And Then, There's Al Gore

When you really think about the crop of Democratic candidates for president, it's clear that their best hope to win in 2008, is not even on the playing field. That current, non-candidate is Al Gore. He's the only one who can match the experience, accomplishments and gravitas of Rudy Giuliani and yet, the left ignores him.

Do Democrats think that nostalgia for the Clinton years will propel Hillary to the presidency? More likely, when voters remember the scandal-plagued, triangulating double-talk of both Clintons, they will be less likely to want to return to those years.

Barack Obama? In a world that has become more difficult to navigate, does the left think that a not-even-one term senator is the right person for the job? Against a person with Giuliani's credentials, it wouldn't even be close.

John Edwards? The one-term senator known more for the price of his haircuts, couldn't even carry his home state of North Carolina as the Vice Presidential nominee in 2004. But, somehow, in '08, he's going to beat Giuliani? I don't think so.

And then, there's Al Gore.

He served in the House of Representatives for eight years, followed by eight years as a U.S. senator, followed by eight years as Vice President of the United States. In 2000, as the Democratic nominee for president, he won the popular vote by a plurality. Oh yeah, in 2007, he also won an Academy Award and the Nobel Peace Prize.

Seems to me, his resume is more formidable than the top three current democratic candidates combined.

But the Democrats wouldn't know gravitas if it hit them over the head, so infatuated are they with the style of their candidates over their substance. How many times have we heard Barack Obama referred to as a "rock star"? Or about the "star power" Bill would offer on the campaign trail if Hillary is the nominee?

The American people won't be considering "star power" when Rudy Giuliani asks either Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Obama what they were doing when he de-fanged the Mafia and cleaned up New York City during his years as a U.S. Attorney and two-term Mayor. Their answers would make the choice in 2008 easy: Mrs. Clinton was a First Lady (of the state of Arkansas, then the United States, with only the defeat of healthcare to her name) while Barack Obama was, self-admittedly, doing too many drugs.

And then, there's Al Gore. His impressive accomplishments, at the very least, blunt the Mayor's obvious achievements.

Since Bill Clinton damaged the Democrat Party with his dalliance with Monica Lewinsky almost a decade ago, there have been precious few, if any, Democratic candidates for voters to look up to and admire. Do Democrats hold their heads high when they think of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and how the Democratic Party is now thought of as the party of surrender?

Are Democrats proud of statements by John Kerry to the effect that American soldiers were somehow stupid or else they wouldn't have ended up in Iraq? Are they proud of "leaders" like Dick Durbin, who compared our troops to Nazi's or of Nancy Pelosi for choosing to meet with the Syrian leader while he was sending his troops into Iraq to kill ours?

And then, there's Al Gore. He's someone all Democrats already take pride in for a variety of reasons.

Whether you agree with his Global Warming stance or not (I don't), or whether you think he should be wearing earth tones or not, Al Gore is by very far the most substantial candidate the left has and yet it continues to ignore him.

As a conservative, I'm glad.

Comments

[Thad]

Wow, Seth, you are so right.

Just like you were last year about how the Republicans were going to keep both houses of Congress.

I have a question for you as a conservative: why do you keep talking after basically everything you have ever said has been repeatedly proven wrong?

And if you see Bill "no history of ethnic strife between Sunni and Shia" Kristol, could you please pass my question on to him, too?

[snaggster]

LOL. This is so stupid, I can't believe you actually posted it. You are Spinal Tap!
The left is ignoring Gore because he isn't running, thank God (R). Seth Swirsky (and his fellow travellers) think that the Rudi Julianna (who "defanged" the mafia then suggested Bernard Kerik for Homeland Security) is their best guy. The guy who keeps pediphile priests on the payroll!
As an anti-RepubliCon, I'm glad.

[sonofloud]

Gore had his chance and he blew it.
He listened to his idiot campaign manager and didn't use Bill Clinton to campaign for him in states where Bill was popular.
Then he didn't even put up a fight when it was obvious Bush had cheated in Florida.
I think what Gore is doing now is much better than anything he ever did as a politician.

[jmpurser]

This would be the same Al Gore who thought LIEBERMAN would be a dandy Veep?

Al's doing great as a statesman. But let's keep him as far from politics as we can.

[Rianna]

THe writer seems to think that Gullliani is a great candidate. With Gulliani, you do not have to dig far to find lots of dirt. A good mayor does not make a good President.
I only agree that Al Gore has the qualifications to beat any Rethuglican candidate. Unfortunately, Al Gore has decided not to put himself in the frontlines of the Rethuglican smear campaign.
He would be a great candidate for the Democrats though.

[homovivens]

Seth Swirsky knows gravitas? Check out his bio on Huff Post: songwriter, baseball memorabilia collector and "author" (of a trilogy of assembled letters from baseball people -- or what I'd call more memorabilia).

And, boy, can he write: the first paragraph's compelling metaphor of "crop... of candidates" and "playing field," radiates a gravitas we haven't seen since "A Field of Dreams." But that's more baseball memorabilia stuff.

