Draft Gore Movement Picks Up Steam

All across America, Al Gore supporters nervously count down the days to October 12 -- that's the day when the Nobel Peace Prize is announced. Many expect the former Vice President to win the award, and if he does it will cap a marvelous year of accomplishments -- Oscar, Emmy, Live Earth, bestseller. It will also immediately fuel speculation that Gore will jump into the 2008 presidential race.

Late last spring, when he was busy barnstorming on talk shows to promote Assault on Reason, Gore was constantly asked by interviewers, "Are you going to run?" Though he always said that he was not, he'd embellished his answer with a coy qualifier that left open a sliver of daylight for a possible candidacy. Like he told Larry King, "I am not thinking about being a candidate. I have no plans to be a candidate. But, yes, it's true, I have not made a so-called Sherman statement and ruled it out for all time. I see no reason or necessity to do that."

Around that time, the New York Times quoted Gore as saying, "Having spent 30 years as part of the political dialogue, I don't know why a 600-day campaign is taken as a given, and why people who aren't in it 600 days out for the convenience of whatever brokers want to close the door and narrow the field and say, 'This is it, now let's place your bets.' If they want to do that, fine. I don't have to play that game."

True to his word, Gore hasn't played that game. Could the Nobel become the catalyst for Citizen Gore to tell America, "I'm in!" Furthermore, will he be able to raise sufficient funds, build a campaign staff with field offices in key primary states, and re-introduce himself to Democratic voters as their next president?

One of Gore's favorite lines which he likes using to warm up audiences during slide-show lectures on global-warming is, "Hi, I'm Al Gore and I used to be the next president of the United States." That line will be pure gold on the 2008 campaign trail.

I know of many Democrats who still get angry whenever the subject of the 2000 presidential election is brought up in conversation. Like them, I believe that the election was stolen, and the wrong man got the job. Some blame for Gore's defeat can be attributed to those vexing butterfly ballots which affected voting in southern Florida. A fair electoral system would have mandated a complete statewide recount, something the Supreme Court wrongly dismissed. And so, all that has happened to our nation since then is straight out of chaos theory: the slight turbulence created by a butterfly flapping its wings can set into motion atmospheric disturbance that results in a hurricane on the other side of the planet. Instead of our country being led by Gore who won the popular vote, we've suffered through eight dispiriting years of Bush/Cheney and a catastrophic war in Iraq.

There are a number of Net activists and grassroots organizations also banking on Gore's rendezvous with destiny. They have kept the faith. They are waiting for Gore. But they have also been busy building an independent infrastructure of volunteers as well as conducting an online petition drive urging Gore to run. The most successful web group is DraftGore.com, which was founded by Monica Friedlander, of Oakland, California, four years ago and is its current chairperson.

Last July, Eva Ritchey, of western North Carolina, who is a member of DraftGore.com's five-person executive committee, hand-delivered 100,000 names and addresses on a computer disk to the Gore office in Nashville. Her visit made national news. Now, over the next several weeks, DraftGore.com will pump up the volume with email newsletters, radio advertising, and help create a national network of volunteers. Its main objectives are threefold: to get the word out, to demonstrate that there continues to be a strong, viable nationwide interest in a Gore candidacy, and to be prepared for instant mobilization of campaign support if he does enter the race.

To date, DraftGore.com has collected over 125,000 signatures in its petition drive. And the momentum is accelerating for this unique kind of presidential outreach. Just this past Friday, its web site gathered 10,000 new signers; yes, all in one day!

While DraftGore.com is certainly the most visible group and the one with most clout, it is just one of at least a dozen online organizations all determined to see Gore become our next president. Pro-Gore volunteer groups also have representation in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New England, California, and elsewhere. Go to AmericaforGore.org to see the full list.

In An Inconvenient Truth, Gore talks about radical climate change that can seemingly happen within the space of ten years-of the Earth going from warm to a new ice age. Gore's late-in-the-game candidacy will be the political equivalent of rapid climate change. It will alter the political campaign environment overnight. It will throw into turmoil the electoral strategies of the Clinton, Obama, and Edwards camps. Hillary's lead in the polls will vanish within weeks, and thus exposing her tepid baseline support. Gore should easily become the new anointed frontrunner by pundits and polls. For Republicans, Gore represents an unbeatable foe in 2008. He's bulletproof on the big issues: experience, Iraq, national security, global warming.

Several potential hurdles, of course, lay in wait for Gore. There is his legendary awkwardness as a political campaigner and whether the fault-finding media will shabbily treat him like they did in 2000.

Gore is the first to admit his own limitations as a crowd-pleasing vote-getter. "Most people in politics draw energy from backslapping and shaking hands and all that. I draw energy from discussing ideas," Gore told New York Magazine in 2006. Yet one of the biggest surprises about An Inconvenient Truth is his persuasive and genuinely captivating performance. He's the best science teacher you never had. Absent is the wooden Democratic nominee clumsily duking it out with his flat-footed Republican opponent in three 2000 presidential debates. The old, stiff Gore is stashed away in a lockbox. The new, limber Gore is a man on fire.

