Krugman: "Gore drives right-wingers insane"
By Steve Benen Sunday Oct 14, 2007 7:16amNicole noted the first few minutes of Fox News Sunday yesterday, and just how angry the conservative Republicans were about Al Gore winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Bill Kristol disparaged Gore and the Nobel prize itself, saying “it’s a prize given by bloviators to a bloviator.” Charles Krauthammer insisted the award goes to “people whose politics are either anti-American or anti-Bush, and that’s why [Gore] won it.”
These pundits were obviously bitter, much the same way National Review’s Iain Murray was late last week, when he suggested Gore share his award with Osama bin Laden, “who implicitly endorsed Gore’s stance” in a September video harangue. (Apparently, to accept global warming is to embrace a terrorist philosophy.)
It led Paul Krugman to ask a good question: “What is it about Mr. Gore that drives right-wingers insane?”
The headline on Krugman’s piece is entirely appropriate: “Gore Derangement Syndrome.” The whole “derangement syndrome” phenomenon stems from an increasingly common problem — when contempt for a leader strays from simple political opposition to irrational, reflexive antagonism. If so-and-so says “day,” I’ll say “night,” even if the sun is shining. It’s more important to fight the perceived opponent than to make sense.
And for far too long, that’s exactly how the right has approached Gore and the science on global warming. The evidence must be wrong, because Gore believes it. The Nobel Peace Prize must be worthless, because Gore won it.
These aren’t arguments. They’re sad and nonsensical temper-tantrums.
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How many republicans does it take to do-in the environment?
Sometimes right-wingers drive right-wingers insane
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/055911.php
lmao!
While Gore Derangement Syndrome is undoubtedly an affliction of the right; it might be a little hypocritical not to add a disclaimer stating that the left, including myself and sometimes people here at C&L are occasionally intoxicated with Bush Derangement Syndrome. Granted we have a lot more reason to be reflexively anti-Bush & skip the logic phase, we can sometimes succomb to BDS & more generally wingnutDS. In accepting our own peccadilloes, it makes it all the more enjoyable to revel in the hypocrisy of the fundies.
I wish Gore would drive them completely insane by throwing his name in the hat for '08.
When we speak of "right wingers" how many are we really speaking about these days?? The number of registered repukes is now down to the mid twenties and dropping like the Titanic. The ones left (those in denial) are analogous to the hard core smokers who refuse to accept the science that their lungs are charcoal. Denial to them is simply "a river in Egypt". Closed minds and arrogant.....the two descriptive adjectives for all Republicans today.
I wonder, truly wonder if any in that so called beltway area have any indication how weary we the majority have become of all of them regardless of political party, political leanings or who has what agenda to push on the world.
What was it I believe someone in this said not too long ago...I will quote because I cannot take credit for the great insight..."I am tired of this world-wide dick swinging contest."
I know the article was about GDS, but I the following (from the article) seems to sum things up:
"Today, being a good Republican means believing that taxes should always be cut, never raised. It also means believing that we should bomb and bully foreigners, not negotiate with them."
justabill @ 4:
Gore would drive them all batshit if he decided to enter the race, wouldn't he? I'd love to see it myself but realize that Gore has risen so far above the presidency of this country that to do so would be to intentionally degrade himself.
Gore is on a planetary mission. The next president will be so mired in cleaning up the feces of this administration and trying to right this sinking ship of ours that they won't know which end is up. And I believe that the crimes of GWB will still be uncovered well into the next two presidencies. So, why would a prophet like Al Gore agree to do "Bush's scutwork"?? It's not possible since he's become so personally evolved.
This is a tale of two men - both vying for the presidency of the united states....one chose the path of evil, stole the election, and installed himself (illegally) as the leader. From this illicit point forward, he continued to make every effort to delude and deceive and overthrow every rule and law in this country, along with the constitution upon which it was founded.
The other had the election stolen from him, and, instead of playing "dirty games" with a known sicko, chose to take the high road - he moved on to bigger and better things - challenges that affect the entire planet. He did the research, had diplomatic relations with every head of every country and developed a sense of respect and dignity with each of them. Now he's the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize because anyone with a brain can see how intimate the connection is between the need for unity in the global warming threat and world peace. If they cannot see this connection, they are brain dead, propagandized, or "on the take" with the polluters of the environment.
In my lifetime, I don't believe that I've ever see such an example of the choice between good and evil - right and wrong - and how it affects one's life and accomplishments.
Gore and Bush are a study in contrasts for us all to see. We've been given a live spiritual "lesson" by these two men.
All my father, a knee-jerk right winger, could think of was, "What does what Gore did have to do with peace?" I'm assuming Limbaugh gave him this nugget of wisdom.
Simon White-Thatch Potentloins @ 9:
Simon, I'm so sorry for your loss. Unfortunately, GDS is terminal. Your dad is going to vote for, let me guess, Giuliani?
Simon White-Thatch Potentloins @ 9:
What right-wingers will never understand, or refuse to.
Well, I've been pissed for the last seven years. If some on the right are pissed now, all I have to say is GOOD! Let them stew in their anger. It's their turn.
When they see the accomplishments of "their" fake president lined up against those of our should have been president, sure they are resentful and bitter. Can you blame them?
An unnecessary war trumps and inconvenient truth in their book. If no one else can see that but them, they get their panties all twisted. Twisted panties make for an uncomfortable life.
What drives them insane....about Gore...probably just the simple fact that he's a better man.But lets see it for what it really is.....jealousy
Those monks in Burma should have gotten it.
