Personally, I don't think I want Al Gore as President

[LynneSin]

I mean, where was this enthusiasm 8 years ago? He had his chance and it's time to move forward with fresh blood. Al Gore is a great person and I have plenty of respect for him but I think he'll do more good as a private citizen than president

[Buzz Clik]

1. Agreed. I voted for Gore in 2000....

... and donated to the legal fight in Florida. My support for him over Bush was unflinching, but he truly has found his stride. This is truly his passion, and its infectious.

[caledesi]

30. Agree. nt

[movonne]

2. I disagree with you...he won last time, and he will win again..he is

probably the only one to bring this country back, the fastest.

[Southsideirish]

24. Agreed - if he wants it - its his and there are no close "seconds" out there.

[Parche]

3. KERRY/CLARK 2008

[karynnj]

19. Nice Kerry photo

I would get behind a Kerry run in a second - but I'm sure that he thought very carefully before deciding not to run.

At this point, I think he did the right thing. If he were still running, I seriously doubt that all but 2 Democrats would have gotten behind a binding resolution that called for getting out of Iraq in a year. The country and the ISG had moved towards the Kerry/Feingold resolution that only got 13 people before. If Kerry were still in the running there would have been people and their allies who would have not voted for this because - even without his name on it - it would have given Kerry the lead on the biggest issue before America. (With Gore not running, he also was the other candidate with decades long credentials on the environment and on corruption, he is clean and has credentials from BCCI and Clean elections (which was real finance reform).

[smalll]

29. Lincoln / Second Coming of Christ 2008

A good unity ticket. It could attract a lot of Repubs since they'd get the top of the ticket and the Democrat would just be the VP. But seriously, you need to start suggesting candidates that are like, actually running?

[wisteria]

39. Oh, how I wish this could be true. But, realistically- for Kerry, I don't

see this happening.

[DURHAM D]

4. I do want Al Gore. We need an adult in charge.

No other candidate from either side has his abilities or knowledge. I just came to this conclusion after finally getting around to reading the Sy Hersh article that points out how difficult our/the situation in the ME really is.

[arcane1]

11. Gore/Kucinich 2008!

I can dream, can't I? :evilgrin:

[sellitman]

31. Perfect!

Where can I sign?

[Zenlitened]

5. I'm definitely in that camp that holds Gore responsible for the outcome in 2000.

Not Nader, not SCOTUS. Ultimately, it was Gore's race to win, and win big, but he just didn't charge hard enough.

But he has learned a lot since then, it seems to me. Has tapped into his passion, is speaking from the heart now.

I'd definitely give him a look if he enters the race.

[Colobo]

7. I agree with you

[Larkspur]

14. Did you know that Gore was down 15-20 pts to Bush in March 1999?

Bill Clinton's sex scandal put a dark cloud over Gore's Prez bid and despite that and the MSM being against him, Gore won the popular vote in 2000 and would have won the statewide recount if SCOTUS had not intervened.

Also Al Gore won more votes in 2000 that Bill Clinton did in 1992 and 1996.

[BlueCaliDem]

40. No matter how some feel about Al Gore's fight during the 2000 thievery of the Pres Election...

...the fix was in, and VP Gore would've never won the Presidency no matter how many hundreds of thousands more votes he'd receive above and beyond Shrub's.

Reich-wingers, million-and billionaires, and uninformed, hateful, racist-but-Christian Repube voters starved and thirsted for a Dumbya presidency, and they had broadcast, and print media, PACs and Legislatures to make sure Dumbya would never fail.

Had SCOTUS failed to come through on their favor for Dumbya, and Darth Cheney, then the Florida Legislature (remember Joe "dead-woman-in-my-office" Scarborough being one of them) was already poised, and ready to give Florida's electoral votes to Dumbya no matter what.

[Time for change]

6. 8 years ago he was probably too cautious

He has probably grown significantly since then, throwing caution to the winds (regarding his personal political future). I admire that. I think that we very much need a President who has a capacity for growth and who is willing to say what is important without undue regard for the political consequences.

I'm not saying that I'm certain that I'd vote for him in the primaries if he ran -- but I sure would give it a lot of thought.

