Honestly - Is It Too Late For Al Gore

[ThomWV]

I keep it in the back of my mind that Nixon tried and tried again until he was successful.

I am convinced that Al Gore is our party's best hope in the next election, in fact its more than that. Not only is he our best hope he is also the most qualified person eligible to run and most likely to bring this country back to the greatness we enjoyed a scant few years ago.

It hangs heavy on my mind though that he seems to be overlooked by the public and may have been out of the limelight for a bit too long. Even with the heart-lifting speeches he has made in conjunction with Move On there simply hasn't been much mention of him.

What do you think his chances of rising again are?

[justinsb]

1. Chances of Rising now less than Nixon's n/t

[tridim]

2. I still love Gore/Dean

Or Dean/Gore.. It'd be so nice to have two REAL Democrats in office.

[davidinalameda]

3. nil to zilch

he shot himself in the foot by distancing himself from Clinton and picking Lieberman as his VP candidate

[leyton]

22. Well, Nixon had it worse.

Gore distanced himself from Clinton, but Eisenhower distanced himself from Nixon, which may have cost the latter the election. I'd say being shunned is worse than doing the shunning.

[Larkspur]

27. Clinton's sex scandal was a big negative for Gore

While people didn't blame Gore for Clinton's sexcapdes, the Media environment it created made people want a regime change.

Gore did have his pollsters determine if Clinton campaigning with him would help or hurt him and it would definitely kill his campaign with "Swing voters" and independents who were turned off by Clinton's sex scandal. Clinton eventually did campaign for Gore but was sent to rally the African American community, who loved Bill.

[Emendator]

4. Zero

[CTD]

5. Teresa Heinz has better odds of becoming president

Gore is done. He's crossed over into caricature. Once that happens, it's over.

Both HRC and Howard Dean have crossed this line as well, although neither of them seems to realize it.

[NYCGirl]

17. And Bush and Cheney

aren't caricatures?

[bowens43]

6. It's too late for any of the 2000 or 2004 contenders.

We need new blood.

[LonelyLRLiberal]

7. I hope it is not too late for Gore

Seems everyone's attention is on Hillary, and I think she would be a good president (if she had a Dem Congress), I don't think she could be elected unless there are huge changes in attitudes.

Gore is qualified, for sure. Maybe things will get bad enough (shudder) that even Repukes will start wishing they had never heard of Shrub. Don't look for it, though. Too bad.

[election_2004]

33. Do you really think they'd let Hillary have a Dem congress....???

Putting Hillary at the top of the ticket would cause massive downticket losses in red states, "swing/battleground states," and rural areas - - even if she was elected president, her presidential administration would be accompanied by a hostile GOP-dominated Congress.

my message to the DLC and Hillary's other cheerleaders:

Want to lose more U.S. Senate and U.S. House seats in 2008? - - by all means, make Hillary Clinton the new national face of the Democratic Party...and watch your "50-state strategy" spiral down the drain.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

8. Was hosting SNL more damaging than

saying 'sock it to me' on Laugh-in?
I'm thinking 'yes.' Too bad, too. I have high regard for the guy.
Maybe President Clark can use him in something high profile.

[jobycom]

9. He would gain full attention instantly if he announced an interest

The reason we don't hear his name is that he's not running--so far.

The media tries to act like they are just speculating on Hillary, or other candidates, when they speculate that these candidates are running. They aren't guessing--these candidates are already putting together a campaign structure, hiring or recruiting people in key states to work for them, and quietly doing polls and campaign studies. The media knows who is doing this. The fact that they aren't talking about Gore means he's not running at the moment.

I think he would have a strong chance if he ran. He's still got the name, he's got the experience at campaigning, he knows how to raise funds.

[Uncle Joe]

29. Prometheus Gore is not mentioned by the media precisely because

he helped us when he took some of their power and gave it to the people in the form of the internet. The corporate owned media are just the selfish vultures eating at his liver. I say F**K the media Al Gore for President, he has the potential to be our greatest!

[jobycom]

32. I love that!

Nice allusion! (You might want a punctiation in your last sentence, between media and Al.)

[Uncle Joe]

37. Thanks for the tip, when I came back it was too late to edit though n/t

[lala_rawraw]

10. Wilson/Gore

My ticket.

[Snivi Yllom]

11. you are kidding right?

