Political Hypocrisy at it's Finest

[Guard Dog]

For Immediate Release: February 26, 2007

February 26, 2007

For Further Information, Contact:

Nicole Williams, (615) 383-6431

editor@tennesseepolicy.org

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Al Gore

[Atreides]

Well, he could be running a refuge camp out of his house.

[Cantousent]

Well, he could be running a refuge camp out of his house.

 

Total comedy.

 

As for the article, I really don't care. Al Gore has gone more and more towards Michael Moorism. To be fair, I think he believes more in what he says, but he comes accross as a nut these days.

[alanschu]

He is out protecting us from ManBearPig!

[Gorgon]

Doesen't change the points the movie was trying to make now does it. Politicians are hypocrites by definition, even retired ones.

[Guard Dog]

Doesen't change the points the movie was trying to make now does it. Politicians are hypocrites by definition, even retired ones.

How concerned could he be if he does not practice what he preaches? Unless he KNOWS his movie is a steaming pile of you-know-what. A fiction based on an exaggeration with little chickens running around crying out how the sky is falling.

[Deraldin]

Just what is he doing at home that would create that much of an energy drain?

[Guard Dog]

Hydroponics maybe? Actually it is closer to being a castle than a house.

[Gorgon]

So the real problem is that he is rich and a democrat ...

[Tale]

How much, if any, of that is green power? http://www.nespower.com/green_power_switch.aspx

 

They cite the Nashville Electric Service in regards to his power consumption, but where are they getting the information on his natural gas bill?

 

The point of the article is a significant one, though. I'm curious as to what Gore or others would have to say about it.

Edited February 27, 2007 by Tale

[kumquatq3]

I'd say a better example of political hypocrisy came from just the other day when Cheney was talking about how it's such a good sign that England is pulling it's troops out of Iraq. Of course, the situation apparently calls for more American troops.

[Atreides]

Maybe he's running biofuel production vats at his place.

[Calax]

Look, we don't know if he's having eco friendly parties every night or if he's just leaving the lights on. Given the fact he's been a VP and thus gets a permanent Secret Service detachment as well as he probably has a fairly large permanent staff to keep him from burning the place down probably increases the electric bill quite a bit.

 

As would security precautions. like cameras and the security center.

 

It'd be better if you compared his power usage to that of a small office building

[Guard Dog]

So the real problem is that he is rich and a democrat ...

No, the problem is in his world I should be cooking over an open fire and walking everywhere I go. Meanwhile he sucks up more power than a suburban city block, rides in a small fleet of SUVs, and flies private planes any time he needs to go from here to there. To me this is an example of "All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others".

[Pop]

Didn't this already come up in the Climate Change concert thread?

 

I don't expect Al Gore to make any sacrifices that I wouldn't be willing to make. You can waste to ultimately prevent waste in the same way that you can wage war to ultimately promote peace.

[kirottu]

I always liked how former finnish minister of nature came to work by bicycle.

[LadyCrimson]

While I'll agree there's certainly a lot of hypporisy in politics - also not in politics - including Mr. Gore, I'll go with Pop's post on this one:

 

I don't expect Al Gore to make any sacrifices that I wouldn't be willing to make. You can waste to ultimately prevent waste in the same way that you can wage war to ultimately promote peace.

 

Gore could travel the world in a horse and buggy and live out of a tent, but I doubt he'd get his message across to very many people, or educate many people about the issue. Music and film stars often thought of as 'so humanitarian' play fundraisers for starving children etc while they live in huge mansions and eat more meat in a day than many see in months while worrying about their interest rates. I see no difference.

 

This reminds me of of John Denver and the hoopla over his big 'emergency' storage tank of gas in his backyard, or whatever it was.

[Walsingham]

Three points:

 

1) How are we entitled to any citizens gas and power bill? If he has the same responsibilities then doesn't he have the same rights? in the UK you coudn't just hand out his personal data like that legally.

 

2) He is a former VP and all such dignitaries have SS guard details, plus there's chefs and so on. You're not comparing like with like. There's probably twenty times as many people in his house over the same time period.

 

3) Doesn't Gore have some crazy all green power vacation house?

[Cantousent]

While I'll agree there's certainly a lot of hypporisy in politics - also not in politics - including Mr. Gore, I'll go with Pop's post on this one:

 

I don't expect Al Gore to make any sacrifices that I wouldn't be willing to make. You can waste to ultimately prevent waste in the same way that you can wage war to ultimately promote peace.

 

It does undermine his message, however. I mean, Pop really did hit it on the nose. "I don't expect Al Gore to make any sacrifices that I wouldn't be willing to make." Apparently Al Gore expects you to make sacrifices he isn't willing to make.

 

 

Furthermore, it's undoubtedly underhanded that the guy's bills were made public knowledge. If they can determine who intruded on his privacy, that person should be prosecuted. However, this is nothing new in politics. What about the fiasco several years ago when the Democrats managed to listen in on a wireless conversation between house Republicans. It was wrong, but folks talked about it anyhow.

 

Frankly, I don't care where Al Gore lives. He has the right to live within the laws of his country and community. All of this is just a side show. He's found his niche. Lucky him.

[LadyCrimson]

It does undermine his message, however.

I understand that point of view, and unfortunately I think most people tend to lean towards it - even I have, at times. I think, however, that the message itself - conserve, find alternate energy sources, etc - isn't undermined, just his level of personal morals or what have you. I see them as seperate things.

 

I don't know about his whole career, but nowhere in the film did I hear him paint himself as some kind of super-self-sacrificing altruist or specifically better than others. I doubt he thinks he is and it would surprise me if he wasn't aware of the ironies.

 

Humanity so often wants people in the issue spotlight to be above reproach. This is a level of idealism that while admirable to wish for, is bound to be found wanting in one way or another. Very few people are of that caliber, if any. As already stated, imo it's often just a weapon in a sideshow of somekind, which is sad...then the message becomes more about the person in question than the issues. Politics. Meh.

[metadigital]

This whole article has the smell of a Republic mud-slinging campaign.

 

I would be happier if I could buy some renewable energy production equipment, so that I am less reliant on the grid. (I can buy a wind turbine for about

[taks]

it's not a mud-slinging campaign... like it or not, whether he should be expected to practice what he preaches or not, morally, ethically or otherwise, it is the definition of hypocrisy that is the subject of this thread. al lives up to the definition, be it his fault or the fault of his circumstances.

 

personally, i think he should be able to splurge as he has earned that right. that i detest everything else he stands for is immaterial to the fact that he has the right to stand for such things, hypocritical or not.

 

i think gromnir would point out that it's not irony, but incongruity, btw.

 

taks

[kumquatq3]

it's not a mud-slinging campaign... like it or not

 

The report came from a conservative think tank (Tennessee Center for Policy Research) that the Dept of Revenue recently deemed

[Calax]

I feel the urge to say that according to my local paper the clinton campaign is keeping an eye on Gore's weight to tell if he's going to run for office again.

[taks]

it's not a mud-slinging campaign... like it or not

 

The report came from a conservative think tank (Tennessee Center for Policy Research) that the Dept of Revenue recently deemed