Why isn't Gore running?

[theriverburns]

Someone explain this to me. I still don't understand. He won once. And after this mess, he'd easily win again. What is it?

[arewethereyet]

1. he didn't have a good time last go round

and I don't think he was confident that things would go differently a second time.

Who needs the aggrivation ?

[Ellen Forradalom]

2. How much abuse can one man take?

Gore got put through the wringer. He served his country honorably. Let him enjoy his life for once.

[ISUGRADIA]

3. As I recall, he said he would not run in Dec 2002

This would have been right after the 2002 elections when Bush was looking pretty strong. Things have changed a lot in a yr, but Gore probably thought it was going to be a hard to beat Bush and why sacrifice another 2 years of his life to lose again. He's only 55 so he might be thinking of doing a Nixon and running in 2008 or 2012 depending on how things go.

[arewethereyet]

4. This I could easily believe.

he is a young man

[AngryYoungMan]

5. Several reasons; some good, some bad.

In no particular order (and, of course, IMHO):

1. His showing in 2000 was poor. Yes, he won, but the margin was way too slim; hence Florida etc. He didn't get Tennessee; this looks bad. The fact is, he didn't run a very good campaign; his tactics were flawed.

2. Regardless of what we all know about 2000, the public doesn't necessarily see him as the victor. All the "Sore Loserman" rhetoric took hold. This creates problems for 2004 in that he has to fight against contemporary Republican rhetoric AND rhetoric from 2000.

3. He may genuinely want to get away from all this (and who can blame him after what happened).

4. You could argue that 9/11 makes him vulnerable (in that the Right has been mercilessly repeating their nonsense about how the attacks were Clinton/Gore's fault).

5. The DLC is weird. They don't think the way we do; they seem more interested in appeasement and detente with our (domestic) enemies than in winning anything. Lieberman has become their dishrag; he plays a role that Gore refuses to play. So maybe that gang is sick of Gore and talked him out of it.

6. The Clintons could also have played a role in discouraging him, with an eye towards Hillary '08 (or Hillary '04).

7. Given the tremendous paradigm shift in the world during these years, Gore is vulnerable because he comes across as an "old" politician with "old" solutions. This is of course nonsense but it would be effective. Dean and Clark (and the others) seem up-to-the-minute while Gore would remind us (fondly, for some) of a vanished, bygone era. Maybe this would be a positive and not a negative, but why take the chance?

8. Maybe he just doesn't have the guts any more. I'll bet Florida seriously rattled him; from a psychotheraputic standpoint he's probably planning on staying away from the National stage for a while.

Just my thoughts.

[theriverburns]

7. Any thoughts he may have been

Anthraxed (Daschle). Or visited and promised a fun plane ride (Wellstone). Or had a kid/himself busted with drugs (Dennis Millered).
Lennoned. John John'ed. JF/RF K'ed. OK. OK. I am just paranoid.

But...

I can't see how a man as ambitious and as dedicated as Al Gore not going after the ring. Not when it is as attainable as it is now. You don't retire as the the number one contender.

He'd win.

[arewethereyet]

8. nope, no chance

only other possibility was if he knew the DNC/DLC were not in his corner. He is asture enough to now that this is a requirement.

[SadEagle]

6. My guess.

Is that he believes he may not be the strongest candidate, but knows that he would easily win the nomination, so he left the field to let a stronger candidate emerge. Gore always struck me as the person who would forego personal opportunies for the good of the party and the country.

edit: minor grammar correction

[Kathleen04]

9. I recall him saying something like..

it would put too much focus on the past when we should be focusing on the future.

[Old and In the Way]

10. Maybe he'll be selected VP and on inauguration day, our

elected candidate will announce that he's swapping places with the man who deserves the office that he was screwed out of.

I'm dreaming, of course, but it would be the righteous thing to do.

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

11. If it was me

there's no way I would have the stomach to run for president after the shit he had to put up with.

[elperromagico]

12. Sooner or later, you get tired of being called a liar,

especially when you're only trying to do what you feel is best for most Americans.