Gore and the internet.

[adubadee]

What is the real story behind the statement that he made of "inventing the internet"? It seems to be the only talking point that conservatives around these parts use against him. Did he really say that, or something to that effect which was spun out of context? Thanks for any help.
Peace in the middle east,
DD

[shoelace414]

1. Google is your friend

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=gore+internet+quote&btnG=Google+Search

first link

http://www.snopes.com/quotes/internet.asp

[glitch]

10. exact quote

"During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system."

People who claim Gore said he invented the internet show their own ignorance, which is good to know about them.

[Stephanie]

12. By which he meant he sponsored legislation to fund it.

[WLKjr]

2. I believe it had something to do with the fact that

he could have worded what he said a little better.

Al Gore did get the internet into schools/librarys/ and pretty much every where else with legislation and getting people aware of it.

Al Gore is a nerd at heart, ever hear him talk about technology??? He uses the proper terms and everything.

[NYCGirl]

14. And he's also on the Board of Directors of Apple

http://www.apple.com/pr/bios/gore.html

[Loonman]

3. WIRED magazine and their lazy "journalism"

Misquoted Gore and only printed half the story. Crappy rag. Gore was instrumental in getting the internet > WWW up to a scale where everyday folks could access it. Gore recognized the potential of the 'net early on, and laid a lot of the groundwork essential to it's prominence today.

[ptolle]

8. lazy wired

Misquoted Gore and only printed half the story. Crappy rag. Gore was instrumental in getting the internet > WWW up to a scale where everyday folks could access it. Gore recognized the potential of the 'net early on, and laid a lot of the groundwork essential to it's prominence today.
Which he did basically by wresting it from the grasp of the DoD specifically the pentagons ARPA now I believe DARPA.Most of the enabling legislation which put the internet into the hands of the public and private entrepreneurs has Gore's fingerprints all over it. But as the original poster pointed out the usual slipshod job of reporting created something valuable to the frightwingers and their friends in the media to use in portraying Gore as less than honest and self-aggrandizing.

[jojog]

4. Here

http://www.algoresupportcenter.com/goretruth.html

[Patiod]

5. Nah, but he was essential to its development

and took credit for his role in helping to create it.

Good story in salon about it:
http://dir.salon.com/story/tech/col/rose/2000/10/05/gore_internet/index.xml

Also the Daily Howler:
http://www.dailyhowler.com/h032699_1.shtml

[NYCGirl]

6. And here are the words of Vint Cerf (who is, indeed, the FATHER of the

internet — the term "web surfing" was taken from Mr. Cerf's name):

http://web.archive.org/web/20000125065813/http://www.mids.org/mn/904/vcerf.html

Vint Cerf responded to MSNBC's questions about the Net's origins with this e-mail:

VP Gore was the first or surely among the first of the members of Congress to become a strong supporter of advanced networking while he served as Senator. As far back as 1986, he was holding hearings on this subject (supercomputing, fiber networks...) and asking about their promise and what could be done to realize them. Bob Kahn, with whom I worked to develop the Internet design in 1973, participated in several hearings held by then-Senator Gore and I recall that Bob introduced the term ``information infrastructure'' in one hearing in 1986. It was clear that as a Senator and now as Vice President, Gore has made it a point to be as well-informed as possible on technology and issues that surround it.

As Senator, VP Gore was highly supportive of the research community's efforts to explore new networking capabilities and to extend access to supercomputers by way of NSFNET and its successors, the High Performance Computing and Communication program (which included the National Research and Education Network initiative), and as Vice President, he has been very responsive to recommendations made, for example, by the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee that endorsed additional research funding for next generation fundamental research in software and related topics. If you look at the last 30-35 years of network development, you'll find many people who have made major contributions without which the Internet would not be the vibrant, growing and exciting thing it is today. The creation of a new information infrastructure requires the willing efforts of thousands if not millions of participants and we've seen leadership from many quarters, all of it needed, to move the Internet towards increased availability and utility around the world.

While it is not accurate to say that VP Gore invented Internet, he has played a powerful role in policy terms that has supported its continued growth and application, for which we should be thankful.

We're fortunate to have senior level members of Congress and the Administration who embrace new technology and have the vision to see how it can be put to work for national and global benefit.

[Xithras]

7. One of his dumber comments, but it was taken out of context.

Gore once voted for the bill that gave DARPA the funding needed to put together chunks of what we now call the Internet.

On one hand, what he said was taken badly out of context...he never said that he invented the Internet. On the other hand, of course, you have to admit that he DID try to boost himself by portraying his vote as somehow being critical to its development. He also completly ignores the fact that the DARPANet funds that he voted for were to be used for a miltiary communications and research network...nobody at that time had any idea that it was going to grow into the Internet that we have today.

To make a long story short, he's horribly misquoted, but he kind of brought it on himself.

[On the Road]

16. Gore's Claim Was Not Based on Voting for a Bill

it was based on drafting legislation, holding hearings, and coming up with the framework for connecting different types of private networks with each other. The technology had existed for years, but there were only closed private networks and commercial "videotex" ventures that were seriously limited by their isolation. The interconnection arrangements that Gore took the lead in changed that explosively.

Gore dogged that issue like no one else on Capitol Hill. He is right to think of it as his baby.

And I can't see anything wrong with the quote, either. Wolf Blitzer didn't blink and eye. No one thought anything of it until the a parody version was distributed by the RNC and taken as gospel.

[IChing]

9. Bush invented the word "internets" does that count?

[kurth]

15. Yep, when you're drowning go to www.fema.gov

[Not Me]

11. "Ask Al Gore"

is a commonly used term among my friends to mean go to your computer and google (or otherwise research) a topic.

We'll be sitting around and ask, "how old is xxxxx?" or "who co-starred in the movie xxxxx?" Then someone will say, "Go ask Al Gore."

[texpatriot2004]

13. I was curious about Gore and the Internet. n.t

[cascadiance]

17. Pac Bell's just PO'd that Gore got the credit!

They were telling us over and over again on the TV through their ads that Pac Bell were the ones that actually "invented the internet" back in those days, not Al! Gore got in the way of their claims!

[Lisa]

18. and now he has an award to back him up ...

"And at the ninth annual international Webby Awards in New York this week, one particular Net figure finally received his due: Former Vice President Al Gore.

Officials at the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences honored Gore with the Webby Lifetime Achievement award in recognition of his pivotal role in the development of the Internet over the last 30 years."

http://www.algore-08.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=246&Itemid=78



As an earlier poster noted, Gore's wording is kind of awkward ("taking the initiative", etc.). But this is usual for high-level policy people. Gore is actually more understandable than most! And as a policymaker, he DID take the initiative in making changes which allowed the advances to happen, sooner than they would have if he hadn't tried to change the status quo. "Inventing" is basically just invented, since he didn't use that word.

[adubadee]

20. Thanks.

I know I could have googled it, but I was also interested in the opinions, and facts known by my brethren here at DU. It looks as though I was right in doing so. Thanks again for all the great replies and info.

edit for spelling.

[goodhue]

19. see here for great summary with links

http://www.sethf.com/gore/

[Neil Lisst]

21. Al Gore was the undisputed Champ of the Internet in Congress

from about 1978 to 1992, and then while VP he was truly one of its founding fathers. As many have shown, he never said he invented it. No, he helped create it, from the simple military system it started to what it became.

He invented the term "information superhighway," and the besmirching of Al Gore on this point is an example of the way these latter day Goebbels use the Big Lie.