The big problem with Gore and popular electoral politics in general is that people vote for who is more "likeable" regardless of whether or not the more "likeable" person is actually the person who will better server the voter's and the country's interests. While Gore would have been a better POTUS than Bush (than again that's not a big hurdle), Gore was a terrible campaigner and never had a very "likeable" personality. It doesn't matter that Gore was head and shoulders more intelligent and more thoughtful than Bush could ever be. I highly doubt that Gore is more likeable today than he was in 2000 so I don't need he would have any greater success in 2008 than in 2000 although that depends on who is the Rep nominee as well.
al gore already stated that he's not running in 2008 and that he wanted to focus his energy on environmental affairs which is his new "calling."
I read a piece from a tennesse newspaper a couple years ago that basically followed the adventures of al gore post-2002. it was a very interesting read and it basically nailed home the point that Gore felt that he could do more for the country outside the confines of the american political circus than he could do inside it.. so he's at peace where he is. he likes not having to deal with the stress and being able to talk candidly. I don't expect him to return in 08 unless people basically demand it in the primaries.
Exactly... he's in a great position... he doesn't have to act like a politician and if he does get in, it at the will of the people instead of his personal ambition, so he can continue to not act like a politician.
Trust me, you *ALWAYS* have to act like a politician in politics. What does acting like a politician include: -Painting a picture of a turd into a bouquet of roses -Making unrealistic promises because the average voter isn't mature enough to deal with being told no -Avoiding handling real, tough issues, because whenever you act only those who oppose you will speak out -Pandering to the extremes of the political spectrum, because only the nut jobs aren't disillusioned enough to keep voting -Doing favors for your financiers instead of the public, because of counter-productive campaign finance laws etc, etc. But hey, if Kinky wins the TX gov. race, I'll be glad to be wrong!
You are right, Deckard. This country is a tiny, bity bleep on history if you measure years. I love going to Europe because the people are very sophisticated. The culture is unbelievable. But we are talking forms of government and to say we are moving to fascism is wrong when you look at what a fascist country was/is and how we are today. Some freedoms have been taken. But to say we are heading towards fascism is not right in my opinion.
A dick response? I must have you confused with another poster. I thought you wrote intelligent columns in the past. But...a dick response? Gay. I am glad your read the first line of that link and ignored the other 1000. But ok. I don't want to get into anymore cockfights. My wife will get jealous.
If I remember correctly, the first April Fools Joke was Olajuwon and Drexler retiring after the 1997 season. I cried that entire day. Damn you, Clutch!
I don't think it even took two years. Would a penchant toward hyper-criticism explain this rather abrupt change? With Clinton it was more of Sodom and Gomorrah...
I don't know if the GOP was more Sodom and Gomorrah at the time of Clinton or not. Under Clinton is when we found out about a lot of the GOP's adultury and illegitimate children, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it Sodom and Gomorrah.
Put the environment "on the backburner"? That's exactly the kind of selfish, short-sighted approach that sadly has become reflective of a large sector of our society, and our politics in general. As I have said before, as much as we like to b**** about our elected officials and our government in general, we should pause for a moment to realize that it's a mere reflection of who we are.
And that's exactly the kind of blind eye, short-sighted line of thought that led to our country getting into the immigration nightmare we're in now. Selfish? Are you crazy? I am far from selfish. I want this nation and it's culture to be around for generations of Americans to enjoy. I do not want my grandchildren or great grandchildren going to schools where Spanish is the de-facto language, and studying from LULAC & La Raza endorsed books which expouse how the Estados Unidos harmed the almighty Mexico. You may think that scenario is far-fetched, but it is very likely if things continue at this rate. The current crop of illegals is not assimilating and becoming part of this country like generations of immigrants before them did. They are forcing the U.S to assimilate to them. That is against the nature upon which this country was founded. Of course, what else would you expect from people who's very first act of being in this country is breaking the law. And they have the nerve to say they're not criminals. How ridiculous. If they are in this country illegally, they are criminals. Illegal immigration could be stopped cold quite quickly (with active military enforcement and a well designed wall defense system)if we ever had any elected officials with the balls to do it. Then we could focus on the environment . Environmental degradation is a slow moving, long term concern which does need to be dealt with. Illegal immigration however, is an immediate crisis.
Almu, I don't think many here seriously believe we are headed for a fascist state, but I think that a large number of us, and of Americans, see a very disturbing trend, promoted by the Bush Administration's policies, and the policies of the Republican Congress. Fascism is virtually a marriage between authoritative government and big business. If this isn't fascism we are seeing, yet, it certainly appears to be in the courtship stage. This isn't "your father's" GOP. It isn't even Reagan's GOP. It's been captured, in my opinion, and the opinion of a lot of others, by a minority of extreme, right-wing, fundamentalist Christian Republicans, out of the mainstream of their own party. They have pushed through more pork for big business, more tax cuts for the wealthy, than anyone can remember. The Administration has lobbyists appointed to key positions overseeing things like the environment, and busy dismantling hard-won environmental controls that took decades of patient work to get in place. Lobbyists in control of overseeing the oil and gas industries. The GOP Congress has lobbyists literally writing legislation, and giving it to congressmen and the GOP leadership, telling them that it is what the industry wants passed. The influence may be unprecedented. Civil liberties are being curtailed, with the executive branch simply ignoring the system of checks and balances that is the foundation of our republican (little "r!") form of government. Legislation is being dismissed by the Administration as a hindrance to be pushed aside. In the past, Congress would have howled when it found out, but not this Congress. There is no branch controlled by another party to reign in the excesses and power grabs we, those who are paying attention, are witnessing. And how is this Administration conservative, or this Congress? Federal spending is at a record pace. Federal deficits are at record levels. Trade deficits are at record levels. Even the number of Federal employees, always an irritant to conservative Republicans, has increased during the period Bush has been in office, to record levels. Certainly you can describe this as my opinion, and you'd be right, but I know several Republicans, and are related to several, and with a couple of exceptions, they all are disturbed by the actions of their own party, and the majority of those I've talked to plan to stay home in the Fall, or vote for Democratic, or third party candidates. Of course, my own experience is a relatively small sample, but I've really been surprised at the conversations I've had with people, and how disenchanted, and in some cases, angry they are with the GOP. It's pretty crazy. Folks wonder why I'm so optimistic about November, and that has a lot to do with it. I have close relatives active in the Harris and Galveston County level of the Republican Party, who are going to vote Democratic in November! That first April Fools joke must have been a hoot. Keep D&D Civil.
If you really believe that, then you are either apathetic about it or in denial about what's going on.