There is no better illustration of the Limbaugh-ization of America than the attacks against Gore. 15 years of being told what to think about liberals has left these clowns with 1 simple minded kneejerk response to every question. Al Gore is an intelligent man who has done a great deal for OUR country, including Krauthammer, Kristol and Limbaugh. Their guy looks so incredibly feeble by comparison, I guess being defensive is the only offense they can mount (except for Larry Craig, who'll mount anything).
Al Gore's Martin Luther King Day Speech at Constitution Hall
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3313623747767874725
I think that was, bar none, the best political speech in decades.
Charles Krauthammer is right when he says that the award goes to “people whose politics are either anti-American or anti-Bush...”. I mean, REALLY think about what he's saying here.
G. W. Bush: Appointed president, stole another election, personally responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands by starting an illegal war.
Al Gore: Elected president, Nobel Peace Prize winner.
All inside 7 years.
. @ 14:
If the recent events in Burma had happened several months earlier, they might have. The nominations for this year's award had to be in for voting several months ago. They will probably be high in the running for it next year. Aung San Suu Kyi is already a Nobel Peace prize winner.
Say what you will about the vitriol cast at Al, but it does make it easy to tell the thinking men from the abject idiots. Note this for future reference, 'cause these dolts aren't going anywhere for a long time...
Republicans HATE Al Gore because he makes George W. Bush look like the shit flinging chimp that he is. They all KNOW that the Presidency was stolen from him by they're GOP buddies and EVERYONE with half a brain wishes to christ almighty that Gore had been President and are certain that the country would be better off today.
These fools are angry because the Nobel Peace Prize isn't awarded to war-mongering wingnuts. It is a prize of "Peace" and "meaningful contributions towards improving the equality of life.
Which is why you will never see William "The Bloody" Kristol's name on it, and wingnuts like him know it.
The Political Junkie @ 22:
Hey, if Kissinger could get it, there's no reason to ever rule out the likes of Cheney and Kristol.
What else would you expect from a party that transformed those who disagreed with Bush's policies into "Bush Haters" as if people could not separate the man from his policies? Now the party of moral bankruptcy is going after Gore not because of what he says but for who he is and what he represents.
Fox will have their own prize called the Krauthamer award. It will be a likeness of George Bush taking a wide stance over the constitution, smiling wryly.
…Now the people in the Administration of George Bush better remember their Miranda rights, because when I’m elected President I’m going to see that they are arrested. I’m not kidding here! I want to let you to know something; how I feel about what’s happened to our country. We have been led into a war based upon lies — an unjust a war. We’ve seen our civil liberties taken away because of lies. The President, the Vice President, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Defense are all part of this. They’re going to be held accountable under the law. If someone runs a traffic light, they’ll get a ticket here. There are a million dead Iraqis and almost 4,000 dead American soldiers as a result of this war. Where is the accountability?
- Dennis Kucinich, next year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, addressing the Latino Congresso last week
Driving the right-wing nutt jobs insane,,sounds like a short ride!
So when I say cancel NAFTA, what I mean is that we go to Mexico and renegotiate a trade agreement. And what are the principles of that trade agreement? That all workers will have the right to organize, the right to collective bargaining, the right to strike, the right to decent wages and benefits, the right to a secure retirement, the right to a safe workplace. It will mean prohibitions on child labor, slave labor, and prison labor. It will mean that the air and the water are protected.
It is time to have a President of the United States who will stand up for workers, who will stand up for immigrants, who will stand up for working immigrants, who will stand up for those who have documents, who will stand up for those who don’t have documents, who will stand up for human beings. We must realize that there is no such thing as an illegal human being. We need a President who will stand up for the people!
- Dennis Kucinich, next year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, addressing the Latino Congresso last week
Peace @ 26:
Holy crap! I thought that was probably bs and was going to ask for a link, but i gave it a google first.
http://www.mydd.com/story/2007/10/12/225323/82
Go Kucinich!
For the sake of this world, make Gore president!
Great quotes Peace. Thanks!
Gore triumphant equals Bush defeated. The contrast is unbearable to the fascists. Its "biblical" in its message to the world, Gore is Abel the embraced and loved; Bush is Cain the evil rejected malcontent. A bitter pill for Kristol and Krauthammer to swallow... I hope they choke on it.
Don't forget: Tipper Gore wants to censor music lyrics and she hates Frank Zappa!
Kucinich '08
Peace goes against the nature of the American conservative. If there were no external enemies to engage in, the conservatives will invent internal enemies to fight.
I'm not sure it's really Al Gore that is setting them wild. I think it may be the cause that he represents. They perceive global warming it as a threat to their ability to make money. Not the phenomena itself but the possible regulations that may limit their ability to exploit the environment. They don't care about the validity of the science.
Of course, it is kind of a slap in their collective faces to see the guy they stole the election from in 2000 being internationally revered when their guy is internationally reviled.
justabill @ 11:
When Wangari Muta Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her Green Belt Movement planting roughly 20 million trees in Africa they didn't complain about her award not having anything to do with peace.
Dennis will not place restrictions on freedom of expression, appreciates Frank Zappa's contributions to music and has a delicious red wife.
Kucinich '08
habakkuk, thank you! #8 was a wonderful comment. I agree totally.
This paragraph was part of a post on TPM Horses Mouth:
Charles Krauthammer writes with perfect sincerity: Hillary Clinton is to be admired because of her obvious (he claims) willingness to torture, concluding: "I (and others of my ideological ilk) could live with her." He (Charles Krauthammer) and his "ilk" are evil people - dead set against the common good. As Bill Kristol once said: ~ Our "ilk" are similar to the Lords and upper class of old Europe... someday will will have to pull up the draw bridge.
I hope they do, and then the rest of us can surround them and starve them out.
moondancer @ 32:
I believe you just maligned Cain.
