There may have been good reason Al Gore "lost" in 2000...

[Triana]

...and won't run in 2008. And I'm quite at Peace with that, and here's why:

What happened in 2000 was unprecedented. Gore WON that election. We know that. But he didn't get the job. It was excruciatingly disappointing for us all. If there was ANYONE who was qualified to lead the United States of America into a new Millennium, it was Al Gore. It really HURT to see the most unqualified, brain-dead, poor excuse for even a monkey get the job, instead - on his Daddy's name and his Daddy's connections - when we all know he lost.

Call it Fate. Call it God. Call it Universal Power or Universal Wisdom or whatever suits you.

BUT Maybe - just maybe, the Universe or whatever you choose to call it - had BIGGER plans for Mr. Gore. Maybe - just maybe, he's right where he needs to be and where he was intended to be and where WE need him to be right now. And that's NOT in the White House. Maybe "somebody up there" knew that.

Mr. Gore is too busy to be President. He's too busy trying to save humanity from itself. That's a LOT bigger and more important job than POTUS. Mr. Gore is busy trying to get this race of humans to STOP busily and stupidly sawing off the branch upon which our very existence is perched - the planet.

And THAT is more important and more prescient than the job of POTUS. Maybe - just maybe, someone or something - some Universal Wisdom or Power or whatever you want to call it - knew that - and chose Gore NOT to be President, but instead to lead this cause, for JUST that reason.

Because NO ONE else could do what Gore is doing. NO ONE else WOULD do what he's doing. NO ONE else has the drive, or passion or the curiosity about, or the involvement with the environment and environmental science to do what he's doing. He's THE MAN for this job. He's been at this stuff for YEARS. He's been showing that slide presentation for what - 20 years now? He's studied the science for years with the best scientists in the world - and gone all over the world to do it.

SOMEBODY up there - maybe - just maybe - KNEW that. And maybe, just maybe - that's why even though he WON in 2000, he didn't get that job - because there was a much much more important job that he had to do and NO ONE else could do it, and somehow, somebody, some power, somewhere, KNEW that and so Al is right where we need Al to be -- doing exactly what only HE can do: Saving us from ourselves. And that makes the job of POTUS look like tiddlywinks (and GWB is even screwing THAT up, of course).

That's MY philosophy on it, anyway. Al Gore is doing exactly what he rightfully should be doing and things worked out the way did for a damn good reason: Because NO ONE else can do the most important job in the World except Al Gore. And he's doing it, right now. And it's a hella more important than being POTUS in 2000 or 2008.

The man is busy. The Universe gave him a job to do. He's DOING it. Leave him alone!

[Ignacio Upton]

1. Somewhere in a parallel universe, Al Gore is President

It's just that THIS universe decided otherwise :(

[Triana]

2. This universe won't exist if he doesn't continue his work..

...what he's doing right now. Humanity will destroy the only planet it has to live on. What Gore is doing now is more important than being POTUS. That's why THIS job was given to Gore -- and the POTUS job went to Mr. Sh1T4Br@1ns.

Universe knew what it was doing. Well, I think so, anyway.

[GeorgeGist]

27. Now that's a narrow minded view...

of the Universe.

[Triana]

30. Hmm...I could say the same about some of the other views on the subject..

...narrow-minded. Tunnel vision - "liars" - whatever. And they can say that about mine too! But that's just juvenile and insulting. I prefer to to just think everyone has a right to their own opinion on the matter whether they agree with what I wrote or not. People see it differently and that's fine! Tis cool with me. Makes the world go round and all that...

To each his/her own. We're individuals, not a single mind.

[Bobbieo]

3. I agree that Gore was destined for his achievement tonite, but

perhaps if Gore would have been president in 2000, Global Warming might not have reached the advanced stage to where it is now. Just a thought!

[Triana]

5. It was already well on its way...

...and we still would have had to do something. And Gore, as Pres, would have been hogtied by oil and gas industries and lobbyists, Republicans, etc. at every turn - every time he tried to do anything or enact new policies or legislation.

Naw. I think he is able to do much more as the teacher/messenger and a "canary in the coalmine" than as a politician. Besides, as he said, it's a moral, not a political issue. And it has to be approached from that direction, rather than a political direction.

[KittyWampus]

24. Do you think China would've stopped developing? You think the NeoCons would've stopped agitating

[XemaSab]

45. Then why am I stuck in THIS shitty universe???

:cry:

[deutsey]

46. We're the evil twin universe of the good universe

In all those old sci-fi movies, we're the dystopian universe that the good guy gets sucked into accidentally and then desperately escapes from to return to his sane and just universe.

