An Inconvenient Truth
He's back - big time
Former U.S. vice-president Al Gore is enjoying unexpected celebrity
Julie Smyth, National Post
Published: Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Al Gore should be yesterday's man, confined to the history books as the guy who didn't become president. Yet, despite losing the controversial 2000 election, Al Gore is suddenly back. In a big way.
In fact, life couldn't be much better for him: his documentary on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth, is drawing sell-out crowds, he's been featured in Vanity Fair and was the cover story in several American magazines recently, he's done the rounds on late night shows, including Jay Leno and Saturday Night Live, was the talk at Cannes and the Sundance Film Festival, and is being touted as a possible saviour for the Democratic Party in 2008.
His sudden celebrity is inexplicable to some, but the former vice-president can certainly draw a crowd. Tonight he will speak at a gala dinner at the Canada 2020 Progressive Policies, Practical Solutions conference, in Mont Tremblant, Que. It is understood he will be paid US$80,000, plus expenses. More than 150 people, including Liberal leader Bill Graham and MPs such as Belinda Stronach, are expected to be there. Some delegates are attending just his dinner, booking tables at a cost of $300 a head.
The organizers are making hay of his appearance. A blog on the conference Web site boasts: "As you can imagine, the anticipation of having Al Gore is almost too much..."Canada 2020, a non-partisan event (though with a lot of Liberal and small-l liberal supporters), is put on by an organization whose advisory board includes former Liberal Cabinet ministers John Manley and Anne McLellan, as well as Rudyard Griffiths of the Dominion Institute, Rick Anderson, long-time advisor to Preston Manning, and Justin Trudeau, son of the former prime minister.
It is being held just as Mr. Gore's film rolls out from 77 cinemas to 400 across North America. His talk -- on the same theme as his documentary -- will not be open to the press, even though he has been doing a media blitz lately.
"Gore's people stipulated his presentation be off the record," said Susan Smith, a spokesperson and co-founder of the conference.
"It allows him, in their point of view, to be more relaxed and free flowing," she said, but pointed out there is nothing to stop reporters asking delegates for details after his speech.
Mr. Gore's handlers are likely aware that a media ban will only generate more interest.In the United States, some commentators are baffled by the enormous hype about Mr. Gore. From New York magazine, which ran a cover story calling him the Un-Hillary, this headline: "The Comeback Kid: As Democrats worry about their 2008 chances, out of the wilderness comes a stranger to save them. Wait a minute. That's no stranger. That's . . . Al Gore!?!
"From a piece in The Philadelphia Inquirer: "What's going on here? Isn't this the same guy who was widely reviled by his party for losing the '00 election by a margin of one Supreme Court justice? Who couldn't even parlay eight years of peace and prosperity into a victory? Who then grew a beard and disappeared? Who resurfaced as a techie entrepreneur and futurist? Whose best line became the verbal equivalent of a kick-me sign ('I'm Al Gore, and I used to be the next president of the United States')?"
From the New York Observer: "After more than a year in self-imposed exile from politics -- a time of media ridicule, intra-party recriminations and public abandonment by major supporters because of his flawed, failed presidential campaign in 2000 -- Candidate Gore is back from the dead. With his New York-centric fundraising network springing into action, his well-placed political allies on notice and a newfound determination to insert himself back into the national political dialogue, Mr. Gore is acting like someone who wants another shot at the presidency. For better or worse, he might just get it.
"The former vice-president denies renewed political ambition but also says he finds it hard to say never.Whether he runs or not, the speculation is bolstering his career. There are Web sites backing him to run. One, which appears to have been updated from 2004 and claims it is part of a grassroots organization, declares in bold letters: "America needs Al Gore" and seeks donations to "help draft Al Gore in 2008."
Though Mr. Gore has put on weight and aged a bit, he has acquired star status (USA Today went as far as to call him "hot") that even he seems slightly puzzled by.He joked to Time magazine about an encounter with Australian heartthrob Hugh Jackman at Cannes last month. "It was just a random comment, and here's how I remember it -- Hugh Jackman saying, 'Well, I look forward to your movie,' and I thought to myself, Oooo-kay.
"In Toronto, "he was a rock star" at the screening of his documentary, suggested a National Post article. He got a standing ovation, as he did in major U.S. cities, either through genuine enthusiasm or well-orchestrated planning. (He is being managed, in part, by movie executives these days).
Since losing the 2000 election, Mr. Gore, now 58, has given talks around the world, often earning in the same US$100,000 range as Bill Clinton, has been spotted at private Democratic party fundraisers, attacked the Bush administration over the economy, the environment and its terrorism strategies, published a book -- a spinoff of his documentary -- lectured at various universities, been an advisor to Google, launched Current TV, a youth-oriented cable network, set up Generation Investment Management, and served on the board of Apple. The rumour in Washington is that Mr. Gore has picked up a large amount of Google stock. Forbes reported he has Apple options worth $2-million.Even if he does not have another go in 2008, Mr. Gore appears to be back on the political stage for a while.
Tonight he will likely attack the Conservative government over global warming and Kyoto. During a recent media tour, he told CTV Vancouver: "If somebody would have told me there was going to be a third nation to go into the dunce box with the U.S. and Australia, and say, 'Guess which nation is going to walk out on its international obligations,' Canada would be the last country I would guess.''Even for those who don't agree with his views, it will be hard to ignore him.
jsmyth@nationalpost.com
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=6d42887e-85e3-4277-9804-d218615c3e9f&p=1
He's back - big time
Former U.S. vice-president Al Gore is enjoying unexpected celebrity
Julie Smyth, National Post
Published: Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Al Gore should be yesterday's man, confined to the history books as the guy who didn't become president. Yet, despite losing the controversial 2000 election, Al Gore is suddenly back. In a big way.
