Republicans are terrified of Gore and his message.

[txprog]

If Gore is "sad," "unstable," 'irrelevant," "crazy," then why do the Repubs pay so much attention to him? It is precisely because they use these words to describe him that confirms the fact that they take him and his message VERY seriously. Of course their tactic is to call him crazy, say most Dems don't want anything to with him, whatever, in order to discredit him and by doing so discredit his message. But that message truly scares them.

And, in reality, they know most Dems embrace him and his message. And they surely know he's not crazy, rather very smart and very passionate. They themselves are smart enough to know the difference between passion and mania.

So they call him crazy to take the focus off his message and his passion. Although their tactics do work to some extent, they also bring additional exposure to the speech. That's a good thing.

[redqueen]

1. I think I'll be handing out copies

If they're this concerned, it just drives me to make sure more people see it!

[Alerter_]

50. Damn right they are scared

Believe me, Gore's message and the emotion he conveyed was heard loud and clear by Bush's base. Gore shamed them, and he was 100% right to do it. Kerry/Gore 2004!

[aquart]

2. Of course they're terrified.

In the movies, Gore is the one with the right to revenge. When he blows away the villains who took his land, the audience cheers.

[opihimoimoi]

3. Pub PsyOp 101.07 Denigration/Blame/kill messenger/Distract

These guys are conniving and will stoop to new lows.

Gore will finbd History smile on him yet, deservingly so. Bush the Younger cheated him and we all know it.

[tom_paine]

5. Also practiced by Brezhnev-Era Soviets

Not just Pub PsyOps 101.7. part of Geobbels v1.0 and Soviet Tactics, as well.

[Hubert Flottz]

6. The GOPers were so scared of Gore they had a Terra Lert!

They thought that would upstage Al!

[opihimoimoi]

53. The way I look at it, Al gonna be more than a thorn in their asses

Try a bunch of Briar Patch branches....the real thorny kine.

[Hubert Flottz]

54. Best speech I'd heard in years!

The rats are on the ropes and they know it! Name calling is their only defense! Sympathy is in the dictionary between Shit and Syphilis! That dose of pure truth Al dished out has gotta' hurt!

[VOX]

4. When you shine a bright light on cockroaches, as Gore did...

they begin to scuttle for safety. Then comes the tired old right-wing gambit of belittling the messenger.

No speech in recent months has been as plain-spoken, passionate and on-target as Gore's message.

[lancdem]

7. Gore can do what Kerry cannot

When you're not a candidate, you can say whatever the hell you want and not be worried about anyone's reaction. It's quite liberating.

[MajorFlaw]

15. Gore appears to be coordinating his speeches with Kerry's campaign.

When Gore gives an inspiring anti war speech, he is indirectly saying that Kerry would not make shrub's mistakes. Yesterday's speech was better than a formal endorsement, and I'm betting that Kerry encouraged Gore to speak out. If Gore had campaigned for himself with as much fire and enthusiasm, he'd be running for re election today.

One of the few reassuring moments during this period of our inept hubris is seeing so many people speaking out and calling for the removal of shrub. Some people protest with music and art, some protest by picketing, political figures of all stripes step forward and denounce the nonsense passing as foreign policy. And, some decide that this is the moment for them to step forward and lead us out of this mess. Gore, Dean, Clark, Graham, Edwards, Byrd, (B)Clinton, and many others are right: Kerry is the right man, and at a particularly tough time.

[Alerter_]

51. I LOVE the new Gore

He seemed to have wanted to go in this direction in his campaign, only to be stifled by the DLC/Neo-Con/Lieberman factions. Gore's comments on Bush's Torture Program is making a BIG impact in the South and among conservative Christians. When Gore started growling about the "dishonor" and "disgrace" and "humiliation" that Bush has brought on us, people in Bush's base got the message loud and clear. That's why the winguts are trying so hard to discredit him and distract us right now. Most Americans voted for Gore after all.

[ibegurpard]

8. Exactly

They did the same thing to Dean and were aided by Democrats. Don't let them do it to Gore as well. He's not running against your candidate and you have nothing to lose by standing up for the truth that he spoke.
(rhetorical you...not directed to the post author)

[drumwolf]

9. have the Republicans also called him "sore loser"?

