no gore in 2008, and another day in the life
The man who would be president if not for poor ballot design in Palm Beach and the constitutional coup by the US Supreme Court today said he would not run for President in 2008. Al Gore said on ABC today that he is focused on his campaign to raise awareness and get some action started on climate change, a worthy cause.
It's probably just as well. Recently the mainstream media has begun to revive the character assassination techniques and the focus on absurdities it used so well against Gore in 2000. It wasn't enough to assure his defeat -- five Republican Supreme Court votes did that -- but was enough to bring his numbers down close enough so that Rove and company could steal the election on Bush's behalf.
So, as we wonder who might run in 2008, let's look at a few of today's headlines with an eye to what would have been different if Al Gore were in his second term.
Twelve Students Among the 19 Dead in Iraq. Wouldn't have happened at all, because President Gore would not have launched this tragi-comic war of choice against a defanged, contained dictator.
Top general vows full probe into Iraqi deaths. Again, wouldn't have happened at all.
Can Gay Marriage Help GOP? This might well have been a headline. There's no question a GOP faced with midterms in a second Gore term would have been every bit as ready to bring bigotry and hatred into the equation as always to serve their electoral purposes, not caring about the corrosive effect this has on our society.
Effort to Repeal Estate Tax Said to Be Faltering. Costs of Iraq war and Katrina recovery force another look at a levy that boosts revenue. First, Gore would have publicly opposed and GOP efforts to repeal the estate tax, which would have made it a much harder sell since it affects less than 1% of the population, people with names like Rockefeller and Ford. Second, Iraq war costs wouldn't be an issue. And yes, Katrina would have happened anyway, but it is difficult to imagine that FEMA would have made the same hash of it under Gore as it did under Bush. For one thing, Gore would not have ignored the situation as Bush did -- he would have gotten engaged, learned the facts, and tried to lead. In other words, he would have been smart and wonkish, the sort of thing that gets him crucified in the mainstream media.
Cards place Pujols on 15-day DL. OK, I can't really find a way to blame this on Bush. But you get my point.
It's probably just as well. Recently the mainstream media has begun to revive the character assassination techniques and the focus on absurdities it used so well against Gore in 2000. It wasn't enough to assure his defeat -- five Republican Supreme Court votes did that -- but was enough to bring his numbers down close enough so that Rove and company could steal the election on Bush's behalf.
So, as we wonder who might run in 2008, let's look at a few of today's headlines with an eye to what would have been different if Al Gore were in his second term.
Twelve Students Among the 19 Dead in Iraq. Wouldn't have happened at all, because President Gore would not have launched this tragi-comic war of choice against a defanged, contained dictator.
Top general vows full probe into Iraqi deaths. Again, wouldn't have happened at all.
Can Gay Marriage Help GOP? This might well have been a headline. There's no question a GOP faced with midterms in a second Gore term would have been every bit as ready to bring bigotry and hatred into the equation as always to serve their electoral purposes, not caring about the corrosive effect this has on our society.
Effort to Repeal Estate Tax Said to Be Faltering. Costs of Iraq war and Katrina recovery force another look at a levy that boosts revenue. First, Gore would have publicly opposed and GOP efforts to repeal the estate tax, which would have made it a much harder sell since it affects less than 1% of the population, people with names like Rockefeller and Ford. Second, Iraq war costs wouldn't be an issue. And yes, Katrina would have happened anyway, but it is difficult to imagine that FEMA would have made the same hash of it under Gore as it did under Bush. For one thing, Gore would not have ignored the situation as Bush did -- he would have gotten engaged, learned the facts, and tried to lead. In other words, he would have been smart and wonkish, the sort of thing that gets him crucified in the mainstream media.
Cards place Pujols on 15-day DL. OK, I can't really find a way to blame this on Bush. But you get my point.
posted by Don Q Blogger at 5:40 PM
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