Republican Marsha Blackburn laid into Al Gore today about his motives for his man-made global warming hocus pocus, specifically challenging him on the fact that his firm will make a ton of money if the cap and trade legislation he supports is enacted: (h/t Gateway Pundit)
An article about the exchange:
Blackburn noted Gore’s role as partner in Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, a venture capital firm that invests in technology to address global warming.
Blackburn asked Gore if he stood to benefit financially from cap-and-trade legislation, which would force companies to reduce carbon emissions. Companies would likely turn to the kinds of technologies Kleiner Perkins helps develop.
“This bill is going to fundamentally change the way America works.” Given the magnitude of those changes, I think it’s really important that no suspicion or shadow fall on the foremost advocates of climate change legislation. So I wanted to give you the opportunity to kind of clear the air about your motives and maybe set the record straight.”
Here’s what followed:
BLACKBURN: I’ve got an article from October 8th, the New York Times Magazine about a firm called Kleiner Perkins. A capital firm called Kleiner Perkins. Are you aware of that company?
GORE: (LAUGHS) Well yes, I’m a partner at Kleiner Perkins.
BLACKBURN: So you’re a partner at Kleiner Perkins. OK. Now they have invested about a billion dollars in 40 companies that are going to benefit from cap and trade legislation. So is the legislation that we’re discussing here today, is that something you are going to personally benefit from?
GORE: I believe that the transition to a green economy is good for our economy and good for all of us. And I have invested in it. But every penny that I have made, I have put right into a non-profit, the Alliance for Climate Protection, to spread awareness about why we have to take on this challenge. And Congresswoman, if you’re, if you believe the reason I have been working on this issue for 30 years is because of greed, you don’t know me.
BLACKBURN: I’m not making accusations. I’m asking questions that have been asked of me. And individuals, constituents that were seeking a point of clarity–
GORE: I understand exactly what you’re doing, Congresswoman. Everybody here does.
BLACKBURN: Well, are, you know, are you willing to divest yourself of any profit? Does all of it go to a not-for-profit that is an educational not-for-profit.
GORE: Every penny that I have made has gone to it. Every penny from the movie, from the book, from any investments in renewable energy. I’ve been willing to put my money where my mouth is. Do you think there’s something wrong with being active in business in this country?
Can you just imagine the outcry if a Republican was a major partner in a firm set to receive a major windfall from legislation?
It would be deafening.
But not now, not with Gore….I wonder why?
A good comment was left on Gateway Pundit that bears repeating on the topic of Gore’s assertion that every penny he has made has gone to the non-profit:
But a “non profit” is not under obligations to spend all its income (donations) nor all of its assets in every fiscal year. It can accumulate and accumulate donations. Non-profits don’t have customers, so you cannot boycott them. They only have self-appointed boards and donors.
In the case of Gore, it appears that the major donor is also on the Board, so it is a self-perpetuating way of funding propaganda, a tax-exempt pool of money from which he can get his expenses reimbursed and have staff members to help him.
So, there is indeed a benefit that Gore gets from these investments.
Indeed, because of the status of the NP, when he gets a distribution from his Kleiner Perkins partnership, because it is a “donation”, he gets the full economic benefit and use of all the money, rather than what would be left over after paying all the taxes on it!
He’s as slick as a snake oil salesman…..and the gullible left have fallen for it big time.
See author page
Isn’t it funny that Gore and friends say that those who present an anti-alarmist opposing view of climate change are labeled as being motivated by greed and working for big oil etc. yet here we have Gore set to make big bucks by his campaign.
It’s another classic example of Dems accusing our side of doing what THEY are doing.
Also, people have wondered why the executives at General Electric allow the haters at MSNBC to rant on. Well, GE stands to rake in billions on green projects but can only do so if Democrats are in power.
It’s all about the money.
Al wasn’t really answering the question. He acted like “How dare you ask me that!…You don’t know me…don’t you know how hard I’ve worked on this????”
@Mike’s America:
[It’s all about the money.]
Ain’t that the truth!
I was noticing that last couple of days a huge increase in commercials that emphasize being “green” in some way. Since I know these companys are just wanting to make money bottom line, I was wondering how they benefit literally. Do they receive some kind of tax break for advertising this way? Or, is it a lot more convoluted than that?
Two words:
1) Cheney
2) Halliburton
The media jumped all over Cheney because of his financial interests (rightly so, in my opinion), but how dare *anyone* question Al (The Green Whore) Gore?
