Since announcing his divorce and getting caught up in an alleged “sex-crazed poodle” scandal, former Vice President Al Gore has largely stayed out of the spotlight. The Oscar winner recently, however, came out from hiding to send a fundraising e-mail for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).

To potential Democratic voters, Gore wrote, “After eight years of the Bush-Cheney administration, America is now beset with major challenges: A massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, an economic downturn that has put good people out of work, and a crisis that I have dedicated my life to solving — global warming.”

Gore went on to implore donors to give just 5 or 10 dollars as an “investment” in America’s future.

“House Republicans are actually campaigning on the promise to bring back the same failed policies and put in place some of the very same leaders that created this mess in the first place,” Gore wrote. “And they are deadly serious.”

Surprisingly though, the DCCC also appears to be “deadly serious” about using Gore, whose credibility has recently been called into question, to raise money for Democratic candidates.

In November 2009, e-mails were leaked from the Climate Research Institute (CRU) that revealed scientists had manipulated data to get it to fit the climate change narrative. That certainly did not make Gore, who has made global warming his life’s cause,  look very good.

Now, the former vice president is facing accusations that he sexually assaulted a masseuse in a hotel room in Portland, Oregon. Though the allegations were brought to Portland authorities at the time of the incident, an investigation was never pursued because of insufficient evidence. Now, the case has been reopened.

The therapist who alleges the assault called Gore a “pervert and sexual predator” as well as a “crazed sex poodle.”
These are hardly the types of characterizations that one would imagine the DCCC would be looking for in public figures they utilize to help raise funds.

So why is the DCCC using a man whose once shiny reputation is now circling the drain? While it is true that in the past Gore has been the King Midas of Democratic fundraising,  it remains to be seen whether that talent will stand the test of two major scandals. If it doesn’t, the DCCC may want to look into investing in a different fundraising strategy. After all, “America’s future depends, more than you may realize, on the outcome of this midterm election.”

The DCCC has not yet returned requests by TheDC for comment.