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And Al Gore Helps John McCain into the White House

Posted April 18, 2008 | 05:58 PM (EST)

Read More: Al Gore, Al Gore McCain, Climate Change, Global Warming, John McCain, McCain Climate Change, McCain Global Warming, Breaking Politics News

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So John McCain is moving towards a more moderate position so he can build himself up for the general election. And the way he is doing it is quite fascinating if not surprising.

First, his advisers can read polls and recognize the daunting right track/wrong track polling headwind that is gusting in their face.

Differences between Bush and McCain will be "discussed at great length," promises one aide.

"He'll be direct about it. He's never gratuitous, never disrespectful, but there are going to be policy breaks where it couldn't be clearer." Two areas of difference McCain will highlight: global warming and spending.

And why would John McCain be trusted on climate change? Perhaps because Al Gore is saying he should be trusted.

Gore's spokeswoman, Kalee Kreider, declined to comment on the Obama offer and was complimentary about the presidential candidates, including Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

"Former Vice President Gore thinks that both candidates are very strong. Both of them have offered plans to address the climate crisis ... as has Senator McCain," she said.

I asked Kreider why she is praising McCain, considering that Bush lied in 2000 about his intent to deal with climate change. Here's her response.

The key threshold issue for most NGO's and people working on climate, ourselves included are: Does the policymaker, work, support, vote in favor of, introduce legislation for mandatory reductions in pollution or not. McCain has, Bush has not.

And there we go. If you want to know why John McCain is trusted, it's not just that he has a base in the media. Democratic Party elders - including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton - just fall all over themselves to praise him (he's met the commander-in-chief threshold how, exactly?).

Al Gore has tried extremely hard to build a movement without politics, and it just isn't working. As a candidate, he tried to run without attacking Bush, and as a global icon, he has launched an apolitical TV channel and hosted a bunch of mega-concerts that didn't really advance the argument on climate change. And now that Republicans are poised to use climate change as an excuse to siphon money off to industry, Gore is jumping on the McCain bandwagon.

Better party elders, please.

 

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collapse Cathexis See Profile I'm a Fan of Cathexis

Undeservedly harsh, Mr Stoller.

Positive reinforcement when someone does something good, negative reinforcement when someone does something "not good." It's just basic interaction tactic, not some insightful revelation of treachery.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:19 PM on 04/21/2008
collapse Rescisco See Profile I'm a Fan of Rescisco

Gore bashing? That really is sooo yesterday. Also, as any casual and rational observer might note, global warming must become a non-partisan issue if we are to make any progress at all. That does not mean ignoring the lame excuses Republlcans have for not acting, but neither does it mean that we should bash them to the extent that we make it impossible for them to engage the issue seriously. Politicize this issue, and we lose any chance of ever moving on it.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:18 AM on 04/21/2008
collapse colleen2 See Profile I'm a Fan of colleen2

Matt Stoller is fond of trying to generate controversy in this manner. I'm a bit surprised to see him posting on blogs where he cannot ban those who disagree with his attempts at logic. What a brave boy

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 10:06 AM on 04/20/2008
collapse shelleybear See Profile I'm a Fan of shelleybear

McCain has many reasonable ideas involving domestic policies.
HOWEVER these cost money.
Money he will (by some strange coincidence) find we do not have due to the war in Iraq that he continues to support.
In other words, more empty Republican promises.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:43 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse Meah See Profile I'm a Fan of Meah

I thought this was a free country, and Al Gore was entitled to say what he wants to say.
He knows the man, and probably likes him, despite McCain's whacked out temper. This is a non-story.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 09:02 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse BillZBubb See Profile I'm a Fan of BillZBubb

Wow. let's attack Al Gore too now since he obviously isn't Democratic enough to know that Obama is the only TRUE candidate!

But wait a minute, isn't being respectful of McCain part of Obama's "new politics"--isn't Obama and all his diehard faithful claiming to be insistent on working with all parties without the "old political rancor"? I thought it was "change you can believe in". Maybe his followers don't really believe it.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 04:43 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse Kally See Profile I'm a Fan of Kally

The person helping McCain into the white house is obama. And the funny thing is, his supporters know it. That's why they are so hateful and vile, lying their lies trying to get people to hate Hillary.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 07:57 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse Meah See Profile I'm a Fan of Meah

Listen, Kally, people are sick of the garbage that Hillary and McCain are dishing out. We are sick of the lying. We are sick of the warmongering. I am not hateful and vile. I am simply sick of what has happened to our country, and those two will be the same as it has been. Even Hillary thinks she can just talk about massive retalliation in Iran. Madness. We are sick of the vile, lying madness!