I don't particularly care to give any ammo to babyish right-wingers. Nor do I have any big problems with Al Gore (he was never my ideal candidate but he's on point to a substantial degree). However, I have to admit that I find it bizarre to give him the Nobel Peace Prize for his movie. Is it something that provoked some overdue critical thought? Sure. But, I just have a hard time thinking there weren't others out there a bit more worthy. At the same time, this is just an award in the end. The rabid right should be more concerned with why more and more people in the US seem to be finally (and correctly) catching on that their opportunistic liars who will sell out an entire nation for some meals, some campaign donations, and some pork to their "friends."
Charles Krauthammer writes with perfect sincerity: Hillary Clinton is to be admired because of her obvious (he claims) willingness to torture, concluding: “I (and others of my ideological ilk) could live with her.”
The above is what I found on TPM, the rest of the above post is what I wrote, sorry I didn't make that clear.
Eamon @ 3:
You can bitch about Gore all you want but Gore didn't sign away your right to habeas corpus. Bush did. Gore didn't start a two wars he can't end without a strategy to win them. Bush did. Gore didn't leave the entire Gulf coast to rot while a hurricane rolled in and destroyed all their homes stopping by only for handy photo ops. Bush did. Gore didn't fire a group of US attorneys for refusing to turn the Justice department into his own personal vendetta factory. Bush did. Gore didn't start stripping away the rights guaranteed to you by the US Constitution. Bush did. Gore didn't give the highest civilian honors in the land to a group of fuck ups who did nothing except kiss his ass. Bush did.
Seems to me that 'Bush Derrangment Syndrome' should be referred to as 'thinking'. Because if you actively think using an actual brain and look what Bush has actually done with the 7 years he's had in office then you'd realize there really is nothing good about President Bush's time in office.
Whereas the only thing that the right wing has on Gore is that they don't happen to like his politics because they believe it will cost them money that they could be spending on gay meth dealing escorts. So they use every opportunity to smear and strike at him in order to discredit him and what he stands for.
Headline: Jesus returns to earth; praises Gore for efforts
Fox News:
Is Jesus anti American?
Does Jesus hate Bush?
Do we need to re examine Jesus?
Did Jesus get a free ride under his father?
Jesus: savior or socialist?
Is there a part of Jesus we don't know? Tonight, a Fox New Exclusive: Sean Hannity sits down with Satan. This is one interview you don't want to miss.
I vote for: guilt because of 2000. They know they didn't earn it and they can only deal with that knowledge by lashing out at the guy who did. The fact that things have gone so wrong since 2000 intensifies the feeling.
JustAGI @ 17:
I totally agree.
If you're not anti-Bush, you are anti-American. So, really, it has to go to one or the other.
43 E in MD
To that i can only add: Name one thing that Bush did right? He has been in office for almost seven full years and i can't think of one damned thing.
curtilingus @ 37:
Worded exactly as it is, what you wrote would probably be the most effective ad-campaign spot ever written.
There is a lot on the right that is irrational and does not make sense.
remember how pissed off the repube were when carter won the prize. i see it as simply showing that repubes are more concerned about their personal standing above america's. when every american should have been celebrating the fact that an american won such an honor, repubes would rather belittle the honor and attack the american winning the honor.
Gore already 'won' once, he can do it again.
The only person I want to vote for (Kucinich) will never win, unfortunately. I'd vote for Gore.
Bill Kristol, ???? the only thing he is good for is to find the right (correct) association on any point he makes a comment on. Looking back on his record of prognostications and opinions he has proven to be WRONG most of the time......like 99% of the time. If he says anything I know for a fact that the opposite is the correct opinion.....he's become a great oracle if you use him in that frame of reference.
Really Gore only won ½ the award as the other ½ went to the IPCC.
So really, why do Republicans not go after the IPCC equally?
I mean they keep harping on the Nobel Prize committee basing the award on political reasons.
Are they not responding by only highlighting Gore for political reasons.
Hypocrite much?
jake3988 @ 51:
Vote for him anyway, see what happens.
Do you really want to se the right wing go bat shit nuts?
Clinton, Clinton, Clinton. Bill Clinton, Bill Clinton, Bill Clinton, Bill Clinton, Hillary Hillary Hillary. President, President, President. President Bill, President Bill, President Bill. President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary. Hillary, Hillary, Hillary. Hillary Clinton for President. Hillary Clinton for President. Hillary Clinton for President. President Hillary Clinton. President Hillary Clinton. President Hillary Clinton. President Hillary Clinton.
Ladies and gentlemen let me introduce to you the President of the United States of America, President Hillary Clinton.
Now watch the right wing squirm and bounce off the walls.
55 Captain Kangaroo
They would not be the only ones.
JustAGI @ 17:
Okay, I've thought about it. Krauthammer is an idiot who couldn't see straight if you put his head in a vise.
But I guess Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi are useful only as symbolic references in Bush's speeches. God forbid that we should actually learn something from these people and the examples they provide, or strive to hold ourselves and our country to a higher ideal.
Mr. Bush's casus belli was nothing more than a manufactured excuse, and the 'geniuses' behind the planning of the Iraq War have been wrong on just about every substantive issue, from 'candy and flowers' to 'the insurgency is in its last throes.' Our grand experiment in democracy has proven to be nothing more than a show election and wishful thinking, mistaking democracy for its outward manifestations.
But I'm glad you're here to tell us how stupid and backwards we are for being so anti-American and anti-Bush, when the only person George W. Bush has to blame is himself. It's so convenient - "God" and "History" tell him he's right, anyone who says he's wrong is a traitor and an idiot - requiring absolutely no conviction or responsibility on Bush's part.