What has been so refreshing about Gore's comeback following his demoralizing defeat in 2000 is that finally freed from the choke-chain grip of consultants and advisers, he could openly express his outrage over a broken political system hijacked by democracy-destroying zealots from the Republican Party.

A pivotal moment of Gore's resurrection was marked by his speech at San Francisco's Commonwealth Club on September 21, 2002 where he voiced strong doubts about the White House's ill-considered decision to go after Saddam Hussein who had nothing to do with September 11. The media did an instant double take. They asked, "Who is this new Al and why didn't he talk like that during the last election?"

He continued giving speeches that criticized the Bush administration -- its frontal assault on civil liberties, penchant for secrecy, institutionalized dishonesty, lack of accountability, endorsement of state-sanctioned torture, and the Iraq War. He astonished listeners with searing eloquence and astute insights. His confidence to let it rip and speak his mind grew with each talk.

It's this type of candor and perspective that has endeared him to Democrats and independent voters. Assault on Reason solidified his wise-man stature and turned more Americans into Gore believers. And it's this groundswell of genuine support that has found voice and hope in groups like DraftGore.com, which, on its home page calls Gore "the conscience of the Democratic Party."

Even if Gore doesn't win the Nobel, it would be premature to count him out yet either. The call of fate, duty, service, and history just might be too great for him to ignore. Gore's entry in the presidential race could be the ultimate October Surprise.

Bill Katovsky is editor of the just-published "The World According to Gore: The Incredible Vision of the Man Who Should Be President," SEE LINK HERE: http://www.amazon.com/World-According-Gore-Incredible-President/dp/1602392323/ref=sr_1_2/105-7036262-0242026?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191231941&sr=1-2

Comments

[peonyharp]

Al Gore understands "The Butterfly Effect." Anyone who has dedicated himself to the natural world the way he has, comprehends what a delicate balance our planet's environmental health and well-being is in. One small act, no matter how significan­t...

Continuing with the butterfly motif, Mr. Gore has undergone a metamorphosis -- he is in the right place at the right time. Watch his documentary; listen to his speeches online; most especially read "An Assault on Reason," and you will perceive the change in this man. America needs his leadership, experience, passion, clarity of vision, and INTELLIGENCE to revive and restore this once great country.

He had, and has, my vote.

[Haslowex]

Forget America. What's better for the planet? Al Gore residing in the White House or Al Gore roaming the world, sitting down and speaking with industry leaders about climate change?

[CriminallySane]

Gore in the White House, by a very wide margin. He will still be able to speak with anyone he chooses, at his own convenience (being President is good for that sort of thing), plus he will be able to make the sort of changes at the national policy level that will be needed if we're going to see any real progress on climate change.

All the compact fluoros and hybrids in the world won't matter without that policy-level change. That is what we need.

[Zhonni]

Sorry guys!! Gore would not run because of Hillary. If Obama overtakes her then he would step in. That is the only scenerio available.

[Pyrum]

You're right, except he won't step in even if Obama overtakes her. Like that's going to happen! If it did, the media would just run hit pieces about how inexperienced he is or whatever, and Obama will be put back in his place. They all know their places.

[JacktheBlogger]

I posited back in March that it is in Gore's karma to be the next president of the United States - to see why it's no karmic coincidence, check out:
http://politicalpotpourri.blogspot.com/2007/03/gores-karmic-cycle.html

[VictorAndTim]

If he runs, he's got my vote. Without a doubt. I'm tired of holding my nose while I vote for the "lesser of two evils".

[olephart]

Last week the Democratic "frontrunner" gave her authorization for Bush to attack Iran. The top three Democratic candidates can't see how to get the troops out of Iraq before 2013. Are there any better reasons for Al Gore to run?

[bolderdash]

AL GORE WILL MAKE A GREAT PRESIDENT IN '08...and would have also in 2000. He will run after he receives the Nobel Peace Prize in the middle of October. He has his Organization ready to act fast on his announcement to enter the race for President after his speech. He has hundreds of thousands of supporter's addresses ready to donate PRONTO. He has dusted off all his most recent successes, Global Warming film documentary to the world, top selling book, "Inconveient Truth", started up new digital-satellite cable TV network, and is now going to receive his Nobel Peace Prize in Europe...c­an't you see the curtain opening up for the real BIG SHOW....TH­E PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES...m­ove over rover, THE SUNAMI' HAS JUST ARRIVED! don't you feel it coming?

[TXfemmom]

The only way I would back Gore as a candidate would be if he pledged to immediately, and completely establish oversight committees in every last state and as many counties, as possible, and to pledge a voter registration and get out the vote, supervise the elections and fight and claw to get every last vote counted.