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 09:01 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse Jjc2006 See Profile I'm a Fan of Jjc2006

You may not be hateful or vile but like most on Obamington Post you have bought hook, line and sinker every negative nasty tidbit against Senator Clinton pushed by the right or the purity trolls on the left.
Where were you in the 80s when Reagan was war mongering? Were you marching, protesting? I am betting not! Where were you when the US employed Iraq/Saddam when we got them to go to war against Iran? Where were you when we gave money and arms to the men who were to become the Taliban to help us beat the evil empire? Where were you when we left those men to beat, abuse and kill the poor women left in Afghanistan?
For decades we have been war mongering. At the same time, we have ignored the women and children of the world who have been used, beaten and abused.....
ONLY Senator Clinton has had the cajones to publicly speak against the world of tyranny where women and children were the targets. It is the reason why women around the world love Senator Clinton. But the American Idol mentality of people here are playing "she's a warmonger" because she represented the will of the people of NY. To say that ONLY Senator Obama is working for peace is a lie and is directly out of Rove's playbook. Both Senator's have essentially the same plan for ending the mess.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 10:13 AM on 04/21/2008
collapse JakeEasy See Profile I'm a Fan of JakeEasy

Well, Meah. I'm people. And I'm not sick of reading facts. I am sick of the fiction that those with axes to grind but no basis in factuality keep spinning. You may prefer Barack to Hillary, but the stupid refrain about Hillary being more like McCain or being a warmonger is not helpful. It is a stupid political attack that isn't borne out by the voting records. For their time in office, your candidate and mine have shared an almost identical voting record. Now, if you don't like women or you don't like strong women or you don't like her health plan or you don't like her clothes or something, just go with that. It's your right. But calling Hillary a republican is the same as calling Barack one. There are enough lies (called politics) on both sides. It is hypocritical to castigate the other side for doing exactly the same thing your side is doing.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:09 PM on 04/20/2008
collapse argyle73 See Profile I'm a Fan of argyle73

"Change you can believe in" is just the motto that Rezko and his band of political insiders came up with to sell Obama to all the people outside of Chicago once it became clear that Gov. Blagojevich was going down and could not run for president (which they had been grooming him to do).

Obama's "new politics" is just the smokescreen, or sugar, to shield him from attacks. That people are ignorant of Obama's place in Chicago cess-pool politics is too bad. It goes to show that we are living in an Animal Farm world.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 05:47 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse tryharder2think See Profile I'm a Fan of tryharder2think

your gonna have to try harder...

your lies don't stick to anyone but yourself.

what's gonna happen when you realize that that is all you have built your self upon.

i welcome the day you see truth.

try harder 2 think

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:16 AM on 04/20/2008
collapse JakeEasy See Profile I'm a Fan of JakeEasy

And, of course, you get to be the arbiter of truth. Just how did you get to be the one to decide who is right and who is wrong for anyone else. If we get to do that, then I chose to tell you that your are wrong. Gee, playing god is fun. I can see why you guys like doing it.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:11 PM on 04/20/2008
collapse AlwaysFairDem See Profile I'm a Fan of AlwaysFairDem

Same old Politics. Status Quo will not change...especially when you have your own money invested in Green that has made you $50Million just last year. Money is the evil of all thing if you ask me.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:46 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse REJames50 See Profile I'm a Fan of REJames50

The "Myth" of Global Warming
In an April 15th letter to the Tennessean, Kenneth Ray marvels at our recent cold snap, our annual "Dogwood Winter," to de-bunk "global warming acolytes."
Mr. Ray, meteorologists tell us there is a relatively stable "dome" of cold air that hovers over the poles. Now, whereas there are vicious storms under these domes, the interplay with the lower latitudes is limited, occurring primarily in winter. As the Arctic melts, this exchange increases, and we may be threatened by frost in the growing season. You see, weather in a thawed ocean migrates best over warmer, open water, and poorly over any frozen topography. For example, many hurricanes originate in Africa, and often cross "the pond," to hit this continent.
The earth mother, "Gaia," is gravid, this being the optimal epoch for our species, till we screw it up. With the gift of the hands and the intellect, art, atomic bombs and global warming were all anticipated. Faith is not so much a one-way street, or even something that springs from each person, as much as it a reflection of a thing that was here long before us. And, why be a caretaker of an environment when the benefits will mostly accrue after I"m gone? "God" lent me this small piece of time and place, and, as such, I am commissioned as a citizen of the planet and a citizen of eternity.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:07 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse pmag88 See Profile I'm a Fan of pmag88

McCain may legitimately care about climate change but it will receive short shrift in ANY republican administration.. Further, of the republicans who claim to believe there is a looming climate crisis and are for resolving it, I'm pretty sure it's mostly electioneering. For those who are sincere, I apologize.