[leftstreet]

4. Election theft is not "unprecedented"

The question is - what's he gonna do about it?

Given the way his own party abandoned him, I wouldn't blame him if he ran as an Independent.

[SteveM]

50. The presidential precedent was in 1876 -- yep, in Florida.

Rutherford B. Hayes defeated the Democratic candidate, Samuel Tilden, based on phony and stuffed ballots; most notably in western Alachua County, Florida, in the Archer area. This was the work of Leonard "Little Giant" Dennis, the Republican "boss" (for a time) of Florida, who operated out of Gainesville. The votes were enough to tilt Florida to Hayes. The scheme was uncovered by a Congressional investigation and a deal was struck: the Democrats would let the election stand in return for Hayes' assurance that Federal troops would end their occupation of the South, thus ending the Reconstruction era. They got it. No doubt, the same sort of shenanigans occurred in the 2000 election, this time using disqualification. The GOP got their way in some measure because the Dems failed to call for a general recount under Florida law, and instead opted for partial recounts which bogged down into shouting/bully tactics organized by the GOP. (The toughs were sent into Florida to cow the Dems; how well they know their opponents: predictably, the Dems caved.) Gore could have avoided this mess by having a reasonable position on gun rights, something no one likes to talk about much around here, except in the "Gungeon" forum. I believe it was Clinton who said that the gun issue kept Gore from winning several closely contested states, any one of which would have put Gore over the top. Had he a strong Second Amendment rights stance, Gore wouldn't have had to worry about corrupt voting and the impact of Ralph Nader. The Second Amendment is a civil right; ignore it at your own peril.

[leftstreet]

51. Smarty pants

:rofl:

Welcome to DU!

:hi:

Excellent post.

[Captain Hilts]

6. He didn't win his home state. nt

[trumad]

7. So?

[cassiepriam]

8. Rove counted the votes, we don't know what Gore really won or lost.

[blm]

29. How do we KNOW that when DNC ignored the security of the election process for

the years prior to the 2000, 2002 and 2004 elections?

[cali]

9. That's some of the most twisted logic I can imagine.

So God or the Universe or whatever, had bigger plans for Mr. Gore, and decided to risk everyone on the planet by "allowing" bush to be the most powerful man in the world?

Try again.

[salin]

12. While I think Gore is doing great things right now...

I have to agree with you - we and the whole world would be much better off had he been rightfully sworn in as President in 2000.

[Triana]

15. The most "powerful" man in the World, however, does not have..

...the most important JOB in the World. That went to Gore. And, rightfully so, I think.

[cali]

17. You completely missed my point.

In any case attempting to know the mind of God or the Universe is a bit too much hubris for me.

[Triana]

18. OK. To each his/her own! You gotta right to be uncomfortable with the premise...

..but sometimes, I personally think things happen the way they do for good reasons - sometimes very good ones. But that's just ME.

[A Simple Game]

49. You cause me to ask a lot of hypothetical questions.

Why didn't God just stay the hand of the terrorist, the oil executives, and the lobbyist etc. and let Al Gore become President, and fix global warming.

Well that does sound kind of complicated so I don't blame God for just allowing a completely evil person to become president, killing hundreds of thousands of Innocent people, and letting global warming get worse. That probably was the easy way out for God.

Then again, why didn't God just solve the global warming problem? Makes me wonder, how about you?

I will not worship an evil God, and any God that allows Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. to occur, not to mention the people in our own country dying every day from lack of health care, is an evil God in my and I would assume an sane persons view. But I am an Agnostic so what do I know, God may just be busy with a new project on the other side of the universe, or taking a nap. Who knows?

[joshcryer]

19. I believe in fate.

Deterministic fate, of course. And it would be somewhat poetic that, were it not for these 8 years, the effects of global warming would not have been seen as so severe and earth shattering, thus preventing a Presidential Al Gore from actually achieving the goals that he's set out to do.

Let me explain. If Al Gore had been President these last 8 years, terrorism would have likely been his major priority. He may not have had the political clout to inact the renewable energy changes he so readily wishes to happen now. And the we might've elected a Republican leader to take it all away from us. Thus giving us another 8 years before we truly got on the bandwagon and started fixing things.

Now, though, Global Warming is seen as a fact, pretty much, and this summer is only going to make that Fact even more obvious. It will be all over the news, in every outlet. The political variables are now in place.

Now you can call it fate or you can call it whatever you want. If it pans out this way it is definitely interesting to think about.

Of course, I disagree with the OP completely and utterly, but that's another discussion.

