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Former Vice President Al Gore slammed the Bush administration and talked about solutions to what he considers a democracy in shambles in front of nearly 1,500 enthusiastic supporters at Lisner Auditorium Tuesday night.
In a speech that referenced historical figures such as Johnannes Gutenberg, Gore discussed the deterioration of public discourse and open democracy in recent years. The topic, which is the premise of his new book "The Assault on Reason," has created "a crack in the foundation of democracy," he said.
Gore, whose event was hosted by local bookstore Politics and Prose, centered his speech on the birth of the form of government and the importance of reasoned debate within our society.
"Democracy could succeed because when people met in a public forum under terms that pushed them to exchange ideas, that within this mix of human motivations, the relative prominence of reason would begin to rise in importance," he said. "The whole design and fabric of the American constitution is based on that premise."
Gore also criticized the Bush administration, attacking it for its record on a number of issues, including the Iraq War, global warming and domestic wiretapping.
"I am certain that I am not the only one here who has had the feeling that for the past several years something has gone horribly wrong with the way American democracy operates," Gore said to thunderous applause.
The Tennessee native also criticized the media for accepting the Bush administration's case for the Iraq War, claiming that an accurate and accountable media is necessary for a stable democracy.
"Both Adam Smith's version of capitalism and Thomas Jefferson's version of democracy depended upon a virtual forum in which individuals could participate primarily by the means of the printed word," he said.
Despite Gore's fears over the many issues facing America today, he maintained that both he and his book are ultimately optimistic because of the will of the American people and the belief in a free society.