Between the war, the economy,climate change, and health care, republicans have earned a time out. They were once the party of Lincoln and Eisenhower and there is no reason they must remain SLAVES to their neocon/neoliberal masters. There is no shame in being wrong and starting over.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:03 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse Thorwald See Profile I'm a Fan of Thorwald

We must remember... Global warming is far more important than an American election. I applaud Gore for bringing the Republicans to the table. The foundation of the Republican party still doesn't believe in this crisis (Tom Delay). I don't think John McCain will champion global warming and I don't think it will win him a vast amount of votes. I do however get joy out of knowing that there will be a lot of Republican strategists learning a comprehensive amount of information on a subject that we all need to learn more about. Imagine a general election debate where Obama and McCain are trying to out green the other... Ah what dreams may come.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:23 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse TimmySlagle See Profile I'm a Fan of TimmySlagle

"hosted a bunch of mega-concerts that didn't really advance the argument "

Advance the ARGUMENT?

I thought "the debate is over?"

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:07 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse RonnieDebb See Profile I'm a Fan of RonnieDebb

Hehe, this will keep the republicans home. According to them global warming is a myth right?

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:51 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse Mike O. See Profile I'm a Fan of Mike O.

Republicans vote with our minds, not our hearts. We never "stay home" because to do so would compromise our chances of victory. Republicans think about the big picture. Dont' you liberals ever pay attention?

McCain's stance on "Climate change" will not affect us one way or the other. We don't need to agree on everything, just the big things. Conservatives don't deny that the climate may be changing, we just know that "Man Made Global Warming" is a myth and that knee-jerk reactions to "fix" what we can't control will lead to major problems downstream. Have you visited the grocery store lately? The push to bio-fuels has helped to create a global food crisis.

The problem with you liberals is that you're blinded by your arrogance. You believe that man is the most powerful force on earth. We're not. We're just another insignificant parasite as far as the earth is concerned.

If liberals were actually interested in the truth about "climate change", they would ask why the U.N. has now admitted that the "hockey stick" graph showing a global average temperature increase is wrong. That graph was the basis for the theory. If the graph is wrong, the theory is wrong.

Such fools.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:48 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse mistlesuede See Profile I'm a Fan of mistlesuede

It's 89 degrees in Buffalo today, April 19th! We had the warmest summer and fall ever in 2007 with each year being warmer than the last before that. Our perennial flowers are blooming, and dying a least one month before they should and there are more signs everywhere you look, if you look.
Those of you who don't or WON"T see it are the fools. You don't have to be a scientist to see what's happening. You may consider yourself an insignificant parasite, heck I consider you one too.
We should be taking care of God's glorious creation, and repair it before it's too late.
You are the fool.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 04:37 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse kingcityguru See Profile I'm a Fan of kingcityguru

Temperatures have been DROPPPING since 1998 and we just went through the coldest winter in 20 years (not just in the US but everywhere!!). Global waming is a fraud. Time for you to find another god to worship.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:54 AM on 04/19/2008
collapse Liberal2 See Profile I'm a Fan of Liberal2

Gee that's odd. I've read global temperatures have been rising, with a series of hotest summers on record.

Of course, if temperatures are dropping, glaciers should be expanding, glacial run-off slowing, icesheets stablizing....are they?

Idunno, could you just be a liar trying to make its mother proud?

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:34 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse JoInCalifornia See Profile I'm a Fan of JoInCalifornia

I wish we would stop politicizing any scientific topic. Apparently temperatures have been dropping, and the computer models were incorrect. Why can't we discuss something this important like thinking adults who use reason to solve problems?

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:17 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse monty See Profile I'm a Fan of monty

Uh, Global Warming does not mean all places on Earth are getting hotter, it means more EXTREMES in weather, like VERY HOT or VERY COLD. Geez, do a little reading or something.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:52 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse kingcityguru See Profile I'm a Fan of kingcityguru

Read your sentence again. It is MORONIC.
So Global Warming results in extreme weather like "VERY COLD?" You know, now that I think about it there is that spot in my oven that always ices over while cooking dinner which is similar to that spot in my freezer that is so hot you can cook an egg.