[Usrename]

38. I don't think so.

If Al had been sworn in back in 2000, there was a Plan B that would have been implemented. Big Al would have been lured into one of the the twin towers for a morning meeting on 9/11 and would have been taken out by these monsters.

Lieberman would have become our post-9/11 President. Worse than Bush, if that's possible. And that was always Plan B. At least the way things worked out, Al is still here.

[trotsky]

37. You got that right.

6000+ dead Americans (civilians and soldiers)
50,000+ dead Iraqis, Afghanis

All so this "god" could have Al Gore go give Powerpoint presentations?

Terrible, terrible line of thinking. Defeatist.

[Rosemary2205]

10. Beautifully put. Thank you. nt

[cgrindley]

11. There is no god

there's no spirit of the universe telling anyone anything. No higher power that has any particular destiny in mind for anyone. To suggest otherwise is to diminish the actual beauty of the universe.

Gore lost in 2000 for two simple reasons, he ran a dull and vapid campaign and he won by such a tiny margin that the other side was able to steal the results with impunity.

If there is "someone upstairs" then he or she is obviously retarded. Al Gore as president could have done a hell of a lot more in 8 years ruling the world's most powerful country, than he ever could have done by winning a stupid oscar.

Remember Bowling for Columbine? Sure had a lasting effect on American politics, didn't it? Michael Moore remains in the spotlight and his feud with Bush(it) ended up in triumph?

[global1]

13. Just A Thought - If Gore Would Have Won The Presidency What Would * Win An.....

academy award for? What would be his cause?

I'm sure DU'ers being as creative as we are - could come up with something.

[salin]

14. best farce?

[Triana]

16. Best Passel of Lies for Invading a Country and Starting a War of Choice? (n/t)

[madokie]

20. Mr. Gore can handle it, he's a multi-tasker from the word go

One doesn't choose to be an inspiration they either are or aren't, Big Al is

[jbnow]

21. No, the movement is going now-

awareness is spreading, other countries are well ahead of us.

He could now do more good-even for global warming issue-as president

[KittyWampus]

22. The Responses To This Thread Demonstrate The Myopic View So Many DU'ers Have Of Reality

Probability says you are correct.

Gore would have been busy fighting terrorism and the NeoCons who would NOT have stopped their machinations to create war in the Middle East.

[Triana]

28. terrorism is a huge problem..

...but climate change is a bigger problem. That's why Gore is handling it and the smaller issues went to smaller minds.

[sweetheart]

23. no, i'm not buying

Its a very lovely sentiment, but its very disconcerting that the man most clearly qualified for
the job, won't do it because he believes he'll have more political influence outside of a failed
political system. As a progressive leftist, i concur with that sentiment, but when the former VP,
and president elect believes the system is that failed... its disconcerting to say the least.

Very subtly i'll feel let down by him if he does not run. I feel a lot of what is gifting his
film greatness is his own heroic journey, and his entitlement to the presidency. When that last
link is severed by a non-announcement, i'm concerned that he'll just become another film maker,
and lord knows we've got enough of those.

[KittyWampus]

25. If you read his book, or at least LISTENED to Gore, you'd know where his heart is

and it's not in being President.

And because he is following his heart right now, is why he is so effecive.

[Triana]

26. That's my take on it ...

... but others have a right to their own opinions. :)

[sweetheart]

36. i've seen his film, and i really love him

I'm just sayin' that he *IS* the sun-king, and the place for the sun king is the throne.

[mod mom]

31. Call it Fate? I call it CRIMINAL! RE-ELECT GORE '08!

There is no way any God had anything to do with bu$h's stolen election. What Gore is doing is certainly applaudable, but he has laid the groundwork for others to work on. The planet needs a rational, intelligent, caring individual like Al Gore to lead us out of the abyss of the criminal regime which currently occupies the WH.

[nebenaube]

32. Maybe so....

But now he has achieved that goal (it's your turn to make it reality by changing how you live). He should assume his rightful place as POTUS where he can push legistation in congress, issue signing statements and executive orders to further correct the mess. Indeed, if Al implements a recover plan by executive order the congress can spend all their time on investigations revealing the truth about the BFEE.

But what about the terrorist's you ask? Well, once the BFEE et al, has been punished and their assets seized, our country's foreign policy can be corrected and those guilty of war crimes have been executed; the terrorists will vaporize for lack of funding. The BFEE is just playing both sides to the middle and we all know it. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x286609

[mod mom]

33. Who are the Dems who believe that Gore "lost" in 2000?

The DLC:


"A key factor in that defeat was Gore's peculiar decision to discard the New Democrat formula that had worked so well in 1992 and 1996."