In fact, life couldn't be much better for him: his documentary on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth, is drawing sell-out crowds, he's been featured in Vanity Fair and was the cover story in several American magazines recently, he's done the rounds on late night shows, including Jay Leno and Saturday Night Live, was the talk at Cannes and the Sundance Film Festival, and is being touted as a possible saviour for the Democratic Party in 2008.
His sudden celebrity is inexplicable to some, but the former vice-president can certainly draw a crowd. Tonight he will speak at a gala dinner at the Canada 2020 Progressive Policies, Practical Solutions conference, in Mont Tremblant, Que. It is understood he will be paid US$80,000, plus expenses. More than 150 people, including Liberal leader Bill Graham and MPs such as Belinda Stronach, are expected to be there. Some delegates are attending just his dinner, booking tables at a cost of $300 a head.
The organizers are making hay of his appearance. A blog on the conference Web site boasts: "As you can imagine, the anticipation of having Al Gore is almost too much..."Canada 2020, a non-partisan event (though with a lot of Liberal and small-l liberal supporters), is put on by an organization whose advisory board includes former Liberal Cabinet ministers John Manley and Anne McLellan, as well as Rudyard Griffiths of the Dominion Institute, Rick Anderson, long-time advisor to Preston Manning, and Justin Trudeau, son of the former prime minister.
It is being held just as Mr. Gore's film rolls out from 77 cinemas to 400 across North America. His talk -- on the same theme as his documentary -- will not be open to the press, even though he has been doing a media blitz lately.
"Gore's people stipulated his presentation be off the record," said Susan Smith, a spokesperson and co-founder of the conference.
"It allows him, in their point of view, to be more relaxed and free flowing," she said, but pointed out there is nothing to stop reporters asking delegates for details after his speech.
Mr. Gore's handlers are likely aware that a media ban will only generate more interest.In the United States, some commentators are baffled by the enormous hype about Mr. Gore. From New York magazine, which ran a cover story calling him the Un-Hillary, this headline: "The Comeback Kid: As Democrats worry about their 2008 chances, out of the wilderness comes a stranger to save them. Wait a minute. That's no stranger. That's . . . Al Gore!?!
"From a piece in The Philadelphia Inquirer: "What's going on here? Isn't this the same guy who was widely reviled by his party for losing the '00 election by a margin of one Supreme Court justice? Who couldn't even parlay eight years of peace and prosperity into a victory? Who then grew a beard and disappeared? Who resurfaced as a techie entrepreneur and futurist? Whose best line became the verbal equivalent of a kick-me sign ('I'm Al Gore, and I used to be the next president of the United States')?"
From the New York Observer: "After more than a year in self-imposed exile from politics -- a time of media ridicule, intra-party recriminations and public abandonment by major supporters because of his flawed, failed presidential campaign in 2000 -- Candidate Gore is back from the dead. With his New York-centric fundraising network springing into action, his well-placed political allies on notice and a newfound determination to insert himself back into the national political dialogue, Mr. Gore is acting like someone who wants another shot at the presidency. For better or worse, he might just get it.
"The former vice-president denies renewed political ambition but also says he finds it hard to say never.Whether he runs or not, the speculation is bolstering his career. There are Web sites backing him to run. One, which appears to have been updated from 2004 and claims it is part of a grassroots organization, declares in bold letters: "America needs Al Gore" and seeks donations to "help draft Al Gore in 2008."
Though Mr. Gore has put on weight and aged a bit, he has acquired star status (USA Today went as far as to call him "hot") that even he seems slightly puzzled by.He joked to Time magazine about an encounter with Australian heartthrob Hugh Jackman at Cannes last month. "It was just a random comment, and here's how I remember it -- Hugh Jackman saying, 'Well, I look forward to your movie,' and I thought to myself, Oooo-kay.
"In Toronto, "he was a rock star" at the screening of his documentary, suggested a National Post article. He got a standing ovation, as he did in major U.S. cities, either through genuine enthusiasm or well-orchestrated planning. (He is being managed, in part, by movie executives these days).
Since losing the 2000 election, Mr. Gore, now 58, has given talks around the world, often earning in the same US$100,000 range as Bill Clinton, has been spotted at private Democratic party fundraisers, attacked the Bush administration over the economy, the environment and its terrorism strategies, published a book -- a spinoff of his documentary -- lectured at various universities, been an advisor to Google, launched Current TV, a youth-oriented cable network, set up Generation Investment Management, and served on the board of Apple. The rumour in Washington is that Mr. Gore has picked up a large amount of Google stock. Forbes reported he has Apple options worth $2-million.Even if he does not have another go in 2008, Mr. Gore appears to be back on the political stage for a while.
Tonight he will likely attack the Conservative government over global warming and Kyoto. During a recent media tour, he told CTV Vancouver: "If somebody would have told me there was going to be a third nation to go into the dunce box with the U.S. and Australia, and say, 'Guess which nation is going to walk out on its international obligations,' Canada would be the last country I would guess.''Even for those who don't agree with his views, it will be hard to ignore him.
jsmyth@nationalpost.com
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=6d42887e-85e3-4277-9804-d218615c3e9f&p=1
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