I love America because only in AMERICA (well and in England too I suppose) would there be two competing and compelling reasons offered as to why Al and Tipper Gore were getting a divorce.
Maybe because Al Gore won the Nobel prize and has confronted his opponents and enemies with uncharacteristic grace over the past decade and, of course because he is a liberal, progressive voice of great authority, he deserves not one, but two nasty rumors as to why his marriage is ending.
One rumor says he had an affair with the ex-wife of Larry David (Seinfeld producer and star of his own HBO series), Laurie David, also an environmental activist of great renown. She has rejected that allegation in rather “shrill” terms:
“The rumor is completely and totally untrue. I adore Al and Tipper and consider them part of my family. I’m in a committed relationship and couldn’t be happier.”
Other tabloid reports include denials by both Mr. Gore and Ms. David, with one source claiming the two had not seen each other for two years. Of course, that hasn’t stopped supposedly legitimate news organizations like The Kansas City Star from spreading the news.
But let’s face it, a heterosexual affair rumor between two people who just happen to share the same commitment isn’t nearly as much fun to write about these days, not with Republican political figures being accused of them on a weekly basis.
Which leads me to rumor Number two, a rumor that I imagine is being pushed in order to be “fair and balanced” to the LGBT community (and to Republicans and Christian fundamentalists preachers as well): i.e., that Tipper dumped Al after he had an affair with a Gay man:
According to the Globe, Al Gore, 62 and his wife Tipper Gore, 61 divorced after 40 years of marriage because he was “caught up in a nasty gay affair”. Supposedly, it was that scandal which led to the ending of their marriage. If that was true, I would be devastated.
Ah, The Globe. Bastion of truth and reliability. So which rumor do you think the right wing blogs are screaming from the rooftops the loudest?
Rightwingpundits.com seems to be going the straight route (sorry no links, look them up yourself if you like) claiming that there have been “many rumors of affairs concerning Al Gore” though they also mention the Globe story in suitably right wingnut fashion: ” “The Globe” magazine goes even further, claiming Al Gore ’switched teams’.”
The Jawa Report (yes, that’s really its name) goes further, saying Laurie David was divorced by Larry because she was “bumping uglies” with the “caretaker of the Davids’ summer home” before switching to Mr. Gore.
Instapundit (Glenn “the Greatest Law Professor in his own mind” Reynolds) as always, stays classy by agreeing with this quote from someone with a Facebook page: “Please don’t let there be a sex tape, please don’t let there be a sex tape. . . .”
Well you get the picture. Sorry Gay Nation. Apparently, Laurie David’s celebrity power overcomes the inherent homophobia of conservatives.
Of course that there as been no evidence whatsoever to support these allegations won’t stop them. Because that’s the way we roll in American politics and in America’s increasingly shameless and increasingly “bread and circuses” media these days.
Meanwhile Republicans defend BP like the company was the corporate embodiment of Gandhi and Mother Theresa rolled into one. We have Republicans who demand “tough love” for the unemployed in the worst job market in my lifetime, and claim that we may need to use our 2nd amendment rights to overcome the “tyranny” of a duly elected President, and no one bats an eye.
We are a nation that has lost its way. If I have grandchildren I’m not sure what I will tell them about these times. They are too surreal, too absurd, too bizarre to describe. We need a master story teller like this great director to out things into perspective: