Don't Run For President, Mr.Gore

Arguing that Al should not run for president because "conventional politics" can not solve the problems we face is not an argument at all. Al Gore is NOT about conventional politics; in fact, he will completely turn "politics" on it's head and that is why we need him in the White House. In theory, it would be nice to by-pass all the terrible, awful things going on in this administration and go straight to the people and change their hearts and make every single person in the country CARE and take action, but as long as our media is tied up with this administration who want us to doubt global warming even exists, that idealistic hope is just pie in the sky. If every single person in this country agreed that we should have say, a 40 mpg standard on all cars, would that make GW do anything about it? No way... So, it's a nice little theory, however, the practical application of which is very far from reality. We need to change our corrupted system from the inside with the only person who can accomplish exactly what needs to be done in all spheres - Al Gore.

There is a large part of me that understands your argument. But it seems to me that unfortunately our capitalist way of life, for all its advantages, struggles in its ability to awaken the public consciousness. When you say, "And the moral awakening that touches not only the political but the very essence of humanity can only come from our own hearts, minds, and spirits. " you fail to take into consideration that many Americans, though tremendously hard working, are not necessarily the most intellectually curious. They rely on information that our present news mediums provide. With their reliance on standard mediums, and our capitalist tendency to broadcast what is in demand rather than in the public interest we see a decline in discourse and an egregiously misinformed public. This system leads to a public that does not necessarily know the right thing to do. It is for that very reason that we have a government. To protect the people from the philosophical flaws in a free market society. We elect officials so that they can stand up for us, holding our major corporations to standards that fall within the public's interest. Our government should prove its worth in times like these when are "demand" is being answered by those who "supply"; but our demands are being made without regard to sound or correct information. Vice President Gore therefore, has a moral obligation to run for whatever office can gain him the most exposure to awaken our representatives to act in our interest. There is no dreaming that this issue will cease to have a democratic undertone. There is no way (whether Vice President Gore is in office or not) to take this out of the political arena, but at the same time there is no debating that the Presidency offers quite a platform from which to sound a call to action. Thanks for reading, look forward to a response.

Global warminng is not going to be helped by a nuclear war. I can't think of a better place to work on the enviroment than the Presidency.

I am a big fan of Mr. Gore's "Assault on Reason". No one else has the understanding of what has happened in this country than Al Gore. The Climate Change Naysayers will continue to be given a platform on FAUXNews, CNN, the networks, and all the talk radio shows. Public Opinion is never going to shift enough for the next president to accomplish anything, unless that president is Al Gore.

Marilynn_Murray

Not like it needs to be now with all the other messes we have allowed to be made. This crisis will not get the attention it needs to from that venue unless politicians across the board see it as URGENT, which they do not even now. And the reason they do not see that now is because people aren't telling them they believe it to be urgent. Just waiting for Al Gore to go to DC again after hitting his head on a brick wall about it there for thirty years for them to give him lipservice again is not going to do much of anything at this point. Do you honestly think a bill reducing GHGS by 80-90% by 2050 or now even earlier would be passed even in 2009 by a Democratic president in this current system? Not without either great international pressure, a catastrophe occurring, or the people ENMASSE demanding they do it from the bottom up. Do you see that happening yet? People rising to the challenge and taking action to get involved at every level of government because they see the moral imperative while also demanding action from companies and from themselves will hopefully do that, but that has to happen now, which is exactly what Mr. Gore's organizations and his important work are doing. Only 40% of Americans ( all of who may not even vote) according to polls see this as an urgent crisis even with Mr. Gore's movie... and that is certainly not because of any flaws with his movie in relaying the message...but there is still a basic disconnect regarding this crisis vs responsibility and that is where he is now coming in to connect those dots. The Civil Rights Movement was not just about a bill, and Martin Luther KIng Jr., also a Nobel Peace Laureate never was president. But he will always be remembered as its heart and soul whose words and actions brought great change because PEOPLE took a stand to tip the scales, which is what must happen now. How do you have success in passing anything you don't have support for unless of course you act like a dictator? And truly, if the presidency is such a perfect way to do this why didn't any other president do it? When you truthfully answer that question, then you may see where I am coming from. Time is of the essence, and the red tape of Washington DC will just not accomodate the melting Arctic ice unless we cut it now, and the time it takes to do that requires a full focus on it. Al Gore can't do it alone from a system constrained by conformity. And his accomplishments in the past years since leaving there actually prove that point. If he can truly be the catalyst from out here to push ANY political leader there to action because of that freedom and do it in time, then his talents as he has also stated are best used from the platform he has now, which BTW is no small platform. Had I the choice of being a president or a Nobel Laureate, I know the choice I would make.

