Joe Conason: Media tempts Gore into Presidential race, only to destroy him again. And he knows it.

[DeepModem Mom]

Salon: Why do journalists suddenly love Al Gore?
After they tempt him into the presidential race, they'll probably try to destroy him again. And he knows it.
By Joe Conason

March 2, 2007 | As a man who long endured more than his share of nasty, unwarranted abuse from journalists, the philosophical Al Gore must be amused by the happy transformation of his clippings. The same press corps that once snarled for his blood is now smooching his boots -- an implicit apology that might be gratifying to the former future president, if only he were still naive enough to value their esteem.

The sudden fashion for favorable comment won't influence any thoughtful American's opinion of Gore, but it should remind us of the dismal media performance that did such a terrible disservice to him and to the nation. Although Gore himself certainly deserves a measure of blame for the catastrophic conclusion of the 2000 presidential election and the events that led up to it, his hateful treatment by the press slanted the campaign against him from the beginning. (Perhaps only Ralph Nader is more culpable for the irreparable harms of the Bush era, but that is an arguable proposition.)

Had the recent adoration of Gore been accompanied by any sign of healthy introspection among those who once savaged him, there might be reason to hope that they've learned something from this extraordinarily costly lesson. But as usual, mainstream commentators prefer to write as if they suffer from severe amnesia (as well as database deprivation) -- and to pretend that everyone else does, too....

***

Historians will someday ask why the United States entered a century of enormous challenges under the stewardship of a man who was so manifestly unsuited to high office -- and why he prevailed over a man whose judgment, experience and courage were so clearly superior. False images and phony stories created by the media will certainly figure in their answers.

Those historians may also wonder why the better man declined to seek the presidency again...The answer may be found, of all places, in the Note, that snarky weblog on the ABC News site, which often betrays the true emotions roiling the minds of mainstream journalists. Said the Note, in explaining the recent spate of positive coverage of the old press nemesis: "Basically, the political press wants to tempt Al Gore into the race, and then they will destroy him as a flip-flopping, exaggerating, stiff loser. And Gore knows this."...

http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2007/03/02/al_gore/

[demnan]

1. Exactly right

K&R

[BlueManDude]

2. Gore participated in his own destruction in 99-2000

by catering his campaign to get the approval of the Beltway pundits (the selection of Lieberman, his failure to use Clinton) he was fighting with one hand tied behind his back.

he would not let that happen again. he's liberated and would run a powerful campaign.

[Tellurian]

23. Actually, two hands tied behind his back..

Lieberman was aligned with the Bush leaguers from the beginning. He is the one who implored Gore not to fight the SCOTUS when their decision went against him.

[KansDem]

3. It really irritates me that a man with intelligence, wisdom and vision...

...should be so ridiculed by the media whores in favor of their eventual neo-con fascist choice.

[Tellurian]

24. With all due respect, everyone was quite naive eight yrs ago..

no one, not even the BIG DOG knew, how vicious and determined Republicans are to destroy America and anyone who stands in their way of greed and power. We're all guilty of underestimating the enemy. They do not believe in the Rules of Fair Play..All they believe in is, they will do whatever it takes to WIN.

[Uncle Joe]

4. Excellent column, except

I don't believe Al deserves any blame, what they need to do is come out and apologize, and then maybe thoughtful Americans will take heed, or at the very least they need to stay the hell out of the way the minute he gets some good P.R. and quit slandering him just as they did this past week, one &*^%# day after his movie attempting to save life as we know wins an Academy Award!

Thanks for the thread DeepModem Mom

[DeepModem Mom]

6. You're right, Joe -- it's started already with the Nashville house electricity story. nt

[Lex]

5. Conason is right. And the media is evil just in this very way.

nt

[AshevilleGuy]

7. But there is now one HUGE factor we didn't have in 2000:

Iraq. If this tragedy is still going on this time next year, it will be the ONLY story that goes on day to day, overarching the temporary sensations. Very much like Vietman in 1968, a year I remember in technicolor. Trivialities like Gore shrugging or sighing in a debate, or even his big house will pale in the face of Iraq. Voters will wonder how such silly criticisms even got their attention in 2000.

Yeah, the media will be unable to keep itself from going after Gore on nonsense like they used in 2000, but again, the world will be a much scarier place in '08 than it was in '00. Time for a REAL leader with gravitas to step in. Gore-Edwards is my dream ticket, just as it was in 2000.

[Stevepol]

8. Those historians will know: it was the voting system.

First, it was a system that allowed ex-felon lists and couting methods that were un-verifiable and demonstrably fraudulent, topped off with a Supreme Court with no desire to see every vote counted.

[zulchzulu]

9. Bingo! I think that's what Gore thinks...

The MSM wants to make a meal of Al Gore. They are doing all they can to possibly turn off the electorate as soon as possible with airing cheap shots, half-truths and letting college dropout pundits in charge of the steering wheel.

