Gore's Endorsement Was Won Over Time and Under the Radar

[Freddie Stubbs]

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 — Al Gore was in Tokyo on Friday and Howard Dean was in a van in Iowa, and for 45 minutes, their cellphone conversation was not particularly extraordinary, people close to both politicians said.

Dr. Dean had sent Mr. Gore a draft of a foreign policy speech that Dr. Dean was to deliver next week in California, and Mr. Gore was calling with a few suggestions. Then, at the end of their chat, Mr. Gore dropped the bombshell: "I've decided I want to endorse you," he told Dr. Dean.

As impulsive as Mr. Gore's move appeared, the reality is that behind the scenes, Dr. Dean had aggressively courted the former vice president for more than a year, people close to the men said Monday and Tuesday. He complimented him on speeches, sought out his advice, chewed over ideas and even stopped once in Nashville, where he spent 90 minutes with Mr. Gore and his wife, Tipper, to talk about the campaign.

While the quest for Mr. Gore's blessing was off the public radar, it became a priority for the Dean campaign, particularly as centrist Democrats spread the view that the party establishment wanted to stop Dr. Dean, fearing he could not beat President Bush.

more: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/10/politics/campaigns/10TOCK.html

[sam sarrha]

1. Whatever it takes to get that piece of Sh*t out of the White House..

works for me. I'm tired of that crowd jerk'n off and saying nothing.

[Larkspur]

2. Just like Dean's courting of the SEIU endorsement

Dean work at it long, hard, and deftly.

SEIU Pres Andrew Stern told ALL Dem candidates that to get the national SEIU endorsement they would have to first go to the grassroots and local SEIU leaders, which he provided them. ONLY Howard Dean followed Stern's instructions.

HD earned SEIU's and Al Gore's endorsements. The other candidates are crybabies because Dean out hustled them.

[helleborient]

3. Signs of the political skill that will win in November 2004 (n/t)