2 + 2 will never equal 5, no matter how much you proclaim divine inspiration or historical relevance, and it's not because the people saying 2 + 2 = 4 are anti-five or anti-Bush.
The Pentagon is taking AGW seriously. Several years ago, in fact, it decided that AGW would lead to increases in drought and that agricultural failures and drinking water shortages would lead to increases in global strife. That kind of thing happens when people are hungry and thirsty.
So, yes, trying to abate future wars is a peacemaker's activity and one worthy of recognition.
And quibbling over it is a sign of a petty mind.
Krugman says:
And now that Mr. Bush has proved himself utterly the wrong man for the job — to be, in fact, the best president Al Qaeda’s recruiters could have hoped for — the symptoms of Gore derangement syndrome have grown even more extreme.
Let's take it a step futher...Gore for President of France! That would be the E Ticket Ride of the Century!
...that would be really fun to watch.
xoites defnds Constitution @ 47:
The do not call registry.
but that's it.
Zlad! @ 60:
Talk about apprapote of...nothing...
Moose @ 53:
The IPCC is hard to attack, but if Al Gore wasn't the co-winner, they would probably try. They're using their attacks on Al Gore to attack the issue. They harp on the errors or exaggerations in Al's presentations to attack the whole issue of Global Warming. They can't really attack the science or the scientists that belong to the IPCC. It's a case of our scientists are bigger than your scientists.
Elie Wiesel. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ralph Bunche. Mother Theresa.
Yeah, self-absorbed prattlers, all of them. I'm surprised that Bill doesn't come down with thrush every other week, seeing as he always manages to put his foot in his mouth.
justabill @ 61:
Now there is a Legacy to be proud of!
curtilingus @ 31:
It couldn't be more clear why networks censor Dennis Kucinich...He is for the people and the other candidates are for the corporations. Period.
I totally forgot about Do Not Call.
Bush Was Right!!
Simon White-Thatch Potentloins @ 9:
What did Henry Kissinger have to do with peace?
GERMAN GOVERNMENT DEFENDS GORE
'Inconvenient Truth' To Continue Airing in Schools
The German government has come out in defense of former US Vice President Al Gore, who was named the 2007 Nobel Prize winner for his work on climate change education on Friday. Germany's Environment Ministry says a few errors in the film is no reason not to show it in schools.
Al Gore may have had a setback in a British high court this week, but following the announcement Friday that the former United States vice president had been named as the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel defended the use of the Oscar-winning climate change film "An Inconvenient Truth" in classrooms.
Gabriel praised Gore's film for presenting the dangers of climate change in an accessible way. Earlier this year, the Environment Ministry distributed 6,000 copies of the DVD of the documentary film to German schools.
...
Nevertheless, the German government said it sees no reason to include any warning message when screening the documentary in classrooms. "A couple of errors in detail are no reason to disparage an entire film," an Environment Ministry source said. "We assume that teachers will encourage their students to view (the film) with a critical eye."
read on:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,511325,00.html
Too bad he can't drive them crazy all the time, like Clinton did, from the White house...
But at the end of the day, they got the president they wanted and we didn't.
He may always be the better man but the right wing did effectively scare Gore out of politics.
As many things that he has accomplished, it's a lot easier than accomplishing them in the hard slog of government on a daily basis.
The tactics of the right wing have had a chilling effect on not just potential politicians but whistleblowers alike.
I would give my left arm for Gore to get in.
I may go back and forth about Hilary but I respect the fact that she doesn't run from the fight. Ever.
Bashing the Nobel Prize is like bashing the UN. Only the hardcore wingnuts applaud this sort of extremism. So let them bash away. Anything that puts some distance between the neonuts and mainstream America is a good thing.
Weaseldog @ 68:
Kissinger won it along with Le Duc Tho (who refused the prize because when it was awarded his country was still at war) for jointly negotiating the Vietnam peace accord in 1973. Although I realize Kissinger should be in jail I understand why it could be said he did deserve the prize for the reason it was awarded. Kissinger is a horrible person and deserves the fate of Penochet just like dick Cheney but he won the prize for negotiating a peace accord.
Krugman says:
"The worst thing about Mr. Gore, from the conservative point of view, is that he keeps being right. In 1992, George H. W. Bush mocked him as the “ozone man,” but three years later the scientists who discovered the threat to the ozone layer won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. In 2002 he warned that if we invaded Iraq, “the resulting chaos could easily pose a far greater danger to the United States than we presently face from Saddam.” And so it has proved."
Lynn @ 71:
They may have won a battle, but lost the war.
No, wait. Several wars.
The War in Iraq andThe War on Drugs also come to mind.
Jeffrey Davis @ 58:
Agreed. It's the type of discussion to be had in a casual social setting, not dominating the news as presented by pundits as if it real means a damn thing. But, what do you expect from people who can't even shut up about a stupid flag pin? ;)
It was sickening hearing Laura Ingraham and Fred Barnes' attacks on Gore on the "Right Wing World" segment of Stephanie Miller' show today. These rapture bunnies think they'll be "caught up in the clouds" before Manhattan is underwater from climate change
randomgunner @ 48:
Hardly. As a heterosexual woman with a vote, I don't give a damn how 'delicious' Kucinich's wife is or is not.
Also, Tipper Gore didn't get any lyrics banned (warning labels are not bans) and Frank Zappa does suck.
As a matter of fact, that ad copy might have moved me from liking Kucinich to not liking him very much at all...
Captain Kangaroo @ 73:
Yes, and he made damned sure it did not happen before the 1972 elections so Nixon's "Secret Plan" to end the war could remain his campaign slogan.
78 SamBarge
Proof positive that Americans vote for the packaging and not the content.
