From his time as Vice President, to his run against George W. Bush during the 2000 presidential election, Al Gore has always been looked at as the underdog and a common man’s hero. So how the hell did he amass such a fortune?
When he was running for President, Gore wasn’t even a multi-millionaire. According to Bloomberg, he has since garnered a net worth that “may exceed $200 million.”
Gore is said to have netted about $70 million in Current TV’s sale to Al Jazeera in January, which is slightly less than the $100 million earning that was initially reported from the controversial deal.
Also in January, Gore exercised options on 59,000 shares of Apple Stock because of his service as a board member since 2003. Receiving them at $7.48 per share, he was able to make approximately $30 million on the deal.
Now, Gore’s wealth is comparable to that of Mitt Romney, whose net worth and snobbish attitude were a turnoff to many voters during the 2012 Presidential election.
So what separates former Vice President Gore from the other mega-millionaires in Washington?
For one, Gore’s track record as VP speaks for itself. Serving as a part of one of the most beloved Presidential terms of all-time, Gore and President Clinton united a normally divided country.
Beyond that, his work after losing the controversial 2000 Presidetnial election on raising global warming awareness earned Gore the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.
Gore’s success and accumulated wealth are results of his hard work, luck and timing; and not from anything malicious.
Despite this, Gore says democracy has been “hacked” by the influence of money in politics.
“That is what has been happening to American democracy,” Gore said. “They have not been able to regulate these phony baloney financial derivatives that caused the financial crisis. They voted to invade Iraq even though Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Unfortunately there are a lot of examples. They can’t pass a budget. I can’t keep the country from facing financial danger and the main reason is simple, the influence of the money is at un-healthy levels.”
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