Al Gore Is Still Tennessee's Favorite Son

[rabid_nerd]

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=143-09082003

Al Gore Is Still Tennessee's Favorite Son; Draft Gore Petition Drive a Highlight of Democratic Labor Event

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 8 /U.S. Newswire/ -- His name was not on the official Democratic straw poll last Saturday. His supporters were not even offered the option to write his name on the ballot -- something they will be able to do in Tennessee's regular primary next year. And the declared contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination had staff and family out in force promoting their candidacy at the Annual Middle Tennessee Labor Day Celebration last Saturday.

Yet participants at the event wanted to cast their ballot for someone who was not officially represented in any way. They could not express that preference in the official count, but by the hundreds they came to a table organized by Draft Gore. And 250 of them -- about one in four people at the event -- signed a petition urging former Vice President Al Gore to run for president in 2004 and pledged their support to him. In fact, there were more names on the Draft Gore petition than there were votes cast for all but one of the candidates on the official ballot.

Howard Dean received 364 votes in the official poll, while the second ranked candidate, Dick Gephardt -- touted as the labor candidate at a Labor Day event -- received fewer votes on the ballot than Al Gore garnered on a petition that people had to go to some trouble to find.

The event, one of the biggest of its kind in the South, drew about 1,000 people at the Charles Hand Farm north of Nashville. Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen and Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. were among the officials addressing the festivities.

Event participants mobbed the Draft Gore table, and volunteers could barely keep up with the demand. Becky Knight, treasurer of Draft Gore, was interviewed by the CBS affiliate for the evening news.

"People were thrilled to realize the option still open, and are desperate to see Al Gore in the race," she said. "I've never seen so much enthusiasm. We had supporters of other candidate jump on the Draft Gore bandwagon. Had Gore been on that ballot, I can't imagine anyone could have touched him."

Added Draft Gore's Lucy Bickett, "One elderly gentleman told me, 'I was supporting Wesley Clark -- until today.' I placed a sticker on Mr. Durnette's shirt, and he insisted I put on the top of all the rest. He walked away with a spring in his step. People's hope is restored when a Gore presidency is discussed."

Meanwhile, the Draft Gore movement is picking up momentum nationwide in the weeks since Al Gore's policy address at New York University. The number of Gore supporters in the Meetup.com organization has tripled since mid-August (from 500 to more than 1,500 members today), and thousands have joined Draft Gore. Nationally Gore is leading all Democrats in every poll in which his name has been included (by as much as 40 percent to 7 percent in a Time/CNN poll).

Draft Gore 2004 is a national political action committee founded last December. It is not affiliated with the former vice president or his staff. The petition from the Sept. 6 Labor Day Celebration will be delivered to Gore's office this week.

For more information see http://www.draftgore.com.

(Posted and Authorized by Draft Gore 2004 Media Outreach Herb Riede)

[Hawkeye-X]

1. *sigh*

When will people LEARN to leave Gore alone. He said he's not running, and drafting him won't help.

Much like drafting Clark won't help, but may be considered for a VP in the future.

Hawkeye-X

[rabid_nerd]

2. Aaah...

This is just the beginning of the Draft-Gore-in-the-news cycle..

There's three other news items happening in the next couple weeks ;)

[Hawkeye-X]

3. While you're at it..

why not draft a legislation to do away with Amendment 22 and re-draft Clinton to clean up *'s messes?

Hawkeye-X

[rabid_nerd]

4. I'd rather have Gore...

But you've got the right idea.. And I'd be all for it..

We need someone with experience in doing just that.

[Cheswick2.0]

20. Why would I want Clinton when I could have Gore?

:shrug:

[liberalnurse]

6. Ditto that Hawkeye....

I wish they would let the man be......

[rabid_nerd]

8. You're not paying attention...

We don't operate in a vacuum...

[jeter]

15. rabidnerd...

...anyone who fails to win his home state doesn't deserve a second chance.

[w4rma]

18. Gore earnd more votes of any candidate, except Reagan's reelection (n/t)

[Proud_American]

31. Any political trivia pros out there?

Did not Gore record the most votes in the history of the US?

