A satirical take on Al Gore's strategy, on Oscar night, to take out the competition for the Presidential bid of 2008.
Al Gore is one smart guy. He ensured yesterday that the playing field (the 20+ field of presidential wannabes) was drastically reduced to maybe five. Yeah, only those of strong heart remain (and Obama, because he believes that he is virtually untouchable due to Geffen's support. Ah, for the naivete of the inexperienced!), thus making it a more-or-less obstacle-free run for Gore to enter the White House! The others probably went down in a foaming-at-the-mouth, hand-clutched-to-the-heart, eyes-bulging-out kind of way...…
Article comments
26 - Dave Nalle
The green power purchased by Gore in those three months is equivalent to recycling 2.48 million aluminum cans, or recycling 286,092 pounds of newspaper, according to comparison figures on the utility's Web site."
Zing, although green power is a nice gesture, it's essentially meaningless. The fact that Gore signs on for it to take care of some of his needs is a lovely symbol, but the truth is that his use of that green power means that it won't be available to someone else who will be using non-green power instead. It all comes out of the same pool, so signing up for a program like that is symbolic rather than substantive.
Now the solar panels he's putting in are more meaningful. If he's actually generating green power, then that does have a positive impact.
Dave
27 - Clavos
zing,
For the record, my reference to "weak" was aimed at Gore, not you.
Didn't mean for it to be personal.
(erroneously posted some time ago on another thread)
28 - MCH
"The fact that Gore signs on for it to take care of some of his needs is a lovely symbol, but the truth is that his use of that green power means that it won't be available to someone else who will be using non-green power instead. It all comes out of the same pool, so signing up for a program like that is symbolic rather than substantive."
- Dave Nalle
Yeah, sorta like the token mirrors in your fortified compound. I mean what good are they if you never use them?
29 - zingzing
meh. i just wanted to make sure that all the facts of the situation are being reported. as for the substance of buying green power, i suppose any money put into those kinds of programs versus putting money into traditional energy is a good thing.
plus, what can al gore really hope to be other than a symbol? he should be a big, massive symbol. obviously, he should do his real world part as well, but his value is in what he represents, isn't it?
i mean, if you are willing to invest so much in the fact that his huge mansion uses a lot of power, then you should also invest that much in his attempts to lessen his personal impact (which, with all of his various efforts, is negligable or zero, no matter how much power he uses) on the earth.
if what he does to promote green power is ultimately meaningless, then, it stands to reason, so would his personal use of "dirty" power. you can't have it both ways.
30 - zingzing
clavos--i don't know why i got so pissed earlier. actually i do. fuck my landlord. bitch.
anyway, i don't think what he does is in any way "weak." he's more than done his part, and he's finding ways to do more. he's kept his personal negative impact on the earth to a minimum and has offset his own negative impact by making positive impacts in areas that he can. in fact, he's trying to have a positive impact at his own home by installing solar panels...
what do you want him to do? invent a new source of energy? the man is doing what he can, and it is OBVIOUSLY in no way "weak."
saying so is just ridiculous.
31 - Clavos
zing,
No prob.
BUT (you knew there'd be one of those, didn't you?)
You say:
he's kept his personal negative impact on the earth to a minimum
With that house and extensive travel by private jet?
As you know from many of my other comments on any number of threads, I am not anti-rich, nor do I even condemn their conspicuous consumption (within some rather broad limits), but this guy is preaching that we all should be making a maximum effort to reduce carbon emissions, yet he packs that big a carbon footprint?
I dunno...
At the very least, he certainly weakens his argument.
32 - jaz
absolutely Correct to call Gore out on his bullshit hypocrisy...
but...(heh)
no reason to discredit the entire Message because it's frontman is a dink
THAT is what is being lost in this particular pissing contest...and i think that's the intent from some partisan angles...what's lost is the warnings about what is possible, and the exploration for more accurate Knowledge, and what can actually be done to make the global situation, better...and not more fucked up
some Perspective.
33 - moonraven
1. This piece is NOT satire. It is NOT humor. I am simply appalled that every piece that looks like it is too fluffy to be anything else is shoved into the category of Satire.
Satire has a multi-millenial history of high-quality thinking that has been maligned by every piece designated as satire that I have read on this site.
Ever hear of Jonathan Swift's A MODEST PROPOSAL? Try reading it. It's as good today as it was when Swift wrote it in response to the English attitude that folks in Ireland who had no bread should just die.
Gore has several qualities which put him head and shoulders above other candidates:
1. He has already been elected president (not a big deal, considering that the quality of US presidents is in many cases equivalent to rotten Velveeta, but still not to be sneezed at.)
