Goracle: I might be too rational for American politics
posted at 2:53 pm on June 2, 2007 by Allahpundit
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I read recently somewhere how he’s still complaining about the media focusing on his theatrical sighing during his first debate with Bush in 2000 instead of their respective stances on the issues. How could they not, though? The guy exudes condescension and always has; it’s the big smelly elephant in the room no matter what room he’s in. It’s his defining character trait.
Looks like he’s finally decided to own it.
“It may be easier to fix it from the outside,” he said. “Again, I haven’t ruled out for all time thinking about politics again. It’s just that the way it works now, I don’t think that the skills I have are the ones that are most likely to be rewarded within this system. It’s like a washing machine that is permanently set on the spin cycle. It doesn’t stop spinning. That creates real problems for a politics based on reason.”
Friends have urged him to run for president again, but he wants to see a “transformation of this conversation of democracy” that de-emphasizes imagery and spin-doctoring.
“I expect it will take a lot more time,” Gore said. “I’m grateful for those who have a good opinion of me, to the point where they think I ought to run again, but I am not convinced myself that’s the best way for me to serve.”
Despite what he sees as problems in the political process, Gore said he still respects the system and the influence of the presidency. While he won’t completely dismiss a 2008 run, he doesn’t expect to re-enter politics “because I don’t think I’m very good at some of the things that the modern political system rewards and requires, and I’ve found other ways to make a difference and to serve the public interests. And I’m enjoying them.”
In other words, he’s still the same smug, preening douche he always was, but that’s only because he’s so reasonable and ahead of his time. And so it follows that anyone who votes for him is voting symbolically to replace our benighted style-over-substance ethic with a new golden age of rule by philosopher kings. That’s why Alterman likes him so much in a campaign against Fred! and his beat-up ol’ pick-up truck. It makes the substance versus style meme that much more potent for liberals and left-leaning independents, whose belief in their own enlightenment is their defining character trait.
Exit question: If our system values style to the exclusion of all else, how is it that the charisma sinkhole known as Hillary Clinton is way out in front in the Democratic polls?
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Because while stylish hem lines come and go, cankles are forever.
Jack M. on June 2, 2007 at 3:00 PM
I’ll stop questioning their patriotism as soon as they stop questioning my rationality.
see-dubya on June 2, 2007 at 3:06 PM
A liberal Democrat making a claim to reason? That’s like a prostitute claiming her business plan is based on chastity.
dostrick on June 2, 2007 at 3:09 PM
I have no doubt that Gore is a smart guy, but now the past couple of years it seems he has decided to use his intellect dishonestly to get ahead. I have no qualms about voting for him in 2000, but I cannot recognize him anymore.
He went from arguing that an invasion of Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein was justified in 2002 (although he was concerned about the timing the Bush administration was going for), to comparing Bush with Hitler in 2004. What happened?
Seixon on June 2, 2007 at 3:24 PM
He’s like the Jim Jones of the environmental movement. Taking everyone else down with him would suit him just fine.
infidel4life on June 2, 2007 at 3:26 PM
The real problem is finding a reason to vote for a democrat.
Wade on June 2, 2007 at 3:26 PM
The most significant greenhouse gas in Earth’s atmosphere is water vapor. Carbon dioxide is a distant second. Gore is always talking about CO2 and never mentions water vapor.
He’s not “too rational” for anything. He simply senses that his gw/climate change house of cards is falling.
AtomicAmish on June 2, 2007 at 3:31 PM
Because Satan is real, my friend.
frankj on June 2, 2007 at 3:33 PM
Answer: Because when a liberals make a critique of American culture and use “us”, “our”, or “we”, they are never including themselves in that critique. Like when they say “we just don’t know what’s good for us (Al Gore)” or “we’re way too religious” or “we’re sooo patriotic”.
Well, the last one they mean to include themselves, but in that case we all know better.
