Gore's speech: Excellent. RNC's response: Troubling.

[Hailtothechimp]

I have to say I did not watch the speech, but I have read the transcript. I'm sure the delivery made it all the more powerful. Kudos to him for connecting Dr. King to the wiretapping story. I didn't know that, and I suspect many others didn't, either. We can't honor Dr. King fully without recognizing the effect this illegal wiretapping had on his life.

But here's my point: The RNC's response to Gore's speech was simply disgusting. Here's the text:
“Al Gore’s incessant need to insert himself in the headline of the day is almost as glaring as his lack of understanding of the threats facing America. While the president works to protect Americans from terrorists, Democrats deliver no solutions of their own, only diatribes laden with inaccuracies and anger.”

Notice that there is not one civil word anywhere in this response. Nothing like "Although Vice President Gore has a right to his opinion, we respectfully disagree." That would have been taking the high road, and perhaps they would get style points for that. But this is the rawest, rankest, most vituperative statement I can imagine. It's like the RNC held a contest, and the most repulsive response was chosen. Unbelievable.

Rather than let this go unnoticed, we should point out the obvious: The people don't care about anything but their own hold on power. If Al Gore, a former Vice-President, Senator, and Vietnam veteran, gets this kind of treatment, what would the RNC say about you or me, if they even bothered to comment on us at all?

Their talking points being churned out by Frank Luntz and Karl Rove and Rupert Murdoch and who knows how many other people who think of themselves as "patriots." Let's counter with a few of our own.

[NVMojo]

1. some caller on CSPan this afternoon said the Republican Party

was like a religious political cult and I couldn't agree more. Mind control is top on their list ...

[C_U_L8R]

2. The Republican response is random

It has nothing to do with nothing.
It's just the tired old "attack the messenger" schtick.
The repukes are too dumb or chicken to fess up to the REAL issues.

[ladjf]

22. Didn't even appear that they had heard or read the speech.

Why do they hate Democracy?

[Common Sense Party]

30. Washington business as usual.

Both parties do the exact same thing. The Democrats have their "rebuttals" to Bush's SOTU addresses and radio messages ready to go before he even delivers the speech. It's all pre-written, staff-generated talking points and attacks. Same thing here. Ho hum.

Neither side truly cares about constructive dialogue or solving problems. It's just "my side is better than their side."

I'm so sick of them both.

[ladjf]

32. You seem to be supporting the thesis that both parties are the

same. That isn't true. It was not the Democrats who staged a coup d'etat by rigging the election of 2000 and 2004. It wasn't the Dems that attacked a sovereign country without a provocation. It wasn't a Democratic President who decided that he didn't have to obey the laws.

The only thing correct about your post is that there are a lot of weak kneed and sometimes crooked Democrats in Congress who are not doing their job. If that's what you meant in you post, then I agree. But, overall, the Democratic Party has consistently been on the side of the American People.

[Common Sense Party]

33. I stand by every word in my post.

Both parties engage in kneejerk responses to any speech by the other side. They're just repeating talking points and sticking to their scripts. The Republicans don't really listen to the Democrats, and The Democrats don't listen to the Repubs, either. It's all spin, all the time.

You don't have to agree. But that's exactly what I see.

[spooky3]

35. Please provide supporting links for your assertions. These should

include direct quotes of ad hominem attacks by well-known Democrats, that are comparable to the RNC response.

[Toots]

41. What talking points was Gore repeating?

Maybe you should open both eyes so you can see a little better.

[Common Sense Party]

48. No, perhaps I wasn't making myself clear.

I responded to a post about how the Republicans reponded to Gore's speech without, apparently, listening to it. Bad form. That's not good when the Republicans do it, right? Right. It shows that they aren't really listening and aren't responding substantively to his speech.

The Democrats do the same thing every Saturday responding to the President's radio address. The response is already written put before Bush even goes on the air. They "know" what he's going to say before he says it, and they try to spin it their own way. The same thing happens before a SOTU speech, when Pelosi or Reid come out with a "pre-buttal" before Bush even opens his mouth.

Yes, the Republicans did the same thing to Clinton.

That's why I said it's politics as usual in Washington.

I long for Lincoln-Douglass debates, where the two sides actually SPEAK to each other, rather than relying on soundbites taken out of context.

[Bridget Burke]

52. This is "Democratic Underground"

Not everyone here is a Democrat, but most of us do agree with the principles of the Democratic Party. Not that we're above criticizing Dems who screw up!

Why are you here if you think there is No Difference Between the parties?

[Common Sense Party]

53. Not once did I state there is "no difference" between the parties.

I'm not that thrilled with either party, right now, for various reasons.

I'm an Independent, I've been on both sides of the political spectrum. I just don't see either party offering everything that I'd like to see. Both seem more focused on preserving political power (Republicans) and getting back into power (Democrats), and will speak and vote the way their donors and voter base expects them to.

