A Journey through the life of Al Gore, Jr.
At first, I really didn't know who to research. I searched long and hard for someone really interesting in the library. In the end, I decided to do Al Gore, Jr. because of his work towards global warming. I found a great book on him called "Inventing Al Gore" by Bill Turque. THe book depicts his life through the eyes of Al Gore Jr., who grew up in a very political family.
The next step after reading the book was finding the right people to interview. I thought about many people like my dad, who believes in Democratic ideals; I decided against doing my dad, because I wanted to do someone more authoritive on the issue. I finally decided to do Taral Patel, an avid member of the Democratic Coucil of Cinco Ranch, because he knows alot about the life of Bill Clinton, the President under which Al Gore was the vice president. For the second interview, I contacted Mrs. Fenn, the Ap Government teacher. She knows alot about the policies and beliefs of recent politicians, so she was an easy choice.
After reflecting on the project, one of the hardest things for me was the getting the technology straight. I was really frustrated because I couldn't figure out how to do anything. Finally, after experimenting for a long time, I found out how to work the different media types we have. On the other hand, the easiest thing for me during this project was getting my information. Reading my book was fun for me because it was interesting. Similarily, my articles provided some extra insight to the life of Al Gore.
What I Learned
Al Gore, Jr. was born here, in Washington D.C. on March 31 1948. His father was a famous politician on Capitol Hill and his mother was one of the first female lawyers from Vanderbilt University. Gore Jr. "grew up in the political climate of Washington" ("Gore" par. 2). This would influence him greatly in life, especially when he decided to become a politician.
As he grew up, Gore was drafted into the army for the Vietnam War. The years after that would define Gore as the man we know him today as. He traveled to Vietnam as a war journalist; he covered the war for three years and then returned to the United States. During thise first years back, Gore was very traumitized; he really didn't know what to do. According to Turque, "he renounced his political destiny" and pursued "a soul-searching year of religious study at Vanderbilt University" (Turque 90). It was only when he discovered corruption in the local government that he was "brought back to the family business" (Turque 90).
In 1976, "Gore decided to run for a seat in the House [of Representatives]"; the fact that his father was a famous politician really helped him by giving him "a famous name" ("Albert" par. 6). He won that election and began his long political career in Washington D.C.
It was during the 80's that Al Gore's interest in the environment sprung up. It began when Gore was assigned to "study [the effects of] nuclear arms"; during the research, he realized the impact on the environment these weapins would have ("Albert" par. 6). From then on, Gore led the efforts on environmental protection. He initiated many policies during his time in D.C. to measure the impact humans have had. One such policy he inacted was an environmental report card every year, measuring the impact America was having on the earth. Another thing that Gore was involved in was technology. Not many people know of his enthusiasm for computers and other technology. In fact, Gore was very active in the develpment of new technology like "biotechnology and computer develpment" ( "Albert" par.7).
Up to this point, Al Gore hadn't really done anything to earn much fame. His political career up to 1992 was one of just another Representative that blends into the political scene of Washinton D.C. The event that separated him from many other politicians came in 1992, when Presidential hopeful Bill Clinton chose him to be his vice presidental candidate. However, many people considered this to be a very odd choice because Clinton and Gore have two completely different personalities; they had completely different political approaches as well. In fact, Bill Turque writes that "one enjoyed solitude, the other had a compulsive need for people"; he goes on to say during a speech Clinton "made the other person feel as if they were the most important person in the room" whereas Gore "made the other party feel as if he was the most important person" (Turque 244). Still, despite the differences, Gore and Clinton were great friends, who could could be seen every morning jogging through Washington D.C. together.
After 8 years of serving as vice president, Gore decided to run for the presidency. In 2000, he ran for election and won the Democratic primaries. It was now Gore versus Republican nominee George W. Bush. Tha year's election was one of the closest in American history. Both candidates had done extensive campaigning and tried to win over the American people; in fact, Turque reports that Bush and Gore raised a combined $42.7 million. In the end, the election came down to Florida. All the other states had released their results, and the two candidates were nearly equal in electoral votes. In a shocking turn of events, George Bush won the election after a recount of about 7,000 votes gave him Florida's electoral votes, giving him one more than was required with 271. Ironically, in that election, Gore received more total votes than Bush did, but it was only because of those electoral votes that Gore lost. However, like all elections, there was some controversy involved. In my interview, Taral Patel told me about how Bush's brother, the governor of Florida at the time, was the reason that those 7,000 votes had to be recounted. He also told me that those votes were the ones that put Bush ahead of Gore in Florida, therefore, giving him the election.
After the controversial election of 2000, Gore devoted the rest of his life to environmental work. He now works with a firm called The Generation Investment Management, a company which works for environmental awareness. Inaddition, Gore also wrote a book called "Earth in the Balance". This book discusses what humans have done to the earth and then provides some solutions for global warming. I recently read parts of that book, and it really showed me the impact we have had on the environment and what will happen if we do not do something to stop it. However, Gore's biggest contribution to environmental awareness was his documentary "AN Inconvenient Truth" which depicts the damage to the environment. The documentary was so popular that it won an Oscar; it also gave Gore the Nobel Peace Prize for environmental work in 2007. In 2008, many people asked Gore to run for the presidency again. However, he declined this offer and stayed working for the environment. During my interview with Mrs. Fenn, she said that this was probably the right decision because he probably wouldn't have been elected as a result of his closeness with the Clinton presidency.
Despite his shortcomings in 2000, Gore's political career was definitely a successful one. He changed the way Capitol Hill dealt with the environment and enacted policies which are still in place today. His work for global warming wareness in the recent years also will go down in his legacy. He has changed the way the world looks at global warming and has convinced some people to work towards stopping it. As we march into the future, Gore's leadership will become more valuable. Bill Turque writes that Gore's test as a leader will be "his success in building a domestic and international consensus over the long term dangers of global warming" (Turque 371). Hopefully, he passes this test and convinces the world that something must be done.