Lehosh on June 2, 2007 at 3:37 PM
The irony here is phrases such as “politics based on reason” are themselves sound bites and worthless bits of sophistry intended to paint all those who disagree with the speaker as unreasonable, and hence beneath debate.
Immigration reform? Those against it are racists. No need to debate them.
War on Terror? No such thing, and those who claim there is are murderous neo-cons or their stooges, no need to debate them.
It’s a time-honored lefty (and WSJ editorial board, apparently) political tactic.
It’s a time-honored political tactic.
Citizen Duck on June 2, 2007 at 3:38 PM
To Rational?
LoL
I’ll be laughting
aboutat this all day.Lawrence on June 2, 2007 at 3:49 PM
LOL, Allah, it’s lines like that that keep me coming back.
WisCon on June 2, 2007 at 3:50 PM
Hur entllijents and there smart.
benrand on June 2, 2007 at 3:51 PM
Not better than you, better than politicians; which quite honestly isn’t that hard.
Nonfactor on June 2, 2007 at 3:54 PM
’nuff said
NEXT!
SilverStar830 on June 2, 2007 at 3:55 PM
In a perfect world, we could use THIS PICTURE on the front page.
SilverStar830 on June 2, 2007 at 3:59 PM
No one could have summed it up better than you AP. If he’d have won, I’d be dead from lecturing boredom from this better-than-us snoot.
He wants to change 230+ years’ worth of politics in this country, and much of the world’s? He definitely lives in a different sphere from reality.
The very title of his book is snooty “An assault on reason”. When he gets oiled with the Nobel he’ll be hard to talk to, even if you’re his family. This man nears godly wisdom and stature. He’s got the perfect persona for how he thinks, believes and feels.
And the Americans know it, and don’t like it. Last time he rode on the Clinton economic good years. Like Bush 41 did on the Reagan tails. This time he’d be on his own. Naked and unsurrounded his buffoonish snootiness is way more remarkable.
Btw. he doesn’t own it in a good way. He just owns it in the “I’m superior and you dummies could have had me versus all other inferior creatures on Earth; the fact that I act like a snoot, dress like one, huff like one, talk like one should be irrelevant”.
Plus, he makes way more money this way.
Entelechy on June 2, 2007 at 4:33 PM
I prefer ‘charisma vacuum’, but either way she sucks. And she’s out there because the Clinton War Room has money, connections, and dirt on an awful lot of people.
Second exit question: Who’s more of a pompous douche, Gore or Olberdouche? Personally, as much as I despise the “carbon offsets” scam artist, I have to go with Olberdouche.
ReubenJCogburn on June 2, 2007 at 4:41 PM
Gore should have been an actor in grade B movies. How anyone believes what this pompous gasbag says is truly beyond me … he’s as transparent as they come.
darwin on June 2, 2007 at 4:47 PM
Except that Olberkind is inconsequential.
Entelechy on June 2, 2007 at 4:50 PM
Not a fan of the goracle.
Catie96706 on June 2, 2007 at 4:59 PM
Right Gore . . . and the moon might be made out of green cheese.
rplat on June 2, 2007 at 5:01 PM
True–nobody would dispute that. But that’s why I consider him the bigger pompous douche. To me, Olberdouche’s grandiose self-importance is equal to Gore’s, but with even less to justify it in terms of real life ability and accomplishments. But I understand that reasonable people might see it differently.
ReubenJCogburn on June 2, 2007 at 5:09 PM
Narcissistic Personality Disorder much?
Gore is Jean Paul Marat crazy. (lit / drama geeks MAY get that, though most dumb drama students focus on de Sade in “Marat-Sade.”
Merovign on June 2, 2007 at 5:25 PM
Allah called Gore a “douche.”
That’s funny.
That’s also really, really accurate.
I was going to call him a putz. But douche is much better.
Professor Blather on June 2, 2007 at 5:26 PM
Herr Gorebal
High Profiteer
of
Gorebalism
normsrevenge on June 2, 2007 at 5:46 PM
Now I know why his home uses so much power. Can you imagine how much air conditioning it takes to keep that ego of his from overheating?!