If you are implying that I am not welcome here with my views, just say so. It's no skin off my teeth. I'm pretty moderate, I guess a centrist--I lean right on some issues and left on others. If what you're saying is I'm not far left enough to be here, fine. I'll go elsewhere.

[Bridget Burke]

56. Well, you haven't admitted that there is a difference between parties.

Alas, I don't have the power to drive anyone from DU. On what issues are you leaning "left"?

[C_U_L8R]

38. Yet there WILL be a difference...

in how the dems respond ...compared to the
standard repub vitriolic, ad hominem blather.

Sure they will prepare their response to the
SOTU address, but I betcha that it speaks to the issues.

[robbedvoter]

43. Maybe you need a doctor. Eye and ears for starters.

The "they are all the same" BS was mouthed by Nader but very encouraged by the thugs in power - whom are best served by it. Vilify to destroy: politics, public education, unions...
"They are all the same" is good to keep voters home.

here's what Marc Crispin Miller (former Nader voter) has to say about it nowadays(re: elections fraud):

Nearly all the lurid propaganda tales of Democratic "voter fraud" concerned ACORN. Vented by a multitude of rightist pols and pundits, those tales ended up in countless mainstream news reports that airily referred to fraud committed "by both sides" in the 2004 campaign.

The point of such fake "balance" was, of course, to skirt the inconvenient fact that the season's vast election fraud was primarily the work of the Republicans.
snip
Let me note here that I do not regard this difference between the parties since 2000 as evidence that the Democrats are somehow morally superior to the Republicans. Hell, I'm from Chicago, like you! I know very well what Democrats have done throughout their history. Election fraud is nothing new, and has been rampant "on both sides" for quite a while. But since 2000 it's been the Republicans, and not the Democrats, who have gone in for massive fraud.
http://www.buzzflash.com/interviews/06/01/int06002.html

And, BTW, I don't think for a minute that you are a Green, Nader supporter. Just letting you know: the gig is up.

Also, reminding everyone: this was always thrown at Gore: "They all do it" Before the "he lost to W " and "he wants attention". And let's not forget the "serial liar" and ,,,the beard!

[Common Sense Party]

54. What gig is up?

[robbedvoter]

55. "They're all bad, stay home, it's hopeless, you're powerless"

I had explained it in my first post. It's a ploy - and I don't care from which extreme you are using it, it works against democracy and people know it now. So take your so called "party" - whatever it really is and shove it!

[trogdor]

44. The expression is, "off the shelf"

That is, they're playing the same old records over and over again, only I doubt Bob Seger would listen to them.

[Wordie]

3. It was predictable.

I summarize the rest of the RNC statement thusly:

Gore - soft on terror!
Terror! Terror! Terror!
It's Clinton's fault!
Polls say Americans LOVE being wiretapped.
It was inconvenient to use FISA, so we didn't.
Blah
Blah
Blah

[BattyDem]

4. Al Gore has dedicated his entire life to serving this country ...

in Vietnam, in Congress, in the Senate and as Vice-President. Now, as a private citizen, he still takes the time to speak truth to power when he could easily get a nice, cushy job somewhere and never have to deal with the GOP slime machine again.

What has Junior ever done for his country or his fellow man? :eyes:

[IndianaGreen]

5. I watched the speech, Gore was excellent!

Unfortunately most Americans will only see 10 seconds of the speech, and lots of badmouthing by the MSM using GOP talking points.

It would help if Democratic leaders were to endorse Gore's call for a special counsel, but I doubt that the DLC will permit that from their lapdogs in Congress.

[ladjf]

23. This speech will not only survive, it will go down in history as

one of the most important political speeches of all time. Please read it in case you haven't as yet.

[Goldeneye]

6. That's pretty much their stock response.

They just put in the correct name and send it out to all their subscribers. For now, Democrats are angry, have no ideas, and lie. It takes time for the think tanks to put out something better.

I really wouldn't worry about it. The people who see that are hard core. Nothing we say will affect them.

[NMDemDist2]

7. personal attack with no substantive response to the issues Gore

raised

typical.

[snowbear]

8. Did everyone here see Bob Barr's response on CNN ??

I was ASTOUNDED that rightwinger Republican CNN Anaylyst Bob Barr was actually standing up for Al Gore.

BOB FREAKIN' BARR !!!!

I haven't read all the posts on the board yet.. so it's probably mentioned somewhere on here. But WOW -- WOW --- WOW... I was shocked!

He's usually one-sided and narrow minded. Not tonight on CNN's Situation Room! :o :o :o :o :o

[Zambero]

17. He's also a "card-carrying AFCU member"

I recall once when he was a Crossfire guest, arguing against excessive government intrusion into personal privacy, that he was introduced as "on the left, Bob Barr". Quite an enigmatic character. Go figure.

