We’ve discussed this before, but I reckon it’s about time we dust this one off again.
It seems to me that Al Gore’s recent appearance on SNL was generally well-recieved, as has been some of his other non-political appearance since his defeat (let’s not go there, okay?) in 2000. In addition, since 2000 he’s made a few very stirring and insiteful speeched against the Bush administration.
It appears that Al Gore took some time off after the election to get the stick taken out of his ass, and emerged as one of the smartest and yes, most charismatic Democrats on the stage today.
While skipping 2004 was probably a good choice, I think Gore would be a very strong contender in 2008. Here’s why:[ul]
[li]He’s a moderate. Most of his known politics are at least as palatable to the American people as Bush’s are.[/li][li]Strong executive experience[/li][li]A reminder of the Clinton years, which are IMHO looking better and better as time passes.[/li][li]Not as divisive as Hillary Clinton or Howard Dean[/li][li]Prettier than Mark Warner[/li][li]Obviously smart, but after his recent image makeover, no longer unlikeably so. I think this kind of visible intellectualism will be appealing as an antidote for a an increasingly unpopular Bush[/li][li]Yes, he could win Florida[/li][li]Absolutely nothing that went wrong in the last 8 years can be blamed on him, unlike any Senator[/li][li]Is a way of saying “we told you so” without actually saying it (and they must NEVER actually say it).[/li][li]A smart, idealistic, white, wealthy, privilidged male: exactly as our founding fathers intended![/li][li]Southern. That’s got to count for something.[/li][/ul] I think Evan Bayh would be a good match. Along with a strong foreign policy and health care plan, of course, but that much is true for anyone.
Of course, all of this assumes that he doesn’t turn back into a robot when he’s in a race again, but that’s what primaries are for.
Part of him, I believe, could care less. He was VP and ran for president and I heard he narrowly lost.
He stays connected and stays just out of the spotlight. If he wants to make a run back into it, he’s going about it the right way by not insisting upon the spotlight, something that I thought the criticism of him in South Park was inaccurate.
He’s been saying a lot of things on his blog. Link
Some of those things could come back to haunt him. A politician with a sense of humor? Who knew?!?!
His roboticness is an inherent part of who he is, I think. Compare his polished properness with the rolling chaos that is George Bush’s demeanor behind the podium. Then again, if we had a Commander in Chief that couldn’t stop humping the podium, yet fixed most of our social ills, I’d vote for that person again in a heartbeat.
Part of me finds the idea attractive…and part of me really likes the way he is now and worries he will have to go back to being “Al Gore, the politician, trying to please everyone and not really saying what he thinks” if he wants to run for Prez.
When he was very very specific that he was not running for President in 2004, I figured he wasn’t planning to retire. He could do pretty well in 2008, with a charismatic Veep on the ticket, boldly claiming that he has a plan to ease dependence on foreign oil, etc.
There was a really good article on ole Al in Wired recently (not sure which issue…could dig it up if anyone cares) where they are kind of asking similar questions. Supposedly Al is leading the charge in the new wave of sane enviromentalists…and I have to say, at least WRT the article and this particular issue that his stance seems spot on to me.
I’m not sure if any of this would translate into A.G. making it either through the primaries or managing this time to get himself elected (I figure he’s probably a shoe in for the former, and has only a marginal chance in the latter…but thats just a guess), but were I him I’d certainly have to consider it.
Hell, who knows…if the guy can get it together and if his positions are what I consider moderate and sane I might even vote for him myself, despite a growing aversion to voting for either of the big two…
I think he would be a terrific president, and I think he might indeed have a good chance in 2008. Some of the embarrassing things he was tarred with in 2000 don’t stick anymore, and he has put a lot into speaking honestly from his convictions in the past few years, which clearly conveys a sincerity that was not so clear in 2000. In my opinion, this is a big reason he didn’t have the support he might have had. Despite this, I do feel that Gore would, in fact, have won the 2000 presidential elections but for electoral malfeasance.
Yeah, it’s come… and gone. Maybe if he went back to the Senate first and at least stayed active in politics. I don’t see how he can compete with the up and comers of the Democratic party, though. There’s a certainly gracelessness in not knowing when it’s over.
No. After the election he went on the lecture circuit and there are too many clips of him going into John Dean mode. All the Republicans have to do is form a Democratic PAC and run ads on his behalf. Plus it helps if you carry your own state.
Not in the last century. Farther back in history, Jefferson, Quincy Adams and Cleveland lost an election and later ran successfully.
I’m very skeptical that Gore could gather the support and enthusiasm again - he had so much trouble with enthusiasm the first time. He could return to the Senate, but I don’t think being a Senator would boost his Presidential chances very much. If he did run, I would give him a second look, but I don’t know if he’d have any kind of a chance.