Duh! At least get your dogma correct for your crazy religion. The bottom line is that the earth has gone through heating and cooling cycles (my SUV did not melt the last ice age) and if it is warming (which it is not), warming is better than cooling because it results in longer growing seasons (more food), less disease, and a better quality of life (if you disagree, go check the arctic for levels of disease and food production).

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 04:30 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse JakeEasy See Profile I'm a Fan of JakeEasy

It is very bad form to drool out such stupid drivel (straight from Rush) and then call someone else moronic. Your lack of knowledge about how the eco system works is obvious in every line you write. You spout corporate dogma without even understanding the words you use. Your grandchildren will hate you for what you do to their lives.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:16 PM on 04/20/2008
collapse Clarke See Profile I'm a Fan of Clarke

That's not true. Not that you care, of course, I just thought I'd point it out.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:45 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse Necron99 See Profile I'm a Fan of Necron99

I can haz peer reviewed linkz now?

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:57 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse Viper See Profile I'm a Fan of Viper

Look there are plenty of reasons not to back McCain. The man needs Lieberman in his ear to talk about the area he is suppose to be an expert in. On spending... if he is not going to cut the WAR or defense budget... there are no cuts to be made except at home... spending that benefits Americans and at a time when our schools are failing and our infrastructure is crumbling.

He is the biigest free trader ever and we cant the jobs we lost and are losing back per him.... which means you cant keep the jobs you still have. So much for solving trade deficits and the loss of high paying jobs. You cant balance the budget if those making high wages are less ... thats less tax revenue and yet you are going to cut taxes.. been tried for 7 years and the results.... the dollar is worth 60% less as is Americans real netwroth and stock market portfolios and their houses.

The REPUG Idealogy does not allow for solutions. FREE MARKET while our jobs go to non free market countries such as Choina and India with huge tarrifs on what little we have to export. Only 10% of pour exports go to countries oter than Canada, Mexico and Europe. Our biggest export...scrap!

McCain is too old.


Regards.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:44 AM on 04/19/2008
collapse Kungfublood See Profile I'm a Fan of Kungfublood

AS you may or may not remember Gore had indigenous people living on their land in South America threaten to commit mass suicide because the company he owned oil stock in was going to take their land and ruin it drilling for oil .When asked about it on national TV he laughed about it and changed the subject. So in my view he is one of the worlds biggest hypocrite and possibly a mass murder (I don't know if they all died or not do you? And are you laughing?)

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:28 AM on 04/19/2008
collapse Mike O. See Profile I'm a Fan of Mike O.

Al Gore is a hypocrite as is every liberal that I know personally. The ends justify the means because liberals have no core values or belief system. They tend to be narcissistic children, concerned only with their own well-being.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:50 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse mistlesuede See Profile I'm a Fan of mistlesuede

That is the most assinine thing I've heard yet. Al Gore spending all of his time and money going around the world trying to get people to change their habits and make sure that this world is still here for our descendants is and suffering fools like you is BEING CONCERNED ONLY WITH HIS OWN WELL BEING?
You probably voted for Bush twice too?

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 04:43 PM on 04/19/2008
collapse thedirtman See Profile I'm a Fan of thedirtman

I hope everyone will forgive my frankness, but McCain has been the lone star on the dark side for a long long time on this issue, along with possibly Schwarzeneggar. Still it would be hard for McCain to muster a responsible front on global warming if he is tying up American money in Iraq and tax cuts. If you want to hit him on global warming, that is his weak spot.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:04 AM on 04/19/2008
collapse bdd See Profile I'm a Fan of bdd

President Elect Al Gore,
IS THIS TRUE????

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 10:31 AM on 04/19/2008
collapse bobdob See Profile I'm a Fan of bobdob

This is pretty standard stuff these days. The new thing with all the environmental non-profits is to brag about how many Republicans donate to their organizations. Green is going corporate, and corporations are going green. It's all an opportunistic PR ploy for the wingers, of course, but the orgs don't mind as long as they get the money.

Gore is hedging his bet. No matter who wins, he wants them on his side. In the financial business, it's called diversification.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 10:30 AM on 04/19/2008
collapse 2lib4oh See Profile I'm a Fan of 2lib4oh

Gore is trying to take a principled stand on the environment, not play politics.
We don't need to "own" every issue. Nixon started the EPA and Bush wrecked it.
It is a neutral issue that we should all agree upon. Don't make this partisan.

If Obama is elected he could bring McCain in to work with him on getting environmental
changes made. Its a win/win situation. Its called collaboration.

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