well what do you know...the utility company DENIES EVER PROVIDING GORE'S UTILITY BILLS!!!

[ourbluenation]

to that right wing smear group....

...But electric company spokeswoman Laurie Parker said the utility never got a request from the policy center and never provided them with any information.

Parker said Gore has been purchasing the "green power" for $432 a month since November. The Gore home is also under renovation to add solar panels, Kreider said.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17369241/

[ourbluenation]

1. so just where in the hell did they get their information...it's all BS!

sonsobitches

[murray hill farm]

24. This is all a ploy to convince Gore not to run.

hit him head on with the worse possible shit...it is just to let him know NOT to run if he knows what is good for him...it is how they play the game, BUT...it also lets us all know how really terrified they are of him...how all out frightened they all are of him.

[exlrrp]

52. How much is Cheney's utility bill?

One of the many things that continue to piss me off about this legless story is that they only looked up Gore's bill and then comapred it to a family of 4. Gore is being savaged for having a big house and nothing more--something the Repuiblicans do in spades.
You'd think simple basic journalism would require other peoples bills, with similar houses to be looked up but no, the "Tennessee Center For Policy Research" didn't want to do that, nor the Tennessean either.
How much is Cheney's Bill? How much is Limbaugh's bill? How much is Hannity's bill? They all have expensive houss with large security arrangements.
The Republicans are, once again, accusing others of things they do themselves but are not honest enough to admit.

[Hamlette]

58. Cheney's bill is $186,000 per year. It was a big story summer of 2001.

Which of course doesn't matter because republicans don't care about being hypocrites and they believe living in a fact based world is for suckers.

[progressivebydesign]

68. You're kidding! OMG.. how BIG is that house Cheney has? n/t

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

71. You can see it right here.

[Kermitt Gribble]

83. !!!

You just made me laugh out loud in the middle of class!

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

89. Sorry about that

:evilgrin:

[wordpix]

87. hahahahaha! good one!

[DefenseLawyer]

74. Cheney heats his house with crude oil

poured straight from the barrel on to burning piles of coal.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

76. I thought he used baby blood to power his house

[Lurking Dem]

79. I actually buy it from Tipper

to make my matzoh.

[laylah]

82. And, to add insult to injury,

it is OUR money paying that (Cheney's) freak's utility bills!

Jenn

[wordpix]

86. obviously they get their info from Cheney's office---it's as "good" as the Iraq War intel

[librechik]

2. well, did Drew just make it up? Did he steal stuff from Gore's garbage?

Thanks for checking on that, MSNBC!

[ourbluenation]

3. MSNBC lifted the story from AP

[mahatmakanejeeves]

7. When you take it from the trash, it's not stealing.

.

[Straight Shooter]

9. Just taking a guess, here, but Gore probably shreds and recycles all paper.

Taking another guess, he probably pays his bills online and receives no paper utility bill. I haven't gotten a paper bill from Pacific Power in over a year.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

12. It's easier and less stinky than that.

All you need is one person with the right computer/server/network access and you got those bills.

Now, how hard do you think it would be to find someone to do this, in Tenn.?

[SoCalDem]

65. Bingo.. an "insider" peeked at Gore's account.. There needs to be an investigation

to find out WHO downloaded his 2 year history. That's a lot of information to "accidentally" come across..

I hope Al's people jump on this with both feet and OUT these slimy bastards..

If it's no big deal, then I want to know what other "famous" people spend on their utilities too :)

[exlrrp]

77. Here's where it came from

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/2/27/191256/394
Who Really Launched the Gore Hit Piece? Time to Boycott...
The Tennessean, that's who--Nashville's daily. When I wrote local NPR radio to complain about the local news reading a wire version of the story, one of my main complaints was that they shouldn't be spreading the spin of the conservative nuts at the Tennessee Policy Research Center, who were widely credited with starting the story. The e-mail response (quoted below the fold) I got told the real story - that it was the Tennessean that requested the Gore energy numbers and were running with the story, and was responsible for involving the TPRC....

