Time Mag Cover: "How Al Gore Could Save The Democrats"

With Democrats beginning to voice fears about a long summer of two candidates sniping over electability, the name of unofficial party elder Al Gore has resurfaced. Gore was tossed around early and often as a potential nominee, complete with his own grass roots recruiting party. However, the former Vice President and Nobel laureate assiduously avoided exhortations to run.

Nevertheless, the Gore question is coming back. Joe Klein is the latest to make the case for Al Gore coming into the Democratic race in the case of a brokered convention:

"Let's say the elders of the Democratic Party decide, when the primaries end, that neither Obama nor Clinton is viable. ... All they'd have to do would be to convince a significant fraction of their superdelegate friends, maybe fewer than 100, to announce that they were taking a pass on the first ballot at the Denver convention, which would deny the 2,025 votes necessary to Obama or Clinton. What if they then approached Gore and asked him to be the nominee, for the good of the party-and suggested that he take Obama as his running mate? ... A prominent fund raiser told me, 'Gore-Obama is the ticket a lot of people wanted in the first place.'"

Meanwhile, Jason Horowitz this week tried to outline the timing of a Gore endorsement:

"If Gore were to weigh in, he would have to do so before the superdelegates begin breaking for either Obama or Clinton," said a former Gore adviser, after laying out the various scenarios that might prompt the former vice president to get involved. "The superdelegates constitute the last true contest in this race. And for many, Gore is someone they talk to, listen to, and whom a lot of them admire and respect. Having him make a closing argument for either candidate would carry significant weight with some of these last-man-standing voters."

And earlier this week, Rep. Tim Mahoney (D-FL) suggested that Al Gore as an alternate coming out of a brokered convention:

"If it (the nomination process) goes into the convention, don't be surprised if someone different is at the top of the ticket," Mahoney said.

A compromise candidate could be someone such as former vice president Al Gore, Mahoney said last week during a meeting with this news organization's editorial board.

If either Clinton or Obama suggested to a deadlocked convention a ticket of Gore-Clinton or Gore-Obama, the Democratic Party would accept it, Mahoney said.

(Hat tip Politico)

Comments

[init]

A young viable candidate by the name of Obama is leading in every count imaginable. Tell the Cllintons that they shouldn't hang with republicans in the first place, if they want to be taken seriously. To try to replace Al Gore with the hard work and winning hand of Obama would be a slap in the face for any progressive thinker. When you really take a good look at who is holding back this nomination (democracy); it is the inside beltway of D.C. and Old men/women hanging around. I do not have anything against old people. Only old people who try to undermine other people and our youth/change.

[WoodyCPM]

Whoa there simmer down init....I'­m 54, most of my friends are in their 50's, 60's and 70's and most of them are supporting Barack Obama. We're on your side little puppy, cut us some slack!

[Whinger]

This is the politics of division, a hypothetical, what if, mischievious in the extreme, but none the less prompted by democratic party big wigs to access the possibility, test the water, guage how the voting public respond to the suggestion, and then decide, if, like Frankenstein, they can make a silk purse out of a pigs lug. Al Gore decided not to run for President, he should not be a pawn in the contest for the nomination. If democracy can be manipulated, switched on and off at the whim of superdelegates or whoever, then, what we have, in reality, is nothing better than a dictatorship.

[rmetz74]

Everyone, Al Gore has said a hundred times that he's not interested in being Pres. or VP. He has also said he will not endorse anyone, so that he can be a neutral arbiter in helping the party get out of the mess it's in. This is nothing more than the media inventing drama for its own purposes. Don't buy in.

[ornery]

Yes I remember last year he said he "had no plans" to run for Pres. He didn't address VP, because at that time the amazing ascendance of Barack wasn't predicted (well, I sort of did, having had him as my state senator from way back).

But with Clinton trying to drag down everyone with him in his faltering try for a third term, Gore could save the party--by stepping in & agreeing to serve once again as VP!

[YellerDawg]

Are you insane? We don't need another VP running the show because the prez is too inexperienced to run his own White House.

[WoodyCPM]

Gore would never run again as VP. That would be ridiculous.

[QueenofSheba]

Joe Klein is a certifiable jackass (and I don't mean Democrat) who is paid to have his personal fantasies published.

[obamagramma]

Yup. You said it Q o' S !

[ornery]

OBAMA/GORE 08!

That would fix the Clintons and just about everybody on the political scene.

[obamagramma]

If the democratic elders' solution is "Al Gore" it is time to put them out to pasture. That would be green bombing the democratic party in the foot.

[tzeckenham]

I have to agree. Who are these people anyhow? I'm certainly old enough to be called an elder (67)and I'm smart enough to know I don't have all the answers. Butt out, elders. The people are speaking for once. Don't let democracy frighten you. Retire maybe. Stay the hell out of the process. Gore schmore. I like the guy but he doesn't hold a candle to Obama or even Clinton. I'm generally P.O.d at the whole idea of superdelegates anyhow. Whose butt do you have to kiss to get to be one? Who chooses them? I don't like it. Growl.

[manualfordemocracy]

Gore-Obama is silly, Al was already president and Obama is leading in delegates, popular vote, and states won.

What would be a good idea is Gore as head of the EPA... now that would be the dream of the IPCC and the distain of the oil, gas, and electric corporations.

