As Hurricane Ike bears down on the Galveston, Texas area, President Gore responded to reporter's questions, blaming the anticipated damage on Republicans, which was also obviously an appeal to female voters .  Gore stated, "I don't believe it's an accident that hurricane Ike is a male hurricane, and I certainly don't believe it's a coincidence that it's named after a Republican President.  The Eisenhower administration was very damaging to many Americans, you could say that many American's hopes and dreams drowned during those 8 years.  I find it somewhat ironic that Hurricane Ike is headed toward Texas, which is a Republican stronghold.  Hopefully even Texan Republican voters will now see how damaging a Republican administration can be".  When a Fox News reporter noted that Hurricane Katrina was a female hurricane that struck a largely Democratic city, Gore responded that "The damage to New Orleans was not actually caused by Hurricane Katrina, but rather the flooding that resulted from the breached levees.  You Republican political pundits need to forget the Republican talking points and address the issues at hand"