Gore's political career is over.

The only retread will be Kerry.

[The Night Owl]

25. Right. We shouldn't run candidates that came close to beating Bush.

We should run candidates that were beaten by the candidates that almost beat Bush. That would make a lot of sense.

:eyes:

[AlGore-08.com]

35. He didn't come close to beating Smirk, he beat him!

Gore won the popular vote by 1/2 million more votes, and the media recount proved he won the electoral vote too.

Additionally, he's got an unbeatable resume full of visionary leadership, bring us things like the Internet, the organ donor network, federal balanced budgets, and the Kyoto treaty.

So yes, by all means, let's dump him in favor of people who voted for the war in Iraq, the Patriot Act, No Child Left Behind and the Smirk tax cuts for the super wealthy (for those who don't know, Gore opposed them all).

[DinahMoeHum]

12. I don't think he wants to run again.

He's too busy creating an alternative TV network, methinks.

:kick:

[Zorbuddha]

13. I foresee Fitz/Obama

with Gore heading EPA.

[bvar22]

14. I attended a lecture on Global Climate Change 2 weeks ago.

Al Gore was the speaker. The whole time I was listening to this man I was thinking,
"GOD, Wouldn't it be great to have this man as our president."
How could so many people vote for the STUPID guy?

I don't think Al Gore would consider running. He semed to be perfectly happy and "In The Zone" with what he was doing.

[faithnotgreed]

31. didnt he say recently he was a "recovering politician"

and thank you bvar for going to that lecture
ive seen some of your posts and am glad youre here

[Uncle Joe]

38. That recovering politician joke tells me

Al will be a politician for life, it will be extremely difficult for him to stay away from politics and if we can find a really good bottle of politics, he may fall off the wagon.

[faithnotgreed]

43. ha~ yes he did sound addicted even with that quote

[glitch]

15. Not too late - too soon. We as a people will have to evolve before we

get the chance at an Al Gore again.

[longship]

16. That's up to Al.

I could easily support Al Gore for president again. Especially with his recent firebrand rhetoric. He's obtained cajones grande recently. That's good, because that's what it's going to take to win back the WH.

I would support Gore before I would support Kerry again.

[Larkspur]

18. David Podvin agrees with you. See his June 2005 op ed "Resurrection"

It's excellent.
http://makethemaccountable.com/podvin/more/050609_Resurrection.htm

<SNIP>

Most of the other potential Democratic presidential nominees are also woefully inadequate. John Kerry could not successfully make the case against an incumbent who was an abject failure. John Edwards could not successfully make the case against the most corrupt vice president in American history. Russ Feingold and Barack Obama have about as much chance of being elected president as they have of becoming Imperial Klan Wizard. Evan Bayh is a Democrat only because the Republicans consider him too conservative. And then there is Joe Biden, who is the choice of those nostalgic liberals yearning to relive the 1984 Mondale campaign.

That leaves Al Gore. As a child of the establishment, Gore spent most of his life placing excessive importance on the opinions of the Washington elite, but he has changed. Following the theft of his presidency, Gore has become a born again insurgent whose wisdom and candor make him America’s greatest statesman. The former vice president has repudiated his past unsavory links to the netherworld of the party. Gone is the Democratic Leadership Council Al Gore. In his place is Populist Gore, a fire-breathing champion of the masses who has boldly confronted the conservative menace while other Democrats have cowered.

No one in public life has spoken more forcefully against the reactionaries who are destroying the United States. Gore accused George W. Bush of “lying” about the Hussein-al Qaeda link that was used as a pretext for invading Iraq. Not “receiving faulty intelligence”, as Hillary contends. Not “making an honest mistake”, as Biden claims. Gore said Bush “lied”, and when the corporate media excoriated him for saying it, he unflinchingly said it again.

Gore has labeled as an “American heresy” the effort by theocrats to eliminate the separation of church and state. He has blasted the GOP for “poisoning democracy” with its recurring campaigns of character assassination. He has called the Bush Social Security plan “an immoral scheme designed to defraud taxpayers”. Most subversively, he has agreed with Dean that “corporations have too much power and people have too little”.

A subversive can realistically hope to gain the White House only if he has previously been deemed plausible by the electorate. As an erstwhile presidential nominee, Gore has passed the plausibility test, and his subsequent radicalization does nothing to alter that. He is the one person in America who wants to reform the political system and can convince the public that it must be done.