-snip
http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAr...

This was written by Will Marshall. Who is Will Marshall?

Will Marshall is one of the founders of the New Democrat movement, which aims to steer the US Democratic Party toward a more right-wing orientation. Since its founding in 1989, he has been president of the Progressive Policy Institute, a think tank affiliated with the Democratic Leadership Council. He recently served on the board of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, a committee chaired by Joe Lieberman and John McCain designed to build bipartisan support for the invasion of Iraq. Marshall also signed, at the outset of the war, a letter issued by the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) expressing support for the invasion. Marshall signed a similar letter sent to President Bush put out by the Social Democrats USA on Feb. 25, 2003, just before the invasion. The SDUSA letter urged Bush to commit to "maintaining substantial U.S. military forces in Iraq for as long as may be required to ensure a stable, representative regime is in place and functioning." He writes frequently on political and public policy matters, especially the "Politics of Ideas" column in Blueprint, the DLC's magazine. Notably, he is one of the co-authors of Progressive Internationalism: A Democratic National Security Strategy.

-snip
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Marshall

THAT'S RIGHT, THE GUY WHO SAID GORE LOST BECAUSE OF HIS DECISION TO ABANDON THE NEW DEMOCRAT MOVEMENT (IE THE DLC) WAS A SIGNER OF PNAC!

DO YOU THINK PERHAPS THIS IS WHY THE DEMS IGNORED ELECTION FRAUD AND ALLOWED THE APPOINTMENT OF bu$h?

Al Gore had seen the light! This is just why our nation needs him to run for president!


http://journals.democraticunderground.com/mod%20mom

[Triana]

34. I don't know. I don't believe he lost...

..that's why I put the word in quotes.

[dysfunctional press]

35. first off- gore could do MUCH MUCH MORE to effect global warming as POTUS.

second- there is NO "universal wisdom or power" or whatever you want to call it.

[cooolandrew]

39. I very much agree I think he should be advisor to a new administration..

on the outside he is making far more of a difference, less time would be spent on the environment if he was president. He's better on the outside and he knows it. From what I can gather rhe has a multitude of projects on the go to be campaigning also. The time wasted on the campaigning process is wasted time for humanity he knows this too.

[MamaBear]

44. A Cabinet-Level Advisor.

He needs a good staff, a decent budget, and some real authority. Time's a-wasting!

Can you imagine calculating the carbon footprint of Operation Iraqi Freedom?

[NYCGirl]

40. So do we thank the universe for the two new right wingers on the SCOTUS?

I think your reasoning is way off.

[PATRICK]

41. Another math

Bush's suppression of human progress instead of facing several quickly building crises the world is reluctant to get its weight behind has possibly created a pressure cooker situation that might launch the aggressive change that is absolutely needed. The cost has been a good chunk of necessary time and resources and possibly hope for millions if not all of humanity.

Had Gore been elected the resistance even to a vigorous, undistracted engagement with the issues would have meant a dogged denial of progress, perhaps an eventual time lost or similar defeat with a greater degree of despair absent the clarity that Dimson has provided, literally unwittingly.

I cannot say that this situation is the best of all possible worlds in any sense, nor has the sense of crisis and united response at all reached the tipping point. All in all this is a harrowing time for those who see, and see that nothing since the ice age or getting the opposable thumb can match what is in store for us all too soon. It is all too trivial, dumb and grudging.

We need a thousand Gores. And we need them in the positions of responsible leadership. Truth is, we always did.

[vssmith]

42. I understand your point but

there is no way he can do as much good running around the country showing his film (albeit an outstanding one) and talking as he can as the most powerful man in the world.

[InvisibleTouch]

43. I've had this same thought, quite honestly.

It's intermixed with the memory of my outrage and disbelief at what happened in 2000, and how I felt that we'd taken a very warped wrong turn in the course of history. In a sense, I will never "get over it." But time provides some perspective. I can compare it to terrible things that happened in my own life, which, when looking back on them years or decades later, brought me to a place I wouldn't otherwise have been, gave me an insight I wouldn't otherwise have. I'm in such a place right now. In parallel with the darkness that we plunged into at the start of the new millennium, my own life plunged into a darkness and hopelessness and ineffective struggle, where sometimes it was all I could do to survive from day to day. I've asked myself, why was it necessary to go through that? Couldn't I have learned that same lesson with less waste of years and energy? There seems to be no point. But just lately I've been "rising from the dead" and starting to gain a foothold again, and it seems that there was a vital lesson, an experience I needed in order to move into my chosen future. Sorry to bring in a personal account, given that it means nothing to anyone other than myself, but I just see the glaring similarity.

