Nobody other than Al Gore could know how it felt to be cheated out of the presidency after winning in the popular vote category and in the Electoral College as well once that Republican Party vote theft in Florida was fully investigated.

A man who was prepared to serve and had been rightfully elected to occupy the presidency instead moved into private life.  This occurred after he had valiantly overcome an effort by powerful elements of the mainstream media to depict him as a "serial exaggerator" and, inferentially, some kind of policy geek with a penchant for environmental extremism.

The tragic irony emerging from the bitterly divisive 2000 election fight was the misrepresentation of both presidential candidates.  George W. Bush was depicted as a "regular guy", the kind of person to whom Americans could relate.  

Bush's promise to be a chief executive above party affiliation and dedicated to ending party division by changing the tone of government was never seriously challenged by the mainstream media.  There was no challenge despite the use of scurrilous lies to defeat fellow Republican John McCain in the South Carolina primary.  

The diary below was originally posted in my blog the Intrepid Liberal Journal

Saturday night I saw Emilio Estevez's movie "Bobby" at the Brooklyn Heights Cinema. The movie timed with Robert Kennedy's 81st birthday on November 20th has focused attention on his life, values and the times he lived. Also one can't help but compare the turbulence RFK tried to heal with our lives today.

The movie itself is effective because the focus is not on Kennedy specifically. Instead it captures the sensibilities of numerous intersecting characters at the Ambassador Hotel that fateful day. Hence the movie provides viewers with a snapshot of our country at that time and closes with a sentimental montage of RFK footage. I was teary eyed along with the other patrons.

The diary below was originally posted earlier today in my blog, the Intrepid Liberal Journal.

Is capitalism salvageable? Can it be a vehicle for improving the human condition? Is it possible for free markets to preserve our environment and adapt to the realities of global warming? Or is capitalism an instrument of profit for a few and nothing more? Can government regulation effectively balance the public interest with corporate power? Peter Barnes, the author of Capitalism 3.0: A Guide To Reclaiming the Commons (Berrett-Kohler Publications, Inc.) has pondered such questions for three decades. CLICK HERE to download his book for free in PDF format.