Here is the latest update from my good sister, Kerry. (You can see her in the currenttv link at the end of the post, it is a little biography of the MA for Gore movement!) I spoke with her a long while today, & she believes Gore can step in with ease until December 4th (she is NOT a pollyana btw, she is pretty realistic about his chances & she knows all the deadlines & dates backwards & forewards for the primary dates - read her update for much, much more!)
It is important to note that the Draft Gore movement is a TRUE draft. They have plans to try to draft him at the national convention, a feat that could be accomplished, if the nominee gets less then 50% of the delegates. If that happens, delegates are no longer bound to vote to vote, in line with their state....
As always, thank you Kerry for your inspiring work & committment to getting the best person elected!
Hi Everyone,
Well it has been an intense month with lots and little happenings. But as always I am keeping those of you who have asked or showed interest abreast on the draft movement to date. We saw much action earlier in the month with the draftgore.com advertisement in the NYTs. It created a flurry of press and myself and coordinators from around the country were in contact with National and International media on a scale that was frankly overwhelming and awesome. Then Gore received the Nobel which created even further stirrings and whispers--will Al run? All of this was sort of squashed on the following Tuesday when a reporter in Norway asked Al the same old question--"will you run for president?" And Al gave the same old answer--"I have no plans to run". Well this led to a whole spin by the media stating "Gore declares he will not be a candidate in 2008". I have to tell you after being interviewed in the last month by The Daily News, The Washington Times, and Newsweek--it has been my experience that the media really does not quote people accurately or use what they say in the context of which they say it (surprise, surprise).
So here is the real deal. Al is kicking butt in the polls and the mainstream media is giving it little to no coverage. He is tying or leading Hillary in recent reputable polls including Zogby, CBS, MSNBC and CNN. Check it out for yourself:
http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/hillary_holds_two_point_edge_in_us_race/http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/zogby_poll_gore/2007/10/31/45660.htmlhttp://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/102507_newspoll.pdfNow let's remember here, he is not even running and he is doing this!
I would not count Al out of the picture yet and I believe one of two things will happen: He will either enter the race very late bypassing much of the campaigning and media spin he so hates and avoiding the national debates. If this is to happen do not expect it before 12/4. At that point he can still enter many of the important primaries and though he will have missed NH there is strong organization there forming for a "write-in campaign". Or a second possibility is he will not enter the primaries by early December and at that point a true draft will begin (well much of it has already begun). If this happens I would expect to see certain states try (and very likely succeed) in putting him on the ballot. These will include CA, NY, MA and NH. The goal will be to get him delegates. These delegates at the very least can potentially throw a wrench in the success of Hillary's delegate count at the national convention. If she gets less than 50% of the delegates all bets will be off and folks will be able to go to a round two of voting at the convention, choosing the candidate they see fit. If we can have a presence there, even in small numbers we can influence things. Is this a long shot-perhaps, but stranger things have happened in politics and we are still a year away from the 2008 election.
So I guess what I am telling all of you is do not give up. This is absolutely fascinating and the internet and grassroots are playing a larger role than they ever have. Here are some quick action alerts I would urge you to take if you have not already:
Vote for Al Gore in this DFA Poll
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/Gore has been winning as a write-in off and on! But it's close . . .
No one believed this would be possible. Al Gore's name and picture are not included in this important poll run by Democracy for America. You have to go to some trouble to even write in his name. And yet people by tens of thousands have voted for Gore and he's in the lead. This is already making news, and DFA could well make an endorsement if a candidate wins by a large enough margin. But the other candidates are fighting hard, so please, VOTE TODAY. To
vote, look for the "Other" icon (you have to scroll down), drag it to the top, and in the space provided type in Al Gore's name.
Also, if you would like to see what I have been doing with my life for the last 7 months a minnie-documentary has been made about our efforts in MA and is posted on Current TV at
http://current.com/items/86213521_wherefore_al_gore# I tend to be a little camera shy, but it has some great footage of our volunteers and really speaks to the need for Gore as our president.
Lastly, draftgore.com will begin running TV campaign ads for Gore in select states on CNN stating this weekend, keep your eye out and/or check their website.