# I need some clarification about Al Gore **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 2, 2007, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-clarification-about-al-gore/406458 "2007-06-02T04:29:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-clarification-about-al-gore/406458/1 "2007-06-02T04:29:12Z")
Alright so folks, I need some clarification about Al Gore. Keep in mind that I am 23 and so at the time Clinton and Gore were in office, I was only really aware of Clinton though I knew his VP was Gore I didn’t know much more about him. But I recall jokes being made that he misspelled things and had little personality. Am I confused? Were they joking about Quayle and I transposed the memories onto Gore? If they were making fun of Gore, what triggered it? He seems fairly well educated and fairly charismatic in recent years. I know he said the thing about inventing the Internet and I seem to remember spelling potato with an e, but again, I need some clarification about him. – IG ---
**Author:** ![Galena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@Galena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galena)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-clarification-about-al-gore/406458/2 "2007-06-02T04:39:21Z")
Yes, you do seem to be confusing the two. Potato with an e was Quayle, who was “correcting” a small child’s spelling. Quayle was the one who was known for being, well, a dim bulb. Inventing the internet is usually attributed to Gore, but that’s more spin than anything else. [This article](http://archive.salon.com/tech/col/rose/2000/10/05/gore_internet/) discusses it. Gore came off as rather uncharismatic and stiff in the 2000 presidential election, but now that he’s out of the political life (maybe) and less of a victim of his handlers, he’s gotten quite personable. You should check out his recent interview on the Daily Show. (Dinner’s ready, so I don’t have time to find it on YouTube.) ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-clarification-about-al-gore/406458/3 "2007-06-02T04:39:49Z")
The misspelling thing was Dan Quayle. He corrected a kid at a photo op at a school, in error. [http://www.capitalcentury.com/1992.html](http://www.capitalcentury.com/1992.html) The internet one is Gore’s. What he actually said (out of context) was: “During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet.” Meaning, supporting bills that funded DARPA’s research and technology. The press had a field day making Dan Quayle look stupid. Follow a guy around with cameras nearly 24/7 and it wouldn’t be hard. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-clarification-about-al-gore/406458/4 "2007-06-02T04:42:02Z")
Dan Quayle was the VP who misspelled potato. [Here](http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Dan_Quayle/) are some of his other malaprops. Al Gore was teased for having no personality, but never for a lack of intelligence. He also didn’t claim to have invented the internet. As [this](http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue5_10/wiggins/) article explains: > [@](#): > > Although Al Gore never claimed to have invented the Internet, he did discuss his role in Internet development in an interview with Wolf Blitzer of Cable News Network. The interview took place on March 9, 1999 during CNN’s “Late Edition” show. Specifically, what Gore said was “I took the initiative in creating the Internet.” > > A cynic might observe that “creating the Internet” and “inventing the Internet” are tantamount to the same exaggeration. But let’s look at the entire quote in the context of the colloquy with Blitzer. Here is Blitzer’s entire query to Gore: > > ``` > BLITZER: I want to get to some of the substance of domestic and international issues in a minute, but let's just wrap up a little bit of the politics right now. > > Why should Democrats, looking at the Democratic nomination process, support you instead of Bill Bradley, a friend of yours, a former colleague in the Senate? What do you have to bring to this that he doesn't necessarily bring to this process? > > ``` > > Clearly, Blitzer is asking Gore to offer an explanation of how he differs as a politician from other politicians in general, and his rival at the time, Bill Bradley, in particular. Here is Gore’s entire response to Blitzer’s question: > > ``` > GORE: Well, I will be offering - I'll be offering my vision when my campaign begins. And it will be comprehensive and sweeping. And I hope that it will be compelling enough to draw people toward it. I feel that it will be. > > But it will emerge from my dialogue with the American people. I've traveled to every part of this country during the last six years. During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system. > > During a quarter century of public service, including most of it long before I came into my current job, I have worked to try to improve the quality of life in our country and in our world. And what I've seen during that experience is an emerging future that's very exciting, about which I'm very optimistic, and toward which I want to lead. > > ``` > > Here Gore appears to have been caught off guard a bit by the question, rambling a bit as he seeks to vocalize a responsive answer. He emphasizes his work during his years in the Congress - Gore served in the House and later the Senate - as well as his leadership on various issues. Perhaps not showing the most elegant variation in words, he mentions “initiative” three times. Clearly his overall message is that he worked hard on a number of issues, and took a leadership position relative to others - presumably including his rival Bradley. The overall thrust is that Gore paints himself as a forward-looking legislator and political leader. Of course he could have worded his comments better, but to argue that he claimed he invented the internet is disingenuous. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-clarification-about-al-gore/406458/5 "2007-06-02T04:47:39Z")
“Potatoe” was Dan Quayle, who was also known for quite a number of malapropisms. Although Gore was known for a few dum-dum remarks himself. But… there are lots of sites online that try to store Gore or Quayle quotes and are clearly mixed up between the two. I’ve seen some of the same quotes attributed to both Quayle and Gore. And it was Gore that people would joke about having the personality of a tree. I do specifically remember one amusing Gore remark (I know this one was him, because I saw it on a video clip) around the beginning of the Clinton presidency, where he and Gore were visiting some place before the inauguration (Monticello, I think). Gore looks at 4 busts of founding fathers – which include George Washington and Ben Franklin – and says, “Who are these people?” (The tour guide responds: “Well, this is George Washington on the right, and that’s Ben Franklin on the left…”) ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-clarification-about-al-gore/406458/6 "2007-06-02T04:59:38Z")
