Want To Have a Beer With Al Gore?

No? Why not?

The idea pushed by the media, the Bush campaign, the “moral majority” and the right-wing spin machine during the 2000 campaign, that George W Bush was someone you would want to have a beer with but Al Gore was not, exemplifies just how stupid American voters are. Why would anyone in their right mind vote for someone to run our country based upon their ability to entertain you over a beer and not someone with the intellect, education, experience, compassion and sound reasoning ability to make the decisions that would benefit this nation and the rest of the world? Please tell me!

First, why would you want to drink a beer with George W Bush, someone who has an alcohol problem? And why would you vote for him based upon that one stupid criterion, that he’s someone you would enjoy having a beer with? One clue that you might be making a mistake voting for George is that he got into trouble drinking beer (and doing drugs) in the past. He has a record of being irresponsible and has an addictive nature – not good attributes for the leader of the free world. I’ve drank beer with problem drinkers and they are not necessarily fun to be around and are often unreasonable, arrogant, pathetic and even scary.

On the other hand, despite the contrary, Al would be real interesting to have a beer with. I know Al Gore and have seen him when he isn’t under media scrutiny. He laughs easily, is always up for a good joke and honestly – he knows how to relax when he’s not in the spotlight. It’s a mystery why so many people have formed a poor opinion of Al Gore until you think about it.

Yesterday at Home Depot I had an encounter that exemplified this mystery. It’s hard for me to explain yet I somehow understand it completely.

As I was checking out I remarked to the woman employee at checkout that I was dismayed over the drastic increase in the cost of materials for a plumbing job I’m doing. I told her that a short ten years ago you could buy some of the material at 10-20% of today’s cost and that this rate of cost increase does not speak well for the so-called bustling economy or our country’s leadesrship. I said while the economy was benefiting a few, the average person’s buying power was shrinking, especially those on a fixed income as I am. I then pointed to a button on my cap that reads “Al Gore 2008”, and told her this might help.

She half smiled a pained look and said, “I don’t know if I would go that far. But I will agree he was right about Global Warming.” I smiled back and said, “Yes, and he was also right warning us about most everything else including what would happen if we invaded Iraq. We would now be much better off as a nation if Al Gore had been elected“. She didn’t comment further but it was evident she didn’t like Al Gore. But why not?

As I left the store I thought about this mystery, the one that makes so many Americans screw-up their noses when you mention Al Gore – especially here in Tennessee. My wife and I are constantly asking ourselves “what has Al Gore done to have so many people dislike him?” Every charge or claim regarding Al Gore, which are all unfounded, petty and insignificant, have been proven false. It’s mind-boggling until you think about what happened in 2000.

The woman at the cash register most likely wouldn’t be able to answer when asked what Al Gore has done to deserve her opinion or to offend her. She would probably say that she just doesn’t like him or trust him. Who do you think put that idea in her head? It was our wonderful Media.

During the campaign of 2000 the Bush Campaign, the Republican Party, and the right-wing Christian movement along with the eager cooperation of the right-wing element of the media orchestrated a full blown attack on Al Gore’s character using fabricated lies and by twisting Gore statements to use against him. They mocked him and viciously attacked him over and over regarding things like Al Gore claimed he invented the internet and that he exaggerated other claims regarding his experience and his record.

Unexplainably the majority of the remaining media piled on just like the chickens of a barnyard flock all join in to persistently attack one of their own in an attempt to drive it from the flock or destroy it. Why the media gave the word-flubbing, simple-minded and incompetent George W Bush a free pass to screw-up, lie and mislead but instead decided to gang up on Gore with such a vengeance is one of the most unexplainable and egregious media crimes of this century - thus far.

I remember when I was in my early thirties I had a number of friends who in conversation would remark they were a Republican or a Democrat, a Catholic or a Baptist, or they had this belief or that. I would often ask why are you this or that and why do you have this or that belief? Most often they couldn’t defend their choice. They would say that’s what they believe. I would ask why do you believe that way. They couldn’t really say – just that they did.

There are two explanations for people who accept a belief without exactly knowing why. One reason is they are simply following family tradition, their parents were Catholics, or Democrats, etc. that’s what their parents believed and that’s how they were raised. They feel an obligation to their family to not question them or to be disloyal. The underlying reason is they have been conditioned to accept and believe without questioning.

Another reason is that as a person matures they feel that as adults they have the responsibility to have well formed opinions of what they are for or against. It takes a serious effort to read or inquire, to study and consider. It takes no effort to just accept or go along with others; to just identify with one group or another. It’s the easy and most painless way out. It’s lazy – and stupid.

My point is, the woman behind the counter at Home Depot represents the average American that was led by the media down the let’s-all-hate-Al-Gore path because he’s a boring wonk, he exaggerates and he’s not someone you would want to have a beer with. My God! We as American voters let some corrupt, half-wit whores, that make a living selling hate and fear, and sensationalizing issues like Terry Schaivo, Brittany Spears, and Anna Nicole Smith, force feed the American public a consensus opinion of someone based upon lies and innuendos – and let them dictate who we should vote for to run this country based upon who we would most like to have a beer with? How insane is that?

The woman behind the counter probably has no opinion of Gore other than one she picked up from the right-wing spin machines. She represents the majority of American voters who don’t take the time to read or seek the truth before they form opinions. They just respond to propaganda, succumb to peer pressure, join the crowd and follow blindly along while thinking they are making sound decisions and participating in our democracy. They don’t have a clue – just the way those who manipulate these poor folks planned it.

By the way, I would really like to have a beer with George W Bush.

I would like the opportunity to ask him some pointed questions and tell him how I feel about his failed policies and how he and his administration have caused this nation so much pain.