Talking Points on the Gore Pseudo-Scandal (Great debunking tips!)

[NYCGirl]

From the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-roberts/talking-points-on-the-gor_b_42335.html

The author of the piece sets up some good talking points for us to use the next time the right-wing gasbags pull the Gore energy bill piece out of their asses:

But just to keep a public record, here are the talking points I shared with him. Feel free to borrow them for your own encounters with media or family and friends:

* It's nice to see the conservative media taking the message of conservation and energy efficiency seriously. Hopefully they will hold their own leaders and readers to the same high standards.
* The Tennessee Tax Dept. does not consider the "Tennessee Center for Policy Research," which roughly no one had heard of before this, a legitimate group. It's run by a long-time right-wing attack hack, and its only registered address is a P.O. box. Why is everyone in the media taking what it says about Gore's electricity use at face value?
* Gore's electricity company has no record of being contacted about his bills.
* The "average" home electricity use quoted by TCPR is a national average that includes apartments and mobile homes. In Gore's climatic zone, the East South Central (Dept. of Energy PDF), the average is much higher, thanks to hot, humid summers and cold winters. Within that zone, Gore's usage is three (not 20) times average, and his per-square-foot usage is squarely average. (More here.)
* The Gores are not an average family. He's an ex-VP with special security arrangements, and has live-in security staff. He and his wife both work on their many business and charitable undertakings out of their house, so they have space for offices and office staff. All that would be tough to cram in an average size house.
* Gore buys the maximum allowable green electricity from the program offered by his utility.
* Most of the electricity in TN comes from hydro and nuclear, and so doesn't generate all that much CO2 anyway.

[Horse with no Name]

1. Great job!

:thumbsup:

[Aviation Pro]

2. Again....

...the only thing the vast right wing attack machine knows how to do is, well, attack. They obfuscate every issue in their headlong desire to be the first to death's and hell's finish line.

[MethuenProgressive]

3. k&r

[Spiffarino]

4. Excellent post

Every time I get an email about Gore's supposed "hypocrisy" on global warming, I'll gratefully pass all of these along.

K&R!

[NYCGirl]

5. I think the first point is really good — oh, I didn't realize that the right wing

took such an interest in the environment...good for you! (said with great innocence).

[johnaries]

6. #1Talking Point - Gore uses 100% Green (renewable) electricity.

His electricity is 100% Green Power Switch offered by Nashville Electric Service, which means ALL of his electricity comes from solar, wind, and methane.

http://www.tva.gov/greenpowerswitch/

Does your electric company offer Green Power Switch? Demand it!

[NYCGirl]

7. It's there:

"Gore buys the maximum allowable green electricity from the program offered by his utility."

[ms liberty]

8. K&R - and off to the Greatest Page with you!

excellent points wrapped in one concise package. Thanks!

[DRoseDARs]

9. His last point about TN's energy is patently false. He only looked at the numbers of plants...

...not how much electricity they produce.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/st_profiles/tennessee.html

Table 5 shows the break up of what sources they have and how much percentage of total output they produce. As of 2004, coal had 58%, nuclear had 30%, and alternatives rounded out the rest.

[NYCGirl]

10. Kick