Al Gore President of the USA? A President concerned about the Climate Change issue

[flankspeed8]

I would respect some of these climate change politicians and celebrities if they practiced what they preached just a little bit. Imagine how much it would advance Gore's credibility if heaven forbid he flew on a commercial airplane now and then? Even the POTUS and FLOTUS flew separate planes to California last week on the same day. POTUS went on to Arizona and FLOTUS back to DC the same day. The visual would have been more credible if she had flown on to AZ even if it was an inconvenience because I would say that one of the biggest messages against global warming/climate change is that we need to alter our behavior. Al Gore has an incredibly huge house in TN. The visuals just are not good for people on the fence to take him seriously.

If you believe, as I believe the president does that global warming is the biggest threat of our future, it seems like at least a small, token change would make people take this argument a little more seriously. I feel the same about Gore.

Al Gore has about as much chance as Donal Trump being elected as POTUS.

 

[1208]

As a neutral foreigner, at least Al Gore cares. I don't think he'd drone bomb children either. But you do need a president interested in science or a scientist, not the anti-science guy you have now . Weren't some of your founding fathers scientists etc?

Bring back JFK. He was a good guy and interested in science.

 

[flankspeed8]

You never have perfection. Main thing is that Al is really interested to work out the Climate Change issue.......and I am sure that if Al became President he would make many efforts for the electrical convertion of all the transportation in the USA including electrical planes.

Being the leader of the free world requires greater talent/vision than electric cars.

 

[bonnie]

I was very young when I started hanging around with the crowd that had taken it past the DARPA stage.

Yep, about the same time then ... I first was using ARPANET and readnews (some of us actually know why uppercase became 'shouting') and programming like mad for someone who is now lost.

And I wish people would leave Al Gore alone about this. That sound bite sets me off every time.

----

As for the assertions that he needs to stop flying places if he's serious ... let's bring that closer to home: A lot of us *claim* to care about the environment. Heck, we even bought cars that are zero emissions. I struggled with the 'saving the environment', because if I really cared, I'd take to public transportation, ride my bike more, and NOT buy a car. That money spent on a Roadster could do far more good for the environment.

Then someone here on the forum pointed out that with the countless events I'd been to, just 'being on the road', I was influencing far more people than I even knew. They were seeing a viable electric vehicle & that might influence their purchasing decisions. That was over 4 years ago. And everyone who has been driving electric has helped change the public buying expectations from ICE to either buying or at least considering electric. It's no longer such an oddity to be driving a BEV.

So Al Gore. Sure, jets use fuel. But the bigger picture is that he's done more for moving the issue of climate change into the public conversation than anyone else. And that wasn't going to happen if he sat at home making phone calls and using Skype.

I'm personally disappointed in him regarding the fact that when he ran for president, it should have been a landslide. No excuses for him there. And if you want to be president and can't easily win such a slam-dunk election, then maybe you shouldn't be. (And if it hadn't been such a thin margin, the rest of the shenanigans couldn't have occurred. imo.) But give the man credit for what he's done. He has made us all aware of climate change issues. That's a legacy he can be proud of.

 

[eye.surgeon]

One of the (many) problems with an Al Gore presidency is that he's made a lot of environmental predictions and issued a lot of dire warnings in the last 20 years (whether he made those predictions himself or promoted the predictions of others makes little difference) that have been shown to be, or will be shown to be, wrong.

 

[RubberToe]

One of the (many) problems with an Al Gore presidency is that he's made a lot of environmental predictions and issued a lot of dire warnings in the last 20 years (whether he made those predictions himself or promoted the predictions of others makes little difference) that have been shown to be, or will be shown to be, wrong.

Time to start investing in scuba gear manufacturers...
The melting of Antarctica was already really bad. It just got worse. - The Washington Post

 

[TheTalkingMule]

On a tangent note....I do think we'll finally see an ice free North Pole summer within the next few years. This ultra-weak jet stream and "polar vortexes" must just be streaming warmer air up north. There was a particularly crazy day a few weeks ago where it was warmer in Barrow, Alaska than in Philadelphia.