goraclefan:

I think the last thirty years prove you wrong. When Mr. Gore brought Roger Revelle up on the hiIl in the seventies regarding this he was ignored. Al Gore just went to that same hill this past March. What became of it?

Sorry Matthew,
You had a good point regarding the population and media until you brought Mr. Gore's moral duty to run into it. He has no moral duty to run for anything. His movie, books, and slide presentations have now done more to bring this into the world consciousness than any politician could have done, especially with a broken system the people on the whole refuse to get up and fix because of that distraction, apathy, and fear. Our moral duty to our planet is not political, and once it becomes totally political the morality is then stripped from it and it is just another issue that does not get discussed as it falls into the noise. Mr. Gore is keeping it out of the political noise, and to me that has made all the difference.Thanks for your response.

Grassroots Mom:

Well, what are you doing personally to shift that opinion? It shouldn't just be up to him.

Just ignore her everyone --- this is the same person who claims that those involved in drafting Gore into the race are doing so "for attention." This despite the fact that 99.999% of those involved will never see their name published in a paper, interviewed, or anything of that nature.

While I respect her opinion that Gore does not run, she manages to constantly present it in the most obnoxious and rude way possible.

Hi Jan, I appreciate the persistence you have in your beliefs, however unfounded I feel they may be. What I would suggest is to read The Assault on Reason to understand a large part of what Al stands for. I'm not understanding your logic and the fact that you use the phrase "act like a dictator" when talking about what we want a president to do just underscores my point. American history books also discuss the real role of what the president should play. The role Bush sees himself in is NOT, I'll say it again NOT anything like what a president is supposed to be. He acts as though he is a king (in other words what people came to this land to get away from). We don't want that... read Al's book to understand where the draft Gore movement gains a lot of their impetus and for anyone who isn't sure, please... please read his book to decide for yourself!

If we don't get a strong President we are in such a mess there will be a nuclear war. We are in a place right now where we can have the Presidency, the Senate and House. People are starting to catch on to global warming and a President with an environmental agenda could pass about any law he wanted to stop global warming. He could repair and improve the environmental treaties. He could put the right people in place to run things the way they should be. He could make a bigger difference as President than private citizen. When Presidents don't make a difference it isn't because they can't it's because they don't care.

It is interesting to me that so many are quick to speak of our government as a broken system, but do not see the need for persons of integrity to take the reigns of it. When I used the term, "moral obligation" in my first comment, I meant it. And as confused as our government has become, we are the ones responsible for electing those that lead it. And despite all the criticism, I am still of the belief that it is the best around. I take an oath to defend it annually, and from what I have seen of the world, it is certainly worth defending. It is for that reason that Vice President Gore must run. And if you think that Vice President Gore wasn't able to accomplish much on account of red tape while in office, take note of where he got most of his statistical data regarding the polar ice caps. I don't think the Navy declassifies information for just anyone.

Matthew I actually don't find disagreement with you at all. I believe the underpinings of American government are one of the best in the world, however with that being said, we happen to be far from that today. We, the People ARE the ones responsible for electing those who lead our country, and the day that right was taken from us (in 2000 when the Supreme Court decided not to count our votes) was one of the darkest days of our history. Had Al Gore been the president as we elected him to be, the world would literally be a different place today. Please don't misunderstand me when I speak of a "broken system", I am not speaking of the government created by the framers of our Constitution. I have the UTMOST respect for what our country is built on, just as Al Gore does. What I don't have respect for is how it would be unrecognizable to those founders if they were alive today. If you haven't yet, please read The Assault on Reason. It explains what I mean in much further detail. Here is one of my favorite quotes (among many), "Where there is leadership with vision and moral courage,
the people will flourish and redeem Lincoln's prophecy at
Gettysburg that government of the people, by the people,
and for the people shall not perish from the earth."