2. He is tall.
3. He is BIG. Think of his new appeal to all those Plus size voters (from a casual on the street survey, now close to 80% of the electorate).
4. His family tree may not tie racists' boxers in a knot.
5. He SAID, apparently, that he invented the Internet--blogcritics.org habituees as well as folks who spend all their free time--and some for which they are being paid--beating off in the XXX sites should feel obligated to vote for him.
6. He won an Oscar. That should put him at least ahead of Penelope Cruz' tits (which apparently were Salma Hayek's) in Volver in the awareness of US voters.
7. The fact that he claims to be "GREEN" could be a strike against him in some quaters, but should easily gather in the Hypocrite Vote.
8. Appropos of Jonathan Swift, he looks like he would be good eating--if things get as bad as they could very well get over the next few years.
34 - JustOneMan
Oh Jiz.....you do like me!!!
JOM
PS Gore is a big fat hollywood slob!!!
35 - jaz
actually, JoM..no...no i dont, just going by what you have spewed around here
not that such things matter
it's your complete inability to actually contribute anything that shows evidence of being the product of more active cells than exist in a cup of yogurt that i find deplorable
but you knew that
for JoM.... heh
36 - JustOneMan
Jiz and NoNads,
um...er...FUCK YOU!
JOM
37 - jaz
no thanks, JoM..i ain't wired that way, but have you come out of the closet to your parents yet?
my sentiments towards you and yours.
38 - zingzing
clavos, gore lives a life that demands travel. he flies commercial when he can, but you know as well as i do that that doesn't always work out. he purchases carbon offsets... which isn't the same thing, but it is a good step... to account for his air travel.
he AT LEAST does what he can, considering that he is a public person in a developed society. have you ever looked at the impact you make compared with that of someone who lives in a rural community, much less an agricultural society?
your impact is huge! and very little is asked of you compared to what is asked of gore. yet, he is doing his part. are you?
you have to see this for what it really is: conservatives trying to provoke a reaction out of a possible presidential candidate, and one that they very rightly fear.
gore has to travel to promote his cause. his cause does much more good for the environment than his personal lifestyle could ever do harm to it, yet he tries to mitigate whatever harm his lifestyle produces, because his cause demands (for the most part) the lifestyle which he lives. ugh.
39 - Clavos
zing,
he AT LEAST does what he can
Except for living in a more modest house. But, the fact is, I don't really care where he lives or how he travels; I'm just having fun with the idea that this guy who's screaming about how we're destroying the earth is apparently an active participant in the destruction.
If he wants to live in that house and can afford those kind of power bills, good for him; I wish I could afford to.
But, it IS just a little hypocritical, don't you think?
Do you think he can beat Hillary? If not, conservatives have nothing to fear from him. In fact, wouldn't the average conservative, if they had to accept a democrat prez, prefer him over Hil?
Anyway, as I said, I really don't care how he lives; I just think he should care what image he presents if he really cares about that stuff.
40 - JustOneMan
Zing says - "gore lives a life that demands travel"
Wrong - ALGORE travels to stroke his ego and to be the court jester to the liberal loons
Zing says -"but you know as well as i do that that doesn't always work out."
Where does ALGORE have to be that Continental Airlines couldnt get their - PURE FUCKING BULLSHIT
Zing says -"he purchases carbon offsets"
Proof tha ALGORE is a phony hypocrit..he and his asshole chicken little crowd snub the poor guy driven a 1989 Ford - cause thats all they can afford
Zing says "he AT LEAST does what he can, considering that he is a public person "
TRUTH - 90% of the country doesnt want to see him..he chooses to be public...again PURE crap
Heres the best Zing says "his cause does much more good for the environment than his personal lifestyle could ever do harm to it"
OHHHHH he is so much more important and worthy of burning fossil fuels than everyone else...LOL LOL LOL - this is satire...right?
JOM
41 - J.J. Hunsecker
"TRUTH - 90% of the country doesnt want to see him...PURE crap"
You are least right about that last part. What you are saying is pure crap. Please prove that statement or stop running off at the mouth. Who let this guy sit at the grown-up's table?
42 - Sibin
I think Gore should be more than just the person...whether has decides to run for President or not, whether his antics and tours are for feeding his ego or otherwise, whether his house works on "clean" energy or not, the point is that he has some good facts to present about the imminent dangers of global warming. In fact, if one looks as the various changes in weather around the world in the last couple of years, then the scientists seem to be vindicated. I have seen the documentary and all the facts that he presents about global warming are just that - facts! There's no hand-waving or stretching logic anywhere.