I'm gonna say....September 2017.

 

[TEG]

...
I'm personally disappointed in him regarding the fact that when he ran for president, it should have been a landslide. No excuses for him there. And if you want to be president and can't easily win such a slam-dunk election, then maybe you shouldn't be. (And if it hadn't been such a thin margin, the rest of the shenanigans couldn't have occurred. imo.) But give the man credit for what he's done. He has made us all aware of climate change issues. That's a legacy he can be proud of...

Personally, I think the 'shenanigans' were responsible for a lot more than just a 'thin margin'. Hard to win when the deck is stacked heavily against you.

 

[bonnie]

Personally, I think the 'shenanigans' were responsible for a lot more than just a 'thin margin'. Hard to win when the deck is stacked heavily against you.

Carefully avoiding the political quarantine thread here, BUT ... totally agree. However, to be president, you need to deal with the games going on. When I joined a Fortune 100 company at a high-level, the CEO asked me if I was prepared to be a target for some high-level maneuvering, because 'many people are unhappy we brought someone in from the outside'. And then he laughed and said, 'if you can't handle it, you're the wrong person for the job'. And I totally agreed. (Think I responded with something like, 'Amateurs'.)

The point being is that if I couldn't handle the politics and sniping gracefully & without it impacting the work I was doing, then I was at the wrong level. And yes, it was brutal for about a year. Al's a big boy. I don't give him excuses on that. If it was a different position, then sure. But it was for POTUS.

 

[beeeerock]

In my admittedly jaded view, the problem isn't the US President or even my Prime Minister. It's the forces that control them and all democratic leaders (and probably most of the non-democratic ones too).

I fully believe Democracy is the best solution we moron humans have come up with. But it has one absolutely critical flaw... it attracts POLITICIANS!!! :scared: What other breed of human being could be worse at making logical, intelligent, thoughtful, compassionate and non-partisan decisions?

Whether it be Gore or any other possible candidate (any party), the winner gets elected with ideals and then governs as controlled by his backers and big corporate money. Regardless of the political affiliations, the end result is the same. The first rule all politicians must learn is 'never under-estimate the stupidity of the masses'. They live by that rule and we reliably validate it with every election held around the world.... LOL

When everything went pear-shaped in 2008 I thought the time was right for leaders to announce green energy programs to stimulate the economy, create jobs, make a start at reducing greenhouse gas production and detour from the path towards the eventual depletion of fossil fuels. Reflective solar arrays in the desert, wind power, solar panels on roofs, perhaps another hydro project or two... etc. Of course that didn't happen and it was naive of me to think Exxon and the like would ever have allowed it.

Like I said... I'm probably jaded...

 

[Raffy.Roma]

But you do need a president interested in science or a scientist, not the anti-science guy you have now .

Don't agree. President Obama is very much concerned about the Climate Change issue.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

So Al Gore. Sure, jets use fuel. But the bigger picture is that he's done more for moving the issue of climate change into the public conversation than anyone else. And that wasn't going to happen if he sat at home making phone calls and using Skype.

Agree 100%

 

[Auzie]

My view is that as a society we will go much further if every citizen is concerned not just with climate change, but with all the issues that affect society as a whole.

There are many examples of individual choices that benefit a person in a short term however cumulative effects of such choices may be damaging for all.

It is difficult to remedy such situations as each individual must choose to make immediate small personal sacrifices with a view of a long term common good.

Some regulation might be helpful to get us there. Having a president who will do heavy work for all of us falls along these ideological lines.

The downside of an omnipotent president who can fix our problems is the likely abdication of personal responsibility, to various degree. That abdication feeds directly into perpetuating undesired self serving choices whose cumulative consequences are damaging for all. Herein lies the seed of self destruction of such ineffective system.

It follows that regulation is likely to be far less effective and more costly than education. Regulation requires a cumbersome costly ineffective system of policing, monitoring, enforcement. Regulation is only as effective as its monitoring and enforcement systems.