Seth reveals that Gore "won the popular vote by a plurality," which is totally redundant -- winning the popular vote is the plurality.

He identifies Democrats as "infatuated... with... style... over... substance," when he demonstrates neither style nor substance.

Seth fortune-tells that Democrats are stuck on "star power," when it was the astrological Reagan, conservatives' patron saint, who consulted the stars before making his next move.

As for substance: contentless yet contentious; sophomoric yet freshman comp 101. Not even an intellectual tickle.

And then there's his penetrating historical analysis of the two parties. I'm not so much as star struck as dumb struck.

His short bio, which reads like a Hollywood rag, drops more celebrity names than Giuliani has positions on single issues. But it's the Dems who are star struck, according to Seth.

What's most striking is Swirsky's irrational exuberance for Giuliani -- plain and simple... very simple.

Seth Swirsky shouldn't be writing for Huffington Post -- there seems to be a crack in HP's criteria.

[tandrmcdonald]

Note to Seth;
Al Gore is the only one with the "experience, accomplishments and gravitas of Rudy Giuliani"
Al Gore has all of the above, plus honesty, intelligence, and a clear conscience.
Giuliani? Did you drink your lunch again Seth, or are you just out of your effing mind?
Have you listened to the news in the last two days? I'll bet Homeland Security wasn't listening in on Rudy's phone calls to supporters of terrorism.
Gramma Rose

[LizM]

That was funny!

And, speaking of being ignored...you forgot someone! But that's OK...what you don't acknowledge can't hurt you...can it?

[swift goat pet for truth]

GUILANI?!?!?!?
BWWWAHAHAH­AHAHAHAHAH­AHAHAH!!!

1. His lack of action prior to 911 shows he has no idea what planning is.

2. His statements before the 911 Commission shows that he has no understanding of what to do about terror AFTER the fact.

3. His constant lies about his own record shows he is out of touch with reality even before he started.

4. His friendship with Bernie Kerik shows he has no talent in picking staff.

5. His relationship with his ex's and kids shows he does not know how to treat people.

6. Goolie's recent expose of charging the city for his vacations with his girlfriend (current wife) shows his regard for the law and the citizen's money.

7. The only thing he has is fearmongering. And it is clear that terror owns your gutless little a--.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Cogito, ErGO GORE!

Sand Hill Road or Pennsylvania Ave?

Easy choice.

Draft him already.

[Karencnj]

Your characterizations of Democratic leaders sounds as though you have spent a bit too much time listening to right wing talk radio. I personally am very proud that both Senators Durbin and Kerry are Democrats. (In fact, Kerry accomplished more than Guilliani in the comparison you made - his Senate investigations led to the end of the CIA allowing the Contras to bring cocaine into the US to get money to buys arms for thugs in Central America that were used to kill innocents including Jesuit Priests and the closing of OBL's BCCI bank.)

Senator Durbin did not compare the US military to Nazis. He spoke of how the known abuses at Abu Ghraib did not sound like actions of US GIs, but of less reputable countries. Are you willing to defend waterboarding, an action that the US sentences Japanese soldiers to 15 years of hard labor, as appropriate?

Senator Kerry, a highly decorated war veteran, unlike most people of his class, has a 35 year vecord as an advocate for veterans. His comment was never about the troops, but about the fact that Bush did not adequately prepare for the peace, The text was pre-released. Did you ever take Bush to task for saying that like Al Qaeda, we never stopped looking for way to harm the country? He misread a line in his speech - Senator Kerry skipped a 2 letter pronoun.

As to Guilliani, it seems that we are finding a new scandal each week. If the charges are true that he used city money to pay for trips to see his mitress, it may be one scandal too many.

[BillZBubb]

Funny, funny post! Giuliani's stature--LOL!!!

Once the truth about Rudy starts coming out, he'll drop like a rock.

You right wingers got nothing but pain ahead. That means good times are coming back to the USA. As a liberal, I'm glad.

[secondedition]

I have been watching the Republican debates on TV tonight. After sitting through two hours of these mostly small minded Republican candidates pandering and offering no vision or new ideas for our future, I can say proudly all of our DEOMOCRAT CANDIDATES offer more help, hope and promise for our future and I would be happy to vote for any of them. This current crop of Republican candidates are no better than Bush.

[LindainSFNM]

ABSOLUTELY!!! I couldn't agree with you more, except in being happy they ignore him. But the Democrats in DC are always looking out for themselves and power, so a populist that wants to put the power back to the people I'm sure doesn't ring their bells.

But, if the voters make it clear they want a REAL Democratic candidate for the people who is a Statesman with vision, intellect and unmatchable experience, maybe our leaders will listen and will broker the convention for Al Gore as our best chance for the party, the country and the planet.

As Al Gore asks, it's time for citizenry activism to bring about the change we need to solve the many crisis' we face.

WRITE the Chairman of the Democratic Party.
Governor Howard Dean
Democratic National Committee
430 S. Capitol St. SE
Washington, DC 20003

we have little time to waste.

Time for
a COOL
change,
GORE
2008

[jeffmorgan]

Wow. Is this satire?