Al Gore
I only found out the day before that Al Gore was coming to town for a GOTV rally for Early Voting here in Vegas (Bill is also here, and he had lunch with my boss Libby and Dave on Friday. . . damn them!). I left work 1 1/2 hours earlier to drive across town to see him, I was ecstatic. I have been a fan of Gore since 2000, when I was the only one in high school publically supporting him by covering my bagpack with his buttons and stickers. My loyal passion for him only increased and validated after his movie the Inconvenient Truth, even though it was redundant for me and preaching to the choir.
My zealous enthusiasm was dampened first by the location the Party chose to host the rally - in the back of a community center in the shadiest part of town, intermingling with middle school football and baseball practices. Then I saw the crowd. . . I had bigger ART HISTORY classes than this. What the fuck! This was a rally not only with Al Gore, but almost ALL of the Democratic candidates at Clark County. It is so pathetic.
I met up with one of my high school friend Lawrence again, and that was nice. He is working as a staff reporter for the Las Vegas Review Journal now. It is strange to see a mature version of people you know in high school, shed and freed from their youthful follies and vestige
Because of the turnout, we got to rush up to the podium and cheer the candidates. It was so 2003 CA Dem Convention at Sacramento during the Dean speech all over again, except none of these speakers, including Gore, could compare to Dean in terms of delivery.
I don’t quite remember most of what Gore said since I was still very much in a dream-like state and busy snapping away photos. Looking at these photos afterward, I see a melancholy, tired, and retired politician who has seen it all, done it all. Like a wise old sage he quietly contemplates, pauses between his speech to ponder. He doesn’t allow his passionate anger and fire consume him or his speech. Instead, rationality guides his thoughts.
The evening would’ve been perfect if I have gotten a picture with Gore. Alas, that was not to be, since he had to run off like the celebrity he is. He got pictures with Dina Titus and Jack Carter instead.
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