AL GORE’S BRILLIANT ANALYSIS OF OUR PARALYSIS AND OUR ONLY HOPE FOR SALVATION–THE INTERNET

[helderheid]

May 21st, 2007

Wednesday, May. 16, 2007
Book Excerpt: The Assault on Reason
By Al Gore

Not long before our nation launched the invasion of Iraq, our longest-serving Senator, Robert Byrd of West Virginia, stood on the Senate floor and said: “This chamber is, for the most part, silent—ominously, dreadfully silent. There is no debate, no discussion, no attempt to lay out for the nation the pros and cons of this particular war. There is nothing. We stand passively mute in the United States Senate.”

Why was the Senate silent?

In describing the empty chamber the way he did, Byrd invited a specific version of the same general question millions of us have been asking: “Why do reason, logic and truth seem to play a sharply diminished role in the way America now makes important decisions?” The persistent and sustained reliance on falsehoods as the basis of policy, even in the face of massive and well-understood evidence to the contrary, seems to many Americans to have reached levels that were previously unimaginable.

A large and growing number of Americans are asking out loud: “What has happened to our country?” People are trying to figure out what has gone wrong in our democracy, and how we can fix it.
http://blog.pdamerica.org/?p=1111#more-1111>

[Me.]

1. On My Knees Praying

He runs

[FogerRox]

18. No more for you Hillary

[Deja Q]

2. Peak oil.

[melody]

3. Thank god for Al Gore (eom)

[FourScore]

4. helderheid --

where have you been? I was wondering about you the other day. Good to see you back.:hi:

Oh, and thanks for posting this.

K&R

[helderheid]

5. I had a tantrum. :)

[johnaries]

7. WELCOME BACK!!!!!!

We all missed you! :grouphug:

[FourScore]

8. Was it time for helderheid to have a timeout?

;)

In any case, It's great to see you back!

[helderheid]

9. Yes (and a much needed one) :P

[Kurovski]

12. Missed you a great BIG huge honkin' lot.(nt)

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. The last temptation of Christians.

We were bought out from the local level on up.

My dad always said that people make decisions based on three things: paycheck, prejudice and/or principle.

You have those who want a hefty paycheck being pulled by their prejudices, while the rest of us go to bed hungry, but high on prinicple.

[NJmaverick]

10. A great article- EVERYONE SHOULD READ!

This whole article is one outstanding analysis of our Country and what is wrong with it.

http://blog.pdamerica.org/?p=1111#more-1111

[Kurovski]

11. K&R

:kick:

[CTD]

13. I finally figured out what Gore is up to with this book...

...and the book tour interviews.

I suspect he is test-marketing his message, and how it plays will determine whether or not he enters the race.

Back in 2000, as he noted in the book excerpt posted online, he was criticized for his sighs during the debates with W. Repeatedly in the excerpt, Gore laments the victory of style over substance. But he knows that "substance" is his thing, it is what he does best. So unless the climate has changed significantly or unless he manages to change the climate in advance of a run, he would only lose were he to run.

So, it looks to me like he's making a case for substance (a pre-emptive attack of sorts) and, at the same time, attempting to shame the media into focusing on substance for this election cycle. So, with the book out and him doing the interview circuit, I imagine that how that message is received over the next few months will determine whether or not he decides to enter the race.

If he can frame the debate on his terms and set the stage to dismiss baseless attacks with the help of a "shamed" media, the race is his to win. But if, as in 2000 and 2004, anyone can say anything and have it repeated ad naseum in the media echo chamber, Gore will lose to the guy with the lowest morals and largest war chest (Hillary?).

Looking at the book excerpt and this interview in this light makes it all make a lot of sense. I think it explains the angle Gore has taken, focusing on the internet as the savior and TV as the problem. Since I'm inclined to think that he'd be the best candidate running were he to get in to the race, I'm inclined to forgive the deception.

[L. Coyote]

14. WOW, I love this quote, and Al must love DU too

"So the remedy for what ails our democracy is... the re-establishment of a genuine democratic discourse in which individuals can participate in a meaningful way—a conversation of democracy in which meritorious ideas and opinions from individuals do, in fact, evoke a meaningful response.

"Fortunately, the Internet has the potential to revitalize the role played by the people in our constitutional framework. It has extremely low entry barriers for individuals. It is the most interactive medium in history and the one with the greatest potential for connecting individuals to one another and to a universe of knowledge. It’s a platform for pursuing the truth, and the decentralized creation and distribution of ideas, ....."

I can only add, "BE THE MEDIA THE MEDIA READS." Keep posting and fill those posts with meaningful discourse.

[ms liberty]

15. You're back! Welcome back, helderheid!

The place hasn't changed much while you've been gone; same people waving mostly the same flaming torches ;)

K&R

[earth mom]

16. Thanks for posting-can't wait to read the book!

:hi:

[FogerRox]

17. Mr, " our next president" Gore

[Mabus]

19. In Gore we trust

I keep getting that "V" feeling. We need to do something to stop the madness.

[RestoreGore]

20. And what are your comments about the book?

[helderheid]

21. I've not had a chance to read it yet - I'll post a thread on it when I do. n/t

[Triana]

22. That's right, the Internet. That's why they're trying to take that away, too. (n/t)

[petunia.here]

23. Nice to see you posting again.

:hi:

Great read!

[mnhtnbb]

24. Welcome back to the mosh pit, helderheid!

:hi: