Considering that the approval ratings for Bush’s have fallen back into the 50s AND considering that Hillary may be waiting for 2008, will we see Gore announce for 2004? The emotion of 2000 election might allow Gore the luxury of waiting to see how events pan out before entering the race late. By entering late he could avoid some of the shots the democratic candidates will have to take at each – and then enter, to loud applause from those who want a grudge match. IF Gore wants to run for president again, would 2004 be his best opportunity? By 2008, not only will the 2000 election be part of dead history, if Hillary or another democrat runs and wins in 2008 he could be out until 2016. So who thinks Gore just might try to place a toe in the water before this is all over – and if the water seems inviting, jump in? Or is it already too late?
I think the chances are better than a year ago… If Bushes approval ratings are down… he may…
I think even if he did want to come back for 04, it was a wise move to say that he is not…
avoids all the press leading up to it… He doesn’t have to criticize Bush until much later…
He can come back to the… “The People Have Spoken” sort of thing…
and the Democrats do not have a strong candidate to run against Bush right now.
I doubt it. He already said he wouldn’t. That could be used against him, since it wouldn’t be a stretch to portray him as wishy washy. At this point in 91, everyone was saying that no democrats were worthy. Nobody knew about that Clinton guy.
What are the chances Gore will run in 2004? Zero. He’s announced at least three times that he will not be a candidate in 2004.
I think you are crazy if you believe there is a zero percent chance…
While I still don’t think it is likely…
Can you imagine the publicity?
A few senators calling out a plea for Gore to reconsider…
After months of thinking about it… Gore decides to run with one of the most powerfull speeches he has ever given… (not too hard)
The first primaries are less than six months away. It’s too late for Gore this time. All of the political brains are committed to other people, he would be way behind on fundraising and he’s already said no. I think that Bush will be re-elected in 2004 and that Gore may step into the race in 2008, Hillary or not. He may feel as I do that Hillary’s negatives are too high and that he (Gore) would be seen as a moderate alternative with some “martyr milage” to take advantage of.
Are the chances any better then when I asked in this thread?
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=150638&highlight=Gore
Hee hee. Otto actually believes what politicians say.
How quaint.
I believe what Gore says in this instance, because it jibes perfectly with reality.
hate to bring this thread back… but I just read a new article…
Chances may still be slim… but I could see it happen…
It all depends how the dems feel about Kerry’s chance
Even a possible run - which I think Hillary denied just a day or two ago - becomes harder every day, since the currently announced candidates have had all this time to raise funds and build the machinery to do so, etc. Gore and Hillary would both have to get a team together and raise money and catch up when at present they’re months behind. (People are saying all these things about Wesley Clark’s prospective candidacy as well.)
Also, although I know he won the popular vote, Gore didn’t do well against Bush the first time around. What is he going to have to offer now? He and Hillary both have name recognition, but so does Lieberman, and he doesn’t seem to be doing all that well. I have to reiterate my old line, which is that nobody trusts Hillary. A good number of Democrats wouldn’t, and I think that means they have a slim chance of interesting anybody else.
The fact that he’s got an IQ over 80 is lookin like a HUGE advantage over Bush at this point.
We thought that any ol’ bubba could run the white house after clinton, but apparently he was a special kind of bubba, whereas Bush is just “special”
As Evil One and others have said, Gore is way behind in terms of fundraising and (more importantly) organization. While it would take him about three nanoseconds to leapfrog Sharpton and Brown and Kucinich, he’d still be playing catchup with Gephardt, Dean, and Kerry.
Besides, he’s in a no-lose position right now. He already has a political platform based on his fame. He knows that anything he says will get play in the news, and that’s a powerful place. He can speak his mind, and rail from a bully pulpit — but he doesn’t have to articulate any detailed policies or make any promises as he would if he were a legitimate candidate. He can send up a trial balloon with impunity, and if it takes off, the real candidates can adopt it. If it doesn’t fly, well, they can pretend he was just speaking for himself. Nifty.
I’m sure, in his political calculus, actually running is very nearly a no-win proposition. He’ll be branded a sore loser from the first time, and if he loses he’s a laughing stock. Winning is no better: He inherits a totally fucked-up situation, some of which can (to some degree) be placed at his own doorstep based on the actions (or non-actions) of the administration he served as VP. A brand-new Democrat, by contrast, will get a free pass on coping with inherited bullshit for a lot longer.
There’s no way any prominent Democratic leaders will undercut their man, whoever it is, by pleading in public for Gore to run. Democratic leadership may be ineffective right now, but it isn’t stupid: They know it would cut the legs out from under the leading candidate at the time to beg a “stronger” candidate to enter the race, because it would come off as admitting they don’t think the original guy can win. In that situation, if Gore still declines, they’re dead. You’ll hear the grass-roots organizers yell and scream until basically the beginning of November, but the national leaders will keep their mouths shut in public.
I agree with Otto. Zero chance. Now, 2008 or 2012, that’s different; Gore is still comparatively young. It’s not like it was with Dole, where it was a Last Shot at Greatness before settling back into the rocker of elder statesmanhood. Note that while Gore has said, “I’m not running now,” he has not said, “I’m never running again.”