I haven't had the stomach to read for myself what the Repigs have had to say in rebuttal to Gore, but reading your summary, I find it interesting that you say they called him "sad" and "unstable" and "crazy" but not "sore loser." That's the first thing I would have called him if I was a Repig, and if I wanted to smear Gore I would play on people's perceptions that he's sore over losing the election.

If they haven't played up the "sore loser" angle, that would be quite telling -- it would indicate that they are very clearly on the defensive.

[hughee99]

10. I like Al, but I still think

he's a little crazy. Not that it's a bad thing. The reason the Repukes work so hard to dismiss him, is because he can do whatever he wants. People who are in or seeking office have to say certain things or behave in certain ways which is standard in politics. Al doesn't give a rats ass. He doesn't care if his "political viability" is damaged. Seriously though, anyone who can give a speech on global warming on the coldest day of the year has got to be a little crazy. It's not that his points aren't valid, but I think he needs to market his message a little better.

[ibegurpard]

12. "he's a little crazy. Not that it's a bad thing."

"Seriously though, anyone who can give a speech on global warming on the coldest day of the year has got to be a little crazy."
That one is cribbed right from the right-wing talking point handbook. You get points for at least TRYING to be subtle but you've got a LONG way to go before you fool anyone.

[hughee99]

14. Hold on a second...

He did give the speech in New York on an incredibly cold day. It was a speech on global warming. I read the transcripts, and it was a very good speech. Do you think this speech would have been better accepted if it were given in May? Probably. Do you think the media would have spent more time talking about content of the speach rather than the irony of the situation had it been delivered under? Absolutely. Do you think Al knew that this was going to happen before he even gave the speech? Definately! So I think to go ahead and give the speech, knowing how it is going to be reported, is a little crazy, or at the least, poor judgement. I'm sorry if bringing up some of the lesser moments of our party makes me, in your book, an repuke. I guess it's nice to know that you also missed the point of what I was saying. I guess I'll just go home and kick some puppies, or whatever the hell they do.

[ibegurpard]

16. No I got your point EXACTLY

And wouldn't change a word of my post.

[Hubert Flottz]

19. It will be an incredibly cold day in Hell when Bush can give a .....

speech that makes any sense and is not a pack of lies!

[RetroLounge]

55. I would be freaking amazed if bush* can talk about anything

for 45 minutes with coherent statements, full sentences, passion and balls, like Gore did the other night.

Can't think of a single topic bush* could do this on.

anyone?

RL

[Cheswick2.0]

29. lesser moments of our party?

yeah okay.

[Old and In the Way]

13. "a little crazy"?

That wouldn't be a little smear, would it? Of course, crazy is a relative description when measured by yardstick of this administration.

Explain why giving a global warming speech on the coldest day of the year would be a "a little crazy"? Global warming will be reflected in both temperature and weather extremes. Perhaps the timing of the speech was actually appropriate?

[VolcanoJen]

18. I wonder if the poster finds Bush "a little crazy."

It is indeed an odd yardstick, Old and In the Way.

Passion, emotion and intelligence = CRAZY

Hyping a non-existent threat and sending 800+ US soldiers to an early grave = STRONG LEADERSHIP

:shrug:

I'll never understand these people.

[hughee99]

22. I don't think * is a little crazy...

HE'S A LOT CRAZY!!!

[hughee99]

20. It's "a little crazy"

because it's a bad way to market your message, and Al knows it. He wanted to stand on principle and give the speech, because it's important, and I respect him for that. For many of the "great unwashed" out there, this is not a topic that they are very well versed on. Unfortunately, the opportunity to get his message out was greatly diminshed on this occasion because the press was too busy reporting the irony of the speech to cover the content.

[Mandate My Ass]

23. that would make the press "more than a little bit biased"

it doesn't make an intelligent, concerned, well-spoken man who has done a great deal of research on the topic "a little bit crazy."