[w4rma]

32. The most of any non-incumbant. Second of all only to Reagan/Mondale (n/t)

[Proud_American]

40. Thanks w4rma!

n/t

[toopers]

43. What is that in relation to % of all registered voters/

Is it still close to Reagan?

[Cheswick2.0]

22. ever heard of vote fraud?

PS....thanks for playing

[Proud_American]

27. As much as I like Gore and believe he should be in the WH

I will never forget that one fact. I'm with you rabidnerd.

[MasonJar]

34. Gore in Tenn

Gore was cheated in Tenn just like he was in Florida. Roadblocks to scare black voters, ballots sent with wrong day of the election, etc. After all the cat killer Frist was Stump's campaign manager and we know what a freak he is. Gore was too busy campaigning to keep an eye on the cheaters.

[SharonAnn]

42. Yes, there was voter fraud and shenanigans in Tennessee

in election 2000. Pretty sad.

[fujiyama]

37. The question is why

did he lose the state. Your obnoxious statement reminds me something a freeper would mutter. Al Gore was the victim of smearing by a right wing propaganda machine, accompliced by the media, willing to blow up Gore's "lies".

[Cheswick2.0]

21. thanks for kicking the thread

I seriously doubt you give a shit about how we are bothering poor Al Gore.

[Cheswick2.0]

19. oh how sincere your concern for Gore sounds

"why can't all these people leave him aloooooooooooonnnnnneeee???"

[David__77]

5. Gore for Senate or for Congress...

I think that he should run for Senate again. Or perhaps for the House. I do think he should run for office again in the capacity in which he would be most useful. That is not the presidency next year though, in my opinion.

[rabid_nerd]

7. Tell that to

Edwards, Dean, Kucinich, Braun, ...

Why should the man with the most experience an stature take a back seat to anyone (except WJC)?

[David__77]

13. For one, he's not a candidate.

Were he a candidate, I would evaluate him as such. But, he has pretty clearly stated that he's not running. Your argument would be stronger if he were a candidate.

That said, he doesn't fit the bill of what I'm looking for in a candidate. I want a 21st century FDR, not a continuation of the Clinton administration policies. That essentially was his platform in 2000. Again, were he a candidate he might attempt to articulate something I would support, but at this point, I see no reason to support an attempt to get him to reverse his decision to stay out of the race.

[Proud_American]

28. David_77, you probably didn't mean to

... but you sound a bit Freeperish with this statement: "...not a continuation of the Clinton administration policies."

May I ask you what was so terrible about Clinton's policies? Unless of course you fear record surplusses, record economic growth, record employment rates and relative peace????

[David__77]

29. That's a bit unfair...

You cannot automatically equate what I said to denizens of that website. Clinton was good in relation to Bush. However, it is not my vision of a reinvigorated, working-class Democratic Party. I think I was pretty clear in a way that would not be construed to be rightist by most people. I understand your defense of Clinton and Gore. Gore is not a candidate at present. I am not meaning to attack him by any means. However, if I were to encourage Gore to enter a race, it would not be the presidential race. I also believe that Clinton should enter public office again.

[Proud_American]

30. I'm not trying to be unfair to you

Maybe I'm just so sickened by this current misAdministration and long so much for a return to the Clinton days that I can't imagine anything better. Do you mean to say it gets better (than Clinton's days)? How so? Unprecedented economic growth and prosperity. Good luck topping that! (Don't get me wrong, I hope you CAN!). BTW, I think Clinton did more for the working class than you're giving him credit for.

[Cheswick2.0]

24. to say nothing of the man most democrats still want to vote for?

?

[Cheswick2.0]

23. I think that's the worst and most insulting idea I have heard yet today

Why not just skip the thread? HUH?

[Must_B_Free]

9. They are so scared of Gore

more of that tired old *sigh* line from scared little lackees.

Love those baseless assaults!

[rabid_nerd]

11. Yeah...

They think we're harassing Gore...

Well, he likes our effort. And he's refusing to stop us/it.

Just wait, we'll have more to annoy the annoyed here :evilgrin:

[goobergunch]

17. I haven't heard a peep out of Gore recently

so link, please?

[wabeewoman]

10. Al Gore Is Still Tennessee's Favorite Son

Too bad they didn't give him their electoral votes in 2000. Maybe they have buyers remorse....

