Perhaps if not for then-Vice President’s little piece of political theater at the Democratic National Convention in 2000, he would not have leapt ahead in polls for the presidential contest that fall, setting the stage for the long recount in November and December.
To those who have forgotten the stunt, that little piece of theater designed to showcase a more passionate candidate was a very public smooch of his soon-to-be former wife Tipper just prior to his acceptance speech. That he so used his wife as a prop in his presidential campaign, it takes some nerve for him to “ask for respect for our privacy and that of our family“.
Now, I do believe the media should leave Gore and his wife Tipper alone at what must be a very difficult time for their family. For my part, save for this post, I will refrain from commenting.
All that said, as Sonicfrog reminds us, it’s fascinating to watch the media turn to their all-purpose bogeyman to explain the divorce. It’s all because of George W. Bush that the Gores are splitting!
Give me a break.
If anyone is making an issue of this divorce, it’s the MSM. They would have done better to announce the divorce and then move on, without casting aspersion on the Gores or that Democrat’s 2000 presidential rival.
‘ It’s all because of George W. Bush that the Gores are splitting! ”
You too???
This is just totally insane. How can you make this argument?
Or are you just so committed to passing along extremist rightwing memes, that you refuse to spend even a single moment thinking about them before you pass them on?
Sally Quinn, a family friend, commented that the stresses of the campaign may have contributed to the two of them drifiting apart.
Thats it. That is the only thing anyone said.
No one mentioned George Bush, except that lunatic rightwing blogosphere. No one blamed Bush or the GOP, or the electoral process.
And CBS or Katie Couric certainly made no assertions at all. They merely reported what a family friend said.
And what she said seems perfectly reasonable. I imagine the experience was very stressful for all involved. And to lose your lifetime dream, even though you actually received more votes, must have been stressful too. So the stress makes raw other tensions that may have been there. This kind of stuff happens all the time.
The way the rightwing blogosphere has handled this situation is truly disgusting. Y’all have no respect for the truth, nor any respect for other human beings – gleefuily, and desparately trying to spin some aspect of this story in a way that lets you dance your little mocking dance.
no one? Tano?
“Attkisson recalled “it’s been ten years since that oddly public passionate kiss at the Democratic convention. That was followed by Gore winning the popular vote for President but losing the electoral vote. Family friend Sally Quinn says that may have done the marriage irreparable harm.” ”
Well I understand where you might construe kissing Al Gore as causing irreparable harm, it’s pretty clear the inference is ‘they might still be together, if not for those meddling Bushes and their constitution.’
Tano, let me quote my post to remind you of my point:
That is all the media should have done, announced that the Gores were getting a divorce without bothering to bring in Sally Quinn or whomever. They made a choice to include her commentary. They could have — and should have — not solicited it (or otherwise sought it out). That they included it suggests an angle.
Respect for the Gores would have meant a simple story.
You are so full of it Dan. Respect for the Gores? You post absolute crap like this and then pretend to preach about respect for the Gores?
You try to raise the fact that they kissed in public 10 years ago and contrast that with the fact that they are separating? Whats up with that?
The Quinn comment was entirely innocuous – maybe the obvious stresses of the campaign made things worse. There is nothing wrong whatsoever with CBS reporting this innocuous comment. The public at large must have been reacting to the news – wow, after 40 years!!, we didnt see this coming – why are they splitting? In that context, reporting that a family friend thinks they were stressed out for X reason, is perfectly normal.
No normal person would expect it to go any further. But the rightwing monsters could not resist. Right away we start seeing these “reports” that Bush is being blamed – not even by Sally Quinn (who most people dont know), but by CBS!
No one blamed Bush. That is a total fabrication. And you are as culpable as any of the other monsters.
All you are doing in this comment is trying to blame others (the media) for your own behavior.
That doesn’t work. It’s not the campaign that caused the divorce. The campaign ended ten years ago. The marriage didn’t. The loss? That will last a lifetime. Had Bush not countered Gores challenges, well…
Think about this. They didn’t divorce then. It is possible that their marriage could have been in trouble after that campaign. But, if that is the case, then why become the traveling salesman for all things Global Warming, instead of staying closer to home to work on the marriage? My older brother was touring as a guitar tech for a couple of different fairly famous bands / musicians. After consecutive months of being on the road, he returned to find his marriage had gone by the wayside. I expect this is how the Gores drifted apart.
Grrrrr. Growl!!!!!!! Snarl!!!!!!!!!!!
Sonic,
The issue is not whether your theory of the breakup or Sally Quinn’s theory makes more sense. The issue is whether Quinn blamed Bush – which is ridiculous. Let alone CBS or Couric blaming Bush.
I’ll give you the acquittal of Couric… She never mentions Bush. But you simply can’t discard the bitterness toward the person Gore lost to, which would be George Bush. To quote Dan Rather:
If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck…
Who knows why they are splitting? Who cares? It’s no one’s business but there’s an truth be told probably not terribly interesting anyway.
Houndentenor, I agree that it’s private.
Pity the current administration never felt that way.
That being said, when the accusation is that she’s either a) blaming Bush for stealing the election or b) blaming the constitution of the United States for Gore’s seperation, I think it’s funny watching Tano spin, again, trying to say things aren’t what they are.
Hound, I agree. This is the last I’m going to write about it.
I see that our resident sheep from _Animal Farm_ – the one always bleating “Four legs good, two legs bad!” when the talking points memo says to, then turning around on a dime and bleating “Four legs good, two legs better!” when told to, sometimes within the same GP comment thread – could use a reality check.
So, here it is. What Sally Quinn said.
What is “that”? I.e., what does “that” refer to? CBS News / Sharyl Attkisson present Quinn as referring clearly to the 2000 election.
Watch the video. Then, if you think (a concept alien to Tano – i.e., thinking) that Quinn couldn’t have meant to blame Bush, write your letter to CBS News and Sharyl Atkisson. Because *they* present Quinn’s quote as clearly blaming the 2000 election / Bush.
Now spin for us, Tano. Give us more mind-blowing pretzels of Tano excuse-making.
(To be clear: CBS / Attkisson put the Quinn statement directly after their framing statement, “…Gore winning the popular vote for President but losing the electoral vote. Family friend Sally Quinn says that may have done the marriage irreparable harm.”)
Spin? No, Tardo seems to be in full meltdown mode. For example:
Especially when you discover that you suck at stealing an election. If only he had Jack Kennedy and Sam Giancana on the “payroll”, eh?
Where’s the respect for the truth when engaging in speculation?
It was not “innocuous”, it was speculation. Reporting speculation as fact is nowhere near innocuous, it’s shitty reporting.
Then where’s the respect for the family and their feelings?
Say, who was it who turned the Wellstone funeral into a political rally and circle jerk? Now that’s monstrous.
*Velma pulls the ‘Tyler’s Ghost’ mask off the villian to reveal…
Gang: Mr. Gore!
Al Gore: That’s President Gore to you!
Sherrif: So Mr. Gore was behind it all the time, good going kids!
Al Gore: I’d have gotten away with it if not for those meddling kids and their Constitution!
Scooby Doo: Rut Rhut About Ree?
*Gang laughs, fade to black*