This way, we can always call into question the "agenda" and "hypocrisy" of any celebrity/high=profile person who takes on a pet project or throws his/her name into backing a worthy cause. The good part is that the person's involvement brings that topic to the attention of the general public, and in this case, and the Oscar win and Nobel nomination will just help to further the cause.
Perhaps we should be less worried about how to shoot the messenger and start thinking about the message ?
Mooraven, about this,
I agree that this may not exactly qualify as satire, but is more in the category of humour, which to be honest, I did not find as a category when I was writing the article for BC. It was my personal attempt at humour about the joke that Gore pulled on Oscars night. Whether you agree as to this being funny or not, I will not argue, as humour is subjective and what one person finds funny, the other may not...it is all about taste. In a way, at least it seems to have stroked an interesting discussion about Gore, his presidential chances, and his approach to the climate - so I believe something good has come of it.
43 - zingzing
quote me out of context, go ahead. try the whole thing. it hurts worse.
that was more to jom--prick--than clavos, who nevertheless wanted to quote out of context. yes, miami, he does hurt the environment just by living. he does. no question. we all do. he does worse than others. he's a rich man, with means. means to do what?
he's certainly doing more than the average person.
he's doing more than 99.99% of the developed world is, now isn't he?
44 - Nancy
I did get a smile out of this; I thought it was a good take on the Oscars - even if I do live in a cave & had to rely on radio & newspapers the next day for my info.
I'll side with Zing on this one: at least Gore is trying, which I'll bet is more than any of us here on BC do. By the bye, when he gets those solar panels installed, they could generate enough energy not only to serve his manse, but to allow him to provide extra for the neighborhood power pool. As for Gore living in a smaller house, while I don't exactly approve of McMansions, I cede that even the rich have a right to live as they like, & I don't expect anyone to move to a hovel if they can afford better (surprised, Clavvie?). My beef isn't with the rich per se, but with the way SOME of the mega-rich got their money, i.e. through stealing, cheating, & conniving, altho unlike the Enron execs, they didn't get caught. People like Gates & Winfrey, they earned theirs fair & square; hope they enjoy it, I really do.
That JOM actually cited some figures earlier before degenerating back into his adolescent scatological persona almost shocks me. If he keeps it up (actually saying something of substance, that is, instead of just flinging around verbal scat), it may do me in yet. But no fear, because he always reverts to type, so far.
MR, I have read Swift, & while he's a great prototype & a classic, these days he's only mildly entertaining & relevant more for historical value than stand-alone wit & content. Actually, I prefer Buchwald or Dave Barry.
45 - Clavos
Or P.J. O'Rourke.
His latest, "On The Wealth of Nations," is a terrific read...
46 - moonraven
Nancy,
I suppose Aristotle's POLITICS is also not relevant and that you prefer Rush Limbaugh.
In this time of hysterical racism and cockeyed schemes to end poverty Swift's A MODEST PROPOSAL is MORE relevant than when it was written.
Lowbrows of the world unite--you have nothing to lose.
47 - Nancy
That's us: low-brows & riff-raff.
48 - Clavos
I like Stan The Oz Man a lot, so I guess that makes me riff-raff.
Which are you, Nancy?
49 - MCH
I hope Swift is more honest than the Swiftboat vets...
50 - moonraven
I already knew you were riff raff, clavos. In fact, your behavior could not possibly indicate anything else.
Swift was one of the most brilliant writers the English language has produced.
51 - JustOneMan
From ecototality.com
So, where does Gore buy his 'carbon offsets'? According to The Tennessean newspaper's report, Gore buys his carbon offsets through Generation Investment Management. a company he co-founded and serves as chairman:
Gore helped found Generation Investment Management, through which he and others pay for offsets. The firm invests the money in solar, wind and other projects that reduce energy consumption around the globe...
As co-founder and chairman of the firm Gore presumably draws an income or will make money as its investments prosper. In other words, he "buys" his "carbon offsets" from himself, through a transaction designed to boost his own investments and return a profit to himself.
Gore doesn't buy "carbon offsets" through Generation Investment Management - he buys stocks.
And it is not clear at all that Gore's stock purchases - excuse me, "carbon offsets" purchases - actually help reduce the use of carbon-based energy at all, while the gas lanterns and other carbon-based energy burners at his house continue to burn carbon-based fuels and pump carbon emissions - a/k/a/ "greenhouse gases" - into the atmosphere.