[blm]

21. I loved Gore in 2000 but would love him MORE running in 2008 - he's looking

at DC with WAY fresher eyes now.

Back then he would have had to maintain some of Clinton's worst legacies, like keeping the books closed on BushInc. Now he knows what the result of that choice, to protect secrecy and privilege, did for this nation and the world.

[peace13]

8. Give me a break. Which fresh blood are you referring to?

If you don't like the guy leave it at that. People grow and change. Gore has always been a fighter. Maybe he didn't have the charisma in his younger years, who knows. They stole the election from him and by the way, he looked like Mohamed Ali compared to Kerry, who laid down faster than a prom dress drops after 2004. You have to figure that he would not be the same man after having the presidency stolen from him. Let's focus on the positive energy this evening and enjoy the thought of those 18 days of emails surfacing sometime soon. Peace, Kim

[Catchawave]

9. Lynne, I'm on the fence with Al....

Mad as hell when he chose Lieberman over Kerry or Edwards as his running mate in 2000, MIA in 2004, except for his failed Dean endorsement.

[AtomicKitten]

10. I disagree.

[noamnety]

12. Half a million dead Iraqi children

is a hard thing to forgive.

It's like a bunch of Darfurs.

[catgirl]

13. Oh, the old "fresh blood" thing again

pa-leeze. This comes up over and over again. I guess there
just isn't a bad thing anyone can say about Al Gore.

Al Gore 2008.

[peace frog]

15. Gore / Obama

Sometimes the gods are kind. May it be so in '08.

[AtomicKitten]

17. count me in

[jefferson_dem]

16. Agreed. I love this man dearly. But it's time for someone else.

And i think he knows that.

[AlGore-08.com]

18. I still don't get how people can hang out on political boards and think anybody is more effective

On any issue than the President of the United States. Gore certainly knows - - and says any time he's asked - - that the President of the United States can accomplish infinitely more than any other person in the world.

I also don't get how any Progressive can look at any individual who is successfully changing public policy and showing international leadership on an issue vital to the survival of the human race and say: "This private citizen is so much more effective than anybody holding office right now, so let's keep the ineffective folks in office and leave the effective ones private citizens. Or let's elect the first schmo with good hair we run across. Whatever."

I also don't get how anybody who hangs out on political boards and has lived through the nightmare that is the George W. Bush administration can believe that "fresh blood" is the only requirement needed in President of the United States. It's a very harmful kind of tribalism to think that just because somebody has a "D" after their name that they are a good choice for the Oval Office. That's how the rank and file Republicans ended up with Smirk: they bought into the idea that anybody, provided he sounded like a conservative, would make a good President. We have our share of embarrassments: folks who are too incompetent, too naive or too corrupt to be trusted with the Presidency.

And, as others have said - - as far as 2000 goes, Gore began 20 points behind, was outspent by about 2 to 1, had a historically hostile press determined to destroy his campaign, a vanity candidate on the left running a campaign designed to give swing states to the Republican candidate, a Republican candidate who consistently lied about his agenda - - and worst of all, an electorate that was convinced that the election was less important than their Beanie Baby collections.

Despite all that, Gore won.

Again, overcoming those kinds of odds and win in the end is not something that just any schmo with good hair can accomplish.

[Samantha]

25. I don't get it either

Al Gore is in a class by himself. He always has been and probably always will be. Why people can't see that and ask for a "fresh face" never ceases to confound me. This is a time when we need a candidate with a resume who can beat whomever the Republicans run in 2008. I only see one person with both those traits.

[TheWraith]

20. I concur. K&R.

I too am a fan of Gore in general, but I'm not convinced of him as a candidate. I think that if he made it to the presidency, he'd do a good job, but not neccessarily better than other people.

[ruggerson]

22. Agreed

Great man. Terrible politician.

[TwilightGardener]

23. Agree as well--his time has come and gone.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

26. I'm not American but I'll say this as an enthusiastic Bradley supporter in 2000

And as someone who was quite fiercely critical of Gore in 2000 and who would have considered voting for Nader....