No Mr. Nice, no mannerly manner, just MEAN, HARD, DEFIANT, AND DEDICATED TO WIN AND STOP THE PUKES FROM STEALING IT.

[sorenmeetsdylan]

Al Gore is marginalized by his MMGW histrionics.

[lamarguerite]

Two years ago, I listened to Al Gore present "An Inconvenient Truth" at Stanford University. The man's got vision, charisma, values. I came out of the room electrified. No wonder. He is our 'should have been president'. And I will do everything in my power to convince him to run. I can't see myself voting for any other candidate. Do you?

marguerite manteau-rao
Blogger for Al Gore
http://lamarguerite.wordpress.com

[Dallas112263]

I too saw a Gore presentation, for "The Assault on Reason"... Electrifie­d... You bet! As were the other 2000 or so people at the Marin Civic Center.
The grassroots are growing fast, Gore's name will appear as a candidate on the 2008 California Presidential Primary Ballot, California4Gore will assure that with the gathering of 500 valid signatures in each of California's 53 Congressional Districts.
Join us! Google us... We're right here.
Acting, not waiting
Al Gore will be elected President of the United States in 2008.
Not because he is running, but because he is LEADING!
RGJ/Dallas112263
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bayarea4gore/

[captnEarl]

Please Al Gore the country desperately needs your leadership in these terrible times the world needs you. We will go to the mat for you with funds and service to your campain. Your country is calling you!!!

[trevor01]

Gore was reviled and pilloried for claiming to invent the information highway (the WWW). It would be ironic if that same, fundamentally democratic media, fully mobilized, was able, finally, to get him (and our) due.

[texanna]

trevor01, Gore DID NOT claim to invent the WWW. That was the meme concocted by the traditional media to belittle him. What he did claim and what is correct is that he worked hard to convert through legislation what was the domain of a fairly small research and intelligence community into the WWW. Without the legislation that he was part of, the WWW as we have come to know it wouldn't have developed as it did when it did. The essence of the WWW had already been created, he just found a way to grow it and that's all that he ever laid claim to!

[batmanindy]

Come on Al -- Rrrrrrrruu­uuuuunnnnn­nnn!

Announce and I will send $2,300.00 or whatever the limit is! I will also campaign door to door.

Run Al Run!

[brewski]

Arising from the grass roots across our country in every state, concerned citizens are planning to put the name of former Vice President Al Gore on the ballot for 2008.

Everyone knows that he has what it takes, that we can now right a wrong and a national disgrace. Al Gore has the capacity, the experience, the vision, the courage, the determination, and the integrity to make us all really proud to be Americans.

You and I can have a part. We should stand up and speak up for what we know is right.

Visit AmericaforGore.org to find a volunteer opportunity.

[BMSstudy]

As a center-right conservative, I actually like Al Gore. I think he stands for things which is saying a lot with the current candidates from both parties.

1. Didn't the NYT, WP and LAT all pay for the joy of counting all the FL votes in 2000, and all come up with the same conclusion; GWB won FL?
2. No one is unbeatable in this age where stories hit the masses before and sometimes in spite of their falsehood or at least where they cannot be proved false regardless of if the can be proved accurate (Swiftboat and CBS letter).


I would like someone to say I believe in X, Y and Z, and here is why. I understand that X, Y and Z have some negative aspects and some aspects that are speculative but the information we have makes my decisions the best. I will always be open to reviewing my decisions if new data presents itself and or variables change during the course.

[westwind]

Regarding your point #1 -- The media consortium that studied the disputed ballots came to a different conclusion. From the Washington Post, Monday November 12, 2001:

"But if Gore had found a way to trigger a statewide recount of all disputed ballots, or if the courts had required it, the result likely would have been different. An examination of uncounted ballots throughout Florida found enough where voter intent was clear to give Gore the narrowest of margins."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12623-2001Nov11.html

[BMSstudy]

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DEEDB1338F931A25752C1A9679C8B63

First 2 paragraphs­...

"A comprehensive review of the uncounted Florida ballots from last year's presidential election reveals that George W. Bush would have won even if the United States Supreme Court had allowed the statewide manual recount of the votes that the Florida Supreme Court had ordered to go forward.

Contrary to what many partisans of former Vice President Al Gore have charged, the United States Supreme Court did not award an election to Mr. Bush that otherwise would have been won by Mr. Gore. A close examination of the ballots found that Mr. Bush would have retained a slender margin over Mr. Gore if the Florida court's order to recount more than 43,000 ballots had not been reversed by the United States Supreme Court"

[OckhamsElectricRazor]

Stop kicking this dead horse! Gore had his chance. He does not WANT it. We should not want HIM for turning his back on the opportunity. LEAD, FOLLOW, or GET OUT OF THE WAY!!