~ Al Gore, The Assault on Reason

Goraclefan:

My beliefs are not unfounded and I have read every book Mr. Gore has written, including The Assault On Reason, which I read twice. I have supported the man for twenty years, so I think I have a pretty good idea about where he is coming from now but thanks for your "concern." Oh, and just for your clarification as Mr. Gore had to clarify it to Diane Sawyer on ABC when she too wished to broadside him about running instead of discussing that great book: It is not a campaign book.

Hmm, looks like keeping it civil isn't possible for some. Oh, and to Mr. Murray, you are in essence then stating that should Mr.Gore not run now to give the political pundits and MSM their blood in the water political show to make it interesting, that he is basically washed up. To me that shows you know nothing about Mr. Gore. You can try to validate and rationalize your own political opinions by stating that those who agree with him regarding his actions and decisions now are against him if it makes you feel better or superior. I and he both know that is not true. And if Hillary Clinton "wins" (whatever that means anymore) it will not be the fault of anyone but the people who already dropped the ball in 2004 and earlier. " I " don't know much about politics? THANK GOD FOR THAT if this is what it truly looks like. Based on the harrassment this man puts up with daily in spite of the tremendous good he continues to do out here that goes unappreciated, I can see why he fell out of love with it.

I have to respectfully disagree. I believe that Vice President Gore would be a terrific President, and that he would be far better than any of our other choices. As far as the issues are concerned, he would have more power as President to deal with the climate crisis. I don't see the other candidates treating that as seriously as he does. And it isn't just the climate crisis that he would be dealing with. We are at a tipping point right how, and if the climate crisis is not cleared up soon, we will all be in serious trouble. Plus, there is this: which of the candidates currently running would you trust with the excessive power that Bush has claimed for the President? The only one I would trust is Al Gore. In his speech at the American Constitution Society, he spoke passionately about the Constitution and the rule of law. It was a brilliant speech, and it showed us exactly where he stands on that issue. He has also shown us where he stands on the Iraq war, and other important subjects.

Sorry, but Al Gore IS my candidate, and will be until the day he firmly announces otherwise. And if he does that, I will mourn for a while, then reluctantly move on the the 10th best candidate. For me, there is no second best - Al Gore occupies the first nine positions on my list.

One other thing I would like to add: Al Gore would not have to run a traditional campaign. He has said that he doesn't consider himself much of a politician, and in my eyes, that is a PLUS. I, for one, am tired of "business as usual". Gore is an innovator, and has shown us that many times. The idea that we, as Americans, could actually choose who we want for President seems to me to be the very epitome of democracy. And wouldn't it be nice, for a change, to vote for the person WE want, instead of having to settle for someone who is seeking that power? And in current.com, he has provided us with a means to speak out, and to be heard. Can you imagine a President who actually listens to the people? What a wonderful dream! By the way, if you can't read what my icon says, it speaks volumes about how I feel. It is a play on the title of Gore's book "The Assault on Reason", which I truly enjoyed. My icon says "The Return to Reason: Al Gore in 2008."

I tend to agree with Goracle here. What's wrong with this country is that we haven't stepped out of the ice age. Politics as usual ala 1907 just is not working in 2007. Gore has transcended, he has stepped out of the (ice) box. Change just can't happen if nothing changes. Gore is living a very good life and made a huge impact but I am certain that he is anguishing over this upcoming election. He is a man of valued principles, his contribution to humanity as acting President looms large. Our need to have Gore lead us at this difficult crossroad IS a moral imperative and Gore himself must be pondering that fact.

They say if Gore runs he will appear disingenuous. Who the hell cares? People are saying those things anyway. That's all the stuff we are hoping to step away from. Hillary has that Paris HIlton quality--she's famous for being famous and the media love that so she gets all the attention and people love that so they want to vote for her. But please tell me that's not how we are going to choose our next President. Al Gore, the 2008 Presidential election is your moral imperative. Your supporters will transcend with you.