Bored By Gore
After all the screeching, after all the media hype, after all the posturing by everyone involved in the Live Earth goregasm, the vast majority of Americans not only did not watch the events, most think Al Gore is no expert. So says Rasmussen Reports.
The Live Earth concert promoted by former Vice President Al Gore received plenty of media coverage and hype, but most Americans tuned out. Just 22% said they followed news stories about the concert Somewhat or Very Closely. Seventy-five percent (75%) did not follow coverage of the event.
By way of comparison, eight-in-ten voters routinely said they were following news coverage of the recent Senate debate over immigration. Fifty-four percent (54%) said they followed news coverage of the President’s decision to commute Scooter Libby’s sentence.
Skepticism about the participants may have been a factor in creating this low level of interest. Most Americans (52%) believe the performers take part in such events because it is good for their image. Only 24% say the celebrities really believe in the cause while another 24% are not sure. One rock star who apparently shared that view is Matt Bellamy of the band Muse. Earlier in the week, he jokingly referred to Live Earth as "private jets for climate change."
Only 34% believe that events like Live Earth actually help the cause they are intended to serve. Forty-one percent (41%) disagree. Those figures include 10% who believe the events are Very Helpful and 20% who say they are Not at All Helfpul. Adding to the skepticism, an earlier survey found that just 24% of Americans consider Al Gore an expert on Global Warming.
Too funny. Jammie Wearing Fool has the scoop on the poor turnout in Johannesburg: Too cold. Climate change screech the true believers. Gee, but isn't that in the wrong direction? Over at Heading Right, it is considered the political end of Al Gore – the issue is not going to carry Americans to draft or vote for him.
Politically, though, this tends to refute certain assumptions about the viability of this issue in the US. Many thought that climate change would create momentum for a Draft Gore movement in the Democratic primaries. Although the topic gets plenty of play in the left-leaning punditocracy and blogosphere, it looks as though the resonance ends there. Rasmussen notes that even among self-described liberals, global warming only gets 16% support as the top issue facing Americans, and 12% of the overall electorate.
I said – a long time ago – that Gore would end up hurting the cause of the true believers.
Environment, Left Wing | Gaius July 9, 2007