Captain Kangaroo @ 73:
I understand this. Likewise Richard Angelo, John Edward Robinson, and Arthur Bishop all became an Eagle Scouts based on his efforts in the Boy Scouts... But I doubt that they would've have won their accolades if they had been caught committing their crimes first.
Still, I'll never believe that there was no one else, more deserving than Henry Kissinger for the prize that year. I consider that event on par with Bush giving away the Medal of Freedom to Paul Bremer and other war criminals.
Then again, Kissinger does think Bush is a moron...
Tipper Gore was instrumental in getting "Warning Explicit Lyrics" stamped on every record that so much as says "darn". Frank Zappa debated the issue with her in front of congress.
I can appreciate the fact you don't like Franks music, it is over the heads of most people and sometimes can only be appreciated by a musician or other free-thinking person. However he is one of the top ten greatest contributors to music ever. Up there with the ancient composers.
As far as not liking Kucinich's wife, I can't help you there.
Kucinich '08
As a German journalist wrote:
"The highest form of human recognition is envy."
The U.S.A. needs a satire party, like Canada used to have. We had the Rhinos, a Marxist-Lennonist (Not a typo. Groucho and John) party whose party promise was, "A promise to keep none of our promises." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhino_party Maybe then everyone would have something to agree on.
And God bless Gore for supporting Howard Dean. At that time, in typical fashion, the right said "he's finished" for vigorously endorsing that madman Dean who opposed the Iraq War as one of the worst foreign policy disasters. I'll never forget Gore's impassioned speeches against the war whenever he appeared with Dean.
And, once again, those on the right have been wrong about every friggin thing, whether it be domestic policy, foreign policy or global warming and, therefore, have nothing left but name-calling and stale, juvenile barbs as they sit simpering in Gore's gargantuan shadow.
I think what really drives them insane is that their candidate couldn't win against Gore, even after the Clinton impeachment trial. They knew Bush was an irresponsible jerk, but they continued to endorse him, because he took what he wanted through force. They probably believed that, like Reagan, he'd be remembered better, in spite of it. But Reagan gave the public what it wanted; he didn't force what he wanted down their throats like these scumbags. [That's not to say what the public wanted back then was actually reasonable or attainable, but at least Reagan was able to tap into their psycho psyches, instead of trying to brainwash them.]
xoites defnds Constitution @ 47:
I struggled with this too, but I found out that Bush took a courageous stand in supporting more nurses in the U.S.
Gore should've been Presidemt.
2000 was stolen by Halliburton.
The messenger received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Good for him. I am happy for him. He deserves it.
Lets not forget the 'Message' though.
The Earth is very Sick and needs our help.
Old Dood,
"The Earth is very Sick and needs our help."
Bush has messed up the planet, so I agree.
But we need to do something tom heal it.
Hillary will do that.
I hope Gore runs. He has intelligence, credibility, gravitas, compassion, and cares for the environment. He is, in other words, the anti-Bush and just what America needs.
annick,
What's your opinion about Hillary.
I like her.
She cares about the people.
SamBarge @ 78:
That was her initial plan. She just wasn't successful. The people and the pesky Constitution stood in her way.
Hillary's attack machine which is supported by the media will destroy Gore!
hadenuf @ 88:
While many of our so-called "progressive" counterparts may disagree, he took the right stand on the issue of ports and Dubai. His intentions may have been less and noble, but the xenophobia and jingoism that was exploited surrounding that issue in opposition was pretty disgusting in my opinion. That being said, that's the closest thing I can say that I think he did "right," or at least took the proper stand on to a degree. I just wish the fact that he will be remembered as the worst President in history really provided me with any type of comfort or sense of things being corrected.
'nuff said!
What do you mean drive them insane? Like they're not already certifiable as it is.
I was premature. with the 'nuff said!
It's because the Reslugs are all ignorant, worthless, jealous assholes.
Actually, I thought they were already insane.
Eris @ 94:
I assume by 'people' you mean John Denver.
During the inquiries all these 'freaky' artists were paraded before congress, and 'normal' people were quick to side with Tipper's stance ( hehe, that phrase sounds funny...sorry Mrs. Gore... ). I remember very well how many of the people I was discussing this with at the time were FOR it because "well, music is getting bad and we should keep those freaks in line". Then Mr. John Denver took the stand. The look on the faces of congress while this well respected and loved folk singer/songwriter sat there reminding them of the perils of censorship was truly priceless.
Isn't it a wonderful country we live in, where Frank Zappa can say something to congress and be dismissed, but when John Denver comes along and says the same stuff to congress his words are respected.
Thank you Mr. Denver for saving us from censorship. We could use some of your folksy wisdom now...you are missed.
My evangelical wing nut mother in law commented this weekend how much she hates Al Gore and how much of a joke the Nobel Prize was and how he didn't deserve it....She was bitching how she couldn't even read the paper because she couldn't stand
him and he is a liar and has no proof global warming exists...
But she believes Noah stuffed two of every species know to man kind on earth into wooden a boat and floated around for 40 days and 40 nights....
I asked my wife why do wing nuts "hate" everything ? Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Theodore Roosevelt, and Henry Kissinger won the Nobel Prize....
It's not that they may disagree with Gore's theories...More so how full of hate the far right is. Their energy is derived from hatred yet they are the "religious right" ?
The right hates Gore because he is not their kind of guy. They don't want to go to his cookouts, they don't want to go to a ball game with him. He is just a big stiff pontificating on how smart he is. Our George is a guy you want to hang out with: as dumb or dumber than you and proud of it! Gore is just a smart guy from the neighborhood who did good and all his contemporaries are jealous because they did not like him when he was a kid.