As the news media swarmed around the story of Gore's gargantuan energy consumption yesterday, Gore's people touted his purchase of "carbon offsets" as evidence that he lives a "carbon-neutral" lifestyle, but the truth is Gore's home uses electricity that is, for the most part, derived from the burning of carbon fuels. His house gets its electricity from Nashville Electric Service, which gets its from the Tennessee Valley Authority, which produces most of its power from coal-burning power plants. Which means most of the power being consumed at the Gore mansion comes from carbon-emitting power sources.
JOM...fact is funnier that the crap produced in Whoreywood!
52 - Clavos
Good post, JOM...
53 - JustOneMan
Nancy...sorry I forgot
poop poop...pee pee...wee wee
JOM
54 - JustOneMan
Clavos...thanks!
JOM
55 - JustOneMan
Gee...the Gore fans turn silent when they are presented with FACTS...
JOM
56 - zingzing
"The firm invests the money in solar, wind and other projects that reduce energy consumption around the globe..."
yep. a certain part of the firm does. most of the firm buys up businesses, leveraging their future profitability. a small section of the firm invests money in projects that reduce energy consumption. so gore buys his carbon offsets through this section of the company (called the generation foundation, which is a non-profit,) and throws money into the development of energy reduction. what's wrong with that? he chose his charity. it happens to be his, but it doesn't make him one red penny.
57 - jaz
facts? ok...just for JoM
"So the facts, last year, Gore’s Tennessee property consumed almost 221,000 kilowatt hours, 20 times the national average. It cost him more than 16,300 dollars. But Johnson’s press release, calling on Gore to walk the walk when it comes to home energy use, omits several other key facts. The former vice president’s home has 20 rooms, including home offices for himself and his wife, as well as a guest house and special security measures.
Furthermore the Gores buy energy produced from renewable sources, such as wind and solar. Tonight, COUNTDOWN confirmed with the local utility officials that their program, called the Green Power Switch, actually costs more for the Gores, four dollars for every 150 kilowatt hours. Meaning, by our calculations, our math here, that the Gores actually chose to increase their electric bill by more 5,893 dollars, more than 50 percent, in order to minimize carbon pollution.
The utility is also telling us that some smaller homes consume energy in the same range of usage as does the one on the Gores’ property. Surprise, surprise, there seems to be political subtext here. "
From MSNBC - the transcript of that,and much more...including sources...can be found here.
enjoy
58 - JustOneMan
Zing "it happens to be his, but it doesn't make him one red penny" Wheres your proof,,,this a private comapant that doesnt disclose their finacials -- More misinformation from the left
And Jiz - your post doent change the fact that he consumes more than the average person - this doesnt even include his travel and pork chop bills..
JOM
59 - JustOneMan
Heres is a real story of a person concerned with the environment --- Their 4,000-square-foot house is a model of environmental rectitude
Geothermal heat pumps located in a central closet circulate water through pipes buried 300 feet deep in the ground where the temperature is a constant 67 degrees; the water heats the house in the winter and cools it in the summer. Systems such as the one in this "eco-friendly" dwelling use about 25% of the electricity that traditional heating and cooling systems utilize.
A 25,000-gallon underground cistern collects rainwater gathered from roof runs; wastewater from sinks, toilets and showers goes into underground purifying tanks and is also funneled into the cistern. The water from the cistern is used to irrigate the landscaping surrounding the four-bedroom home. Plants and flowers native to the high prairie area blend the structure into the surrounding ecosystem.
No, this is not the home of some eccentrically wealthy eco-freak trying to shame his fellow citizens into following the pristineness of his self-righteous example. And no, it is not the wilderness retreat of the Sierra Club or the Natural Resources Defense Council, a haven where tree-huggers plot political strategy.
This is President George W. Bush's "Texas White House" outside the small town of Crawford.
60 - Clavos
What's being lost in the whole discussion about Gore's energy consumption is the ONLY point that means anything:
He's embarrassed himself. That's it.
Aside from that point, it doesn't matter how much energy he consumes; it's a free country; he can consume ALL the energy he can afford to buy, as can all of us.
And nobody has the right to stop him.
Yet.
61 - JustOneMan
The other point is that Gore is a lying HIPPO-crit!
JOM
62 - moonraven
If he truly is a lying hypocrite he is a shoe-in to be elected president again.
You folks would not vote for anyone honest if you were paid to do so!
63 - reggie von woic
Man-bear-pig is REAL...I'm cereal!!!
excelsior!
(lol southpark)
64 - JustOneMan
moonraven...you and your wetback buddies will not stop crossing the border, like the vermin that they are. until they turn the US into a third-world slum!
jom
65 - moonraven
I beg your pardon, JOM, I am a US citizen. [Edited]