I wonder how much Al gets indirectly because of his affiliation with the Alliance for Climate Protection? How much do they spend on campaign donations (mostly for the Democratic Party, no doubt), and to whom? How much do they pay Gore for his “work”: stipends, appearance fees, etc.? I wonder if Gore the Green Whore would be willing to divulge all of his income (with sources) for the past 30 years? Does anyone think there would NOT be payments to Gore from the Alliance?
WAKE UP AMERICA!!
He makes snake oil salesmen look downright saintly.
Jeff V
@SoCal Chris: I don’t believe companies get a tax break for green advertising. Not yet anyway.
But the real danger is that companies are now, more than ever, directly tailoring their business towards the success of one political party, the Democrats, and forcing a green agenda on us.
We’re all going to have to buy new lightbulbs, appliances and cars that meet the green standards Obama lays down and companies which are invested in that field are doing what they can to prop up Obama.
Bill O’Reilly has the best commentary on the problem:
What a fat, disgusting, pompous turd.
Every penny he has made has gone into a trust? Right, so the 17,000 sf home he has…he just found that under a magic toadstool.
She asks him a yes or no question about him making money off legislation he is tirelessly propagandizing for, and he plays a pathetic game of “how dare you”? How incredibly lame… almost as lame as him having his DNC buddies block a debate with the Briton the other day. What a feckin’ coward.
I hate this tubby hump with the fury of a thousand suns.
Complete scumbag con artist. No wonder he gets on so well with o’dumbo the preznit.
My questions for Gore:
(And his answers that dare not escape his head)
1. What is the present concentration of CO2 in our atmosphere?
A. Between .038 and .039 percent.
2. Of that percentage, what is mans contribution?
A. .14%
3. As measured in microns, what part of the IR spectrum is absorbed by CO2 that is NOT absorbed by H2O?
A. None.
3. Why have you NEVER discussed water vapor as a global-warming gas?
A. Because I have an agenda to help Democrats, greedy businessmen, and the UN find a new ways to tax and pay for our vision of utopia, and discussing the gas responsible for 99.96% of global warming would wreak my narrative among the citizens we’ve made stupid, ignorant and gullable through our education system.
4. Why do you refuse any and all debate about such an “important” issue?
A. Because I am wrong, and I am a coward.
One has to admire the Gore chutzpah in a demented sort of way. The Congresswoman dances around the absolute question of “are you making money off your global warming cause”, and he merely turns around and says, “are you accusing me of doing this for money??” He knew full well she’d back off.
Why yes, Mr. Gore. I, personally, am accusing you of using this quasi-religious movement for your financial benefit. I am unaware of any of his income from his various corporate and non-profit alliances that is not related in some way to his global warming causes. He even buys his own carbon credits from a company where he enjoys an executive position. The joke about Alliance for Climate Protection is it is all about an advertising campaign to perpetuate the global fear. It’s not like it’s some non-profit charity, bent on feeding the world.
Were he doing this as a side business, perhaps it could be said that he’s just putting his money where his mouth is. Not the case. He lives, breathes and totally functions personally and financially off of fear mongering. This is an old story… Gore, his money and global warming. But always an interesting one when it resurfaces for it’s brief shining moments.
Personally, I wish the Congresswoman had merely replied, “yes, Mr. Gore. I am suggesting that you are doing this for financial benefit. And perhaps you can tell us what other unrelated income you enjoy that sustains your jet setting lifestyle.” But perhaps she was too timid to offend a former Veep any further than she did.
Points for her giving it a try, but when you step out onto the gangplank, you should be willing to jump off.
Perhaps he’s always looked this way and I didn’t notice, but does it seem he is getting creepier and creepier looking as time passes? I guess that’s what selling your soul for profit at the expense of millions of people does. But, he really looks looney tunes to me. Just think of all the CO2 emitted if he implodes.
I’m sure you all have seen this already or posted it, but thought this an appropriate time to post it–I had photos of the 2 houses, but am concerned the photos won’t work since I’m not that computer savvy:
TALE of TWO HOUSES [http://www.snopes.com/politics/bush/house.asp]
HOUSE # 1
A 20 room mansion (not including 8 bathrooms) heated by natural gas. Add on a pool (and a pool house) and a separate guest house, all heated by gas. In on month this residence consumes more energy than the average American household does in a year. The average bill for electricity and natural gas runs over $2400 per month. In natural gas alone, this property consumes more than 20 times the national average for an American home. This house is not situated in a Northern or Midwestern “snow belt” area. It is in the South.
HOUSE # 2
Designed by an architecture professor at a leading national university. This house incorporates every “green” feature current home construction can provide. The house is 4,000 square feet (4 bedrooms) and is nestled on a high prairie in the American southwest. A central closet in the house holds geothermal heat-pumps drawing ground water through pipes sunk 300 feet into the ground.