Who do you want as President? A guy who was the only baseball owner to vote against the present playoff system? A guy who failed at every business he tried? A guy who snorted and boozed his way AWOL through Vietnam? A guy who can't put two sentences together without getting confused? What kind of world do we live in that encourages lazy zeros like George to seek the Presidency while the best of us sit on the sidelines.
"The whole “derangement syndrome” phenomenon stems from an increasingly common problem — when contempt for a leader strays from simple political opposition to irrational, reflexive antagonism. If so-and-so says “day,” I’ll say “night,” even if the sun is shining."
"Derangement syndrome" is just a term of conceit. The word they're describing is "reactionary." With a political system that has been polarized such as the US' has, you can always call someone who disagrees with you a "radical," or "insane." However, "reactionary" is a term more commonly used to describe the dynamics of sectarian strife and systems under more upheaval than America's, or so we'd like to think.
The challenge is to have good reasons for the reaction and communicate those up front.
It really irks them deep down to know that in the 2000 election more voters wanted Gore to be President than Bush.
It's a fact that does not rely on arguments about chads:
More voters wanted Gore to be President than Bush.
I wish people had been pointing this out from 2000-2003 instead of making the
complicated "stole the election" arguments that take a long debate of various allegations. When will left ever learn to make concise arguments (that attack instead of create noise) like the right?
The only answer to attacks on Gore should be:
More voters wanted Gore to be President than Bush.
Do this and really watch them blow their top.
Help drive the wingers further into insanity by signing the draft-gore e-petition at democrats.com. I can hear their little heads popping already!
curtilingus @ 1:
I'm going to say a lot: 5 to build a bathroom stall, 2 to set up a computer to email pages about the size of their junk, 1 to buy the meth, 1 to pimp a gay hooker, 1 to tap his foot, 1 to mop up afterwards, & 50 or 60 to go on TV & before MegaChurches™ & scream about how gays are killing America.
I think a nice Bumper sticker would read: "Al Gore and Bill Clinton... driving the right wing crazy since 1992." :lol:
Predictably, the conservative chattering class and its amen corner in the right-wing blogosphere are apoplectic about the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Al Gore. But their rage and angst about the Nobel Committee's "politicized awards" for "mass exaggerators" and "deceptive rhetoric" isn't merely a function of the inconvenient truth of the success of Gore's global warming campaign. No, the rugged individualists of the right are just hopping mad that they never win prizes designed to recognize contributions to, well, the rest of humanity.
To remedy this perpetual slight, then, here are:
"Conservative Nobel Prizes We'd Like to See."
I was watching a show on the history channel where some random "expert" compared General Santa Ana to Bill Clinton as follows: [I'm paraphrasing as I do not recall the exact quote]
'Santa Ana was like Bill Clinton. He was charming, intelligent, well spoken, educated and as evil as Osama Bin Laden.'
I laughed out loud.
Gee... do ya think he might be a reich winger? LOL! Let's face it the only reason I'm not sure is because he wasn't foaming at the mouth at the time.
111 MargeAggedon
The only reason reichwingers don't foam at the mouth more is because their ma's didn't wash their mouths out with soap enough.
You remember the monster in the Frankenstein movies, when he began to speak he could only say "fire bad, bread good, friend good"--- even the monster had his priorities right. But today's Reich Wingers, particularly the 25% that are impervious to reason, are like some wierd Frankenstein monster that's been hardwired to only shout, "Clinton Bad!, Democrat Bad!,Peace Bad! Republican Good!, War Good!,Fire Good! Money Good! Murder Good!" You can argue them into a corner and they'll always come back with "Clinton Bad!"or "Gore Lies!"or "Bush is God!" Their logic centers are damaged beyond repair and the real world frightens them. All they can do is scream and flail their arms around helplessly. They will go to their graves believing what they believe and they will never ever admit they were wrong.
No No Don't Sniff That Yellow Snow.
LibertyLover @ 109:
I'm going to get a few of those made up and give them away. That is very good.
Weaseldog @ 81:
I was not trying to defend Kissinger. I was just saying.
SamBarge @ 78:
Strictly satire. Given the obsession with image in this country, a spot like that would go over well with the majority of Americans-- you know, the sort of people who thought it would be nice to vote in a guy who they'd like to have a beer with or are more obsessed with what a candidate has on than what he or she stands for.
While many of our so-called “progressive” counterparts may disagree, he took the right stand on the issue of ports and Dubai. His intentions may have been less and noble, but the xenophobia and jingoism that was exploited surrounding that issue in opposition was pretty disgusting in my opinion. That being said, that’s the closest thing I can say that I think he did “right,” or at least took the proper stand on to a degree. I just wish the fact that he will be remembered as the worst President in history really provided me with any type of comfort or sense of things being corrected.
Bush only took this "stance" after he got caught - and would have to eat mega-shyt to justify the ports and Dubai mess. Otherwise, it would have been business as usual, because the open ports was exactly what he wanted.
He didn't count on the back lash. If you create enough pushback, Bush usually backs off, like the sniveling, bullying coward he is.
There really isn't an option other than Dennis Kucinich for president. He very much does care and he does matter. I am fascinated to know who he would choose as his vice presidential running mate; Peter Camejo maybe? Just curious.
Krugman's column this morning was great, but in focusing on Gore, I believe he is forgetting something. Just last week, the Republicans were devoting equal energy to trashing a 12 year old kid. Kerry was a lying coward, Joe Wilson was a liar with a non-covert wife, Hillary is a deranged harpy shrew, Howard Dean is a screaming left wing lunatic.... I could go on and on. The truth is that this behavior is not a sign of derangement, but a systematic tactic designed to distract attention from the fact that their policies are disastrous to everyone but the super rich. Democrats still haven't figured out what the Republicans have known since Gingrich: we have won the ideological battle. They have nothing left but lying and cheating and smearing.
justabill @ 4:
He can't. They will off him the same way they were prepared to off him had he fought for his rightful place as Potus in 2000. He knows this. They know this. They offed JFK, RFK and -- MLK (also a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize).
reichwingers still think they were cheated when Path to 9-11, didn't win a SLO of Emmies.