[hughee99]

28. Yes,

The press is more than a little biased. I agree 100%. Is this news to anyone? That's sort of my point. Al knows that the press is not going to be fair, and he gave them the opportunity to try to make him look bad.

[ibegurpard]

31. We DON'T CARE

We are NOT going to allow you to change the topic from WHAT HE SAID to how he said it, how much he sweated, how unbecoming it all was et al. ad nauseum. That worked to discredit him in 2000 but WE are not going to allow ourselves to be a part of it again.

[Mandate My Ass]

32. They'll try no matter what he does

why buy their spin? Nobody here does but you insist on repeating their lies as if they're truth.

[hughee99]

40. Lies?

Okay this is my last shot. They weren't "lies" it was misdirection by the press. The press reported the irony rather than the content of his important speech. They don't want his message to get out.
I think Al wanted to give that speech to get his message out. Do you disagree?
I think that the conditions surrounding the speech gave the press an opportunity to avoid talking about the content of what he said, while still seeming to cover the speech. Do you disagree with this?
I think that Al is more than politically savvy enough to have seen that this will happen, and could have gotten his message out better had he given the speech under different circumstances.
The fact is that many people equate "global warming" with warm weather only, and this was a missed opportunity to inform them of the truth.

What have I said here that is so unreasonable?

[Mandate My Ass]

41. You're the one who said Al is a little bit crazy

that is exactly what the press wants us to think about him and that is exactly how they will portray him time and time again. Is it true?

NO

It's an ad hominem attack that has no place in the news media. Most of us reject these fallacious arguments out of hand. These are the same people who admitted they thought doing hatchet jobs on Gore in 2000 was "fun." You give them the power to continue this by blaming the victim of their attacks as if he had or has any control over their continued slander and libel. You repeat the slander and libel and so you empower them to continue the smear tactics rather than admit that the substance of the message (which is, by your own admission, unassailable).

[hughee99]

42. what?

First of all, the press is trying to make us believe that the substance of his message is crazy, but they can't do it by attacking his message. I'm saying that he made a political mistake that he could have avoided, which is my basis for calling him a little crazy. I "repeat the slander and libel" only to cite it, I don't agree with their inferrence that his message is "crazy". In any case, I guess I must be wrong.

Clearly his speech must have been given under the best possible circumstances, and reached as many ears as possible. There was no way he could have done things differently and had a better outcome. Al clearely had no control over how they attacked him, and did not do anything to hinder the message.

[ibegurpard]

43. Dude, please!

Writing talking points was part of one of my former jobs. Your attempts to extricate yourself from your slip-up upthread are lame.

[hughee99]

46. What was my slip-up?

As far as I can tell, mentioning the speech was the only problem. Is anyone arguing that the speech was handled as well as it could have been? Everyone seems to agree that the media is biased. Using this as an example of being "a little crazy" seems to be my mistake. While people seem to have the idea that I'm KKKarl Rove or something for bringing this up, I don't see anyone defending Al's choice to give the speech under those circumstances. I still stand behind my basic assertion that giving the speech at that time, knowing how it would be spun, and knowing that the purpose for giving the speech (to get the message out) would not be best achieved, is a little crazy. I guess that just wasn't the example to use here. If this doesn't extricate me, what would?

[SemperEadem]

45. they didn't make Gore look bad, they made themselves look silly

by making an issue where there was none. Gore delivering a speech on global warming on the coldest day of the year just means that the day he chose to deliver an important speech, the environmental elements were such that a drop in temperature was the result.

Are you saying Gore commands the weather, now, to perform when he's ready to give a speech?

[ibegurpard]

24. The great unwashed didn't hear a peep about that speech

Interesting that you try to keep bringing it up now and justify criticism of it with lame observations that have nothing to do with scientific fact.

[hughee99]

33. I keep brining it up? I mentioned it one time

and now I'm defending my point. I haven't mentioned this on any other post in any other thread. Also, what have I said that has anything to do with science itself? I haven't tried to refute Al's speech, in fact I agree with what he said. I understand that extreme low temperatures are the result of global warming. Many people do not understand this, though. To those people, the very people Al wanted to get his message out to, the press spun the speech as a big laugh and didn't report the facts of it. Al's a smart guy, who must have seen this comming a mile away, so I'm wondering why he let it happen when he could have avoided it. That's all I'm saying.

