Andrew Sullivan - Praise for Inconvenient Truth, but bashes Gore

[ourbluenation]

http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/

"I finally saw the Gore movie yesterday. It's thoroughly persuasive about the reality of global warming and the contribution of carbon dioxide emissions to it. I'd recommend it strongly to anyone."

Note - 3 little sentences to say "yeah for the movie" followed by this...

"Its blindspots were, however, obvious. No mention is made anywhere of the fact that Al Gore was a very powerful vice-president for eight years in a critical period for this issue. His fulminations against others' indifference would have been a little more credible if he'd at least addressed and explained his own failure to do anything when he was able to. It's also striking that Gore could have used the movie to argue for a serious increase in the gas tax - and he didn't. The movie's final recommendations - recycle! write your congressman! ride a bike! reset your thermostat! - were truly lame after the alarm of the rest of the movie. I think a serious gas tax and a tough increase in mandatory fuel economy standards in the U.S. are essential to prompting the technological breakthroughs that alone can ameliorate this. And yet Gore balked. Just like he did when he was in power."

****************************

I wrote him an email, anyone else want to let him know what you think?

Mr. Sullivan,

The purpose of The Inconvenient Truth was to get people talking about and accepting global warming as fact, and the creators of the documentary accomplished that goal in spades. You can’t start talking about gas taxes, etc, if the flat-earthers in this world refuse to accept the reality of global warming in the first place. In the middle of summer blockbuster season, this little film is chipping away at the stubbornness of the flat-earthers, one at a time and by god – it’s starting to set in and for that Gore and the film should be applauded.

The suggestions at the end of the film are directed at individuals, regular Joe’s and Josephina’s like me, and if we all do those things you dismiss so easily, collectively they will make a huge difference. Gore’s job as a featured personality in this documentary, was to tell the story of global warming. I think he succeeded 100%. Now it’s up to us to do our part, and, for our representatives to start having conversations about gas taxes and the like. Politicians who dismiss global warming as nonsense should be run out of office in the coming elections.

mailto:[e-mail]

[marmar]

1. I just don't get the foaming-at-the-mouth hate some have for Gore...

Just stop and pay some attention to the man, not just in the movie but on lots of issues, including presidential power etc etc. He makes more sense than just about anybody.

[SteppingRazor]

2. Oh, I dunno. I think this is legitimate criticism...

I mean, maybe we SHOULD have a gas tax and demand much better fuel economy standards of automakers.

Admittedly, neither of these things can be done by an individual person, which was the point of Gore's summation -- a point Sullivan apparently failed to see. Still, I don't think it would have hurt to say to people what their government can do to help matters. If nothing else, it would've helped make the "writing your congressman" part of Gore's summary a little more well-informed.

[BlueEyedSon]

3. So Gore's "inaction" justifies the Bush admin's?

what a douchebag.

[Cha]

4. There are a few dip sticks who

praise "An Inconvenient Truth" and slam Gore in the same breath. Yeah, I'm talkin' to you frank rich and tom brokaw.

I can't wait to see it!

[twiterpatted]

5. SULLIVAN IS AN IDIOT, AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN, PERIOD!

[ourbluenation]

7. I dont think he is....he's assailed the neo cons and "christianists"

repeatedly but this just pisses me off what he said about Gore. Jesus H Christ. Did he really think the film needed to include snippets of Gore addressing and explaining "his own failure to do anything when he was able to". Please.

[leesa]

15. It DID include those snippets. He was unable to convince the Republican

Congress of the urgency. It's in the film.

[The_Casual_Observer]

6. The threat of a gas tax was partially responsible for Gore's defeat

in 2000. jr kept claiming that that's what the Dems were going to do if they got elected. All the rw AM radio bastards repeated it over & over.

Sullivan is an asshole.

[serryjw]

8. There is a very fine line

between the intent of the movie and politicking. IF he had done what Sullivan wanted he would have crossed the line. Gore's hope is we do take this out of the right vs left arena and solve the problem. As is, many still Gore's as a lunatic.

[ourbluenation]

9. You are absolutely right Serry - he would have crossed the line.

you said in one sentence what I was trying to say in two paragraphs.

[serryjw]

10. We aim to please

Now solve my computer problem!

[ourbluenation]

11. what 's wrong with your computer?

[serryjw]

12. It had gas pains

It wouldn't let be surf, my cookie on comcast's home page was gone( my name)...but I re-booted and all seems to be fine...thanks

[WI_DEM]

13. I agree with some of that criticism--while Clinton did more than

Bush we could have done more over those eight years, and it would have helped the movie's credibility even more (and it is a very credible film) if he had said "We had eight years and made some steps forward, but far too often political realities prevailed."

[The Backlash Cometh]

14. Andrew Sullivan has lived an imperfect life.

bitter, dismissive and envious little man.