July 10, 2007
The Rise and Fall of Chairman Al?
In the last weeks, Al Gore has seen the highs and lows of public life. Recently, he saw his stock soar with the high profile marketing of his Live Earth concerts, only to come tumbling down. In the NRO, Howard Anglin notes that:
There is no doubt that the man who introduces himself ? more in bitterness than in jest ? as ?the man who used to be the next-president of the United States? is still rankled by the great ?What If ??; by the fact that more people voted for him than for Bush in 2000; by the conviction belief that the Supreme Court?s intervention was illegitimate; and, if he is honest with himself, by the knowledge that he choked.
Anglin also observes that:
Gore?s signature issue ? the cause on which he has staked his reputation ? doesn?t resonate with the electorate. Asked whether the environment is an important issue, Americans mouth all the right platitudes, but ask them which issues matter most for the 2008 election and Gore?s crusade barely registers. In a recent CNN Opinion Research poll, respondents ranked global warming 13th out of 17 issues of importance to them in the next presidential election. With the Middle East in flames, the price of oil high, and border security a farce, this is not likely to change before 2008, no matter how many sparsely-attended charity concerts Gore promotes between now and then.
Just two weeks ago, I thought that his entry was inevitable, and extremely dangerous to the electoral chances of the GOP. Now, I’m not so sure. I don’t think his son’s problems should be a factor on electability. I do think, however, that it might cause him to think twice about running, as he is well aware that scrutiny of one’s family is inevitable in today’s political climate. More telling, however, are the apparent shortcomings of his recent concerts.
According to Rasmussen Reports:
The Live Earth concert promoted by former Vice President Al Gore received plenty of media coverage and hype, but most Americans tuned out. Just 22% said they followed news stories about the concert Somewhat or Very Closely. Seventy-five percent (75%) did not follow coverage of the event.
According to the piece, the some of the factors of the apparent lack of interest are an even harsher criticism of Gore and the performers motives:
Skepticism about the participants may have been a factor in creating this low level of interest. Most Americans (52%) believe the performers take part in such events because it is good for their image. Only 24% say the celebrities really believe in the cause while another 24% are not sure. One rock star who apparently shared that view is Matt Bellamy of the band Muse. Earlier in the week, he jokingly referred to Live Earth as “private jets for climate change.”
Only 34% believe that events like Live Earth actually help the cause they are intended to serve. Forty-one percent (41%) disagree. Those figures include 10% who believe the events are Very Helpful and 20% who say they are Not at All Helfpul. Adding to the skepticism, an earlier survey found that just 24% of Americans consider Al Gore an expert on Global Warming.
The AP followed up with this report:
NEW YORK — Nineteen million people tuned in to watch the Live Earth concerts on NBC and cable channels affiliated with the network, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Organizers for Live Earth, backed by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, were hoping live broadcasts on cable television and the Internet would reach up to 2 billion people. Concerts were held in London; Sydney, Australia; Tokyo; Shanghai, China; Johannesburg, South Africa; Hamburg, Germany; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and New Jersey and Washington.
Ticket sales were low, as well, in certain places. The question for Al Gore is: Did he squander his political capital?
http://race42008.com/2007/07/10/the-rise-and-fall-of-chairman-al/trackback/
July 10th, 2007 at 8:34 am
He wasn’t going to run. ever.
July 10th, 2007 at 9:01 am
“the man who used to be the next-president of the United States†It is amazed that Democrats would persist in thinking Gore should be the next president, not Bush. It was a few years ago, but I had a friend who is profound Democrat who believed the same thing. There was a research funded by some libearl newspapers to see what happened if the re-count had been done as Gore wanted. The report showed that Bush ended up with more count than Gore. Again, that research was funded by the liberal media. So, it is biased, but yet, it showed that Bush would win the presidency. I showed this article to this friend of mine. He, a professor, studied the research, and tried to find anything to make it invalidated. He finally conceded that Bush indeed won. This article was a big deal about a year after the 2000 election. I should not be surprised that Al’s followers would not work with facts, even to this time.
July 10th, 2007 at 11:21 am
Tommy,
I really don’t understand why Al’s son’s antics would affect him negatively at all. Clinton wasn’t hurt much by his own drug dabbling, I doubt Obama will be hurt by it, and many of the other candidates could only be so lucky if their problems amounted to a son or daughter getting arrested.
July 10th, 2007 at 11:48 am
Why Al Gore’s Rhetoric Doesn’t Quite Resonate
34% Believe Global Warming Can Be Stopped
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/34_believe_global_warming_can_be_stopped
July 10th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
The evolution of public opinion on global warming has been interesting. Years ago you had lots of folks denying that it was happening. But now a lot of that seems to be turning into an “Oh well” attitude that it can’t be stopped, and we might as well just get used to the idea of a few extra feet of ocean levels.
These are just different flavors of innaction and short-sighted laziness.
July 10th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Murphy,
I don’t really mention Al’s son on a political scale. I do think, as I tried to state above, that Al’s son’s trouble might affect him because he knows that his family will be put under the microscope, and that is a difficult thing to ask of your family, especially when you’ve had troubles of any kind.
July 10th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
Gore lost in 2000, and I think Gore accepts what happened, although he obviously didn’t like it (would you?).
I do like how he’s turned himself around, and worked hard for something he believes in rather than bitterly waste the rest of his life.
Republicans do not want to become the party who mock climate change. In a few years that would be a big hurdle to attracting independents. Getting millions of dollars from oil companies will not help when fighting public perception that we sold out to the oil companies and endangered the planet.
July 10th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
Jaype,
You’re right in a lot of ways. I do think that Al hasn’t gotten over 2000, though.
I do admit that I was just looking for an excuse to use that picture. It cracks me up.
July 10th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
Tommy,
This is a really juvenile and insulting post. Why the Mao reference?
How is this different than doing a BushHitler? Is that the level you operate on?
At least the ones who make the BushHitler connection have, at least in their minds, some reason for the comparison. What kind of a Gore-Mao analogy are you trying to make?
And let me guess…you would be the type to chime right in with all manner of derogatory comments about the level of discourse on the left, correct?