[Mandate My Ass]

34. He should have seen it coming?

You're kidding right? THey have a hatchet out for him every time he opens his mouth and made up stories about him during the entire presidential campaign that had no basis in truth.

Oh, I get it. He should never speak again, that way the press can't make him out to be anything at all. Because he won't exist. :eyes:

[hughee99]

35. I know the press is out to get him,

in this case, it just seems like he made it easy for them.

[ibegurpard]

36. I see

and just what are you doing to help combat that? Besides echoing their lame criticisms, I mean?
:eyes:

[lastliberalintexas]

25. Because, as we all know from those

scientists at the RNC, global warming means that we will all be living in 100 degree heat all the time! It will never get cold again- hence the name global *warming*. Geesh.

;-)

[ibegurpard]

26. Oh, I get it

I'm just concerned about the image that our party conveys to the swing voters out there who are hanging on every word.
:eyes:
(That was a sarcastic attempt to preempt the next expected talking point response)

[Alerter_]

52. "global warming on the coldest day of the year"

It's not crazy to "give a speech on global warming on the coldest day of the year". It's just stupid to think there is a connection.

[Veggie Meathead]

11. Because Gore is not running for office, there is nothing they can do

to stop him from speaking freely.And when Al Gore speaks freely, he is devastating on the mindless herd of Republicans who are reduced to
speaking in tongues.Al truly embodies the wisdom of the words, Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.

[Mel]

17. you know what happens when republicans attack?

More eyes will be opened to all of the republican lies. I say this because mine where opened all the way during the Clinton years and Yes it does backfire on republicans. I would never vote for a Republican before but now I actually get off my rump and work to keep them out of office. Tis' a good thing, let em' call Gore names it won't work it just angers people enough to make them stand up and fight back!

[ithacan]

21. my favorite part:

his emphasis on how INCOMPETENT the Bushies are.

This needs to become a new meme: the incompetent, failed president...

[The Magistrate]

30. Indeed, My Friend

That is a very important point, and it was great to hear it said out loud, and with great force and carry. The people will accept criminality before they will accept incompetence: it is the worst possible failing in a person charged with governance, and it is impossible to look on the spectacle of Iraq without the realization it is, most of all, a display of colossal incomptence.

"How DARE they drag the good name of the United States of America through the mud of Saddam Hussein's torture prison!"

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[Wind Dancer]

27. The Neocons are worried

because they know Gore won the election, the only reason * is in office is because of the corruption by the entire Bush family and those who contribute to it.

[Old and In the Way]

48. 500,000 more Americans voted for Gore, but that was negated by

1 vote on the Supreme Court. They can try to revise history all they want, but that fact will never be erased.

[x-g.o.p.er]

37. They never criticize his words....

because they're completely accurate. All they can resort to is to attack the messenger and the way the message is delivered.

[ibegurpard]

39. helped by well-placed "well-meaning" little moles planted

ever so carefully in every possible venue that the left conducts discourse.

[Cheswick2.0]

38. So is the DLC

!

[FlemingsGhost]

44. If Al Gore has the political weight you think he does...

he'd be in the Whitehouse.

[kentuck]

47. They only attack that which scares the hell out of them....

Think back to the Democratic primary. Now we know they did not attack Dennis Kucinich because they did not feel threatened by Kucinich. Who did they go after? Howard Dean? Because of his "scream" - actually it was because of his message. They did not attack Kerry that much during the primary as I recall, because they did not think he was going to win until it was late in the campaign. They are scared to death of Al Gore's message - because they know Al Gore has beat them once already.

[Malva Zebrina]

49. looks that way eh

Gore got the popular vote and was loved by all those who voted for him.No doubt many have not relinquished their loyalty to this unique man.

After three years, he emerges an energized, undefeated Gore. and a patriotic Gore who can now reach the people on their level without the hinderance of a Lieberman. I really admire and love this man and his wife and family.

His speech was brilliant and I look forward to more.

His own party ought to lay off trying to smear him.