When they write or produce political gristle, it's designed for half-wits and those still enamored with good hair and well-bleached toothy smiles.

Gore can rest assured that historians will look at the 2000 race as a bloodless coup d'etat that possibly brought this wonderful country down in the not to distant future.

The way the Constitution is on the ropes, bloody and coughing in a twitching mess, it will be hard to tell what was worse: killing democracy or killing our species while everyone sat back and turned the remote to something meaningless...

[FrenchieCat]

10. I've noticed that......

Media working overtime on Al since the Oscars.

They did it to Obama; compelled him to run......and I shield my eyes as I feel that they will make every attempts to destroy Obama from now till the first vote.

It is the corporate media's way of excerting the power that it knows it has, and that we, unfortunately, often underestimate till after the fact.

Conason understands this...because we've seen it oftentime before.....yet Conason hasn't forgotten, like many of us oftentimes do.

[Tellurian]

25. Thats not their style.

They will favor Obama to degrade Hillary, in the hopes the weaker and the least experienced of the two gets the nomination. Then the Big Guns will comeout 24/7 to chew up our nominee if it's Obama. BC had learned we cannot give these Repubs an inch without responding to any squalid remarks by pundits and RW BS without leveling them into the dirt.

[w4rma]

11. We are here for him and ready to run interference for him this time, though. (nt)

[NDP]

12. Exactly. Just like they did to Barak "He has to run. He'll never get this buzz again" Obama

Those were their exact words. Only they didn't tell you that the way they covered him is what generated the majority of the buzz.

[AtomicKitten]

13. The MSM are all too obliging in accommodating the smear merchants.

Disgusting.

[Mabus]

14. The press has been nice to him because it isn't the political media that's been covering him

Gore has been by-passing the political media and showing up in the entertaiment, environmental and other media niches. Gore has done some softball interviews with the MSM and shied away from talking about politics while he's been on them. He talks about the morality of the global climate change issue. He is single-handedly redefining what morality means in today's political arena. He has taken the sting out of the RW's claim of acting morally by skirting the political limelight and making Americans focus on issues again.

Besides, think of it this way: the longer that Gore continues to skirt the political media the higher his favorability rating goes up. Why? Because the American people see him through the filter as a "personality" and "celebrity" and not as a politician. The more he talks, the more publicity he gets, the more awards he is nominated for and given the more his favorability rating goes up and yet, he remains out of the clutches of the political media. (I like to think that it keeps them up at night. :evilgrin:)

And, if you think the build-up and the positive press for Gore was big for the Oscars, wait until the concert this summer. He will get world wide recognitition for global climate change in July, right after the 4th of July. With the cross-section of artists participating, everyone will have a favorite playing in the concert and I'm sure it will be the talk of every 4th of July picnic from the tip of Florida to the farthest reaches of Alaska.

By the time Gore would declare, in September (because you don't bring out the new stuff until after Labor Day) his favorability rating will be very high. He will also have gotten attention for his upcoming book "The Assault on Reason" that will really get the average American thinking about a Gore candidacy. By the time the political media starts gunning for him they are going to have to answer to a lot of people who will know more abour Gore the man, the crusader of truth and his record than they knew in 2000.

[Uncle Joe]

15. Mabus, your post has many good points.

:hi:

[Mabus]

19. Thank you

Every once in a while I need to look at what's going on from something other than a political perspective.

[AtomicKitten]

16. thanks for the injection of positivity and hope

I'm counting on it.

By the time Gore would declare, in September (because you don't bring out the new stuff until after Labor Day) his favorability rating will be very high.

[Clark2008]

20. I wish I could go to one of those concerts, but, alas

I will be recovering from having a baby (little girl due in June) and there's not one near me anyway.

:cry:

[Mabus]

21. Don't worry

I think they were making network deals to carry it. IIRC, NBC was going after the rights in the US.

[Samantha]

17. Sorry, I think that's a bunch of bull

The guys trying to kiss Gore's political posterior are scared. They trashed him in 2000 and now they are afraid he might slide right back in in 2008. I have been watching this from the beginning and they are smoozing him for one reason, and one reason only -- they are afraid they will be out of work if Gore gets in.

Some, granted might be pulling the Howard Dean-type courtship, but some of the majors are regretting their unforgivable crucification of Gore. Other than that, for strictly personal reasons, they have realized how perilously close the guy they helped usher in came close to getting us all killed. Some of these reporters have been worried their children would be called into service on behalf of this administration.

I think all the so-called professionals have learned a lot about trashing a candidate in a political race for president of the United States for the corporate heads. They have paid several types of prices and more could be coming ....

[depakid]

18. So called "journalists" and corporate masters are public enemy #1

And have done more to destroy this country than any single group....

[AX10]

22. Correct!