Dear friends,
When I ask my friends and neighbors here in Rhea County, Tennessee
whether they plan to support Al Gore, they invariably look at their
feet, clear their throats and mumble a reply. Sometimes they say, “No, I
don’t think so.” Other times, with great discomfort, they say, “Yeah,
probably.” Regardless of the response, I was bewildered at the sense of
embarrassment that the mention of Al Gore’s name brings. You see, Al
Gore represented our district in the House of Representatives since the
tender age of 28. He was one of Tennessee’s senators for 8 years until
becoming vice president. It is hard to find people who haven’t voted for
him at one time or another. Why are locals now so embarrassed when this
man, whom they supported for so long, makes it big on the political
scene? You think they’d be as proud as punch. Here in east Tennessee
being honest, honorable and true to your word is vastly more important
than how much money you make or how powerful you are. People here know,
better than anyone else in America, that Al Gore has reversed most of
his fundamental convictions. When confronted, he has blatantly lied. He
is not viewed as the “local-boy-made-good.” Instead, most folks, even
his supporters, harbor the uneasy suspicion that Al Gore has sold his
honor and his good word for political power. This week’s editorial from
our local newspaper, The Herald News, explains it all. I hope you will
spread this as far and as wide as you possibly can, and ask your friends
to do so as well.
* Jeff Myers