Al Gore: Rock Star Treatment

TMZ.com is reporting that Al Gore picked up a pretty penny at a recent U.C. San Diego speaking engagment, by my calculations it came out to over $1,300 per minute. Not too bad.

What did the Big Greenie require during his stay? Only first-class air travel for himself and one companion; $1,000 per day for incidental expenses; security guards; and an environmentally-conscious vehicle for all road travel. The prima donna vice president also demanded that there be no press, video or audio taping of his appearance, and that he have full approval over all banners, logos, and communications materials for the event.

Impressive, thesmokinggun.com has a copy of the agreement between the U.C. and Gore. While Gore would prefer a hybrid it, apparently, isn’t a deal killer.

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Steve Verdon
About Steve Verdon
Steve has a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles and attended graduate school at The George Washington University, leaving school shortly before staring work on his dissertation when his first child was born. He works in the energy industry and prior to that worked at the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Division of Price Index and Number Research. He joined the staff at OTB in November 2004.

Comments

  1. spencer says:

    Boy, Gore sure knows how to exploit the free market capitalist system. And his opponents call him an anti-capitalist. That charge does not seem to be very accurate.

  2. markm says:

    “environmentally-conscious vehicle for all road travel”

    Yeah, cause the amount of crap he just spewed into the air from the flight will be offset with a car ride. Hypocrites the entire bunch. Go find a new cause.

  3. G.A.Phillips says:

    I would have found him a nice used GEO metro. And no press, dang, but I guess if your getting paid that much you don’t really need an audience.

  4. Andy says:

    Oh my god! A speaking engagement!!

    He’ll surely burn in hell for these sins.

  5. LDP says:

    How disgusting of biased reporting do you all take part in?

    Now, how much do others get for their speaking engagements, that you purposefully left out? And how dare you call the Vice President a “Prima Donna.”

    I’m happy I know you all are as usefull as other gossip rags.

    I guess because Mr. Gore is willing to speak, the topic must not be true. Oh, you all are embarrasing.

    This coming from no doubt the Republicans who don’t volunteer or do a single thing with out charging. They’re just upset no one wants to hear them talk because they have nothing of value to say, but to claim global warming is a hoax, more war, use tax dollars for all our corporate interests and oh yeah, YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS SO SHOUT UP!

    Time for a COOL change,
    Gore
    2008

  6. markm says:

    “Time for a COOL change,
    Gore
    2008”

    …i think i just threw up in my mouth a little bit…

  7. Steve Verdon says:

    1. I’m not a Republican.
    2. I didn’t leave anybody out since there were no other stories about speaking engagements.
    3. markm, perfect reply.

  8. LaurenceB says:

    I can hardly wait for future updates!

    Will the prima donna vice president be discovered using the free market system to make even more money? (The gall of it!) Or will the prima donna vice president perhaps use a car or fly in an airplane? (gasp!) Or (more likely) will TMZ.com be relegated once again to faux outrage over some innocuous event just to be able to use the sixth-grade smear “prima donna vice president”?

    My humble suggestion:

    TMZ.com: The prima donna vice president exhales toxic gases!

  9. Bandit says:

    an environmentally-conscious vehicle for all road travel.

    At least where anyone might see him. What a phony POS. Well I guess we already knew that.

  10. Steve Verdon says:

    Funny, I thought that if you made a living saying things like this, then they are less credible. Thank goodness this practice has stopped!

  11. G.A.Phillips says:

    you guys are all spelling prima donka wrong!

  12. Grewgills says:

    Why is it news that Gore was well paid for a speaking engagement? Was his contract out of line with similarly high profile speakers?

    Funny, I thought that if you made a living saying things like this, then they are less credible.

    If that is really your opinion why don’t you apply it universally? I await your next column about why a Republican is a hypocrite for accepting money for speaking on a topic of concern to him.

  13. Steve Verdon says:

    Grewgills,

    Boy is somebody a little bit sensitive today.

    By the way, I find this tactic–i.e. they get paid to say that–to be a common tactic by those on the pro-global warming side. Funny how when the shoe is on the other foot, it is much, much less important. That was my point, in a somewhat sarcastic manner.

  14. Grewgills says:

    By the way, I find this tactic–i.e. they get paid to say that–to be a common tactic by those on the pro-global warming side. Funny how when the shoe is on the other foot, it is much, much less important. That was my point, in a somewhat sarcastic manner.

    If virtually all of the experts on one side of an issue (say cigarettes do not cause cancer) are in the pay of a group that benefits from their being on that side (say cigarette companies) then there is reason to question their findings, particularly if they are unable to be published in any peer reviewed journals.

    That a speaker is paid well for speaking on any topic should not cast serious doubt on what he/she says on that topic. If Michael Crichton is well paid to speak about his belief that global climate change is overblown as a threat that does not take away from his credibility.

    In any of the above cases the arguments should be taken on the merits.

    I welcome a substantive debate on the reality of anthropogenically caused global climate change and its potential dangers. The massive preponderance of evidence is against your apparent position.