Al Gore: Hero or Hypocrite?

[Phlegmak]

Crooks and Liars has a video clip on this exact subject (the subject of the thread). I have not watched the clip.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/02/28/olbermann-on-gores-energy-use-setting-the-record-straight/

 

[MobBoss]

Well if I read that right, every month his $432 offset 16,200 kw/h, making for a total yearly offset of 194,400 kw/h, thus more than you're claiming he's consuming (191,000 Kw/H)

I don't understand why you're looking at money, when what he has to balance are kw/h

Ah...he only did it the last two months of 2006. Tell me how balanced his footprint was for the year. Also, I am looking at money, because he apparently pays for more than just electrical energy.

 

[MobBoss]

Selective reading FTW! Looks like another hypocrite is pwned.

Errr. The quote in regards to his 2006 usage and blocks bought a month since then were from the utility, not from the bias source. You lose.

 

[Masquerouge]

So that proves you do not understand how offsetting works:

Actually, you have just proven that he is only about 30% compliant. If he is only spending $432 dollars on offsets, and his total energy bill is $1200 - $1300, then about 2/3s of his energy costs are not offset.

I would say thats a ways to go for a 'zero' footprint.

and that proves that Johnson is making accusations out of thin air:

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/186511

Johnson said Gore used nearly 221,000 kilowatt hours last year and his average monthly electric bill was $1,359. He claimed his group obtained its figures from Nashville Electric Service, but a spokesperson said the utility never had a request from the group and never provided them with information.

Looks like your "case" is nothing but smoke. Maybe you should offset it?

 

[RedWolf]

Ah...he only did it the last two months of 2006.

So what? If a person decides they want to start advocating for global warming solutions they have to somehow offset their carbon footprint for their entire lifetime? Let's be realistic. A more sane approach would be to make positive changes in your lifestyle going forward.

 

[Masquerouge]

Errr. The quote in regards to his 2006 usage and blocks bought a month since then were from the utility, not from the bias source.

No, it does not.

Johnson said Gore used nearly 221,000 kilowatt hours last year and his average monthly electric bill was $1,359. He claimed his group obtained its figures from Nashville Electric Service, but a spokesperson said the utility never had a request from the group and never provided them with information.

How exactly is that quote referring to "his 2006 usage and blocks bought a month since then were from the utility"?

This quote means that Johnson's figures are not reliable.

 

[MobBoss]

Looks like your "case" is nothing but smoke. Maybe you should offset it?

God, stop being intentially thick headed....... The story includes data directly from the Utility...not necessarily from Johnson. The UTILITY RECORD itself shows how much he paid and how many blocks he bought and when he started buying them.

/sheesh.

 

[MobBoss]

No, it does not.

Yes, it does. READ IT.

/sheesh.

My God man, his own spokesperson said he had only been doing it since November:

Gore has been buying the "green power" for $432 a month since November, and his home is also under renovation to add solar panels, Kreider said.

Do you think the spokespersons information accurate? Or unreliable?

 

[JollyRoger]

God, stop being intentially thick headed....... The story includes data directly from the Utility...not necessarily from Johnson. The UTILITY RECORD itself shows how much he paid and how many blocks he bought and when he started buying them.

/sheesh.

So are you giving up on Johnson as a credible source in this debate?

 

[El_Machinae]

Ah...he only did it the last two months of 2006. Tell me how balanced his footprint was for the year.

When did the option to purchase offsets become available?

 

[MobBoss]

When did the option to purchase offsets become available?

Looking at the TVAs website the program has been around since 2001. At least according to their newsletters.

 

[El_Machinae]

It looks like he signed up after you passed around your last attempt at a passing around a hitjob, then (and tried to sell off the idea that owning oil shares made him a hypocrite ). Looks like your whining has made him a better person, wrt the environment. Was it reciprocal?

Any chance you'll buy carbon offsets?

 

[MobBoss]

It looks like he signed up after you passed around your last attempt at a passing around a hitjob, then (and tried to sell off the idea that owning oil shares made him a hypocrite ). Looks like your whining has made him a better person, wrt the environment. Was it reciprocal?

Any chance you'll buy carbon offsets?

Not offered in my area...but I do buy the lightbulbs.

So does that mean we have a consensus that Al Gore has indeed been hyporitical in his energy usage, at least through last year, but has recently taken steps to mitigate that? Is that a fair enough statement?

 

[carlosMM]

Good find, El Mach! I had totally forgotten about that thread. Why does the coincidence that it was BOTH times the same poster make me wonder?

 

[El_Machinae]

Not offered in my area...but I do buy the lightbulbs.

So does that mean we have a consensus that Al Gore has indeed been hyporitical in his energy usage, at least through last year, but has recently taken steps to mitigate that? Is that a fair enough statement?

Is it fair to say that he's now less of a hypocrite than the last time you tried to point it out? And that the people releasing the 'talking-point data' seem to be partisan hitmen, and seemingly tried to ignore aspects of the story for their own benefit?

As for his 'absolute hypocriticalness'; I don't know how to measure that. He's spending 1/6th the amount that a contemporary person is. We also don't know what level of usuage his house gets wrt to if his home also counts as an office or not, and how many support-staff (etc.) are being supported at that energy budget.

(The bulbs make such economic sense, that it's hard to understand why people don't buy them. Mine have already paid themselves off, and now represent a savings)

 

[Atlas14]

Complete hypocrite. Typical of politicians regardless of political affiliation.

 

[MobBoss]

Good find, El Mach! I had totally forgotten about that thread. Why does the coincidence that it was BOTH times the same poster make me wonder?

So you choose to focus on me instead of discussing the fact that he only started buying offsets last Nov and that his offsets dont cover all his energy usage.

About what I expected. You lose the debate.

 

[JollyRoger]

Complete hypocrite. Typical of politicians regardless of political affiliation.

Would a complete hypocrite be purchasing carbon offsets?

 

[El_Machinae]

I still think the OP should be expanded to include the information regarding the purchased offsets, lest it remain a hitjob.

his offsets dont cover all his energy usage.

They now do, and they have for almost four months. Do you want him to backbuy offsets too? How is that reasonable? Like we saw in August, we have no idea if he's personally spending money in other ways to speed CO2 sequestering.

 

[MobBoss]

I still think the OP should be expanded to include the information regarding the purchased offsets, lest it remain a hitjob.

Sure. /10 char.