If for any reason you've never had the chance to see Al Gore speak, you now know why he is so loved here on this site and among Democrats nationwide - especially since 2000, he is a rare mix of eloquence, power, and brilliance. Clearly passionate and visionary with regard to climate change, he is also one of our greatest leaders on so many other issues ranging from health care (supports single-payer) to social rights (supports gay marriage) to foreign affairs (first major Democrat to oppose Iraq War). Put simply, he has been the statesman of the past eight years, traveling the world and showing people what the United States government used to represent and, once again, will represent upon George W. Bush leaving office. I truly hope Obama will listen to any advice Gore has for him through November and afterward.
Gore just gave a terrific speech which effectively combined angled attacks on McCain's candidacy while also showing just why Obama is far more experienced and capable of leadership than his opponent gives him credit for. My favorite excerpt was this one, also in the title of the diary:
Today, we face essentially the same choice we faced in 2000, though it may be even more obvious now, because John McCain, a man who has earned our respect on many levels, is now openly endorsing the policies of the Bush-Cheney White House and promising to actually continue them. The same policies all over again?
Hey, I believe in recycling, but that's ridiculous.
While eliciting laughter, these few sentences are essentially what this campaign boils down to. The John McCain of 2000 never would've voted for the John McCain of 2008 and combined with the fact that the latter is essentially the same man, with regard to policy, as our current President, we simply cannot afford, not to be cliche, more of the same.
As mentioned above, Gore drew on a very interesting parallel - two young men from Illinois, both one term Members of Congress, both labeled "inexperienced" by their opponents, and both symbolized the beginning of a new era in the United States:
A century and a half ago, when America faced our greatest trial, the end of one era gave way to the birth of another. The candidate who emerged victorious in that election is now regarded by most historians as our greatest president. Before he entered the White House, Abraham Lincoln's experience in elective office consisted of eight years in his state legislature in Springfield, Illinois, and one term in Congress – during which he showed the courage and wisdom to oppose the invasion of another country that was popular when it started but later condemned by history.
Likewise, Gore mentioned an important issue that has gone far too overlooked that is of crucial importance to this election, the Supreme Court - let's just say it's something Gore knows a thing or two about:
When as many as three Supreme Court justices could be appointed in the first term of the next president, and John McCain promises to appoint more Scalias and Thomases and end a woman's right to choose, it's time for a change.
Perhaps more than anything else, this simply cannot be allowed. Whether it be on issues of electoral relevance or, as Gore notes, something so critically important as a woman's right to choose, losing this election will have repercussions that will last for a generation if not longer.
As Gore ended, he told us that we were responsible for taking our message of change from Denver to every community from coast to coast and everywhere in between. There's so much as stake, and after seeing Gore "lose" the 2000 election and everything that has occurred since then, we simply cannot allow it to happen again.