....According to NES, the Tennessean requested the usage history in January, and prior to today, it was the only entity - media or otherwise- to request the Gore's electricity bill....
...
Where this all starts to get gnarly is this - the Tennessean chose to ask the TCPR its opinion. That story ran in the paper this morning...The TCPR, having been asked about the usage numbers, sends out its own press release. Bloggers start writing and the Drudge Report gets involved. So on the one hand, you have a valid story written by a journalist (Tennessean) out there this morning...and then you have the spin from a conservative "think tank" sent out yesterday afternoon.....
...
As for the Gore's NES bill, under the Tennessee Public Records Act, T.C.A. 10-7-503, 504, and 506, any Tennessee citizen can request a payment history, bill history, and usage history of an address.

[librechik]

88. thx,ex!

[muntrv]

4. Let's compare carbon emmissions. Gore wins that in a landslide over

the repukes.

[MoseyWalker]

5. Kick

because this type of thing continues to piss me off, though I should be used to it.

Not your post! The swiftboat liar contingent who roam everywhere seeking to disseminate disinformation.

[ourbluenation]

8. Me too Mosey - it pisses me off no end but in the end of the day it may

work against them - who the hell would believe anything they say now?

[Pirate Smile]

6. I think they provided them to a newspaper and the idiot newspaper

went to the group to request a comment, then the group put out a press release.

I just read that somewhere. I'll try to back track to where I read it.

[bluescribbler]

80. Yep, that's probably what happened

But it seems as if they didn't bother to ask Al Gore about it until it became a big media brouhaha. :puke: :argh:

[ourbluenation]

10. I'm just soooo pissed off about this...we HAVE to make a giant stink about this.

and found out where they got their info.

[Berry Cool]

14. Keith Olbermann is your friend.

He had a story on this. Said it was (prepare to be shocked) a right-wing organization behind this. Not shocking to his viewers!

To add: Keith pointed out that the house has 20 rooms, two home offices, a guest house and special security measures, and that the Gores purchase energy from renewable sources. He also said his show confirmed with the local utility company that their electricity costs them more as a result--in fact, by their calculations, the Gores chose to have a 50% higher energy bill in order to reduce their carbon footprint. Also, the utility told them that some smaller homes consume just as much energy as the Gore house.

[ourbluenation]

16. that is understood, but that right wing group provided his bills as proof of

Gores' hypocrisy (whatever). The utility says it never provided them...where and how did these fluckers get their info? Is it even accurate?

[Berry Cool]

25. Yeah, I elaborated on what his story said

but it didn't go into how they got the bills. Maybe they were indeed voluntarily provided in some other way. But boy, they were sure misinterpreted if they were!

[earth mom]

67. 50% Higher? There's the answer! The Gores are paying double what the avg. family is paying!

The thugs really have no shame or ethics! :grr:

[mzmolly]

11. $432 monthly isn't much more than I pay, and I don't have a huge house.

Sheesh.

[Luminous Animal]

18. RE: $432 a month

That is what the Gore's pay to access green energy... above and beyond what they would have to pay if they were using conventional energy.

[mzmolly]

22. Thanks for the clarification.

:hi:

[Ganja Ninja]

50. and he's been remodeling his home for the last year.

That kind of thing can really eat up a lot of power.

[TomInTib]

19. $432 is just the up-charge on "green power"

Besides that amount, he is paying around $1,000 a month on electricty.

That is not that much for a house of that size.

This whole thing is bs.

[mzmolly]

21. Ahhh, gotcha. Did drudge mention that energy prices have doubled under this administration?

Somehow I doubt it.

[TomInTib]

29. Of course not

When you figure the size of Gore's house (10,000 ftsq), the number of rooms and the fact that there are two full-blown offices in the house, his costs are not that high.

I wonder if drudge would like to report on how much water George Strait (country singing jingo) pours on the water of his estate in San Antonio every month. Something to the tune of 600,000 gallons per month.

[mzmolly]

31. We should obtain Bush's ranch energy bill?

He doesn't live there year round, but it might prove interesting? He still owns the ranch, no?

[Canuckistanian]

49. It might not be as much as you think

The Pig Farm has surprising energy saving features. Such as solar water heaters, a groundwater heat pump for air conditioning and rainwater collection for irrigation.

He tries to keep it a secret from his oil buddies, though. And it's NEVER mentioned in public.

See here:
http://archive.democrats.com/view.cfm?id=6687

[POAS]

72. It isn't just the house

he also has office space and staff working there.

[Chemical Bill]

55. My one bed apartment is $100/month. n/t

[Junkdrawer]

13. Someone's reading Al's Income Tax Return....

On my Schedule C, I get to deduct a portion of my total utility bill as part of my home office deduction...