MCPO Airdale on June 2, 2007 at 6:02 PM
Yeah, like… oh… I don’t know… accuracy? Telling the truth??? not being a condescending ass???
I’m sorry, I’ll put my IQ against his anyday.
Latest best theory on global warming, and one that fits the historical facts (that they want to ignore) is that much of the global warming is caused by two factors…
One, sun cycles… the sun does have cycles of sunspots which put out more or less cosmic rays. Cosmic rays interact with moisture in the atmosphere to create clouds, which are the BIGGEST greenhouse effect we have.
The other factor is the earths own magnetic feild, which also fluxes periodicly. The magnetic feild can and does deflect some the of above cosmic rays…
And Carbon dioxide historicly has LAGGED the earths temperature… its not a great determiner of climate change, although it may have some amplifying factor.
But everyone is still trying to sell fake carbon offsets…
Romeo13 on June 2, 2007 at 6:43 PM
Errr, you mean Jackass, donkey, right?
That’s because there are really stupid people out there.
Conceit, is a trait he exudes with amorous perfection.
Kini on June 2, 2007 at 6:59 PM
Paraphrasing Right Said Fred:
He’s too rational for debate, too rational to hate. So rational it’s great.
cmay on June 2, 2007 at 7:43 PM
I do. I don’t think he’s very smart at all. He flunked out of divinity school, and inherited his political seat from his daddy. He’s never really had to work on anything and now he travels the world in his private jet telling us how to save energy. Then when he is finished, he settles down in one of his three houses.
He’s a douche.
Ellen on June 2, 2007 at 7:53 PM
‘nough said.
ej_pez on June 2, 2007 at 8:12 PM
That is perfect, LMAO.
infidel4life on June 2, 2007 at 9:17 PM
Do you ever stop and think just how close this douche came to being President?
A couple thousand votes in a couple Florida counties (or less), and this uber-douche is our President.
Not only that – he’s our President on 9/11.
I know we’re all down on Dubya at the moment … but really think about it for a second. Al Gore. On 9/11. Picture it.
Thoughts like that are why I drink. And why I pray.
Professor Blather on June 3, 2007 at 12:04 AM
Gore isn’t going to run.
He knows that when he loses this time he’ll transform into a bearded, hairy goodyear blimp!
If this lackluster player had become Pres. (just a few votes) he would have melted down after 911 just like he did after the election imagine a mental ward executive officer.
He has to keep up the pinched cheek facade or the gas will escape and then he could be carried around in a shoe box.
Besides, condescension is in such high fashion among the political holier than thous set these days.
Speakup on June 3, 2007 at 12:08 AM
Gore had a complete psychotic break from reality in 2000 when he lost to Bush, he went bye-bye and never made it all the way back. Reality was just too difficult for him to take so now he creates his own reality. One of the cornerstones of that reality is the unreasonable nature of those who oppose him.
It was unreasonable of the SCOTUS to insist that Florida’s election laws be adhered to. It was unreasonable for the people of Florida to vote for Bush instead of him. It was unreasonable for the presidential election to be determined by Electoral College instead of the popular vote.
The simply fact that these are and always have been realities are simply unreasonable to him, hence those of us who accept and adhere to them are unreasonable.
doriangrey on June 3, 2007 at 10:12 AM
I thought your headline was a bit of a stretch, AP.
While I have no doubt Gore condescends more than average, I thought his words in this case were sincere and humble.
He isn’t flashy, he isn’t a great communicator, he does have trouble connecting with people, and he realizes.
He sees himself as a “thinker” and he probably is. I don’t agree with his thoughts or conclusions, but I see his point.
I have many great qualities, but would they get me elected as leader of my country or to any office?
I don’t really know, never tried, but I’ve “found other ways to serve”, in my case as a client-orientated motivated bureaucrat and soon a capitalist salesman.
