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Global Warning - Jul 22, 2004 - Printable Version
- Al Gore In My Mirror
by Robin Buckallew
Once upon a time, in the now seemingly distant past, the Democratic party managed to elect their candidate as President of the United States (and actually seat him in the White House when the election was over). This President, whom we shall refer to as "Bill", brought with him a vice-president, "Al", who was the darling of environmental groups everywhere. You see, Al had seen the light - the green light, that is. He had written a book, read by all enviros everywhere, extolling the virtues of environmental protection, and outlining ideas on how to achieve this end. He had changed his voting pattern, voting against his own selfish interests, to vote against subsidies (read: big sugar) that were harmful to the environment. Al, in short, was going to save us all. Or so the story went. The environmental groups breathed a sigh of relief. At last, after 12 years of policies ranging the gamut from apathy to hostility, we had a friend. Soon, the world would be a virtual paradise - an Eden, with ecological integrity restored. Time went by. Things happened. Eight years later, Al was running for President. He was counting on the same people that voted for Bill. He felt he could take the challenge of a young upstart, whom we shall call "Dubya", who rode out of Texas on a white charger (elephant, of course), ready to save the world from the folly of Bill and Al. The enviros, however, weren't happy. It seems that Earth, instead of becoming an Eden, was sinking deeper into the slough of despond. Toxic emissions were up. Populations continued to rise at a record rate. Clear cutting hadn't stopped. Government subsidies to big polluters continued. And the grandaddy of all betrayals, NAFTA, had gutted environmental regulations everywhere in the interest of big business. In short, Al was a failure. Instead of hanging his head in shame, as he should have done, however, Al went right on running, as though he had something to offer. In time, his candidacy ended in humiliation and degradation, as Dubya galloped along on his elephant (leaving big doodoo everywhere, it might be added), smirking and mangling the English language, and eventually getting the vote to a virtual tie, which came down to one state - Florida - to resolve. The governor of Florida, "Jeb", was the younger brother of Dubya. Al, as you will recall, had voted against sugar subsidies. And, of course, the Supreme Court was packed by the 12 years which preceded Bill. Uh, oh, Al, time to go back to the farm.
This is a tale with which I am sure you are all familiar. But what, you might ask, happened to Al? Why didn't he come through in the end to support his green backers? Did Al answer the siren call of big money? Or was he possessed, or kidnapped by aliens, and a pod person substituted? The answer is easy - just look in your mirror. I did. What did I see? Al Gore. Al Gore in my mirror.
When Al Gore became vice-president, rosy predictions were in the air. Expectations were high. But energy dropped. During the eight years of the Clinton administration, donations to environmental groups dropped. Lobbying by environmental groups was at a record low. Most folks were fairly content to sit back and take it easy - let Al do the work. But we never really let Al know we were behind him. We sat back and watched our TVs, read our newspapers, and started swearing every time something went haywire. But we didn't back it up with our time, our money, our energy. During the Reagan administration, in contrast, donations to environmental groups was at an all time high. Membership soared. Lobbyists were omnipresent on Capitol Hill. As a result, some of the administration's more deviously destructive plans were foiled, or at least reduced in scope. But we were swimming upstream - no support, indeed hostility, from the White House. Why, when we had a decent, fighting chance to make a difference, did we sit back and let things slide? Why didn't we keep up the fight? The White House was hearing on every side from big business, from big agriculture, from big pharmacy - but they weren't hearing much that was green. In addition, in 1994, we turned the Congress over to Newt Gingrich, which, in itself, sent a hard message to Bill and Al. One of the chief centerpieces of the Contract with America was the repeal of environmental regulations and protections. If Al failed, we all failed. We are all, indeed, Al Gore.
Throughout recent history, politicians have been getting most of their money from big business. And when their policies deviate from the bottom line of big business, they are roundly punished. While there are a handful of examples where the candidate spending the most money did not win, these are indeed the exception. For the most part, the public has indicated through their votes that they are OK with big money in politics, they are OK with negative campaigning, and they are OK with lying, cheating and stealing. But in the course of history, politicians have not been penalized for stripping the environment or for dirtying the water and the air. I know, you are going to point out, Al Gore. But think back, into the deep dark depths of history (2000 seems a very long time ago, doesn't it?) - Al Gore won that election. He won the popular election with a fairly comfortable margin. And by most recounts, he won the electoral election, as well. The actual punishment meted out to Al Gore came not from we the people, but from the auspices of big business, who saw a much more compassionate face riding the elephant.
Now, a new election is approaching. We are being given a second chance, and we are again showing signs of blowing it. John Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president, has very strong environmental credentials (98-100% rating from the League of Conservation Voters every year). We argue and bicker and quibble about his stand on the war, on NAFTA, on every thing - but we rarely hear his environmental record mentioned. Most folks don't vote the environment. Although 80% of Americans report themselves to be environmentalists in polls, this doesn't usually extend beyond the occasional trip to the recycling bin, and the vague thought that "they" ought to do something about it. Environmental issues are again at stake - and, I would argue, are the single most important issues facing the nation and the world today. Millions are without clean water. Millions are breathing toxic air. Millions are feeding food to their children that might be dangerous to them. These issues effect individuals in the developing world, caused, in part by the economic policies of the World Bank and the IMF. There are now more environmental refugees annually then there are war refugees. And these issues are at home. Do you know what is in the air you breathe? The water you drink? The food you eat? Folks, it isn't just mad cow. It isn't just E. coli. This year, forget the economy. Vote the environment. You have a right to be able to trust what you put in your mouth and your lungs. You have a right to be able to feed your children without worrying that you are poisoning them.
And then, once you have voted the environment, don't give up. Don't think, John has a good record. He will come through. Raise your voices. Send your money. Let him know that, though we care about the economy, the war, and campaign finance reform, we also care about clean air, clean water, clean food. Put your energy to work at a time when your energy will do some good - don't wait for hostility to motivate you. Work with a chance of success. Remember, Al Gore is in your mirror, and mine.
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