HUNDRED THOUP REFUGEES AND THEN IMAGINE 100 MILLION.
>> IT’S BEEN 13 YEARS SINCE THE
GROUNDBREAKING FILM CALLED THE
INCONVENIENT TRUTH STARRED
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES AL GORE WHO IN THE
YEARS SINCE HAS NOT STOPPED
FIGHTING FOR ACTION ON CLIMATE
CHANGE.
CHANGE. I SAT DOWN FOR AN EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEW THIS WEEK WITH AL GORE
IN HIS OFFICE IN TENNESSEE.
>> ONE THING I FOCUS ON IS
THERE’S THIS GAP GROWING.
I MEAN, THE PUBLIC OPINION IS
MOVING QUITE SWIFTLY RIGHT NOW
AS JUST AN EMPIRICAL MATTER
YOU’RE GETTING 70%, 80% NUMBERS.
>> 60% OF REPUBLICANS.
>> IT’S MOVING UP THE PRIORITY
LIST OF DEMOCRATIC VOTERS,
RIGHT?
RIGHT? SO NOT ONLY DO YOU SEE MORE AND
MORE.
MORE. >> ONE OF THE OTHER NETWORK
POLLS IN THE SUMMER SAID IT WAS
THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE AMONG
REGISTERED DEMOCRATS.
REGISTERED DEMOCRATS. >> SO THAT’S HAPPENING AT THE
SORT OF THE RESPECT OF MASSIVE
OPINION.
OPINION. AND YOU’RE ALSO SEEING ALL THIS
ORGANIZING HAPPENING.
ORGANIZING HAPPENING. BUT YET THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION
AND A PRESIDENT WHO’S IT’S NOT
JUST HE’S DOING NOTHING, HE’S
ALMOST IN A SOCIOPATHIC WAY
SEEMINGLY BENT ON MAKING THE
PROBLEM WORSE IN EVERY POSSIBLE
WAY.
WAY. >> YEAH, IT’S -- IT HAS A
STRANGE ASPECT TO IT BECAUSE HE
WILL SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, I WANT
CRYSTAL CLEAN WATER EVEN AS HE’S
STRIPPING THE PROTECTIONS FOR
CLEAN WATER.
CLEAN WATER. AND THERE’S JUST LIKE AN
OVERLOAD OF OUTRAGE.
I MEAN I -- WHEN A NEW ONE COMES
ALONG EVERY FEW HOURS NOW I HAVE
TO MOVE THE EXISTING OUT RAGE TO
MAKE ROOM FOR THE NEW.
IN A WAY YOU HAVE TO WONDER IF
THAT’S NOT A STRATEGY ACTUALLY.
>> THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY HAS
BEEN VERY FOCUSED ON CLIMATE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE GREEN
NEW DEAL AS A KIND OF ORGANIZING
CONCEPT, SET OF PRINCIPLES FOR
THE DEBATE THAT HAS BEEN TAKING
PLACE WITHIN THE DEMOCRATIC
PRIMARY?
PRIMARY? >> I LIKE IT A LOT, AND I’M VERY
MINDFUL OF THE PERSISTENCE
SNIPING AT IT, AND THE CRITICISM
AT IT.
AT IT. I LIKE HOW IT LINKS
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND THE
FIGHT AGAINST INEQUALITY AND
EMPHASIZES THE JOBS THAT REALLY
AND TRULY THERE, I MEAN SOLAR
INSTALLER IS THE FASTEST GROWING
JOB IN THE U.S. FOR THE LAST
FIVE YEARS.
FIVE YEARS. HAS GROWN SIX TIMES FASTER THAN
AVERAGE JOB GROWTH.
SECOND FASTEST GROWING JOB IS
WIND TURBINE TECHNICIAN.
WE COULD RETROFIT BUILDINGS IN
EVERY COMMUNITY.
EVERY COMMUNITY. IT ALSO REMIND ME, I’M A GOOD
DEAL OLDER THAN YOU, BUT REMINDS
ME OF SOMETHING CALLED THE
NUCLEAR FREEZE.
NUCLEAR FREEZE. IN THE EARLY’ ’80s WHEN RONALD
REAGAN DISCUSSED RESTARTING THE
ARMS RACE PEOPLE BEGAN TO GET
REALLY WORRIED AND THERE WAS AN
EMERGENT GRASS ROOTS MOVEMENT
CALLED THE NUCLEAR FREEZE.
AND JUST AS IT HAS BEEN THE CASE
WITH THE GREEN NEW DEAL THE
EXPERT COMMUNITY STARTED SNIPING
AT IT, THIS DOESN’T MAKE SENSE,
BUT IT WAS SIMPLE AND CLEAR,
EASY TO GRASP.
AND OVERWHELMING MAJORITIES OF
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE SAY, YEAH,
I’M FOR A NUCLEAR FREEZE.
AND IT PLAYED A ROLE, A
NONTRIVIAL ROLE IN HELPING TO
CHANGE THE POLICY CONTEXT IN
WHICH RONALD REAGAN CHANGED AND
BECAME A DEVOTEE OF NUCLEAR ARMS
CONTROLLED.
