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The Goracle Stays on the Mountain

By Jay Newton-Small | @JNSmall | June 25, 2009 | +

The Goracle is coming! The Goracle is coming! The Goracle… is staying home.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited former Vice President Al Gore to come help lobby members as she seeks to pass historic global warming legislation in the House this week. He was scheduled to address the caucus and hold a press conference with her. Republicans openly mocked Gore’s trip — odd considering the man’s a Nobel Prize and Oscar winner who has transformed from a bearded loser to a revered elder statesman (a lesson any number of Republicans might want to pay attention to).  ”How is a Democrat sitting in a swing district going to tell their constituents with a straight face that they were undecided on whether or not to support a national energy tax until Al Gore or Nancy Pelosi convinced them it was the right thing to do?” Ken Spain, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement. “The cast of characters forcing this vote are putting dozens of Democrat House members into a position they won’t be able to defend come 2010.”

Actually, Gore was being brought in to lobby the left – many of whom are balking at the significantly watered down bill. Whether Pelosi recognized that bringing Gore in to the caucus might make the vote harder for some moderates or, as her staff says, she didn’t want him to waste five hours in the air when he could be dialing members, we’ll never know. Maybe it was both. At any rate, the vice president’s trip was canceled; after all, Pelosi quipped, Gore working the lines from home is “more energy efficient.”

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  • http://www.simonvinkenoog.nl/beeld/Yogi%20-%20Annelies%20Rigter.jpg yogi

    Just got a call, Gore didn’t attend because he got a tip on ManBearPig’s location.

  • juniusredivivus

    Must be a slow,slow day. Non-event is news!

  • hellslittlestangel

    “Must be a slow,slow day.”

    Like most major media, Time is yawning at the arrest of another right-wing terrorist, this time for threatening the lives of Federal judges. Guess their news-noses are all worn out from sniffing at Sanford’s crotch.
    .
    http://thinkprogress.org/2009/06/24/hal-turner-arrest/

  • pirate wench (demwoman)

    Heaven be forbiddin’ any member o’ th’ majority party be brought in t’ try an’ lobby other members o’ th’ majority party t’ be keepin’ ‘em fr’m votin’ fer a watered-down bill! Th’ thought tha’ tha’ might be scarin’ ‘em so they couldn’a even do THA’ be more disgustin’ than I can be expressin’!
    .
    YARR!

  • stuartzechman

    Jay Newton-Small:
    .
    Why the use of the term “Goracle”?
    .
    I’m serious –it’s not that I’m in favor of pious sanctity with respect to politicians, but I don’t understand what this means.
    .
    I’d assume that you’re using the term because the guy was right about so much for so long, but it seems as if you’re employing it derisively, as in “know-it-all-smartypants-who-thinks-he’s-so-great-well-there”.
    .
    What’s up?

  • Cliff

    Okay, so Newt Gingrich is a serious and respected individual who for the life of him can’t get kicked off the air, while Al Gore is a deranged tree hugger who threatens the popularity of anyone who even talks to him.
    .
    Our civilization is doomed.

  • jcapan

    JNS, avoid Bob Somersby, he may throw some blunt objects in your direction.

  • anon76

    Hey, if Gore could have left his wife while she was fighting cancer and been wrong about a great many things, he could be as popular as Newt too!

  • Art Pepper

    after all, Pelosi quipped, Gore working the lines from home is “more energy efficient.”
    .
    This plays into what is literally the stupidest GOP talking point ever.

  • http://straightflushing.blogspot.com lowellfield

    “The Goracle” is what mouth-breathing, global warming denying, pro-stupidity wingnuts call him.

  • pintortwo

    Actually, Gore was being brought in to lobby the left – many of whom are balking at the significantly watered down bill.
    .
    I’m so tired of this cr@p. We will not have an effective government until we disallow PACs and lobbies from essentially buying our elected representitives.

  • Art Pepper

    The worst sin is to be correct about something before the conventional wisdom blows in that direction. The second worst is to be a policy wonk. Hence mockery of Gore.

  • http://privcorr.blogspot.com/ wvng

    What Cliff said. It seems impossible for anyone in the msm to talk about Gore without belittling him in some way.

  • ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®©

    .
    Hence mockery of Gore.
    .
    It wasn’t just that, Art Pepper. All the corporate media kewl kids were outraged! that Clinton got off. And so they had to favor authentic action figure Texan® over the Clenis’ VP. To stay in the kewl kids club.
    .
    And they can’t ever admit this, anymore than they can admit that they helped Cheney/action figure® lie us into Iraq.
    ~

  • apollyon07

    Al Gore should stay home more often.

  • Cliff

    You should stay home more often.

  • FlownOver

    Hey, JN-S – I’ve read multiple stories from you, Viquera et al. about who likes this bill and who hates it, and not one word about the substance. Is there anything actually in this bill, or do you honestly think this junior high rumor mill crap is the real story? Next time you Villagers are chuckling amongst yourselves over the ignorance of the electorate try to remember who omitted the substance of the issue from the coverage. If this bill is so freakin’ historic, why aren’t you actually reporting on it?

  • pintortwo
  • mccainfluffer

    FlownOver said:

    Next time you Villagers are chuckling amongst yourselves over the ignorance of the electorate try to remember who omitted the substance of the issue from the coverage. If this bill is so freakin’
    historic, why aren’t you actually reporting on it?

    Good question. I suppose it’s easier to be snarky towards Gore then to actually read the legislation and understand the intricacies of the bill. Keep in mind, people in the village often don’t like to delve deep into issues because their are too complicated for the electorate. Truth be told, the issues are too complicated for many of the reporters. That’s why we get stenography and snarky wit instead of actual journalism.

  • Jay Newton-Small

    Wingnuts may call him that, but I’ve heard the term used affectionately — as the oracle who saw climate change coming but no one would listen. The Cassandra of his generation.
    JNS

  • afguy

    Wingnuts may call him that, but I’ve heard the term used affectionately…
    .
    OK, I’ll bite, JNS . . . which meaning are you using? I can’t actually tell. Although, based on past postings, I would lean toward the snarky reference, not the respectful one.

  • afguy

    Is it my imagination or is Jay interacting with the SwampCritters more these days?

  • apollyon07

    I am home now, and was home when I typed that, Cliff.
    .
    Sorry, what I should have been more clear, instead I should have said: Al Gore should stay home more often and just stick to his carbon credit scheme.

  • shepherdwong

    “Wingnuts may call him that, but I’ve heard the term used affectionately…”
    .
    Fair enough, JNS. But you should know that it was one tiny part of the right wing’s efforts to ridicule Gore – not celebrate his ability to prognosticate – and render him useless in convincing independents that global warming was a problem that required serious action. That effort was successful since it helped forestall any meaningful action so far and Gore’s pitch is still seen as unhelpful in turning “moderates” (read: independents). All that was mostly possible because it was aided and abetted by the lazy repetition of right-wing rhetoric by the media (shocking, I know).
    .
    Have Karen point you to the estimable Somersby for all of the ugly history.

  • apollyon07

    Should say, “Sorry, I should have been more clear…”

  • egilsson1

    I know no one is reading this, and I doubt anyone ever reads what JNS writes, but it bugs the crap out of me that she’s ridiculing Gore with that “Goreacle” garbage. Why is that ok? The hit job dumbass journalists like JNS have done on Gore is unbelievable, and certainly proves the lie of media bias.
    .
    Plus the guy was RIGHT! Jesus, it’s amazing how stupid our media is, and a couple of those “blog” right here.

  • egilsson1

    And btw, that “affectionate” use of term stuff is ridiculous.

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