Couldn't agree more
Jun. 19th, 2006 10:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ebonlockTristero nails it:
I finally saw An Inconvenient Truth and I simply can't stress enough how important it is for as many people as possible to see it. Not only because it is a superb, sobering description of an imminent environmental catastrophe. Something even more important is on display.
An Inconvenient Truth depicts a genuine American politics of engagement and character. Or more precisely, the untapped potential for it. In the film, Gore says several times that tackling head-on the serious problems that global warming causes is an urgent moral duty. He's right, of course. But the film makes abundantly clear Gore himself has a moral imperative. And that is to return to electoral politics as soon as possible. Man oh man, does this country need more like him.
Should Gore run for president again? Hell, I'd vote for him in a heartbeat. Gladly, juat as I did in 2000... But Somerby has a good point. The mainstream press loathes Gore and that makes it exceedingly difficult to determine how much of a chance he has. That said, a Gore campaign conducted at the political and intellectual level of the film would be so inspiring it could just motivate considerable interest and commitment by young people which could help counter that kind of assault.
As I've said before, if you haven't seen "An Inconvenient Truth" you really, really should. I can't remember the last time I felt so politically inspired by anything, the Gore seen in that film is the man I grew up admiring, someone who understands the real dangers this country is facing, and has spent time, energy, and brains on figuring out what to do about it.
As to his point about the press, I've got to say that no matter who the Dems throw into the ring, the press is going to savage them. We lost the press years ago, but far too many of us fell in to the "liberal press" fallacy with a disturbing ease, and we're having far more difficulty freeing ourselves from it than I'd like. Assume the press will be working actively to undermine whatever candidate we propose, and form a strategy to counter it. Continuing to naively believe that if we just pick the right person they'll get behind them, is a sure fire way to doom ourselves in '08 as we did in '04.
I finally saw An Inconvenient Truth and I simply can't stress enough how important it is for as many people as possible to see it. Not only because it is a superb, sobering description of an imminent environmental catastrophe. Something even more important is on display.
An Inconvenient Truth depicts a genuine American politics of engagement and character. Or more precisely, the untapped potential for it. In the film, Gore says several times that tackling head-on the serious problems that global warming causes is an urgent moral duty. He's right, of course. But the film makes abundantly clear Gore himself has a moral imperative. And that is to return to electoral politics as soon as possible. Man oh man, does this country need more like him.
Should Gore run for president again? Hell, I'd vote for him in a heartbeat. Gladly, juat as I did in 2000... But Somerby has a good point. The mainstream press loathes Gore and that makes it exceedingly difficult to determine how much of a chance he has. That said, a Gore campaign conducted at the political and intellectual level of the film would be so inspiring it could just motivate considerable interest and commitment by young people which could help counter that kind of assault.
As I've said before, if you haven't seen "An Inconvenient Truth" you really, really should. I can't remember the last time I felt so politically inspired by anything, the Gore seen in that film is the man I grew up admiring, someone who understands the real dangers this country is facing, and has spent time, energy, and brains on figuring out what to do about it.
As to his point about the press, I've got to say that no matter who the Dems throw into the ring, the press is going to savage them. We lost the press years ago, but far too many of us fell in to the "liberal press" fallacy with a disturbing ease, and we're having far more difficulty freeing ourselves from it than I'd like. Assume the press will be working actively to undermine whatever candidate we propose, and form a strategy to counter it. Continuing to naively believe that if we just pick the right person they'll get behind them, is a sure fire way to doom ourselves in '08 as we did in '04.
