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G.W. Bush vs. Gore 2000

The first election of the new millennium, proved to be one of the most memorable Presidential elections for all of the wrong reasons. The election would see Democrat and former Vice-President Al Gore facing off against Texas Governor, and the son of former President George H.W. Bush, republican George W. Bush. Coming into the election, there were not any major polarizing issues that were effecting the American people. This forced both candidates to campaign on issues like tax rates, and the federal budget. What would make this election so memorable, would be the counting of votes in the state of Florida. After all of the votes were tallied, the margin of the votes in Florida, triggered a recount of all of the state’s votes. With the election being so close, the electoral votes in Florida would decide the outcome of the election. The legal battle that would ensue, would make its way all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where Bush would be declared the victor. 

When it comes to the mocking of Presidents, outside of current President Donald Trump, there has perhaps not been an easier President to mock than George W Bush. Being from Texas, Bush was often portrayed as a stupid cowboy as a result of his numerous linguistic gaffes, and the general sense of aloofness that he gives off. However, Bush was still often portrayed as the everyman even though his life was far different than the lives of average Americans. What these gaffs would provide though, was a relentless assault by comedians on Bush and his perceived lack of intelligence.

Of course, there is perhaps no show that embraces the mocking of presidential candidates more than SNL. What would become known as “Bushisms” became common points of attack for comedians, most notably Will Ferrell, who’s portrayals of Bush on Saturday Night Live are unforgettable when it comes to American popular culture. It would be such “Bushisms” used during his campaign like “Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream.” that would vault Bush into pop culture conversations for the duration of his presidency and beyond. The 2000 election would also mark a shift in how the Republican National Convention would be carried out, as Dwayne Johnson, better known as The Rock, would speak at the convention, which has become a theme in elections ever sense, thus blurring the lines between popular culture, and presidential elections.

Since the election of 2000, Al Gore has carved himself out a nice spot in American pop culture. With his strong advocacy for saving the environment, Gore has made appearances in numerous forums, like film, and television. However, much of Gore’s platform in 2000 was dedicated to denouncing where popular culture was headed in America. Gore was fed up with the violence and sexual innuendos that were becoming more and more common in television and film, so in some ways, Gore was anti pop culture.

However, this disdain for where popular culture was headed in America, did not stop Gore from making an impact on it. In a move that was unprecedented at the time, Gore would actually voice a character in an animated series. A May 2000 episode of the show Futurama featured an animated version of Gore with Gore voicing the character himself. Gore would also have a quote of his misinterpreted that would lead to a hilarious moment in pop culture history. In an interview with Wolf Blitzer, Gore was discussing why Democrats should select him instead of Bill Bradley for the party’s presidential nomination, and he said, “I took the initiative in creating the Internet”. While Gore was not actually saying, he invented the internet, the wording did not do him any favors leading many to many dubbing him the “Father of the Internet”.

"Al Gore." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 05 May 2017. <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0330722/>.
 
Kessler, Glenn. "A Cautionary Tale for Politicians: Al Gore and the ‘invention’ of the Internet." The Washington Post. WP Company, 04 Nov. 2013. Web. 05 May 2017.
 
Lyman, Rick. "Hollywood Insiders Give Thumbs-Down to Critics." The New York Times. N.p., 17 Sept. 2000. Web. 05 May 2017.
 
Marks, Peter. "Pop Culture Extravaganza to Replace Ideological Conventions of Years Past." The New York Times. N.p., 30 July 2000. Web. 05 May 2017.
 
"Watch First Presidential Debate: Al Gore and George W. Bush from Saturday Night Live on NBC.com." NBC. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2017. <http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/cold-opening-gore--bush-first-debate/n11360?snl=1>.
 
Weisberg, Jacob. "The Top 25 Bushisms of All Time." Slate Magazine. N.p., 12 Jan. 2009. Web. 05 May 2017.