[rabid_nerd]

12. There was some Florida-type fiascos there too...

I can get you links if you're interested..

I'm not near them now.. IM me if you want them,,

[E_Zapata]

14. If Gore announced - I would be so very happy

he would trample bush. Those red states down south? I see skies of BLUE

[goobergunch]

16. I see the Election 2000 map repeated

so that * would "win" 278-260.

[Cheswick2.0]

25. Hi, welcome to DU

:hi:

[tsipple]

26. Tennessee Sort of Had Its Chance in 2000

The idiots (re: Tennessee Bush voters). Bush has done such great things for Tennessee. :evilgrin:

[Q]

33. Gore is the legitimate President of the United States in exile...

...too bad most Americans don't realize (or care) about that fact.

- I'm beginning to believe that America The Dumbed Down truly deserves Bush*.

[sweetladybug]

35. I say re-elect Gore in 2004

He won in 2000 and he'll win in a landslide in 2004. I am from TN and the Republicans controlled the state then and they made sure that there were many many many people who were not allowed to vote (in Democratic areas voter list were lost so eligible voter were denied the right to vote, In Democratic areas people standing in lines for hours to vote were not allowed to vote since they were not able to vote before closing time. Democrats who registered to vote when they licensed their vehicles or got their license were not put onto voter lists. There was just as much crooked crap that went on in TN in 2000 as there was in FL. You have to remember the Republicans owns our news media so we only get the information they want us to see and hear. The Nashville Banner is where I got most of my information about the voter fraud in 2000. We have a Democrat Governor in TN now and I don't think there will be fraud in 2004 as is was in 2000. Folks in TN are pissed after the mess the Republicans left our state in and I will assure you Gore did win TN in 2000 and he will win again in 2004 since eligible voters will be allowed to vote and the votes will be counted.
RE-ELECT GORE 2004!!!!

[mbee]

36. While channel-surfing looking for Paul Krugman on Charley

Rose (which I never found) I saw creepy Dick Morris and stopped to hear what he had to say. He was talking about the 2004 election and I thought I understood him to say the Democratic Party was going ape over Dean's popularity and now will want Gore back in the race which is A-OK with me. He also said Hillary will get in the race if that happens because she doesn't want to wait until 2012 to run. I don't know whether he knows what he is talking about or not? The one thing he did say I really agree with is that the internet is replacing TV for politics and it was very encouraging to hear that.

[toopers]

44. I guess you are against TennCare?

[Merlin]

38. I got to thinking about Al yesterday...

I remembered an event that had slipped my mind. It was the speech Al gave at convention 1996. His Mother (and Dad?) were in the crowd. He lapsed into a long, drawn-out discussion of his sister's death. He spoke in a way he surely believed to be passionate. But it came off as really, really over-the-top. It was unbelievably treacle and affected. I had never heard a politician make such an embarassingly failed attempt to connect with an audience emotionally.

I had been a Gore supporter since '88. Even ran as a Gore delegate that year. But I remember after watching that performance saying to my wife "That was unbelievably bad! After watching that, I don't think he's got what it takes. He has a tin ear for emotion."

I remember being very surprised to discover how difficult it was for him to communicate on a personal level.

Al has always reminded me of Adlai Stevenson. Excellent man. Would make an honest, bright, good President. But he would be skewered by the media and destroyed by his own lack the capacity to galvanize support among the public, not unlike Jimmy Carter was.

It's just the way he's built. He's a great guy. He's a better man than I. But he just doesn't have all the components needed to pull off the big one. And I'm sure he knows it better than anybody.

[tlb]

39. A " Favorite Son" who can't carry his own state

is a pretty sorry excuse for a " Favorite Son ".

I'm sure these petitioners mean well but at best they are just kidding themselves.

[pippin]

41. Favorite son?

Favorite son? Where the hell were they in 2000? Had Gore carried Tennessee in 2000 Florida wouldn't have mattered.

[Gingergal]

45. Please remember that hrub carried his adopted state

of Texas thanks to crossover Dems like Bullock putting out the fiction that shrub was a moderate bi-partisan guy when he wasn't.
But remember that little george FAILED TO CARRY HIS OWN COUNTRY of the USA so Al Gore not carrying Tennessee is pretty mild. I get tired of hearing the repukes state that over and over.