CONTROLLED. AND I’M KIND OF THINKING ABOUT
THE GREEN NEW DEAL IN A SIMILAR
WAY.
WAY. THERE WASN’T FOX NEWS BACK THEN
AND YOU HAVE THIS PERSISTENT
DRUM BEAT, BUT I DO THINK
THAT --
THAT -- >> YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE A VERY
LONG CAREER IN PUBLIC LIFE.
AND WHEN YOU WERE A SENATOR AND
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE AND EVEN
WHEN YOU JOINED THE TICKET AS
VICE PRESIDENT YOU WERE A MEMBER
OF THE DLC, YOU WERE VIEWED AS
KIND OF A CENTRIST PART OF THE
PARTY, THAT DEMOCRATIC PARTY,
THAT SOMEONE IN THE PARTY FELT
MOVED TOO FAR TO THE LEFT, THERE
WAS AN IDEOLOGICAL ROT, A SORT
OF MORE FRIENDLY APPROACH
TOWARDS MARKETS.
TOWARDS MARKETS. I’M CURIOUS HOW YOU THINK OF
YOURSELF IDEOLOGICALLY AND
THINKING AS YOU HAVE FOR 30
YEARS ABOUT THE CLIMATE ISSUE
HAS CHANGED THE WAY YOU THINK
MORE BROADLY IDEOLOGICALLY ABOUT
THE ROLE OF THE STATE AND THE
ROLE OF MARKETS.
>> VERY THOUGHTFUL QUESTION.
BUT BEFORE I GET TO THE PART
ABOUT HOW MY INVOLVEMENT WITH
CLIMATE HAS AFFECTED THIS, I’LL
TELL YOU THIS.
EVEN THOUGH ALONG WITH BILL
CLINTON I WAS IDENTIFIED WITH
THE DLC DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP
COUNSEL AND THE IMPULSE TO SAY,
HEY, LOOK, IF DEMOCRATS ARE
GOING TO WIN ELECTIONS, WE’RE
REALLY GOING TO HAVE TO
EMPHASIZE A PRAGMATIC APPROACH
HERE.
HERE. AND AS VICE PRESIDENT I RAN THE
REINVENTING GOVERNMENT PROJECT
THAT CUT WASTE AND REGULATIONS
THAT WERE UNNECESSARY, BUT IN
THE PROCESS MADE GOVERNMENT WORK
BETTER FOR THE PEOPLE.
I WAS -- I WAS TROUBLED THAT THE
NET RESULT OF MANY TRENDS -- I
THOUGHT OUR POLICIES WERE VERY
GOOD.
GOOD. BUT THE RISE OF ECONOMIC
INEQUALITY LED ME TO FRAME MY
CAMPAIGN FOR A PRESIDENT IN THE
YEAR 2000 AS A CHAMPION OF THE
PEOPLE, NOT THE POWERFUL.
AND I WAS HARSHLY CRITICIZED BY
MY FORMER COMPANIONS IN THE DLC
FOR GOING A LITTLE BIT MORE TO
THE LEFT OF CENTER.
BUT I REALLY GENUINELY THOUGHT
THAT IT WAS TIME TO TAKE A COUNT
OF THE RISE IN INEQUALITY AND
THE RISE IN A SENSE OF POWER
LESS AND LESS ON THE PART OF SO
MANY WORKING PEOPLE.
NOW, TO THE POINT OF YOUR
QUESTION, THERE’S NO DOUBT THAT
WHEN YOU GET DEEPLY IMMERSED
IPTRYING TO HELP SOLVE THE
CLIMATE CRISIS YOU DO COME TO
UNDERSTAND THE ABSOLUTE
NECESSITY OF A STRONG NATIONAL
GOVERNMENT ROLE IN CHANGING
POLICIES BECAUSE INDIVIDUALS
CAN’T DO IT ON THEIR OWN.
THAT’S NOT MEANINGLESS, BUT AS
IMPORTANT AS IT MIGHT BE TO
CHANGE THE LIGHT BULBS, IT’S WAY
MORE IMPORTANT TO CHANGE THE
POLICIES AND THE LAWS.
AND THAT REQUIRES A STRONG
POLICY LEADERSHIP ROLE IN
WASHINGTON, D.C. ESPECIALLY FROM
THE PRESIDENT BUT ALSO IN THE
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. >> STILL AHEAD, MUCH MORE OF MY
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH AL GORE
INCLUDING WHAT HE THINKS ABOUT
SOME OF THE PEOPLE WE JUST HEARD
FROM IN THE FORUM TODAY.
IS THERE SOMEONE IN THE
DEMOCRATIC FIELD THAT YOU FEEL
BEST GETS THIS PROBLEM, CENTERS
THIS PROBLEM BUT YOU’RE THE MOST
CONFIDENT, I’M NOT ASKING FOR AN
ENDORSEMENT.
ENDORSEMENT. >> IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT.
YOU’RE ASKING ME TO PICK ONE AND