Here are a few good ones from Dan Quayle: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/S_xcaBdBHf4/hqdefault.jpg "Dan Quayle Video Collage (Bloopers)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_xcaBdBHf4) I think my favorite one is: “Hawaii’s always been a very pivotal role in the Pacific. It is **in** the Pacific…” ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-clarification-about-al-gore/406458/7 "2007-06-02T12:27:30Z")
Among the purported Quayleisms that aren’t actually his, perhaps the best known is the statement that: “I was recently on a tour of Latin America, and the only regret I have was that I didn’t study Latin harder in school so I could converse with those people.” Indeed, even [Cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_327.html) was briefly mislead on that one. Snopes does, however, have a [list](http://www.snopes.com/quotes/quayle.htm) of some of the doozies he’s said (and notes that some of them are misattributed to Gore, among others), along with some that he’s been accused of saying but didn’t. Here are some of Quayle’s actual quotes: ``` * "Republicans understand the importance of bondage between a mother and child." * "What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is." * "The Holocaust was an obscene period in our nation's history. I mean in this century's history. But we all lived in this century. I didn't live in this century." * "I believe we are on an irreversible trend toward more freedom and democracy - but that could change." * "Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things." * "I stand by all the misstatements that I've made." * "I am not part of the problem. I am a Republican." * "I love California, I practically grew up in Phoenix." * "When I have been asked during these last weeks who caused the riots and the killing in L.A., my answer has been direct and simple: Who is to blame for the riots? The rioters are to blame. Who is to blame for the killings? The killers are to blame." ``` ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-clarification-about-al-gore/406458/8 "2007-06-02T12:40:03Z")
[QUOTE=Billdo] Among the purported Quayleisms that aren’t actually his, perhaps the best known is the statement that: “I was recently on a tour of Latin America, and the only regret I have was that I didn’t study Latin harder in school so I could converse with those people.” Indeed, even [Cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_327.html) was briefly mislead on that one. Snopes does, however, have a [list](http://www.snopes.com/quotes/quayle.htm) of some of the doozies he’s said (and notes that some of them are misattributed to Gore, among others), along with some that he’s been accused of saying but didn’t. Here are some of Quayle’s actual quotes: ``` * "Republicans understand the importance of bondage between a mother and child." * "What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is." * "The Holocaust was an obscene period in our nation's history. I mean in this century's history. But we all lived in this century. I didn't live in this century." * "I believe we are on an irreversible trend toward more freedom and democracy - but that could change." * "Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things." * "I stand by all the misstatements that I've made." * "I am not part of the problem. I am a Republican." * "I love California, I practically grew up in Phoenix." * "When I have been asked during these last weeks who caused the riots and the killing in L.A., my answer has been direct and simple: Who is to blame for the riots? The rioters are to blame. Who is to blame for the killings? The killers are to blame." ``` [/QUOTE] No offense, but Snopes says of your list, “… **most** of the ones on the following list are actual Quayle quotes”. Which is, IMO, a little sloppy, since it doesn’t do anything except further the UL. And I don’t see anything wrong with the fifth, seventh, and ninth statements at all. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Dan\_Norder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@Dan\_Norder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_Norder)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-clarification-about-al-gore/406458/9 "2007-06-02T19:30:07Z")
[QUOTE=The Sonoran Lizard King] The press had a field day making Dan Quayle look stupid. [/QUOTE] Nobody had to _make_ him look stupid. You are coming off sounding like one of those people who claim that the news media is biased against conservatives or something, which is nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-clarification-about-al-gore/406458/10 "2007-06-02T19:35:31Z")
[QUOTE=Dan Norder] Nobody had to _make_ him look stupid. You are coming off sounding like one of those people who claim that the news media is biased against conservatives or something, which is nonsense. [/QUOTE] Sensitive, a bit? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-clarification-about-al-gore/406458/11 "2007-06-02T20:13:44Z")
[QUOTE=Billdo] “I love California, I practically grew up in Phoenix.” [/QUOTE] As anyone who has lived in San Diego will attest, the area is inundated with tourists from Arizona all summer long. They go there to escape the heat. I believe that the entire quote was “I love California, I practically grew up in Phoenix _and we visited there often_” but even if it wasn’t this quote really isn’t loony. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-clarification-about-al-gore/406458/12 "2007-06-03T02:03:25Z")
> [@](#): > > “When I have been asked during these last weeks who caused the riots and the killing in L.A., my answer has been direct and simple: Who is to blame for the riots? The rioters are to blame. Who is to blame for the killings? The killers are to blame.” Actually this makes sense. While a lot of people look for underlying causes, he’s reminding us that people are also responsible for their own actions. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-clarification-about-al-gore/406458/13 "2007-06-03T03:29:18Z")
[QUOTE=hajario] As anyone who has lived in San Diego will attest, the area is inundated with tourists from Arizona all summer long. They go there to escape the heat. I believe that the entire quote was “I love California, I practically grew up in Phoenix _and we visited there often_” but even if it wasn’t this quote really isn’t loony. [/QUOTE] Not totally loony, but there’s a definite disconnect that will make the listener have a little “Wait… what?” moment – assuming the listener knows that Phoenix is not in California. And I’m sure there are plenty of Americans who have no idea where Phoenix is. Sadly enough… > [@Little Nemo](#): > > Actually this makes sense. I agree. I wouldn’t count that quote as a malapropism at all. That’s the whole point – it’s not society’s fault, it’s not the Rodney King / LAPD trial’s fault, it’s the fault of the people engaging in the crimes (the rioting, looting, killing, etc). That quote is perfectly fine – it’s a totally succinct expression of his view on the riots. Bondage between a mother and child is an amusing one, though.