So I want to pose this question. Is Al Gore testing us? My wife gave me as a birthday present Al Gore's recent book, The Assault on Reason. I've heard Randi Rhodes talk about many times, even saying we should all read it this summer. Well, the summer passed, and I hadn't moved my butt. I've got a good reason, I was busy writing my thesis. And if my advisor happens to read this diary, aren't you happy that is over? I am.
Anyhow, on a recent trip, I was able to read a large portion of the book. I found myself captivated. None of what Al Gore said about the Bush administration was really new news to me, but to see it all there .. all 7 years worth of this Bush-crapola was .. in the least, nauseating.
But then Al Gore would always draw these great analogies from non-political things (including Newton's third law of motion) and parallels from the past. And he would say what we need to do better. But I kept thinking, while reading his book, why isn't he running. Follow me below for more.
So he talks about TV and how it is a one way medium .. information comes out, but we can't respond. And how the media has be driven to the 30 second sound bite. I felt this might have been a little self analysis at his 2000 campaign and at Kerry in 2004 .. neither could really master the sound bite quite as well as Bush. But then again, Bush was a one trick pony .. scare people and that is enough to grab their attention.
One part of his book that struck me is how he says that democracy breaks down when those in power are rich .. because only the rich and afford to get their message out there. So this made me wonder, is Al Gore testing us? He doesn't have to be out there on the road telling people he is for this or that and maybe even have a out-of-place makaka moment (probably not that bad, maybe more like a Kerry botched joke moment).
Anyhow, so here we all are. We read the book. Agree with it. Talk to others about it. Form organizations to support him. All this, and he doesn't have to do a thing. He jumps in, and says look .. I'm not here because I'm rich, but because the people support me. No special interest groups like big pharma. I'm here because some quarter of a million people (that is http://www.draftgore.org on line petition plus their paper form which I've read collected about 50,000 people as of a few days ago) really want me to be here.
The more I read his book, the more I feel he is saying this. To use a phrase he uses from Sir Author Conan Doyle .. Al Gore really seems to be the "dog that does not bark." That is, his silence is speaking volumes. But of course, have we understood his message correctly. And my limitation of being a mere (biased) human says, I could be all wrong. But I certainly hope not.
Say something Al! Speak!!