A Trip Down Memory Lane: Campaign 2000 and Al Gore’s Earth Tones

Dartmouth College

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Just to get this straight up front, I’ve told Bob Somerby that I think he obsesses too much about the Al Gore campaign in 2000. So he knows how I feel. And in fairness, he does it way less than he used to.

But I admit that sometimes it’s useful to remind everyone of what things were like back then. Today Somerby does that, and it’s worth reading. It’s especially worth reading if you’re under, say, age 30 and don’t have any personal memories of that era. You can read it by clicking here.Âą

I’m not even sure what lesson to draw from this. That the national political press is actually better today than it used to be? That it’s been unhinged for a long time? That stuff like this is why Donald Trump became president 16 years later? Decide for yourself.

ÂąAnd this is just a tiny smidgen of the whole story. There’s nothing in this particular post about Love Canal or inventing the internet or Love Story or any of that. But you can always google for more if you want.

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A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

With just 4 days left, we need a huge surge in reader support to get to our $400,000 year-end goal. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters. All gifts are 3X matched and tax-deductible.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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