Gore can't save us.

[Evoman]

I don't think many people here GET the huge problem global warming is. It is not a "let's cut car emissions a little" problem. It's not a "stop using gas for a day" problem. It's not a "lets picket corporations problem". It's a "we have to completely change our economy, our philosphophy of life, and standards of life" problem.

Look, I like Al Gore. I think he is a hell of a man. I think the work he is doing is very important. But he is just one man. And one man can't lead, if others don't follow. And it is quite clear to me that Americans are NOT ready to REALISTICALLY follow him or any other environmental leader.

I already discussed this in another thread, but I don't even believe Gore would last past one term even if he was elected. Shift your focus for a second to Jimmy "wear a sweater" Carter. The man makes one suggestion, a suggestion that is easy to do and actually makes sense, and he was skewered. Al Gore, if he did what we need him to do, would be asking you to do a hell of a lot more than just wear a fucking sweater. Are you ready to give up your material goods? Are you ready to give up your cars, lawnmowers, air-conditioning, and comfortably warm homes? What sort of excuses are you ready to give me? You think that just because you recycle a little, that your doing enough. Nope, not even close. And if Gore made you do these things, would you defend him? Or would you chase him down with your gas-guzzling car along side the republicans? Let's face it folks...none of us are ready for the changes we have to make (and I include myself in everything I'm saying). And when we will be ready, it's going to be too late. It may already be too late.

Gore might make a fairly good president, just like many of the other candidates would make good presidents. But to expect any man to singlehandedly change America is asinine. Unless we are ready to make a change, and not attack the man who makes us give concessions, Gore can't save us.

[Cronus Protagonist]

1. Albert Gore is THE ONE

He can't save us but he can lead us to freedom.

[Swamp Rat]

2. NeoGore is "The One!"

:D

[Evoman]

3. Lol...dammit, I'm trying to make a point here.

[Cronus Protagonist]

4. So are we

:P

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Cronus Protagonist]

14. It ain't my fault you're breaking DU rules

I am most certainly not a dunce, and you reveal yourself more than you achieve the denigration of others with your ad hominem.

How quickly one reaches the lowest level of discourse is a measure of one's vocabulary, the depth of one's debating skills and the vacuity of the point. It only took you about two sentences to resort to an ad hominem attack. History will be the judge of who is the dunce.

[Evoman]

18. It was a joke, man.

I didn't mean anything by it. I apologize if you were hurt.

[Cronus Protagonist]

22. I'm not hurt, it just wasn't funny or even amusing

If I call you out and put a smiley face on it, would it be funny to you?

[Evoman]

28. Again, I apologize.

I wasn't trying to call you out, seeing as how my faux pas didn't even HAVE a point. I'm sorry.

[lame54]

35. I agree

draftgore.com - sign the petition

watch this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0Nnph3zkHNw

[Richard D]

5. I disagree

Things will only get more intense over the next few years, and soon, hopefully, people en mass will recognize that our way of life is the problem and needs to be changed. We desperately need someone who can stand up to this and help lead American and the world to a new way of being rather than just get us into endless resource wars.

[Evoman]

8. I think your seriously over-estimating the people.

[Richard D]

10. Right now

Yes. When things really fall apart, I think we'll see people willing to change. I hope so anyway.

[kestrel91316]

30. I think we are gonna see a lot of angry people whose sense of entitlement

is gonna be offended. It won't be pretty.

Remember, the American Way Of Life (TM) is not negotiable. Unka Dick sez so.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. No, he won't.

But he might make things less bad, or delay the inevitable. Give us enough time where are air-conditioning and our cars won't contribute to make things any worse. And he's got a better shot then anybody else out there. Fighting global warming's a good fight, even if it's a losing fight.

And I'm not going to give in to these pricks who pretended global warming wasn't happening, then said it was too late to do anything once it was too obvious to deny it any more.

[Evoman]

9. Fair enough.

I'm not saying that people shouldn't try to elect the guy. I'm just trying to make people realize the truth of our predicament. And that is that not only is the environment going to shits, but very few of us want to hear what we will have to give up to delay the worst.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

13. The Presidency of the United States of America, despite its recent misuse...

is still the single most powerful position in the world, and thus the logical choice for its occupant is the man most capable of using it to fight the most dire threat the world faces.

[0007]

11. I don't think anyone is looking for a savior. All Gore is trying to do

is to make everyone aware of the drastic situation that's right around the corner and to make the most of what we have to work with.

[Evoman]

15. I despair, 0007, because I don't think people WANT to be aware of the drastic situation.

Or if they are, they don't want to actually be told what they have to do to fix it. And I'm afraid that, in the case of Al Gore, people will want to kill the messenger.

[0007]

33. Your right on the money!

[debbierlus]

12. No, Gore can't save us. But, he can LEAD us like no other.

Gore is the ONLY one who will put Global Warming at the front & center of the Presidency. He is the only one who address every
issue within his administration through the lens of Global Warming. And, THAT is the best shot the world has....

DRAFT GORE 08!

