false choice as the current administration amply proves

At least Gore doesn't have to use the government to put money in his pockets.

[Frosty1]

8. K K K Karl is that you?

:wtf:

[Bobbieo]

9. I'm glad Al Gore is not running for president.. Just look at the slime

some DUers are slready throwing at him!!!! Al is ome smart man and my favorite American

[hisownpetard]

11. It's not an 'either/or' situation: you can be rich AND president - e.g. Bush, Bush, Clinton, Kennedy

et al. In fact, it's more the norm than the exception. In the current scheme of things,
can anyone who is not a multimillionaire even dream of becoming president? Not likely.

So why did you choose to frame your question that way? I just don't see the point.