For Progressives, Gore's the One in 2008 (AlterNet)

[marmar]

For Progressives, Gore's the One in 2008

By Tad Daley, AlterNet. Posted June 28, 2007.



The 44th American presidency is his for the taking. And it's time for the left to get busy asking.

In recent days, the word used more and more frequently to describe Hillary Clinton's march to the Democratic presidential nomination has been "inevitable." She consistently leads public opinion polls across the country by a good 10 points over her nearest rival. Hollywood, after a brief infatuation with Barack Obama, is now, according to the Los Angeles Times, consolidating its support behind the junior senator from New York. Rupert Murdoch employee Peter Chernin extracted a cool $850,000 from wealthy Angelenos for the former first lady at a recent event in his home. A few days later, she was endorsed by the King of Hollywood himself -- Steven Spielberg.

I wonder if Mr. Spielberg will change his mind when Al Gore declares his candidacy this fall.

I have never met Mr. Gore. I make no claim to any inside knowledge on this question. I have no idea whether he's gaining or losing weight.

But I think he's coming.

I think he's going to find it impossible to resist.

And I think progressives should get busy, right now, working to hasten the day.

Many Prefer Gore Over the Entire Democratic Field

I have been working on Democratic political campaigns, international policy analysis, and anti-nuclear advocacy for a couple of decades now -- usually finding myself on the left side of the room. So, although I was somehow left off the invitation list for the event at Mr. Chernin's, I have met a great many rank-and-file Democratic voters over the years. And -- like other political junkies -- I have been talking with them a lot recently about the 2008 presidential contest.

The majority of my Democratic friends have devoted most of their attentions to the three avowed front-runners -- Clinton, Obama, and John Edwards. Yet during the last six months or so, whenever I've asked them whom they would choose if they were choosing between four candidates -- Clinton, Obama, Edwards, and Al Gore -- probably 90 percent have told me, in a heartbeat, that they'd go for Gore.

So I've been thinking a bit about why that might be the case. .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/story/55036/

[JTFrog]

1. Excellent article.

I especially liked this part:

Oh, there is one more asset that Al Gore brings to the table. Something unique only to him. In 2000 -- even with Ralph Nader siphoning 2.8 million votes from just over 100 million ballots cast -- the sitting vice president still beat the sitting governor of Texas nationwide by more than half a million votes. In addition, a great deal of evidence indicates that more Floridians tried to vote for Al Gore than for George Bush -- which means, of course, that Gore actually won in the Electoral College as well.

But, at least according to five Supreme Court justices, George Bush won and Al Gore lost.

That means that millions of Americans, even many who might not necessarily adore the former vice president, hold a rough recollection that in 2000, Al Gore had something taken away from him that he rightfully earned. And deserved. And won.

Run Al, Run!

[marmar]

2. "Run Al, Run!"

Hopefully he will see his mandate now.....

[Tesha]

3. That's precisely why we'd back Gore.

> That means that millions of Americans, even many who
> might not necessarily adore the former vice president,
> hold a rough recollection that in 2000, Al Gore had
> something taken away from him that he rightfully earned.
> And deserved. And won.

That's precisely why The Tesh family would back Gore.

Dennis Kucinich is better on policies, but Gore is
certainly okay; we backed him from the start in 2000.

But the real deal-maker for us is the politics: I
believe it would be a wonderfully rejuvenating thing
for American *AND* the rest of the world to see seated
as the American President the candidate who *CLEARLY*
had his election stolen in 2000 by the neocon traitors.

I think it would give us a lot of opportunity to put
the past eight years behind us and justify a return
to the status quo of 2000, when America still stood as
a world leader in human rights, the desire for peace,
and a stable global economy.

So if Gore jumps in, the Tesh family will jump in
right behind him and work our hearts out for him.

Tesha