Gore urges Democrats to remain united during party’s annual fundraiser at Rio

Former Vice President Al Gore made a pitch for policy and political procedure Saturday night, saying the sometimes inside-baseball worlds of policy and law are paths to social justice.

As an example, he pointed to the weak regulatory structures that he said contributed to the current economic downturn.

"We came this close to having another Great Depression," Gore said. "We are still struggling with the aftermath of those policies."

He urged Democrats to stay united in the current political climate and made a veiled reference to the Tea Party movement and its presence in Nevada on Saturday.

"Our system is not supposed to operate this way," he said. "Big money talks louder than it should. Now we hear these voices of divisiveness and hatred ... just railing against everything with no sensible kind of policy prescription.

"We have a set of beliefs about what is right and good for Nevada and for this country," he said. "It's not good enough to go with this old 'survival of the fittest.' Anger is not a platform. We need ideas that work to improve the lives of real people."

Gore spoke to a boisterous crowd of Nevada Democrats gathered at the Rio for the annual Clark County Democratic Party Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, a fundraiser and networking event.

People were especially enthusiastic about the recently passed health care overhaul bill and bestowed several ovations on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Congresswomen Dina Titus and Shelley Berkley, all D-Nev.

Reid spoke earlier Saturday at the dedication of the Clark County Shooting Park, off North Decatur Road.

Gubernatorial candidate Rory Reid was greeted at the dinner by chants of "Rory! Rory!" and told attendees that he would not compromise on public education by allowing cuts.

"We're losing ground every day," he said. "Make no mistake. We will never have a first-rate economy until we have first-rate schools."

Rory Reid and others took jabs at Sarah Palin and the Tea Party gathering.

"If I was going to have a party on a Saturday afternoon, I would not invite Sarah Palin," he said. "Would you?"

When the crowd said, "No!" he said, "So far we agree on everything."

Berkley took issue with Palin's statement that she was speaking for "true" Americans.

"I'm a red-blooded, true-blue, patriotic, loyal American -- you betcha! -- and she's not talking for me," Berkley said.

She also recounted her response to a person she said told her she was going to "burn in hell" for her health care vote.

"I would gladly burn in hell if I knew doing so would give one of my fellow Americans access to affordable health care in this country," Berkley said.

Contact Review-Journal reporter Alan Choate at achoate@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.