Does understanding I may not have the background or skills to get elected make me condescending?
Christoph on June 3, 2007 at 1:54 PM
Gore has never struck me as intelligent nor does his record support his claim to be super-intelligent. Jennifer Braceras wrote in the Globe in 2000:
“Gore’s undergraduate transcript from Harvard is riddled with C’s, including a C-minus in introductory economics, a D in one science course, and a C-plus in another. “In his sophomore year at Harvard,” the Post reported, “Gore’s grades were lower than any semester recorded on Bush’s transcript from Yale.” Moreover, Gore’s graduate school record – consistently glossed over by the press – is nothing short of shameful. In 1971, Gore enrolled in Vanderbilt Divinity School where, according to Bill Turque, author of “Inventing Al Gore,” he received F’s in five of the eight classes he took over the course of three semesters. Not surprisingly, Gore did not receive a degree from the divinity school. Nor did Gore graduate from Vanderbilt Law School, where he enrolled for a brief time and received his fair share of C’s. (Bush went on to earn an MBA from Harvard).”
Gore’s academic record shows no indication of brilliance. None. His life since seems to be a reaction to his poor showing in college, trying to convince everyone that he’s really a genius. His screeds on the environment, “Earth in the Balance” and “An Inconvenient Truth,” are not argued intelligently but rather rhetorically. Even the New York Times is distancing itself from Gore’s wild claims in that polemic, which has been substantially debunked by real scientists.
Gore has always impressed me as sophomoric, cherry-picking things from partisan writers and smushing them together with specious logic. He’s a clown.
I might also point out that building up a clown like Gore, who barely eked his way through college with Gentleman’s Cs and flunked out of two grad schools, as some sort of genius is a rather standard dishonest tactic of the Left. John Kerry had mediocre grades in college, just like Bush, and yet they built him into a genius when the only smart thing he’s done is marry rich women. Likewise, Hillary was built up into a genius when in fact she flunked the DC bar exam. And Bill Clinton, who claims to be a genius, has always refused to release his college transcripts, unlike other presidents and presidential candidates.
So, if you buy the lefty claim that Gore is a genius, I’d like to have you help me claim my father’s fortune in Nigeria, where we had extensive holdings in coconuts, which can be brought to America with only a small contribution from you, sucker.
Tantor on June 3, 2007 at 4:14 PM
Tantor, your comments are excellent, including the substantiation thereof. Thanks for all. Regards,
Entelechy on June 3, 2007 at 4:42 PM
If you liked that, here’s an article that takes issue with Gore’s lies that the science is settled on global warming. This author, after interviewing the top scientists, finds that the science is distinctly unsettled.
The planet may be warming, but the global warmers are wrong to claim humans are boiling the planet. It’s bunk.
Tantor on June 3, 2007 at 10:24 PM
I might also point out that a C in grad school, including law school, is not a passing grade. A grad school C is equivalent to an undergraduate D. In most grad schools, a couple Cs will get you kicked out. Apparently, that’s what happenned in the case of Super Genius Al Gore at law school.
Tantor on June 3, 2007 at 10:28 PM
Christoph: “He isn’t flashy, he isn’t a great communicator, he does have trouble connecting with people, and he realizes. He sees himself as a “thinker” and he probably is. I don’t agree with his thoughts or conclusions, but I see his point.”
Gore is not a great communicator because he is not very smart. Consequently, his ideas are jumbled, his grasp of subject is poor, and his reasoning weak.
Gore is not a thinker, but a poseur, a snake oil salesman, a scam artist.
Tantor on June 3, 2007 at 10:35 PM
Tantor, thanks for the link. I believe in recycling because it’s a good thing not to waste, as granny said, but I never believed in full what Gore and his claim. When the cooling cycle comes back, they’ll make a big deal out of that.
Valid comment on the grades as well – the company I worked for paid for my bachelor and master, only for grades above B too.
Entelechy on June 4, 2007 at 1:28 AM
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