Pine Belt Progressive

I’ll probably be accused of nitpicking for this, but I have to question Time’s choice of framing motif for its cover story, The Last Temptation of Al Gore. At least they use the opportunity to reinforce some facts that everyone except the least sentient of Rush’s audience have known for years now:

He was never quite the wooden Indian his detractors made him out to be in 2000 (nor did he claim to have invented the Internet).

And they do us the great service of giving the more economically-challenged among us a nice excerpt from Gore’s latest book.

He talks about a realization he had during his first campaign that relied on opinion polling:

Clearly, at least to some degree, the “consent of the governed” was becoming a commodity to be purchased by the highest bidder. To the extent that money and the clever use of electronic mass media could be used to manipulate the outcome of elections, the role of reason began to diminish.

And gives us some very good advice:

We must stop tolerating the rejection and distortion of science. We must insist on an end to the cynical use of pseudo-studies known to be false for the purpose of intentionally clouding the public’s ability to discern the truth. Americans in both parties should insist on the re-establishment of respect for the rule of reason.

And seems to understand a point I have been trying to make in some of my strategy posts:

Many Americans now feel that our government is unresponsive and that no one in power listens to or cares what they think. They feel disconnected from democracy. They feel that one vote makes no difference, and that they, as individuals, have no practical means of participating in America’s self-government.

Crooks and Liars has a good Gore piece which points to a post at Smoking Politics about the wingers kicking their smear machine into high gear to trash Gore’s book. (Via Vastleft at Corrente.)

And, lots of people are hoping to persuade Gore to run for president. I am considering joining them.