[ourbluenation]

15. If so - is that legal?

[Junkdrawer]

17. Only if Al made his return public...

I don't know...maybe when he was VP...

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

20. I figured that

when the bozo was on the "liberal" Ed Schultz show today. He kept going on and on about how much Gore was spending--repeating talking point lies. Wonder if Big Eddie knows this?

[Blue Belle]

28. Oh Ed Schultz said he was wise to what that guy was doing...

but still Ed let him spew those talking points without a counter argument. Then he put on some Al Gore impersonator to get Al's side of the debate in, but it only came off making Al look like a bafoon. That's the only part of the show I caught (on my way in to work), perhaps he got the actual facts about this issue out - but the part I heard seemed to stir the pot more.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

42. No, Ed thought it funny

I began wondering if he isn't really a right wing mole and that he was laughing because he had been able to let the winger spread doubt amongst the lefties. I don't trust Shultz at all--don't really think he's in the progressive camp, especially after this!

[a kennedy]

43. Yeah, I heard a tad of Ed's show today, can only handle about

10 minutes, and it happened to be about Al's home too. D*mn I just can not listen to Schultz. Never once supported Al or the green position. Just a puke. :puke:

[Little Wing]

23. I've been renting a studio with electric heat and paying $150 through winter

[Kahuna]

26. Jeez. Who could have guess that the wingnuts threw together a

"group" <wink wink> that got this information on the heels of Gore post-Oscar mania. Who coulda guessed it?

[moc]

27. Daily Kos is reporting that the newspaper requested it, not the policy center.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/2/27/191256/394

The e-mail response (quoted below the fold) I got told the real story - that it was the Tennessean that requested the Gore energy numbers and were running with the story, and was responsible for involving the TPRC.

[Terre]

38. Don't you sometimes wonder

if anyone ever actually READS the comments that are made? Especially when no one replies to what you've written. I read that diary as well, and it seems pretty clear that it was the newspaper, The Tennessean, that started all this nonsense.

While the utility company is technically correct, it's definitely misleading, especially if Laurie Parker knew where the request really came from.

To bad the OP can't edit their post in order to bring this new info to light.

[Clark2008]

61. Irony here is that Al Gore used to work for the Tennessean as

a reporter.

[Beaverhausen]

75. Why is this information not private?

Under what "freedom of speech" law is a newspaper free to obtain someones utility records?

[Liberal In Texas]

30. What I don't understand about this talking point is this...

If I buy my electricity from wind generated turbines (and I do, 100% and pay extra for the privilege) and I use that electricity (and maybe I leave my lights on all night for no good reason), how is one doing that being hypocritical?

I mean the power came from a renewable source in the first place, right? So it doesn't really matter how much I use.

[NYCGirl]

34. It's only a problem to the GOP, especially if they want to make a trumped-up

story about you.

[The Backlash Cometh]

32. This might be worse for the utility co.

It's one thing to give up a public record with a public record request, but quite another if someone inside the organization gave it up voluntarily.

[Earth_First]

33. Thank you for this information...

I was having an email exchange with my father who was disputing the claims I was making debunking the claims made by the usual suspects.

This is exactly the information I was looking for. A follow up to come.

:hi:

[helderheid]

35. take THAT and SHOVE IT! Well done!!

[kestrel91316]

36. Gore's true electric bill: $432 x 12 = $5184 for the year. Well, yeah,

that's roughly $30,000..................

:rofl:

[ourbluenation]

37. no - the $432 was not his monthly utility. That was for the green blocs.

[Kurovski]

39. K&R.(nt)

[Midlodemocrat]

40. KO refuted all this shit last night.

Apparently the Gores CHOOSE to pay more for energy efficient green blocs, which I will admit I don't know much about.

And, the 'non partisan' think tank is a product of the Heritage Foundation. What do you know?

[Vinca]

41. And in addition to regular home use, they have offices for both

of them and security and other things the average homeowner wouldn't have. The immediate smear of Gore after the Oscars tells me one thing: the right is afraid of him. Run, Al, run!

[Midlodemocrat]

57. My sentiments exactly.

I'm gonna get a t-shirt made that says Run Al, Run! and wear it everywhere.

I love that guy. He's SO Presidential, isn't he?