I'm a conservative, and dislike Al-Gore because the left act like he's the saviour of America, just like Hillary. Reality though would tell us that Gore, Hillary, Kerry are all just a part of this big WWF tag team wrestling match with Bush and co. Behind the curtain they serve the same people, the same interests, but in front of that curtain.. we have this bullshit left/right garbage. I choose not to believe in man-made global warming not because Al Gore says it's happening.. I choose not to believe in it because history, science, and undistorted facts tell me otherwise.
I don't dislike people with sincere beliefs regardless of political leaning, such as Kucinich, or Paul. I dislike people who's "beliefs" aren't sincere at all, and are merely a tool to gain something from. If you think Al Gore has nothing to gain from the man-made global warming swindle.. then you're sadly mistaken.
Gore gets a cold shoulder.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/gore-gets-a-cold-shoulder/2007/10...
The republican hit lists includes every single one of the democrats who happen to make 'GOOD NEWS'. They can't stand for a democrat to get praise. ALL PRAISE BELONGS TO BUSH. He is our messiah. He talks to God, God answers and tells him to go to war.
“Gore drives right-wingers insane”
And I heard that right-wingers don't believe in car pooling.
(Those not in Depends).
Gary @ 124:
Some how I have serious doubts about the competence of your thought processes Gary.
The Political Junkie @ 118:
So he takes the right stand on Dubai...and now we are going to sell 25 % of the nasdaq to them instead...
Gary @ 124:
Fixed.
Go back to whatever troll-hole you crawled out of; you're not welcome here.
Damian @ 130:
Oh i'm sorry, was it the word conservative that got you foaming at the mouth? Or was it the fact that I'm one of the few people in this thread who didnt equate Gore to the likes of Martin Luther King, JFK, and Jesus.
I Know i'm not welcome here.. because deep down, the people who are on Dailykos, and C&L are no better than their right wing counterparts. I'm not welcome on C&L because i'm a rational person, rational conservatives, and rational liberals don't make as easy targets for hate mongering.
Robert @ 123:
You're lost. Here's directions home --> nutjob central
Gary @ 124:
Al Gore started writing his book, Earth in the Balance in 1988, and it was published in 1992. He's been on the same topic for well nigh 20 years, come thick or thin.
The fact that he's not racing to run again in 2008 belies any messianic complex, and unlike boosh, he doesn't claim to talk to God.
Fox News should have created their own prize, such as Democracy Prize, to be given to individuals who espouses Bushism, and
1. who promotes the talk of democracies and fear throughout the worlds,
2. cutting all taxes,
3. increases federal spending on conservative social causes,
4. rampant cronyism and
5. management incompetence (all who qualifies must be MBA ivy league grads),
6. likes to be absent from office (Bush has already taken more 1 year off his presidency for vacations and personal time off) and
7. finally the most conservative short-sighted (Bush doesn't read newspapers)
8, cocky proud (you are either with us or against us) and
9. resolute (stay the course) person in the organization.
Gary @ 124:
If you think that Bush is sincere about protecting our democracy and freedom, then you are sadly mistaken.
And if you believe that Bush is sincere about evangelical causes, then you are really easily fooled and dumb. Bush has done untold damages to evangelical causes, has people turned away from evangelism? Yes, and in droves.
And finally, if you think Bush is sincere about protecting America, then you are really dumb, he and his cronies are only interested in their own stock portfolios.
Gary @ 124:
Sorry, trollkin. I know rational. Rational is a friend of mine. You're not rational.
And seriously, if you think the likes of Kristol, Krauthammer, Limbaugh, Hannity, and others will respect you for being 'rational,' you're completely delusional.
eo @ 136:
What about Bush? I never once praised Bush. Again, the typical left/right bull is spouted. Because i'm against Al-Gore, I'm automatically Pro Bush?.. No. Bush is the worst thing to ever happen to this country, and doesn't have an ounce of moral in him.. I have no reason to defend him because he doesn't represent conservatives.. just the stupid brain dead ones who think that Giuliani is their man despite the fact he's a cross-dressing crook who's flip flopped on abortion and guns depending on where he's running.
I truly don't believe that Gore is sincere in his beliefs about the threat of "man-made" global warming. Nor do I believe he's sincere in his beliefs about doing what's best for America. Just because Gore isn't as corrupt as Bush (No ones half as corrupt as Bush) doesn't mean he isn't corrupt and self serving. If Gore was a genuine politician, who's intentions were to do what's best for America then he'd NEVER have handed the election to Bush, even though Bush didn't win.. and if that isn't pure theater at it's best, I don't know what is.
Gary, you're talking out of both sides of your mouth. You keep insisting that you are rational and then claim that you are one of the few people on the thread who did not equate Gore to Jesus or MLK. I don't believe I saw either of those comparisons made here, or elsewhere.
Also, you are doubting a man's sincerity towards a project that he has worked on for over 20 years. How's that work? You dedicate a substantial portion of your life and energy to a subject you do not believe in? I don't think even the most callous, showboating politician would have that kind of stamina.
Got to go to a meeting, check back later
[Deleted. Private Freedom-Sitemonitor]
Actually Gore's IQ has been shown to be around 200.
He doesn't use 20% more power, he pays 20% more, because he's attempting to make his home greener. They generally costs quite a bit in up front money.