The system in which each individual self monitors is far more likely to be effective and enjoyable for all. Such system greatly reduces the need for unpopular unwelcome overarching big brother.

Any complex organism or society in which individual units regularly act in self serving interest at the expense of the common good and fail to cooperate for the common good is highly likely to self destruct, one way or the other.

Back to topic, if people are concerned with climate change and wish to see improvements, don't hold your breath for Al Gore saviour. If you really care, act on it.

Here are few tips to speed up the journey:

1. Reduce your waste (recycle, compost, choose products with minimal packaging)

2. Be energy efficient (choose renewable energy, wash in cold water, hang dry, buy efficient appliances, etc)

3. Green your commute (buy a Tesla:love

4. Get informed, involved, provide support (like on this forum)

5. Be imaginative and creative with energy

 

[ggr]

I think the problem is that politicians (used to) like to negotiate and achieve consensus. Now some of them prefer stonewalling. But none of these strategies work against planetary ecosystems.

 

[bluenation]

i thought politalk was outlawed? i guess there was a change in forum rules i missed...would certainly make TMC a little more normal

As a neutral foreigner, at least Al Gore cares. I don't think he'd drone bomb children either. But you do need a president interested in science or a scientist, not the anti-science guy you have now . Weren't some of your founding fathers scientists etc?

Bring back JFK. He was a good guy and interested in science.

oh you mean the same JFK that tried to invade Cuba, ignored MLK jr, and escalated Vietnam?

Don't agree. President Obama is very much concerned about the Climate Change issue.

I like Obama. He likes Tesla too, and clearly believes in climate change and is taking measures against it. If he could do a 3rd term, i'd support that. Done far more good than bad (personally, i support drone warfare, certainly better than boots on teh ground) despite the dumbest, most obstructionist opposition party since forever. By far my fav US prez since...Clinton?

Al Gore would be terrible, would absolutely divide the country, and the left fwiw. Hilldawg would be a much better choice policitically. (personally...i would really have to hold my nose to vote for her)

 

[Auzie]

would certainly make TMC a little more normal

I would like to think that TMC aspires to leadership, not normal

 

[Robert.Boston]

"Politalk" can go bad quickly, but so far this thread hasn't descended to an objectionable level.

 

[eco5280]

Al also claimed the Arctic would be ice-free by 2013.

Sigh. He referred to a study from 2006 that forecasted dramatic Arctic sea ice disappearance. At the time there was about 2 million sq mile of it - the lowest in recorded history up to that point. In 2012 there was about 1 million sq miles of it left. So it's going away and rapidly. Your comment implies you don't believe it's happening - science and evidence prove you wrong, sadly. Nothing shows the trend slowing, it's actually accelerating - so expect that before 2017 it'll be gone.

- - - Updated - - -

One of the (many) problems with an Al Gore presidency is that he's made a lot of environmental predictions and issued a lot of dire warnings in the last 20 years (whether he made those predictions himself or promoted the predictions of others makes little difference) that have been shown to be, or will be shown to be, wrong.

More accurately, he's publicly spoken about scientific studies that predict certain outcomes. Some have proven to have been conservative, some less so. Predicting dates of events is hard, but the outcomes are no less real because they predicted 2014 and it happened in 2015 or 2013.

I think it's hard to argue that the problem is corporate intrusion into government. When politicians fear lack of funding for their reelection campaigns, and lack of employment after office, because of corporate threats or promises based on their congressional record, we all lose. Regardless of which side they're on, we all lose because their focus is money and not the constituency, the country, or the world.

 

[dsm363]

Al Gore President of the USA? A President concerned about the Climate Change ...

Facts don't seem to get in the way of what people believe a lot of the time. Their 'facts' can be different than actual facts.

 

[TEG]

i thought politalk was outlawed? i guess there was a change in forum rules i missed...

This particular topic was political from the start, so I think more leeway is being given.