Thursday, June 22, 2006

Howard Dean's Best Friend Is An Inconvenient Truth

Went to see An Inconvenient Truth tonight and it had me thinking on two fronts. As someone who seeks out little bits of nature while living in Smog City, whether it be a hike in the Santa Monica Mountains, or a quick paddle out at El Porto; who enjoys being outdoors in general, I agree that something must be done with the environment (to keep It from getting rid of Us). Read A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. It was fascinating to read how the ocean curents do their magic, the glaciers carve the continents, how humans made it from the seat of life in Africa to Australia and how scientists discovered The Bends while building bridges in London.
It's pretty incredible to look at the scientific evedence out there regarding what we are doing to the environment and the daunting momentum we are creating that will make it that much harder to reverse. I feel that we humans are cruising right along toward an environment that will not sustain us any longer, at least not at the population levels we now have. Anyone with even a passing interest in science and learning would be impressed with the book and film, very informative and scary.
Other the other hand, it is one of the most impressive political films I've ever seen. If Howard Dean and the DNC are looking for a face for the Democrats to throw at the GOP in '08, he need look no further than his nearest movie theater. I didn't vote for Gore in 2000. I wouldn't necessarily vote for him now either, there are other sides to the political game than simply the environment but he is right now, Today, the single best thing the Dems have going. Sure the Republicans are going to say he's using scare tactics, they'll say what he's proposing isn't financially feasable, they'll find scientists somewhere to contradict Gore's information. In the six years since his defeat in Florida, Gore has loosened up and shown that he has a personality worth voting for and depending on his politics on the Hot Button issues he may have quite a few moderate Conservatives heading his way.
In 2007 Gore is going to be making a run at the White House to achieve his life's work of saving the world. After the Dems take control of Congress in the Mid-Term elections this year, due in equal parts punishment to the GOP for a mangled Bush 2nd term and Gore's campaign ad cum documentary, he'll cruise into office with a Congress ready and wiling to cooperate.