In Germany, they're subsidizing such greening, solar panels, windmills, solar paint etc, and they've overshot they're expectations. So they're increasing their expectations.
What's boosh's solution to global warming, duct tape?
Dangar is full of crap.
That study of Gore's electric bill compares his mansion to the national average of all the homes in the United States, including trailers and apartments. When you compare an outlier to the mean, of course it will be higher.
Plus, it doesn't make sense because the regions are different. How about we compare Gore's mansion to the Southeast region instead of the whole country?
Another thing... Tennessee gets much of its energy from Hydrodams and nuclear power plants, which don't emit CO2.
Dangar is just another brainwashed party hack.
Joe Marasmus @ 140:
141 Dangar
Another one proving the truth of this thread's headline.
And I thought only girls were fans of Winger.
Ever read a book called "How to Lie with Statistics?" You are comparing an outlier with an average mean that spans the country, even though energy consumption is different in other regions due to temperature.
Plus, comparing Gore to average people is wrong anyway because he's not an average guy. He's a former Rep, Senator, Vice-President, Elected-President and current writer, Apple representative and spokesman. He can't live in a trailer or apartment, he needs a mansion for his family to live in, his staff to work in, his bodyguards to stay and his political activities to be planned out.
No matter how you try to spin this, as the hacks who created that factoid did, the facts are on my side.
Has there ever been a collection of infantile crybabies as bad as the current Republican party? What a bunch of humorless morons!
Joe Marasmus @ 143:
You touched on it, but his home is also his office, so in effect he's paying two bills in one.
Dangar@140,
Very Coulterish of you.
1. While Aristotle is universally accepted as one of the masters of logical reasoning, Rand definitely isn't. In fact a lot of people think Rand was wrong on a lot of things. Mix 1/2 universal truth + 1/2 right wing truism: Coulter logic.
2. How th f@ck did you even know Gore hasn't read Aristotle and Rand? Aristotle is in every basic philosphy course, which anybody who went to college had to take.
3. So if you're pushing for a poor continent to develop cheap green energy...you're killing their people?
4. I remember Arafat. I think he deserved that peace prize. Arafat a tyrant? Because he was fighting against the Israeli occupation? wth?
5. Not a smart/moral/honest man? More Right wing truisms that doesn't require proving because they really can't be proven. Usual garbage.
6. I don't know what rock you had been living under, but there is by and large a CONSENSUS in the scientific world that global warming is real. The dissenters? right-wing hacks who don't have science degrees. Give out any respectable scientific name who doesn't believe in global warming? No? that's what I thought.
7. If saying that man is causing global warming is the same as saying that humanity is evil for you, then you SERIOUSLY need to read Aristotle. Because that is the most boneheaded equation I have ever heard since "they had elections so therefore they have democracy".
5.
Joe Marasmus @ 143:
[Private Freedom, your meme is wearing on me. We all know what your erroneous retort will be. We have totally absorbed your POV and we happen to think you're wrong. I don't see anyone sitting on the fence here waiting for your next words to sway. Please do something else now-Sitemonitor]
Funny how at one time Americans would congratulate Americans for winning prestigious awards.
Now only if you're the "right" kind of Amurikan.
Dangar @ 140:
A convenient bit of misdirection. I don't believe for a moment that Al Gore has an average house, nor has Gore claimed that his power consumption is some kind of zero-point magical technology - he buys energy from green vendors, thus there is less impact from generating that energy.
Also, the regional power company doesn't recall releasing figures to the conservative group that issued the report.
What the hell are you talking about? Global warming causes human activity?
Or is this the 'it's just the sun, stupid' nonsense promulgated by the 'We Can't Fuck Up Earth, God Made It' crowd? Go take a look at the planet Venus. The solar radiation it receives is trapped by an atmosphere heavy in carbon dioxide, greatly magnifying the temperature.
Reason is impossible if you haven't read Aristotle or Rand?
You're really reaching for this one. Gore is also calling for world leaders to research those technologies so they can be brought to the developing world. If countries like the United States invest in alternative energy technologies, it becomes less expensive.
On the other hand, if we continue with our oil-dependent lifestyle, we're almost certainly damning the planet, not just Africa.
Arafat won the prize in conjunction with Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin, so you're telling me both Peres and Rabin are equally undeserving for approaching their differences across the table with Arafat.
This is nothing but baseline conservative prattle.
Every one of your above points has been shot down. I have no idea what you're basing the claims about Gore's intelligence, honesty, or morality on.
And, incidentally, in a number of high-profile examples, it's not 'accused of being' - it's ARE. Newt Gingrich divorced his wife while she was hospitalized with cancer. David Vitter was respecting his marriage by engaging in diaper fetishes with prostitutes. Mark Foley was drafting laws to protect teenagers from internet predators while being one himself.
If you're rational, I'm the Pope.
Al Gore didn't just pull this schtick out of his ass - he is also working with credentialed scientists, as opposed to groups funded by oil companies.
Nor do I believe Gore has all the answers. I believe he is a visible and effective spokesman addressing a significant issue facing this planet. If you still don't think your SUV is a problem, go start it up in a closed garage and breathe deep.
Again I laugh at the so-called 'rational' right-wing view. Gore hates mankind? Mankind is evil? Invented reasons why scientists don't go on television?
Scientists don't go on television because network news has a horrible record on presenting science. Stories on the evening news are dumbed down to 30 seconds of video and a ten-second soundbite, or a two-minute 'in depth' feature.
You've given us an excellent view of why the right wing hates Gore, but sadly, it has nothing to do with the reasons you've listed.
Dangar @ 147:
No, he is saying that Gore DESERVES to use more energy because of WHAT HE DOES. You know, like how the president of the United States deserves to use a private jet because of WHAT HE DOES?
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