[Labors of Hercules]

36. That's precisely why

So many people want him in the White House. Because he will make hard decisions and take action noone else is willing to take.

[DearAbby]

16. Leadership strength of character...He will do the best he can

because he is a good man (better human being). I dont expect a god, I just want good, strong, honest leadership...Al Gore is the one.

[Warren DeMontague]

17. Frankly, the people who say we have to all move into yurts and abandon modernity don't help, either.

Even if such a thing were practical- or desirable- that is NOT what is required, here. What is required is FORWARD thinking solutions. We need 21st century answers to our energy needs- the problem is, we're stuck with 20th century answers, and there are large vested interests who are profiting mightily off of them.

We need to figure out sustainable, ecologically friendly ways to power our shit. Arguing that "our shit" needs to just "go away" is fucking ludicrous, and frankly, when people go on about how everyone needs to "give up your material goods", I suspect they're shelling for a completely different socio-political agenda, and dressing it up in environmentalism. Tell people that the only way they can save the Earth is to junk their car, burn all their posessions, quit their job and wear underwear made out of recycled car tires is a sure way to get people to tune right the fuck out. Like PETA members who pretend that the answer to global warming is for everyone to stop eating meat. You're hijacking a real problem to try to advance a completely different agenda, like the fantasy of some non-material utopia.

Not gonna happen. The changes "we" have to make are large, no question about it- but in large part they include SCIENTIFIC, TECHNOLOGICAL answers to our energy needs- not vague fantasies that we're all going to move back into caves.

[Evoman]

21. Fair point.

But there are changes that are in the future, and there are changes we need to make now. Your right in that we need to find techonological solution if we want to keep current standards of living...but in order to do that, some sacrifices will have to be made. The problem is that things are getting real bad, real fast. What do you propose we do while we work towards providing these technological solutions. Continue as we are now?

[kestrel91316]

31. Ah.........a cornucopian, I see.....

We don't need a new way to power "our shit". We need to give up a lot of our shit. This hyperconsumptive lifestyle is UNSUSTAINABLE. Period.

[Uncle Joe]

19. Well that leaves only one other alternative, everybody should just lay down and die.

Yes Al Gore is only one person and he can't do it alone, but the Presidency is only one job, that being the case, why wouldn't you want the best qualified person for the powerful job in the land to effect change. No one will carry Al Gore's stature or commitment to that one job, that at the very least will give humanity a fighting chance.

One other difference, Jimmy Carter won his Nobel Peace Prize for bringing about peace between Israel and Egypt, not the environment, Al Gore's is specifically for this reason.

[Evoman]

23. Lol...not a bad solution at all. Couldn't hurt.

[JackORoses]

20. Just imagine if we hadn't wasted the last 8 years blowing things up

What a difference Al could have made.

He will make a difference now.

We are running out of time.

[Evoman]

24. True, true.

[Milo_Bloom]

25. No, he can't, which is why he needs the power of government behind him.

Global warming is such a big issue ONLY government can solve it.

Al Gore, Richard Branson, Warren Buffet... they matter, but not enough on their own, they need government behind them or working for them to get things done.

Al Gore has been very sucessful in tying the Global Warming topic TO national security. Do you not believe that this is a reality that most Americans (24%ers excluded of course) can latch onto? This is the most effective argument to get Americans to help take action... not only are we solving the climate crisis, BUT we are also protecting ourselves by reducing our dependence on foreign oil, cleaning up our food supply.


"FACTORY" farming is one of the leading causes of global warming gases, it is also the reason our food supply is so friggen F'ed up.

Can you see the "nostalgia" style pitch? "Remember a time you could have a rare hamburger?" "Remember when you didn't have to obsessively wash every piece of fruit"? This is all a result of shoddy conditions in factory farms, which also result in global warming gasses. 2 birds, 1 stone. You can get people behind it, because you appeal to them on a self-ish level. "Yeah, I can't get a rare burger anymore".. ya know why? There's shit in the meat!!!

People ARE ready for the changes, they just have to see the advantages of them in a different light, beyond just stopping radical climate change.

[closeupready]

26. Personally, I DO think it's too late.

Even if we were willing to change, China and other developing countries would rush in to pick up the slack for fossil fuels and other resources to consume. I try not to be pessimistic about it, but that's just how I see it.

[joshcryer]

27. Green Capitalism = Very Effective

Many many problems associated with the environment could be fixed with green capitalism, quickly, and profitably.

[Evoman]

29. Yes, another poster made a similar point.

And I do think it's a good point. But it's takes change, and risk, to do these things...and seeing how unfriendly the media and politics in general is to the changes, and the amount of influence they carry, I frankly don't have the hope that many do.

[ladjf]

32. Well, at least he is intelligent and isn't a crook.

[stlsaxman]

34. It is a question of priorities...

Which of two monumental problems do we solve first- The Climate Crisis or The Constitutional Crisis?

Gore has done/is doing miraculous work in regards the prior. He is also the only one addressing the latter.

So it's a question of priorities- do we let America fall in order save The Planet or do we restore the rule of law, making us once again strong enough to lead the way to solving the climate crisis?