Please run in 2008 Al. You are the best and most qualified candidate the Democrats have (along with Obama). Your passion, courage and integrity is inspirational and I'm sorry I ever doubted you

[Contrite]

27. Nuts to that. GORE IS OUR LEGITIMATE PRESIDENT. n/t

[dpbrown]

28. Seven years ago, Gore was elected President - he's the only one looking Presidential now

He's delivered the goods on global warming, proving himself intelligent and up to the task of bringing the US back into the world fold as a leader of nations.

Bush has revealed himself to be the sociopath that he is.

[liberal renegade]

32. Quite frankly

all the dem candidates have to be half crazy to even want the damn job... They're going to walk right into a shit storm.....

[Apollo11]

33. Al Gore is the best person for the job -- period.

Al Gore is the best qualified person for the job, in terms of his experience, knowledge, intelligence and judgement.

I am not convinced that Gore will run, but I do hope he will be the Democratic nominee for President.

I am dreaming of a Gore-Obama ticket in 2008. But there is no hurry for Gore to enter the race.

I think Al Gore is keeping his options open right now, watching how the "pre-season" goes. I don't think he yet knows what he will do. My guess is that the chance of him entering the race is somewhere between 20% and 35%.

Gore's current line - "I have no plans to be a candidate" - tells us that right now (today) he has no plans to run. But it doesn't prevent him from changing his plans and making new plans during the coming months.

Gore is doing a great job raising public awareness about the climate crisis. Winning an Oscar means that even more people will hopefully see An Inconvenient Truth. He put in another strong performance at the Congressional Hearing on March 21st.

Gore is also getting ready to bring out his next book The Assault on Reason - to be published in May. The theme of this book - why we need better decision-making in government - is very timely (whether he runs or not).

Gore is also leading Live Earth with concerts in 7 cities across the globe on 7/7/07 -- all with the aim of raising awareness and pushing for action to address the climate crisis.

Depending on how things pan out, and the reaction to his book, Gore can consider his situation over the summer and announce his decision (or if you prefer - "change his mind") sometime in the fall.

It all depends on the circumstances. In September, if the race for the Dem nomination is still wide open and Hillary's campaign is in trouble, it might create the conditions for Gore to enter the race.

Don't forget that Bill Clinton did not kick-off his campaign until October 1991. But Al Gore already has nationwide respect and name recognition that other wannabees can only wish for!

Unless and until Gore endorses another candidate, we have to assume that he is keeping his options open. So it is too soon for those of us who prefer Gore to switch our allegiance.

"If (Al) was going to run in the future, of course I would support him. I think he'd be a fantastic president. He already got a majority of votes of people in this country once, and so that says something."
-- Tipper Gore on Good Morning America, June 13, 2006
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2069724&page=1

Let's all find ways to show our support for Al Gore! :patriot:

Read Al's blog: http://blog.algore.com

Get ready for Live Earth on 7/7/07: www.liveearth.org

Sign the petitions at www.algore.org and www.draftgore.com

:kick:

[lligrd]

34. Agreed, It Would Be Like Turning Back The Clock

And it may be the only way for mankind as a whole and the planet to survive.

[Apollo11]

35. There is no way to turn back the clock - unfortunately.

Nobody knows better than Gore that you cannot turn back the clock in politics.

In his own words - all campaigns have to focus on the future, not the past.

This was one of the main reasons why in 2002 he ruled himself out of the running for 2004.

Gore says he won't run in 2004

Monday, December 16, 2002 Posted: 1:18 PM EST (1818 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former Vice President Al Gore, the Democratic nominee for president in 2000, said Sunday he would not seek the party's nomination in 2004.

"I personally have the energy and drive and ambition to make another campaign, but I don't think it's the right thing for me to do," Gore told CBS's "60 Minutes."

"I think that a campaign that would be a rematch between myself and President Bush would inevitably involve a focus on the past that would in some measure distract from the focus on the future that I think all campaigns have to be about."

http://edition.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/12/15/gore/index.html

[TwilightGardener]

36. Here's a suggestion: Why not focus on the excellent choice

of candidates we have now, instead of elevating Gore to "savior" status? I like Gore OK, but it's a mistake to pin all of these hopes on someone who probably has no intention of running, and may not win even if he entered the race--there's this weird assumption in DU that there's a national hunger for him, and that he would somehow be the strongest candidate for the general. I disagree--he lost before (please don't go into SCOTUS--what happened happened, and he ultimately lost), and I don't see anything about him that makes him more likely to win this time--no, an Oscar won't make a difference. The global warming cause, while very important and inspiring to us Dems, is not going to resound with the average voter, and it's certainly not going to pull over 'Pug voters. We've got a good lineup of qualified candidates, all of whom would take steps to combat global warming. There is no compelling reason for Gore to run.