[orwell]

20. Like it or not...

...Barr has principles, and therefore deserves to be listened to.

Any Con worth his/her salt should be livid over the anti-Constitutional tactics of the blatantly criminal Bush Cabal.

This is not conservatism, it is a dictatorship, and a poorly run one at that.

At least Mussolini got the trains to run on time...

[trogdor]

45. I like that last bit.

"At least Mussolini got the trains to run on time." It would look nice on a bumpersticker. Or a T-shirt. Can I steal it?

[orwell]

51. "Steal" away!...n/t

[ladjf]

24. He was specifically mentioned in the speech by Gore.

Both are in agreement that Bush is overstepping his legal bounds and that isn't good for America.

[justabob]

9. Exactly how often do we hear about Gore?

He's made a few big speeches... good ones... but that is it that I can remember for the last year or so. I know the truth is nothing to these people, but really, Gore's trying to "insert himself in the headline of the day"? Maybe one headline every quarter more like. I agree the whole thing is vile, but that one line stuck out as patently absurd to me.

[ladjf]

25. Gore is trying his best to lead us out of the Bush/Republican

nightmare. His speech is a great blueprint for future political action.

[coldiggs]

10. what would you expect from the rnc

[tridim]

11. Hey RNC, Is Gore hangin' with the Michael Moore/MoveOn crowd?

These posers have a stock excuse for everything, it's getting really old.

"Adults in charge" my ass.

[BRLIB]

12. Exactly, but what did the stinking media report?

I listen to Air America on AM 1380 here in Baton Rouge. Owned by Clear Channel(covering bases?), they put ABC News on at the top and bottom of the hour (I have to puke at their sorry asses- Ann Compton, Bush's hemorrhoid eater, and other such distinguished sheep. They are no better than FOX.)

Anyway, I heard about 7 seconds of Gore on their "news" (an ABC hand-picked part, of course - and Gore actually was the news) and that was followed by those exact words up here!! ( “Al Gore’s incessant need to insert himself in the headline of the day is almost as glaring as his lack of understanding of the threats facing America.")

[snowbear]

14. Did you watch the Situation Room on CNN today?

Read my post a couple notches above this one.. Former (R) Congressman Bob Barr (very rightwing, conservative Republican) stood up for everything Al Gore said.

It was SHOCKING !!! (Wolf even looked surprised) http://eliteleague.co.uk/forum/images/smilies/duh!.gif

[rodeodance]

37. cnn covered it well.

[ladjf]

26. Whoever made those comments about Gore should be very

ashamed of themselves. Gore has no incessant need to insert himself into the headlines. He's trying to lead the Country, Republicans included.

[BlueEyedSon]

13. Who cares what they think (as if they actually "think")????

[LizW]

15. They have nothing else.

Could they answer one of the charges Gore brought today? Could they point to even one thing this illegitimate administration has done right?

They must be extremely frustrated. They have nothing, NO RESPONSE. Their Prince has already publicly admitted to enough lies to destroy any legacy he ever dreamed of, and there's NOTHING they can do about it.

Their cult figurehead is a joke for all eternity, forever likened in political cartoons to either Alfred E. Neuman or a chimpanzee.

It must be embarrassing. These pathetic hangers-on put all their eggs in the neocon basket, and W tripped and smashed all their careers to smithereens.

Can they look forward to anything better than daily hell as more and more Americans realize the crimes these abettors have approved? No. It will only get worse.

They are mean because they are cornered. They are still using fear to try to keep the people cowering, but in their hearts they know that another terroris attack would bring the mob to the gates of the White House, demanding that they be brought out and handed over.

And the worst of it is that they know Insane King George will gladly have them handed over the way he did Tom DeLay, announcing to the press that he either did not know them, or he knew them, but always considered them "beneath him."

[NJCher]

16. not troubling; predictable

They behave the same way, always. These people have the emotional maturity of fourth graders. This is exactly what a fourth grader would say. The only difference is they have people like Frank Luntz choosing their words.




Cher

[bumblebee1]

18. I was watching some of Al Gore's speech

when my husband came out of our bedroom. He's been working on our storage closet. He turned towards the tv to see Al Gore. I then said to him; "There's our rightful President, not the moron the Supreme Court installed."

[ladjf]

27. You were so right.

[caligirl]

29. I like what LizW said above. Bush and the RNC can't shake loose the

albatross on their collective necks. Culture of Corruption, minds of deceit, desperate men say desperate things, Bush and RNC are stuck and can't shake loose their failures in Iraq, Katrina, Medicare, budget, etc.

[Common Sense Party]

31. So is Gore running in 2008? Would you vote for him?

I wonder how much support he'd have among the base. I'd venture more than Hillary, Kerry...not sure about Clark.

