“I am Al Gore, and I used to be the next president of the United States.”

Al Gore, former vice president and current university professor, spoke at a rally for Democratic congressional candidate John Norris in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union on Tuesday.

Gore described himself as a regular citizen who drives his own car, takes off his shoes before flying and eats at Shoney’s.

He currently teaches at Fisk University and Middle Tennessee State.

“I’m a visiting prof — VP for short,” he said. “It’s a way of hanging on.”

Gore then moved from humor to a plea for change in Congress. He emphasized the importance of midterm elections.

Both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are split between Republicans and Democrats, and Iowa has a chance to sway the balance by electing Norris, he said.

The environment, education and health care costs are areas where a Democrat can make a difference, Gore said.

“President Bush says he wants to go to all lengths to protect against any danger facing the U.S.,” he said. “Well, we have a problem called global warming.”

Gore ended his appeal for Norris with a tongue-in-cheek rendition of election morning, when constituents can either “wake up with a terrible headache to the sound of rain and sleet on the roof, and a newspaper soaked through saying that Republicans swept the elections,” or “a shaft of sunlight, the smell of fresh-brewed coffee wafting through the kitchen … and John Norris is elected.”

Before Gore took the stage, Norris challenged the crowd to buck the trend of youth apathy and vote with the same numbers that people over the age of 50 do.

He said Iowa’s greatest asset is “our sense of community.”

“That sense of community encompasses everything,” Norris said. “We need to make sure our air, our water, our earth is here for future generations — a need our Congress is ignoring.”

He also addressed the need for access to quality education, reduced dependence on foreign oil and increased help for struggling farmers.

Molly Scherrman, president of the ISU Democrats, said the rally gave students a better idea about Norris’ platform.

“When a politician speaks, it’s the best way to get to know them,” she said.

“You get a feel for what they’re going to be like [if elected].”

Valerie Goodman, junior in English, attended the rally as well.

“[Gore] has a good sense of humor and was a great speaker,” she said. “He took the situation of the 2000 elections and turned it around. If people felt like their vote didn’t count in that election, it will in this election.”

Several members of Iowa Rep. Tom Latham’s campaign team were there to scope out the competition and cheer at the mention of Republicans.

“We wanted to see what the opposition had to say,” said Jason Masteller, freshman in exercise and sports science.