[donkeyotay]

64. The term "think tank" has clearly become an oxymoron. Let's call them petri dishes.

Thinking's got nothing to do with it.

[Rockholm]

44. Naturally, CNN.com has this as a featured story.

Assholes.

[PVnRT]

45. Oh, snap!

[helderheid]

46. kick

[dogday]

47. Swift boating does not require the truth

only a will to smear an individual.....

[Hubert Flottz]

48. Still...

It's not like Al Gore lied about WMD and started a war of choice, which we can't get out of and which has killed thousands of people and cost the tax payers half a trillion dollars, now is it?

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

51. The headline makes it looks like Al is a hyporcrite and that's awful!

Group: Gore a Hypocrite Over Power Bill

[cmkramer]

59. Watch

They'll change their tune to complaining that Gore is a rich man with no concern for the people who can't afford to have solar panels etc. installed in their homes.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

63. Oh yes! Not only solar panels but also being able to afford to opt for green energy through

his power company. Tsk, tsk.......

[KalicoKitty]

53. Thank you so much, ourbluenation!

AL GORE FOR PRESIDENT!!!!

[DemSigns]

54. How is the house and hot water heated?

How is the house and hot water heated? If it is electric, it is a bad environmental choice even it is from grid supplied green sources. I actually hope it is electric to support that amount of electricity usage.

I am sure there is a lot in the works to make the house more efficient, but the best choice for heat and hot water would an array of 2 or more natural gas or propane modulating condensing boilers connected to a load of hot water coil air handlers if forced air or to the hydronic/radiator/radiant heat system if that is what they have. Hot water can be made with the same boilers using an indirect water heater. Standby losses would be near zero and efficiency would be 90 to 99%. Hot water solar can easily be integrated into the system and will give a good payback. All this costs money and uses energy to install, but it would be the most efficient and lightest on the electric load if installed correctly.

Ground source heat pump would be another good choice but very expensive to install.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

56. It they had them they would have distributed them

When someone posted a thread here a couple of night ago calling Gore a hypocrite - if the story on Drudge were true - it hit me that whoever it was that was claiming this had no proof. If they did they would have it plastered on the internet right along with the story.

[smoogatz]

60. 191,000 kwh/year IS kind of a lot--

compared to the average of around 16,000; but given the size of Big Al's house--10,000 sq feet, compared to maybe 2500 or so as the average, it only works out to about twice as much per square foot of house size. If he's got outdoor lighting, a heated pool, and a couple of big plasma TVs, that would pretty much account for the difference. It would be more meaningful, obviously, to compare Gore's usage with other households' of around the same size, with similar amenities. Anyway, if he's buying green power and offsets, he can certainly come out carbon-neutral in theory.

[SoCalDem]

66. They also said he had "upgraded " security systems

those things are on 24-7 and use electricity too..

[Norquist Nemesis]

62. Sounds like Con hypocrisy. Gore's paying MORE

and they should be thrilled about it looking for ways to capitalize on the market. Where's that entrepreneurial spirit? Oh, I forgot...it's another one of their iconic whipping boys.

[originalpckelly]

69. Hey wait a second, why only November?

He's been talking about this for years and years. Unless his utility just started their program then, I wonder why he didn't sign up sooner.

[anitar1]

70. Typical RW crap. doesn't surprise. Just wondered

how long it would take to expose them. Although the newspapers will not retract what they have already printed re this subject. The day after Oscar, the rabid hate troops were out to kill him , if they could. Even brought Man Coulter out on Hannity.they are so scared of Gore.

[roamer65]

73. Wow...all this talk of utility bills and...

I do 1200 sq ft for about $140 a month (gas + electric combined) in a northern state in winter. Guess I'm more efficient than I thought. All bulbs are CF now, except for those funky little ones in the dining room lamp.

[KansDem]

78. AP = "American Pravda"

Hey! Is this the original headline?

Group Criticizes Gore's Electricity Use

I thought I read one earlier that referred to the President (Gore) as a "hypocrite"

[suziedemocrat]

81. HOW DO THEY GET AWAY WITH OURIGHT LIES??????

Over and Fuc$ing Over!!!!

Where is the Press? The so called "Fourth Estate?"

[proud patriot]

84. well there you go

that settles that

[kath]

85. but, but, but, the Repugs wouldn't LIE to us, would they???