This isn't the first time that Al Gore's personal energy habits have been thrown at him. Go to right winger sites and you'll see people linking to, say, USA Today: Gore isn't Green from last year.
I think that recent experience has shown that it's best to confront the swift boaters swiftly and forcefully. Throw the facts at them immediately, before their story gains traction, and watch them squirm.
Mr. Gore give me a freaking Cannon of Truth to blow these lying asshats off this planet.
Help me build my ammo in cutsville...
So far this is Al Gore's rebuttal to the smears against his Green credentials:
- Gore’s family has taken numerous steps to reduce the carbon footprint of their private residence, including signing up for 100 percent green power through Green Power Switch, installing solar panels, and using compact fluorescent bulbs and other energy saving technology.
- Gore has had a consistent position of purchasing carbon offsets to offset the family’s carbon footprint — a concept the right-wing fails to understand. Gore’s office explains:
What Mr. Gore has asked is that every family calculate their carbon footprint and try to reduce it as much as possible. Once they have done so, he then advocates that they purchase offsets, as the Gore’s do, to bring their footprint down to zero.
That's all well and good. Waiving daisies around is awesome and all. But, it's not what I want...
Firstly, this isn't even a press release, and hasn't even made it onto the Al Gore web site. The Al Gore is an Energy Hog story has been out for the entire day, at least post your response on your own site.
Secondly, Mr. Gore, your response sucks ass. It gives me no ammunition to use defending you. In fact, this has me so steamed that I'm writing my first diary ever about it.
You know what? I don't give a flying monkey's cheeseball about 'numerous steps you've taken', 'using compact fluorescent bulbs' or mysterious 'other energy saving technology'. That shit is nice and all, but saying that you use fluorescent bulbs doesn't win shit when the argument is about your utility bills being huge and going up.
So, enough negativity. This is how you fight back.
You put your damned mansion on your website and you use it to show us how you're turning a fat, inefficient power hog of a building into an eco-showcase.
You put your bills up and show us how your efforts have brought your energy usage down. Incidentally you irrefutably demonstrate (don't say so, prove so) that you are using Green Power Switch for your power. You explain why this is a good thing and how it contributes to your increased power bills, but it's worth it anyway because it lowers your carbon footprint by x tons. If you can have a zip code search that lets people find out about similar green energy programs in their area that'd be awesome. You explain what has had a good effect and why your bills are going up regardless (perhaps energy is more expensive so despite using less of it the bill is more? If so explain how much larger your bills would have been without your energy saving prowess.) Do you have multiple people living in your house? Perhaps energy hungry systems that can't be dispensed with?
Make a web diary/tutorial about your efforts to install solar power. I don't want to know that you've been 'planning' to install it. I want to know when you ordered it, when the work is being done, how great the economics are for it. Tell me how much carbon the panels will offset. Side links to more information on how people can install their own solar panels systems would be great too.
Don't just tell me that you pay for a carbon neutral lifestyle. Demonstrate to me how to calculate my carbon footprint. Hell, make an interactive game on your website that shows people how adjusting their lifestyle changes their footprint, and the health of the Earth over the coming decades. Show me what you pay, when you paid it and to what Carbon Offset companies. Make it easy for me to buy carbon credits with links to reputable firms from your site, provide evidence that these firms are worthy of my (and your) money.
Mr. Gore, make it so that I can link to clear, irrefutable evidence that demonstrates that the right wing blowhards are full of shit. Furthermore accompany that evidence with coherent and fun information so that lay people who visit to 'check the facts' get the facts, the truth behind them and reasons to come back to your site.
This negative story could be driving traffic to you rather than stereotyping you as a standard hypocritical politician.
I applaud you for leading the Global Warming charge. Now please give some ammo to the folks that are trying to watch your back.
Actually, fuck that, you chose to lead this fight. You damned well better not let yourself get cut-off and surrounded. You want us to fight for you to be president? You'd better come out swinging.
P.S. The Cheney story is an amusing anecdote. But saying Al Gore uses less energy than Cheney is a bit like saying someone is nicer than Vlad the Impaler. Good God, the leader on Global Warming should be untouchable on this sort of thing, not in the same general league as Cheney!
P.P.S. Thanks to 'Own' in the comments for suggesting Climate Crisis carbon footprinter which is pretty close to one of my suggestions for Gore's site.