The result was Keep I've been reviewing the entire discussion and previous discussions for a while. I know that any close on this article is going to be contentious, so let me try to explain my rationale and read of the debate. First, the raw count of keeps vs deletes is (approximately) 44 to 39 (I may have miscounted) but for all practical purposes, it was a split decision. Second, the trend at the end was to keep (roughly 17 of the last 20 !votes were to keep.) Thus, I could have easily have closed this as "No Consensus" and been safe in doing so, but that is the easy way out and these discussions are not based upon raw counts. It is the strength of arguement. So I read this thing very thoroughly. Plus, if I closed this as "No consensus", then round 6 would be right around the corner. So I read this dilligently and it took me almost 2 hours as I looked up every link (many of which I saw repeatedly.)
First, BLP does not apply as this is not an attack on Gore. As Adb points out, this isn't an attack on Gore, but At the most, this page describes an attack on Al Gore, and it's a notable "attack." American History is littered with terms and ideas that mock famous individuals, particularly politicians. JohnBarber below lists just a few of the concepts/ideas that have been written in the past about famous politicians. This is NOT wp:otherstuffexists, but rather a demonstration that it is part of the American landscape to have these controversial ieas/concepts. Are they complimentary to the person being described? No. But that isn't the question, the question is are they well documented and in widespread use? The concept of The Gore Effect has been shown to be documented by reliable sources and in widescale usage.[1][2][3][4][5][6] And opinion pieces in major magazines/newspapers [7]
Most of the people who are !voting to delete are doing so from the perspective that they don't like it or don't think it is "encyclopedic." That it is a Neologism. But being a Neologism isn't necessarily enough to delete---heck we even have a Category:Political neologisms. The question is, is the term in widespread use? Used by a variety of people? And docuemented? THe answer to those questions is yes. Whether we agree or disagree with the concept, it is a term used by opponents of global warming and as pointed out below by weathermen. What is enclyclopedic? Saying something isn't encyclopedic, is just another way to say, "I don't like it." An encyclopedia can contain anything and everything.
But the argument by user:Technopat was probably the most compelling: Well–sourced article referring to a term in mainstream use, regardless of whether it is pro–or anti–Gore. Wikipedia is where I would turn to if I came across some such a term in the editorial of a mainstream newspaper and I would be dismayed if there were no mention of it here. As with any potentially polemical article here, may require more vigilance by the Community, but that’s pretty much par for the course. I have to agree, this would probably be my first place to come.
I also found user:Metropolitan90 argument to summarize the reasons to keep it, The article has numerous sources indicating that the "Gore Effect" is a notable satirical idea or joke used to portray Gore and other believers in global warming. The article does not portray the Gore Effect as being an actual hypothesis about the relationship between Al Gore speeches and the local weather. Those who think it is a stupid idea or joke should add additional sources, such as this Salon article, which portray the proponents of the Gore Effect negatively, rather than seeking deletion.
Wether we like it or not, this is a term that has entered into the lexicon and people will be interested in it. Deleting it, thus is not the best option, the best option is to ensure that we have moderately well written neutral article about the term and it's usage.---Balloonman NO! I'm Spartacus! 08:10, 16 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]