Could the Green Party rise to prominence with Al Gore ?

[CT_Progressive]

Pretend Al Gore switched to the Green Party and ran for President as a 3rd candidate.

Would that move the Green Party into prominence in US Politics?
If so, how would it affect us, the Democratic Party?

Discuss.

[AlCzervik]

1. no he won't and no the green party will move into "Prominence".

Al is a democrat.

[CT_Progressive]

3. Way to stretch your mind and add to the discussion.

:sarcasm:

[AlCzervik]

5. and why do you even float him switching parties? He is a democrat, why is

that so difficult to accept?

[CT_Progressive]

6. Its called "having an interesting discussion among friends."

You should try it some time. Its fun!

[book_worm]

8. I'm sure if he were to become a Green it would be helpful (to the Greens)

but I don't think I have to stretch my mind too much to say that Al Gore wouldn't contemplate becoming a Green. He has been a Democrat all his life and has been honored by the party as VP and its nominee in 2000. I think if anybody asked him if he would ever become a Green and run for president as a Green he would give that "Shermanesque" statement everybody wants.

[CT_Progressive]

10. All I'm asking you to do is pretend, and have a cool discussion.

This is a discussion board, right?

[book_worm]

12. Who is limiting discussion? I gave my answer--yes, it would be helpful to the Greens, but

as a practical matter Al Gore wouldn't do it. You seem to want to dictate how we respond for some reason to your "discussion" thread.

[mike_c]

2. speaking as a Green, I would WELCOME Al Gore wholeheartedly...

...but I don't think that's very likely at all-- he is far too invested in the democratic party, I suspect.

[redqueen]

4. Wow.

That'd change some things, for sure. I think if he were to do that that it would definitely bring a lot more support to that party...

And if such a far-fetched thing were to happen, I'd hope that it'd have the same effect that the Populist Party's rise in popularity did... and that the Dem party would adopt some of the Green party's planks in their platform.

[MrCoffee]

7. DUzy! that's the funniest thing i've read on here in forever

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[John Q. Citizen]

9. It will never happen. Why would Gore run as a Green, without ballot access,

when he could run as a Dem and win?

[CT_Progressive]

11. Pretend he did anyway.

What do you think would happen to politics in this country?

[Lex]

17. no discernable change

nt

[John Q. Citizen]

18. Rudy would get 40% of the vote, and Al and Hill/Obama/Edwards would each

split the remaining 60% and Rudy would be president for the next 4 years.

[book_worm]

22. that's pretty much what I said

[book_worm]

21. Ok, I'll give an answer

It would be like 1912 when TR ran as a progressive (Bull Moose) and Taft was the GOP nominee. Taft kept the traditional elements of his party while TR won the votes of more progressive Republicans and independents. Dem nominee Woodrow Wilson won much of the Dem vote and some progressive votes of his own given his record as a progressive governor of NJ. In the end Wilson won the presidency in a three man race for the first time for the Dems since 1892 and TR came in second with about 27% with Taft at 23%. Now if it were a Guiliani, Edwards, Gore race in 2008, with Gore as the Green he would probably do about as well as Ross Perot did in 1992--19 or 20%, so that would be a big increase for the Greens, no doubt. Edwards would come in second, and Rudy would win because he would take usually Democratic states like New York, New Jersey, CT, ect which will be split because of Gore & Edwards splitting the vote. If it were Hillary who was the Dem candidate then it would be a question of who would be in second place--her or Gore, but the Republican would win.

[RestoreGore]

19. Hmm, because he might see principle as more important than just running to "win?"

Just putting that out there.

[John Q. Citizen]

23. but why run as a Green when he could run as an Independent? Al's never taken

a stand on on many of the issues in the Green platform, so why would he decide to align with the Greens, say, instead of the Socialist Workers Party, or the Working Families Party?

Do you believe his fight to stop global warming is symbolic, or that he's in it to win it? I think the latter.

And running as a Green is the quickest way to assure that a Dem controlled congress isn't going to invite him back to testify, and isn't going to be amenable to sponsoring any legislation that is connected to his organization.

Don't get me wrong, I like the Greens just fine, (and the Socialist Workers and the Working Families) but from both a practical and a pricipled point of view I can't see Al running as a Green.

[RestoreGore]

24. I can't see him running as anything at this point

Because as he stated the process is toxic, so regardless of what you run as that is the system you have to deal with. So I am very content to respect his words and work with him to solve the climate crisis from a vantage point that may well now do more quicker to bring about that political tipping point than any other actions. Personally, all of this continued political speculation about him instead of serious discussion about we are are going to do now to solve this crisis is really quite redundant to me (and that is a general comment, not specifically aimed at you.) As I stated I was just putting that out there based on the man he is.

[sandnsea]

13. Well somebody should help the Greens

With the Republican Party in shambles and the DLC taking over the Dems, now is the perfect time for a left Green Party to rise to prominence. It would be awesome for the Greens and Dems to be the two leading parties in this country. I've been pushing for this for years, I wish somebody would have listened.

[dysfunctional press]

14. no- because al gore would never do something that stupid.

nt

[CT_Progressive]

16. I bet you rock at Sharades.

:sarcasm:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

15. It would certainly make for a much more interesting election.

Alas, I doubt it will happen.

[L. Coyote]

20. You mean, "Could the Green Party rise to Al Gore's prominence?" NO

[Toucano]

25. I don't think Gore wants to be president.

Aside from that, if Al Gore started supporting local Green candidates with money and people it could help the party grow.

You don't build a party from the top down but from the bottom up.