[bumblebee1]

60. I told my husband that I didn't think Gore would run again.

But then again, look at Nixon. He lost to JFK in the 1960 election. He came back to win in 1968. Perhaps the same thing could happen with Al Gore.

[Jade Fox]

19. The whole GOP is sinking to the level of Limbaugh/Coulter...

I noticed the same thing: the RNC made no attempt to respond to Gore, simply attacked him.

I just tried to find an email address for the RNC. I was going to demand they respond to what he said. Just what were those "inaccuracies"?.

[ladjf]

28. Or lower in terms of flagrant criminality.

[ladjf]

21. Don't worry about what the republican bastards are saying

about Gore's speech. It was magnificent and could easily serve as the strategy blueprint for America's political future. Anyone who thought that the speech wasn't great was either illiterate, stupid and had a Republican ax to grind. If you haven't read , please do so. You will be very pleased. It was profound, comprehensive and very timely.

I think he's our best chance to regain the White House. We have some other good possible candidates but none with the depth, name recognition and competitive fire.

[autorank]

34. They are headed for the dust bin of history. Events have overtaken them.

They are pathetic, in the extreme. It's all over. When Bob Barr endorses an Al Gore speech arguing that the president is violating the constitution to accumulate personal political power, lying to do so, breaking existing laws, all to bring tyranny to the United States, the game is over.

There shouldn't be "one civil word"...this is the most devastating indictment of a sitting president since the South broke away and the Civil War started. The spin Meister's know what this means, curtains for them.

Get your tickets to Saudi Arabia fellas, you're flight is about to leave.

[rodeodance]

36. It is an attempt to make Gore/Dem appear weak on terrorism--

[The Backlash Cometh]

39. You know what will shock these people?

Turn the tables on them. Start pushing the truth, that Republcan voters want to annihiliate every Iraqi in the country. That's 26 million people, men, women and children. We know it's true because they say it to our face every day in our local neighborhood. So tell them what that means. Let the generals tell them that in order to do it, we would have to have a mass draft which would reach beyond Vietnam's numbers. Tell them. So they can understand why, to us, they sound like they're talking out of their asses.

[Lone_Wolf]

49. We have to hold the media accountable...

Especially the Sunday morning news shows. We need to demand that they ask their guests to respond to the content of gores speech and the many substantive issues he's raised instead of letting them mouth their rightwing talking points.

[pat_k]

40. When criminals run the show, you don't "offer solutions," you drive them

. . out.

---------------------------
We need to lead our "leaders" -- open their eyes to the facts. The Repub refrain "Dems only complain, don't offer solutions," demands a response grounded in the truth of our situation.

"Supporting the pretense of their legitimacy by offering "plans" to them, rather then fighting for Impeachment and removal from office, is to be complicit with their actions.

When the CEO and leadership team of a corporation lie to the board and commit criminal acts, you don't offer them plans for the future, you blow the whistle and drive them out. The Executive Branch is a rogue operation. The facts are undeniable. They are violating the most basic tenets of our constitutional democracy. They are torturers, spies, terrorists they issued the most colassal bomb threat in history -- mushroom clouds over cities in 45 minutes -- to coerce us into the illegal war they were hell-bent on waging. We know all we need to know.

you don’t need to be a constitutional scholar to recognize such flagrant crimes and abuse of power You don't even need a high school diploma to know that the absolute power they wield is never freely given to a leader; it is only taken by deception or force.

The public doesn't need any more reports; they don't need an investigation (unless it is part of the prosecution) they just need their leaders to publicly declare the truth.

When we restore legitimate authority and determined the full extent of the damage they done, we can make plans for the future of this nation.

[glitch]

46. Very well said. In fact, I'd like to see you post it on it's own thread.nt

[pat_k]

58. Thanks for the feedback! Made it a thread as suggested:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2374634&mesg_id=2374634

[pat_k]

50. Opps. Pls forgive the many typos. Too late to edit n/t

[lala_rawraw]

42. Has Mehlman come out of the closet yet?

We should all ask him and the media too:)

[Free the Press]

47. um, ask them where IN the US Constitution do Corporations become people?

Also, ask them:

Where IN the US Constitution is government sponsorship of religion endorsed?

Strict Constitutional Constructionists are actually more radical interpretors of the US Constitution than any other previous group of SCOTUS Justices in the history of this nation.

Maybe someone needs to keep asking these questions?

[deutsey]

57. I thought the same thing: hateful, angry response by the GOP

[bklyncowgirl]

59. Al Gore made the piggies squeal

The game is pig sticking and Gore seems to have landed his javelin right in the GOPiggie's fat rump. The squeals of outrage make it clear that it hurt.

Good for Al.

[Apollo11]

61. www.algore.org

Check out this website and forum for Gore supporters: www.algore.org

Registration is free, and it's a good way to show your support for Al Gore.

In Gore We Trust :)