Gore is reportedly undecided about whether to run in 2008. He should be encouraged to run. Led by honorable people, the Democratic Party could become an instrument of change. The Democrats would still have to operate within the parameters of a society dominated by multinational conglomerates, but even an incremental shift in power back towards individual citizens would be a significant reversal of the prevailing trend.

There have been agonizingly long stretches of time when the Democratic Party has not had a single courageous leader. Now it has two, and that provides a precious opportunity. Given the chance, Howard Dean and Al Gore can reclaim the integrity of a once proud political movement gone astray. These fine men will provide winning leadership, but that is insufficient in the absence of winning followership. Democratic voters must reject the warnings of corporate acolytes and rally behind the agents of change. By supporting Dean now and Gore in 2008, liberals can first take back our party and then take back our country.

I like Al Gore a lot and yes he is the most qualified person to lead this nation.

If Gore decides to run for Prez in 2008, he would have to develop a PR campaign that would rebuke the 2000 negative image that the RW Media pundits plastered over him and present a view of himself with a positive message about how'd he would help us get out of the mess Bush and the Vichy Dems created. He can do it, but would he? According to this article in Grist Magazine, Gore is setting a PR foundation that he could employ should he choose to run for Prez.

Esprit de Gore http://www.grist.org/news/muck/2005/06/09/little-gore/

Here's a couple passages from this article that shows how far Gore has come reforming his public image.

Last Saturday in San Francisco, the self-described "guy who used to be the next president of the United States" delivered an hour-long multimedia presentation on the scientific evidence of global warming to hundreds of guests crammed into a tent for the culmination of the city's five-day-long U.N. World Environment Day celebration. The audience, peppered with celebrities, members of Congress, U.N. officials, and dozens of mayors from around the world, erupted into a standing ovation when Gore wrapped up his quasi-evangelical call to action… Gore succeeded in telling the climate-change story with surprisingly good narrative rhythm and in accessible terms rather than overly wonky or academic language -- something few public figures have managed, or even attempted, to do.

I believe if Al Gore became president in 2008, it would quickly heal many of the foreign policy wounds that Bush has cause with our allies, and it would be a sign that America is again on the side of Truth and Justice. A President Gore would send a signal to the Bin Ladens of the world that the ugly American has been slain and "Matt Dillon," the honest law-abiding marshall, is back in his rightful place and is working in UNISON with our allies to foil their crimminal plans and bring them to justice.

[election_2004]

34. One thing that's suspect about Podvin's article....

Podvin does not even acknowledge Wesley Clark (or Mark Warner) as a possible contender for 2008.

He simply cherry-picked the non-Gore, non-Clinton potentials whom it was easy and convenient for him to dismiss.

[Larkspur]

54. Maybe Podvin is like me, who does not trust Wes Clark, who was a

consultant for lobbyists from the military industrial complex. To me, Clark is a faux-progressive.

Also, Clark does not have any experience holding elective civilian office. Al Gore has 25 years in government service in elective civilian office.

[Double T]

19. Gore and Kerry Both Had Their Chance To Win Over The Voters......

and FAILED!!! Now it is time to bring in a 'fresh horse' to win the presidential election and put DEMOCRATS back in power!!!!

[NYCGirl]

20. Actually, Al Gore won the popular vote by a half a million... NT

[Double T]

21. Of course, but with our screwed up voting system it takes more.....

than just a simple majority to win. Unfortunately, you have to win the electoral vote to take the office. The electoral vote sure allows voting fraud to flourish.

[Uncle Joe]

40. Gore Won over the voters he lost the Supreme Court 5 to 4 n/t

[mithnanthy]

23. Al Gore....

I would vote for him in a heartbeat! He is the best candidate and is highly respected throughout the world, by most.

[kodi]

28. i share more with Gore's views than any potential candidate

he is the best equipped person to hold the white house.

his committment to the environment is total, he is a supporter of working class populuism and economic demcracy, he is s skilled washington insider, appeals to labor, minorities and liberals.

sure, he could have run a better campaign, but i think people who dismiss him forget or never understood the extents the GOP were willing to go to beat him in 2000 and how deceitful their efforts really were.

all he has to say to bring down the roof is say "I warned you about the GOP 8 years ago, and look what happened."

the day gore announces, i am there for him.