[Apollo11]

37. Polls show that Gore would be a very strong candidate

According to the latest poll carried out for CNN, 50% of Americans have a favorable opinion of Al Gore. That's a better score than Hillary, Obama or Edwards.

Only 40 % of Americans have a unfavorable opinion of Al Gore. Probably the same 40% who still believe that Bu$h won "fair and square" back in 2000. But 44% of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of Hillary.

CNN Poll, March 13 (conducted March 9-11)

Al Gore 50/40 (Favorable/Unfavorable)
Hillary Clinton 49/44
Barack Obama 44/21
John Edwards 42/27

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton continues to lead the pack of Democratic presidential hopefuls, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Wednesday. Clinton has a lead of about 15 percent, followed by Sen. Barack Obama in second place and former Vice President Al Gore and John Edwards tied for third.
(...)

In the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, 37 percent of registered Democrats said they would vote for Clinton as the Democratic 2008 nominee, while 22 percent named Obama. Fourteen percent went with Gore, and 12 percent backed Edwards.

The poll included 447 registered voters who described themselves as Democrats. The sampling error for questions asked of them was plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

Gore has apparently gained support since his triumphant appearance at the Academy Awards ceremony -- in a January poll, only 10 percent said they would vote for him.
(...)

But most of the registered Democrats polled -- 52 percent -- admitted they could change their minds before the election.
(...)

Out of the total of 1,027 poll respondents, 58 percent said they have a favorable opinion of former President Bill Clinton. Forty-nine percent have a favorable opinion of his wife. Opinions of Obama are favorable for 44 percent, Edwards for 42 percent and Gore for 50 percent.

And another interesting point: Some voters continue to re-evaluate their opinion of the hotly contested 2000 race, according to poll results. In 2000, 48 percent said President Bush won fair and square. That number has now dropped to 40 percent.

The sampling error for questions asked of all 1,027 respondents was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The telephone poll was conducted March 9-11.

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/14/democrats.poll/index.html

Edited for accuracy

[Lil Missy]

38. It's not that I wouldn't "want" Gore to be President, I just don't think the press would let him win

I voted for Gore in 2000, and I think he would make an EXCELLENT President. The press practically made him a criminal for being a policy wonk, and glorified the current idiot in the White House for being a "nice guy" or whatever.

I fear the press is just waiting for him to throw his hat in the race so they can tear him apart again. It's not fair, but most people only see and know the sound bites fed to them over the air.

If REAL qualifications or a good resume really mattered, bush couldn't be elected as a dog catcher. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to learn he abused small animals as a child.

I love Gore, but I also want to win.

[Jennicut]

41. WE vote in elections, the media does not decide for us.

They may have gotten away with that for 2 election cycles but NO MORE! I really have no enthusiasm for any candidate BUT Al Gore. If he does not run I really doen't know who I will vote for. The media can go kiss my ass because in 2000 it was all Al Gore has made this gaffe and that mistake and we ended up with the Chimp. He is by far the worst president we have ever had. Look at where we are with the Iraq war. Its a mess. Our finances are a mess. We have a huge deficit and the dollar is gonna collapse. The environment is a mess. Health care is a mess. Education is a mess. We need a leader, not an inexperienced feel good guy (Obama) or a go along to get along and win type (Hillary). I really see not much changing with either of them in charge. Hillary wants power and Obama is too naive. Al has been there. He knows the deal. He wants change. And look at all the excitement for him among average Dems (not the main leadership) when he showed up on capital hill yesterday. They love the guy because they want real leadership. If Al runs, I am there. I voted in 2000 and I would vote for him in 2008. And Lil Missy, winning means absolutely nothing if we end up with someone who is just a corrupt and power hungry as Bush. Some policies may change but overall we will still have an abuse of power.