"We have available to us the new tools and opportunities that can, if we use them correctly and with passion and commitment, bring us a solution to what ails American democracy," he said.
Audience members began arriving several hours before the 7 p.m. start time in hopes of snagging a prime seat. Bob Ruhl, who attended the event with his daughter Zoe, said he began waiting in line at 4:30 p.m. and was rewarded with a seat in the first row. Ruhl later said that being able to see the event was "worth 20 times the wait."
"I think that Gore has an important message that needs to be heard," Ruhl said.
Not everyone at the event was a fan of the former vice president. Before the speech started, several members of Freedomworks.org protested Gore's endorsement of regulatory policies, as well as his own energy use. Freedomworks.org is a group that protests for smaller government, according to its Web site.
"We're trying to highlight his hypocrisy in the size of his own carbon footprint, as opposed to other Americans," said Brendan Steinhauser, one of the protestors.
Later, during the question and answer session, a follower of Lyndon LaRouche, a frequent but outsider candidate for the presidency, began yelling accusations at Gore before he was escorted away by security. Carla Cohen, the founder of Politics and Prose, took a minute to respond to the protester.
"I think that when you yell something like that, it's really an assault on reason," Cohen said.
Audience members began arriving several hours before the 7 p.m. start time in hopes of snagging a prime seat. Bob Ruhl, who attended the event with his daughter Zoe, said he began waiting in line at 4:30 p.m. and was rewarded with a seat in the first row. Ruhl later said that being able to see the event was "worth 20 times the wait."
"I think that Gore has an important message that needs to be heard," Ruhl said.
Not everyone at the event was a fan of the former vice president. Before the speech started, several members of Freedomworks.org protested Gore's endorsement of regulatory policies, as well as his own energy use. Freedomworks.org is a group that protests for smaller government, according to its Web site.
"We're trying to highlight his hypocrisy in the size of his own carbon footprint, as opposed to other Americans," said Brendan Steinhauser, one of the protestors.
Later, during the question and answer session, a follower of Lyndon LaRouche, a frequent but outsider candidate for the presidency, began yelling accusations at Gore before he was escorted away by security. Carla Cohen, the founder of Politics and Prose, took a minute to respond to the protester.
"I think that when you yell something like that, it's really an assault on reason," Cohen said.
