Gore Tells Mayors To Lead Fight Against Global Warming

Jan I read your piece you wrote about you meeting with Gore. It made me a bit uncomfortable to say the least. That is hero worship and then some. Yikes. I don't think Mr. Gore needs your protection. Lets just keep this real.

Linn

I suspect for some he never will be worthy of it as long as he approaches this his way.

ealight46

Then he needs to be IMPEACHED along with his cohort Cheney. And since those asking Mr. Gore to enter this fray think it would be so easy to do so, impeaching them should be easy as well, right? Why aren't groups making ads to do that and putting them on the MSM?

I know what the majority ot those 250,000 people (apart from the duplications and people under other names who may have signed it more than once) have to say. Please run and make it easy on me. How many of them signed the Live Earth pledge, or how many of them would actually put themselves into it by surrounding a coal fired plant to keep it from being built? It's easy to sign a piece of paper or an Internet petition and just leave it at that. Let's see some real action now in this country besides begging someone else to do it for them.

We will soon see if Al Gore has what it takes in addressing the Climate Crisis/Global Warming, and if he is truly deserving of the Nobel Prize.

He should risk everything to become the most influential spokesman on the planet in the furtherance of this cause.

Comfort be damned!

You make my point Jan. We currently have a president who does not listen to what the majority of his people are asking him to do. We need a leader who will.

Jan, I get your commitment and your dedication toward global warming and commend you for it, but by saying "I don't care about the Draft Gore people . . . or whatever that means" is pretty much saying: I don't care about what you people want, let's keep the conversation to what I want.

As a leader, if you want us to be open to your point of view you might try being a bit more open minded, so why don't you go to draftgore.com and see what close to 250,000 people have to say.

I don't care about "Draft Gore people" whatever that means, and this post is not about them. To me they are only using his current successes to get themselves in the news. He has stated clearly that he has no plans to run for president in this cycle. Should he change his mind for what I would believe would be a far more important and urgent reason than just placating them I am sure he could do that very well. This post is about Mr.Gore and his effective work out here to bring about a change in policy regarding the climate crisis now as a private citizen who is a leader.
And to ealight46: How do you think those mayors came to the decision to do what they did? In part by their constituents demanding they do, hence my original point. And it is very telling that some would actually vote down the fact that he talked to these leaders. I think some need to admit they resent him for doing this and not giving them the attention they crave.

And I've never requested that Al wear anything shiny or metal and certainly have not expected him to fly in on a horse. And while that seems like a neat fairy tale, I much prefer his earth tones & feet firmly planted on solid ground.

Jan, it's not either-or. We need The People, we need leaders outside of politics, AND whether we like it or not, we WILL have leaders in politics. Now if we only focus on the 1st two and say the 3rd isn't important, we end up being complacent about who we put there & risk getting another person like we have now. No... we need all of them. Draft Gore people are NOT leaving out the first two... far from it, but we also realize our political leaders are also imperative. At a point like this in history, we can't settle for second best in any of these categories.

He is talking to LEADERS Jan. I guess he thinks the LEADERS and politicians can make a difference.

Who said we don't "need" leaders? I didn't, which proves you missed my point. You seem to be stuck in some rut however, thinking that only people in politics can lead and that simply isn't true. It has been in many instances where people outside of it have inspired change politically which is what I mentioned in regards to the movement to address the climate crisis in conjunction with Mr.Gore's work in relation to where he spoke which was the topic of this post. My point is that we can all be leaders whether it be in our communities, in our work places, or wherever we believe we can make a difference, and in that capacity we can then have an effect on the political debate instead of allowing it to shape us.That is now what states are doing regarding Co 2 emissions, and with every state that comes on board it only applies more pressure to the federal government regardless of "president" to follow suit which is what is needed tio effectively address this now. That is what you call starting a movement. Not begging and waiting for someone in shining armour to swoop down on his horse to save you. If you however, prefer to sit on the sidelines and be lead by the hand, be my guest. However, Mr. Gore doesn't "need" to do anything in my estimation but what he believes feels right to him. So if you want to go draft Monica Friedlander, go ahead. She should be willing to do what she asks of others anyway. Don't you think?

JanforGore - not to be too argumentative here, but consider this. If our democracy/republic does not need a leader - why does the campaign for awareness and action for global climate change need a leader? Why indeed, was a Nobel Peace prize awarded for leadership?

As providing leadership on the global warming issue has made all the difference, so too does this country -and the planet - also need leadership in government.

Al Gore has placed himself front and center in each of these causes as a leader. He now needs to do the next thing, which is to grab up the fallen standard of the people which is being trampled in the mud of a looming fascism, and to accept the challenge and the honor of that leadership.

Should we draft Monica Friedlander?

You don't have to run for political office to be a leader. Matter of fact, most of the better ones have been found outside of politics in my view. And actually my point is, is when the people feel empowered to be the leaders we were when we forged this nation, then is when you see change come. Politicians didn't win the Revolutionary War, the people did. Politicians didn't give women the right to vote, women did. The Civil Rights Act would never have happened without a mass movement of people tipping the scales, and that is the kind of movement Al Gore and others are now spawning regarding our planet, and I for one think it is brilliant and the epitome of Democracy.

Shall we have a draft JanforGore movement then?

C'mon...

We do have leadership regarding this crisis. We have a Nobel Peace Prize winning statesman and global ambassador leading this fight on all fronts standing up for people of all political parties. What keeps a Democracy vibrant is not just always crying for a leader, but being that leader yourself. That is the great lesson Mr. Gore has taught me by his actions, and now I intend to be a leader and follow his example. BTW, the Kyoto Treaty was voted down by DEMOCRATS while Al Gore was in Dc, so how far did their leadership get us then? Sorry, but from where I sit, WE are the leaders in this Democracy or at least we should be. We should be the ones telling them what the policy is going to be, not the other way around. When it is the other way around you have Fascism. I don't want to always have to depend on leaders, I want to be a leader. This is our country and those who work for US need to be reminded of that, especially where it concerns the sustainability of this planet. When we step up they have no choice but to follow which has been proven time and time again, and it is time for us to step up now.

WE can be committed, but if we don't have the leadership in place that supports our rights and has the power to work with us to change our current environmental regulations, our commitment becomes no more than a frustrating struggle that hits a brick wall. Look at everything that has fallen apart in this country on both fronts since the current administration was put in power. How far has "commitment" gotten us during the past 7 years? WHO we elect into office is the issue, from our President on down. Al Gore wouldn't have to get individual support on the Kyoto treaty from these mayors if Bush hadn't refused to participate on behalf of the entire country in the first place.

If you can't see his commitment by his actions, then are you really looking for an answer? The question should be, where is OUR commitment to America?

Yes. Movement on the climate crisis is vital, but is Al Gore suffering from a radical disconnect? Bunker buster nukes dropping on Iran would not bode well for the global climate either.

America is suffering from a Crisis of Confidence in government and democracy. What is Gore's stand on that?

Support for Al Gore is also reaching a critical tipping point. He needs to send a clear message to his supporters in this country, and around the globe - is he in or out in seeking the presidency of the US?

When Al Gore said our democracy was in deep trouble, I believed him. Where is his commitment to America? Was he just kidding?

We need an answer to that question now.