No one will deny that terrible things have happened as a direct result of the 2000 election theft. Since we can't go back in time, change the course of events, and run the experiment again, we don't really know how our personal and collective world might have been better or worse with a different outcome. But I think your concept has a lot of merit, and like I said, I've toyed with it myself. Maybe with all the suffering, it is as it is for a "reason" - not a universal reason, but a personal one.

I don't believe in a personal "god" who directs events toward some intended outcome - but I do believe in a Universal "intelligence" as a creative force of some kind. I don't think it "wants" particular things, but I think there's a striving toward life and joy and growth and creativity, and an aversion to malice and senseless suffering. And given that the Universe has existed for about 15 billion years, it must take a very long view, figuratively speaking.

Thanks for sharing your perspective.

[Triana]

47. Same here...

...I've experienced this in other ways and on other levels - which is why I thought of this. I also don't necessarily believe in a big "God" or whatever. I'm not a religious but rather a spiritual person and I do believe that sometimes things work out the way they do because they were meant to. Call it Fate, call it whatever. And the big picture, and the long view - well, sometimes you can see it's definitely there and worth considering outside one's own little world and what we want - and even need. If there's a greater need - sometimes that gets taken care of, instead, first - if things have to follow a certain logical order in order to unfold as they must. It's painful and not fun to go through - and it's hard to see where it's going when things don't go the way you so passionately want them to and when people are getting hurt. GWB's ascendency and appointment has certainly hurt this country. He may be president of the US, but maybe Al Gore is President of the Planet. It's a bigger job - and hella more important. I think that's why he has it.

Time will sometimes tell a secret - if you're listening. The thread will weave a fabric whose pattern is clearly visible - if you're watching. Even in Chaos, there is organization. That is scientific fact. Anyway, that's all philosophical stuff. Thanks for 'listening' to me, here. I understand lots of folks don't agree and that's OK with me. We're individuals, not one mind. But we do lead a unified existence - made so by the one planet that we call Home. And when there's a guy out there who has the vision to help us save it from ourselves, I can't think of a job that could be more important than that.

[Apollo11]

48. Dangerous garbage

There is no "higher power" or "God" or "fate" who writes the script and calls the shots.

We humans are responsible for our own actions and for the consequences of those actions.

We are responsible for depleting the Earth's natural resources.

We are responsible for changing the composition of the Earth's atmosphere.

We are responsible for allowing non-transparent elections using electronic voting machines (there are many countries where they still use paper and pencil - with all votes counted by hand in full view of observers representing all the candidates - like England for example).

We are responsible for allowing Reagan and poppy Bush to install right-wing partisan judges on the US Supreme Court.

We are responsible for allowing Bu$h-Cheney-Rove-Rumsfeld to steal the Presidency.

We are responsible for nominating the best possible candidate for the Presidency in 2008.

If we want Gore to enter the race, we are responsible for letting him know, and for creating the conditions that would allow him to lead the field and win the nomination (and then the election).

The future is in our hands. The only question is: do we have the courage, the knowledge, the motivation and the determination to accept and fulfil this responsibility? :eyes:


Let's all find ways to show our support for Al Gore! :patriot:

Read Rolling Stone magazine: WHY GORE SHOULD RUN -- AND HOW HE CAN WIN
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/13248532/why_gore_should_run__and_how_he_can_win

Get ready for Al Gore's next book - The Assault on Reason - out in May!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/16/AR2006091600877.html

Visit the following websites:
www.algore.com
www.algore.org
www.draftgore.com - Sign the petition! :)

:kick:

[tkmorris]

52. This is flat silly and I'm SICK of this argument

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ALBERT GORE CAN DO IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR ON THIS ISSUE HE COULDN'T DO 100 TIMES MORE EFFECTIVELY FROM THE WHITE HOUSE.

Sorry to shout like that, I normally don't, but I am seeing the idea put forth again and again that Al is better off devoting all of his time as a private citizen to what he is doing, and I have yet to see any validity to it. In fact, I find it just plain loopy. The next president of the United States will have more power to affect global climate change and it's root causes than any person in the history of the human race. That's a fact.

This "idea" that as a private person he can be more focused on the topic, well it holds no water. It's true of course, but the tradeoff is that for all the focus in the world he has to trade the actual power to implement policy. He will have none. And THAT is what matters.

Gore/Edwards-Obama-Clark 2008.