The water (usually 67 degrees F) heats the house in winter and cools it in summer. The system uses no fossil fuels such as oil or natural gas and it coNsumes one-quarter electricity required for a conventional heating/cooling system. Rainwater from the roof is collected and funneled into a 25,000 gallon underground cistern. Wastewater from showers, sinks and toilets goes into underground purifying tanks and then into the cistern. The collected water then irrigates the land surrounding the house. Surrounding flowers and shrubs native to the area enable the property to blend into the surrounding rural landscape.
~~~~~~
HOUSE #1 is outside of Nashville, Tennessee; it is the abode of the “environmentalist”
Al Gore.
HOUSE #2 is on a ranch near Crawford, Texas; it is the residence of former President of the United States, George W. Bush.
An “inconvenient truth.”
Interesting to look at the tax year 2007 return for The Alliance for Climate Protection. In 2007, the charitable organization received over $25 Million in contributions and spent less than $4 Million. $1.6 Million went to consultants. Three grants were made, the largest, $377,147 to The Climate Project of Nashville, TN, a new charitable organization founded by Al Gore in 2006 (tax return not available on Guidestar.org.) $200,000 to the Climate Protection Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. (A 501(c)(4) is a tax exempt organization but not a charity; contributions are not tax deductible.)
See
http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments//2007/870/745/2007-870745629-047b2d53-9.pdf
The Climate Protection Action Fund has a pretty skinny web presence (www.climateprotectionactionfund.org) that links to the We Campaign (www.wecansolveit.org) through its privacy policy link. The We Campaign raises money for The Alliance for Climate Protection.
There is a fair amount of “green” going into The Alliance for Climate Protection but not much good being done with the charitable funds, other than recycling them through other green organizations affiliated with Al Gore.
Please review the clip – he said he HAD NOT made money off the carbon scam. That’s past tense.
As a director of Kleiner Perkins, he solicits investors and directs investments. The firm’s revenue streams are from two sources. First there is an annual management fee on capital invested in the fund. Gore probably has helped market KP to investors with his carbon control story thereby earning his director income. But that’s very indirect and is in his role as a rainmaker.
The second source of income will come once cap and trade becomes law. The investments KP has made will now reap the benefits and their market value will increase. Vinod Khosha is the guy at KP picking the firms that get KP’s investments. Once the firm liquidates those investments (IPOs, for example), KP also gets a cut of the profits. BUT THEY HAVEN”T PROFITED YET, at least not directly.
Hence, Gore may have been correct in his answer but he and KP are poised for a big payday once his program is in place.
Slippery devil.
Dem’s are giving new meaning to the phrase “going green.”
We’re now learning that firms and persons who backed this political movement are about to be rewarded with fat contracts to supply “green” technology that couldn’t compete in the market without a steady government subsidy and a determined effort to block new sources of oil and coal from being used.
Obama’s cap and trade scam is another redistribution of wealth scheme except in this case the taxpayer money is not only being used to buy votes of the less wealthy, it’s going directly to the corporate fat cats and investors who supported this effort from the get go.
None of these programs make economic, energy or environmental sense. It’s all about power and money for approved persons and corporations.
what a greasy shit. he has never seemed “clean” to me. he always looks dirty. the whole green movement really pisses me off. if i like a natural product, it is because the product, not it’s “green” factor. we sale a mineral make up at work, it is seriously the best foundation i have ever used, no blemishes and not an irritant. i have very sensitive skin and i can use this product all the time and it was the very first of its kind. anyway i had a client ask me if gore approved the product, it was all i could do not to snatch the crap out of her hand and not sale it to her. i told her that i had no desire to get into a pissing match about gore “trueths” and that if she wanted gore approved cosmetics she should give him a call and find out what he uses. gore is making monry hand over fist and we all know it, he is the biggest hippocrit (in more ways than one) and it is starting to make people sick.
@ruaqtpi2: I read somewhere that george soros bought a big chunk of halliburton in 2006 or so. When the Dems got control of Congress.
That was painful for me to watch, because sitting behind Gore was his right-hand man Roy Neal. I worked for that sob for about 1 1/2 years and he is a really creepy guy. As disappointing as W was on some issues, I thank God that Gore wasn’t able to steal the 2000 election.
PROOF POSITIVE
…that the IPC doomsday predictions are PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!
(…and that Al Gore is a horse’s ass, but you already knew that)
@flashman:
“As disappointing as W was on some issues, I thank God that Gore wasn’t able to steal the 2000 election.”
DITTO THAT!