2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumThe case against Al Gore in 2016
Ezra Klein says the former veep should give the race a go. Why that's not such a good ideaLUKE BRINKER
The notion of an Al Gore presidency seemed to fade with his decision not to seek the Democratic nomination in 2008, a decision the former vice president made even though his climate activism and fierce denunciations of the Bush administration had generated a groundswell of support.
But early stumbles by Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton have put Gore back on the chattering classs mind, with some pundits speculating that Clintons shortcomings could prompt him to plot a presidential comeback. Ezra Klein is the latest to float a third Gore campaign, writing today that the ex-veep offers a genuinely different view of what the Democratic Party and, by extension, American politics should be about.
Lets get this much out of the way: If Gore really wants to run for president in 2016, he should. As a former congressman, senator, and vice president then a globe-trotting activist, businessman, and Oscar winner Gore boasts a wide-ranging resume unmatched by any other potential candidate. But theres no indication that Gore wants to run, and the case for him to make the race is a remarkably weak one.
Take Kleins piece. Though he maintains that Gore need not be a single-issue candidate, Klein sees Gores impassioned climate advocacy as the primary reason he should come out of political retirement. Whereas economic inequality is a serious problem, he writes, the climate crisis is an existential one and Gore is uniquely positioned to address it:
When it comes to climate change, theres no one in the Democratic Party or any other political party with Gores combination of credibility and commitment. Bill McKibben, founder of the climate action group 350.org, calls Gores work on the issue the most successful second act of any political life in U.S. history. Perhaps thats hyperbole, but it speaks to the regard Gore is held in by climate activists. Though hes been out of office for 15 years, hes never left the climate fight. Gore has proven himself the opposite of those politicians who love the game more than they care about the issues.
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http://www.salon.com/2015/03/16/the_case_against_al_gore_in_2016/
Gman
(24,780 posts)And president. He knows policy like few others. While I currently favor Hillary, I'd give Gore another look.
brooklynite
(94,950 posts)...and I don't see any indication that would change.
Gman
(24,780 posts)enthusiastically and could do it again. He should have been president but for Nader.
brooklynite
(94,950 posts)...including his home State.
Gman
(24,780 posts)Because of the scum Nader.
brooklynite
(94,950 posts)Nader was a factor only in Florida.
still_one
(92,502 posts)Gman
(24,780 posts)But I liked how he moved his campaign out of DC and to TN because he saw mistakes being made early on. That probably kept him from making even more and worse mistakes.
There are no perfect campaigns and everything is crystal clear after the fact.
I don't know about the VP pick. You have to have something to appeal to the middle and that was what Lieberman was for. Lieberman was a good friend of organized labor and was good on other domestic issues. He just looses his head over the middle east.
still_one
(92,502 posts)Gman
(24,780 posts)Corey_Baker08
(2,157 posts)Just for starters I believe that his time out of Government & Washington would be a huge advantage to him.
He is without a doubt intelligent, experienced & well liked. He would be an extraordinarily Candidate that I believe would bring unity to the Democratic Party and someone who would have no trouble winning the General Election.
Now it's just getting him to actually run!
Draft Gore 2016!!!
YvonneCa
(10,117 posts)...here.
Fearless
(18,421 posts)Based on credentials.
The Clintons are out for the Clintons.
Myrina
(12,296 posts)... I wouldn't wish Presidential Politics on my worst enemy. What a FUBAR'd shit-storm the profession has become.
There's no traditional Presidentin' involved anymore; it's all fundraising and dealing with the temper tantrums from the TP.
Yonx
(59 posts)He's probably the only politician who would attract as much hatred from MSM (including Dowd) than Hillary.
stevenleser
(32,886 posts)Gman
(24,780 posts)And that worked out fine.
stevenleser
(32,886 posts)convention and it would have been very ugly.
Gman
(24,780 posts)Obama already had enough votes on the first ballot of those committed anyway. That's always been a non-issue. It was bad enough dealing with the PUMA issue.
stevenleser
(32,886 posts)have been pushed harder at the rules committee. You never know. If Hillary had fought and refused to recognize the results if she lost, it would have split the party in two.
Gman
(24,780 posts)And decided it was s mom-starter.
stevenleser
(32,886 posts)#1 - Fight
#2 - Not fight, but not be supportive of Obama either. Concede and go away.
#3 - Not fight and be supportive and gracious.
There is no question that fighting would have been an uphill battle. I give her chances at prevailing at somewhere south of 20%. But it was not zero. Someone like a Nader would have fought and to hell with the consequences, for instance. That would have shattered the party.
Gman
(24,780 posts)So she decided to be gracious. I agree. The political risks to not only her, but to the party were actually unthinkable. In return she got probably the most plumb of cabinet positions.
And the people I was talking to at the time are all FOB's from 92 (I was a Clinton delegate to the DNC in 92) and were totally in the loop in 08. I think it was briefly considered but never was a starter.
To be sure there was a great deal of animosity between Obama and Clinton folks in 08, the likes of which I'd never seen (especially locally) in almost 40 years. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed. Losing the White House because of being split, I think was the one thing everyone could agree could not happen.
P.s. Looking back on my previous posts here, I hate autocorrect.
MosheFeingold
(3,051 posts)You do know she was the original "birther"?
lutefisk
(3,974 posts)But doesn't he have a few things (like the massage accusations) that the media, Fox, and the Karl Rove spawn could really run with to hurt him? With complete control of the government in reach, I think the Right wing attack machine will play dirtier than ever in 2016.
craigmatic
(4,510 posts)joshcryer
(62,287 posts)Kerry, as much as people won't like to hear this, was such a boring, safe candidate.
Gore should've been pissed off the whole time and simply said "everyone who voted for me last time, vote for me again."
Az_lefty
(3,670 posts)lutefisk
(3,974 posts)davidpdx
(22,000 posts)I think given everything that has happened in the last decade and a half, he's comfortable and happy with what he's doing.