[aspberger]

46. I think you may be right

I thought Gore was washed up but America hates quitters and loves comebacks.

[gulfcoastliberal]

24. Too late for any dem not approved by Diebold & ES&S

Until the dems actually make vote fraud an issue and demand the computer codes be made part of the public domain no dem will win unless they've made some kind of deal with the devil.

Gore lost due to a Supreme Court coup despite winning the popular vote both nationwide AND in Florida. He should have run on 2004 but the DLC and party leadership shot down his trial balloons and made clear he was not welcome. Imagine what a better world we'd have if he won. It makes the current reality seem like being stuck in a nightmare.

[noonwitch]

26. He hasn't held office in a while, that would be his major problem

8 years is a long time in politics, as we are all finding out right now.

[Larkspur]

30. And it could be an asset -- He's not a Washington insider any more

Gore still keeps abreast of what goes on in Washington and I'm sure he has most of his contacts that he could call on for information.

[OzarkDem]

36. He seems committed to his tv project

As much as I would like to see him as president, he's deeply involved in his new project.

[Im_Your_Huckleberry]

39. always liked him better than kerry

but i think it would be too easy to stick him with the 'loser' label. i still think that if he had spoken throughout his campaign the way he did in his concession speech he'd be in office now.

[Uncle Joe]

41. The only losers will be the American People

if justice is not served and Al Gore put in to the White House where he belongs.

[realFedUp]

42. he's be great inside a Dem White House

not to run again though.

[zulchzulu]

44. He'd be a great cabinet member in the Kerry administration

Sec. of Education maybe...

[Warren DeMontague]

45. He's been kicking ass, lately.

I want him to come out swingin', like Lazarus.

[LittleClarkie]

47. I wouldn't mind if either Kerry or Gore pulled a Nixon

I like them both.

[bunny planet]

48. How's this for a bumpersticker, Gore/Kerry - the Revenge Ticket

[election_2004]

49. Unfortunately....

Non-partisan and Independent voters don't care about "revenge"....

We care about the future and stability of this country.

[bunny planet]

50. It was just an attempt at humor. Sometimes bumper stickers are funny and.

sarcastic. Guess I should have used the sarcasm smilie so it would have been clear to you. So sorry. BTW, I also care about the future and the stability of this country.

[Larkspur]

56. Gore, Yes. Kerry, No. Prefer Gore/Dean or Gore/Feingold

[bunny planet]

59. It was just a joke. The revenge ticket, hello.

It would only be revenge if the two candidates running on the ticket had both been cheated out of their respective, legitimate wins in previous Presidential elections. I give up, when you have to explain the jokes it's really not worth the effort.

[kentuck]

51. The Repubs are more scared of Gore than anyone....

including Hillary, imo... FWIW..

[Dr Fate]

52. I like Al Gore. Let him give it a shot.

He is obviously a talented, motivated man- harldy the wooden clown the "Liberal media" painted him out to be.

[theboss]

53. Gore's DLC!!! Gore's DLC!!! Gore's DLC!!!!

Sorry...I got excited.

But he is.

[Larkspur]

55. He rejected the DLC's advice by employing populism in his 2000 election

and he completely rejected the DLC after the 2000 election.

Gore has returned to his populist roots and is passionately promoting them where ever he goes. Gore post-2000 election is no DLC clone. He is is own person now and a passionate populist.

[mtnester]

57. LOVE him, but his chances of coming back are as good as

the chance wire lined girdles will regain popularity...zip

He does have a role to play...I see him as head of the EPA when we take back the WH, AND during the midterm and 08 elections as a cheerleader, I just hope he chooses the right side.

[mainer]

58. I'd love to see Al run again.

Of the entire field of Democratic candidates, Gore and Clark are the two I believe are most electable.

[kentuck]

60. Don't you remember? The DLC threw Gore overboard...

They said he had gone too far to the left...

[goodhue]

61. It would be great to see Al Gore rise again to become president

But I don't think it is likely to happen. But if he goes for it, I would certainly support him over most other heavy contenders. I was completely blown away by his recent climate change presentation here in St. Paul. He was amazing in his command of topic and presentation skills. About the only person I would support over him is Kucinich.