BTW:

To cut through the deception that Global warming is a myth, the United Nations asked 194 scientists, from 194 countries to unanimously agree on a statement concerning Global Warming. Their only argument was whether or not to say that it’s 90% certain or 99% certain that mankind is causing Global Warming, they settled unanimously on 90% certainty. Report: http://www.ipcc.ch/

[leftcoastindy]

The best post on this. I would have guessed as much.

Gore said NO to running, and most certainly would NOT consider as VP. Head of EPA should work for him. There's a fight he could win without getting 'assailed' .

[YellowDogInRedCounty]

I think if Obama announced his VP choice now (Richardson - and yes, he speaks Spanish in response to another poster) and just acted like Clinton wasn't even there, that would go a long way towards convincing Dems of his inevitability and would stop this nonsense talk of coming up with someone to "give" the nomination to against the clearly stated preference of the majority of Dems.

[RobtBrock]

Wait a second...w­asn't Klein one of the scumbags who ridiculed Al Gore for embellishment and his "Earth Tone" clothes and silly stuff like that in 2000? Klein's street cred sucks!

[BlueBoomer]

We HAD the best candidates at the beginning of this mess: Joe Biden and Chris Dodd... Unfortunately, the media ignored them (when they weren't burying them, especially Biden, for the same or lesser "infractions" than they have repeatedly given Obama passes for)... The media wanted more "interesting" candidates who could provide more/easier story lines for the limp-noids that pass for journalists these days, and they/we got 'em.

But both Obama AND Clinton fail the smell test for me (and I'll NEVER vote republican, even if it were Chuck Hagel, since that would include republican AG and SCOTUS nomination­s/appointe­es.)

I try to have a philosophy of "no regrets", but I DO sincerely regret that the media had SO much HillBama kool-aid and that the American public was so dying of thirst that they bought into the mirage and couldn't see the actual, true oasis that candidates like BIDEN and Dodd were.

[dhs177]

Al Gore is certainly by far the most qualified person to be President and this scenerio would be great for the Democrats. I cannot understand why he did not run this time. Gore/Obama would be a guaranteed winner but Obama/Gore is acceptable too. AL should accept the Vice Presidency if the first scenerio doesn't happen. Hillary should stay in the Senate at best.

[nellie]

"How Al Gore Could Save The Democrats"

Do I detect Republican framing in this title?

[PacificGatePost]

Al Gore's current fortune is build of premises founded on incorrect assumptions, intended or not.

Starting with global warming...­. get the facts straight:

http://pacificgatepost.blogspot.com/2008/03/argo-4900781s-letter-to-bickering.html

Things are just not what they seem.

[erteel]

It is not quite April fools day...

[mvpeach10]

I know the 2000 election was stolen from Al Gore. Yes, I voted for Al Gore. As an attorney, I was appalled at the action of the Supreme Court in stopping the recount in Florida, in effect disenfranchising so many Florida voters. I can't believe Mr. Gore would want to stop this race now, and, do to Senator Clinton what was done to him. Many other states haven't had a chance to vote and have that vote count. And then, there's Florida--poor Florida--always caught in the cross hairs. The Florida delegates should be seated. Both candidates were on the ballot. Only Obama advertised in Florida, though minimally. And, it was that Florida Republican juggernaut that engineered the early primary. Again Florida Democrats must suffer the consequences unless Mr. Gore can point out the unfairness of stopping this race and of failing to count Florida Democratic delegates. Yes, Mr. Gore has a role to play, but he must remember what was done to him and not to the same dreadful thing--deprive voters of their right to have their votes count.

[c1ee]

The point is their votes won't count for much, because unless they overwhelmingly vote in favour of Clinton, there is no way for her to catch up in pledged delegates. So, what is the point? You can't compare this to the general election, it's party nomination process. Remember it's the Clintons who were telling everyone that the nomination will be wrapped up by Super Tuesday. Why do they care about the contests after that all of a sudden? It's becaues they didn't plan for anything after Super Tuesday that they lost 11 contests in a row, and that is why Clinton now cannot catch up. She shot herself in the foot, and it is only right she bow out because there is not enough contests for her to overtake Obama in pledged delegates.

Oh, and before the primary process began, Clinton agreed to, and signed a pledge that Michigan and Florida's delegates won't count. Why all the fuss all of a sudden? Why is she trying to change the rules of the game after the game has started? You can't see why Obama supporters are outraged over this?

[kevenseven]

Ya think?

[mach]

Nader on 08...avoid the internal fighting..­.just say no to all these corporate politicians.

[ballewb]

Or in the alternative you could just throw your ballot away, or stay at home, or just go ahead and vote for a Republican. They all have the same effect.

[kevenseven]

Vote Nader, elect McCain.

[Burkelbile]

Nader is a NACISSISTIC CLOWN

[Burkelbile]

(sic) NARCISSISTIC
Ralph "the spoiler" Nader infuriates me so much I sometimes forget how to spell. (apologies)

Take a nap, Ralph

[ginnypoo]

This is a stupid idea, a stupid article and a stupid wish....st­op deluding yourself, the man retired and the new people he hangs with like and respect him....why in the world would he get into politics again when the MSM and pudits treat him horribly? He wouldn't.