Kerry or Gore in 08??? (why does the DU keep throwing these names around?)

[DFLer4edu]

I think Kerry has grown a spine since 04 and I love the way Al Gore has pushed public opinion on global warming from a question mark to the hard reality of scientific fact. However, I don't understand how anyone could think that a Gore or Kerry presidential bid is possible. This is American politics, you get one shot. That's it. Nixon got a second shot 50 years ago and he was the last. I'm at a loss to understand why there is so much support for these two people to run for President. Say whatever you like about any of the other candidates, but they don't have the baggage of a lost presidential election. Gore has said he won't run and although Kerry will always hope, even Kennedy has pulled his support of a Kerry bid and said he'll think about it if Kerry decides to run/he thinks the other candidates in the field are strong. So, why does the DU seem to incessantly drum for Gore and Kerry?

P.S. For the record, I am obviously a no to either of these candidates. I am also a no to Clinton. Who I will vote for depends on whether the nomination is wrapped up by the time of my primary. If it is, there is a decent chance I'll support Kucinich. If not, we'll see.

[jefferson_dem]

1. Agreed. "America is ready for a new set of challenges...A new generation is prepared to lead."

~...to quote Obama.

Move forward not backwards... That's what America wants, what America needs, right now.

[comradebillyboy]

2. they both ran terrible campaigns in the past

and I see no reason to believe they would do better a second time. Gore may be a more intresting fellow than he was 6 years ago, but kerry is still a clueless twit.

[Blue_In_AK]

5. Excuse me??? A clueless TWIT???

Whatever.....

[ray of light]

10. ......

Whatever...!!! ;)

[karynnj]

21. So the following actions were clueless:

Kerry/Feingold - the most substanitive plan to change the course in Iraq - offered well before most Senators were willing to accept reality

Kerry's Real Security plan for dealing with the overall issue of national security (on Johnkerry.com under multimedia or as text under news, then speeches). Even conservatives like George Will are now saying Kerry was right. Gary Hart praised Kerry as a leader here - which is significant because Hart was one of two authors of the Hart/Rudman report.

Kerry has been - with Gore - a top advocate on environmental issues. He met Teresa at the Rio conference dealing with this and he was the first in the US to push using the toxin trading that Europeans had pioneered to correct the acid rain problem. (As Lt Gov, Kerry got the NE Governors to accept this) This is used in the clean air act and is the mechanism behind "carbon trading". (Note - Kerry is not an environmental scientist or economist - but he was the person to advocate for this as policy. ) Kerry also was instrumental in pushing for stronger legislation on costal erosion. (The bill that passed was a compromise between where things were and Kerry's stiffer legislation.

Kerry and Kennedy wrote the precursor bill for S-CHIP which was the biggest increase in federal health insurance since Medicaid. It became law with Kennedy and Hatch as sponsors - which is normal Senate behaviorl. When they could get a Republican sponsor, the Jr Senator's name was dropped - even though he authored much of it. His 2004 Health Plan was considered by independent evaluators to be the best of all the candidates'. His idea to spin off catasrophic health care coverage (to be paid by the government) that would lower the cost to all individuals and companies has been praised by many across the political spectrum as a good idea.

Kerry also wrote an amendment to CAFTA - that failed to get out of committee on a 10-10 vote that the AFL/CIO backed that would specify labor rights and environment rules. This amendment will now - pass out of committee and likely pass the House and Senate on future trade bills.

These positions and actions on what are likely the 5 most important issues do not seem to me either "clueless" or the actions of a "twit". I seriously do not get how you fall for RW lies after seeing Kerry in the debates or in talk show interviews - he always is knowledgable and competent. I have never heard of anyone meeting him and not coming away impressed with his intelligence.

Consider that in 2006, the issue other than Iraq that people said was important was corruption. It is hard to beat Kerry on this. Kerry's strength can be seen in his willingness to stand alone against the corrupt BCCI that was facilitating international drug running and finance networks of terrorists - even though high level Democrats were involved.

MCCain is likely to try to gain that issue. But Kerry/Wellstone, though not passed was true reform to the flawed McCain/Feingold and when McCain was involved with Keating 5, Kerry was fighting BCCI. McCain may get away with this against Hillary, but it will be harder against Kerry.

Go listen to the 4 Faneuil Hall speeches and come back and say that he is either clueless or a twit - they are all on johnkerry.com under multimedia) and they show where he is on the key issues.

[blm]

26. What does that say about EVERY OTHER LAWMAKER, since there isn't a one who has

investigated and exposed more government corruption than John Kerry has, or who has effected this nation's historic record more positively than John Kerry has over the last 35 years.


I would say that the attacks on Kerry show cluelessness of REAL history by those who attack him blindly.

[sueh]

3. I want Gore to run...

but, IMO, Gore and Kerry, and even Kucinich, are far better qualified to be president than Hillary and Obama.

[vote 4 democracy]

6. Exactly!!!

Gore is now showing that he has the integrity to be himself regardless of what they throw at him. He "fell out of love with politics" and that freed him to be exactly the person we need. The person who can clean up this mess with dignity and determination. His integrity now matches his intellect and he would certainly be the man to beat if he runs. We can only hope!!!!!!

[ray of light]

9. Qualified and honest!

Welcome to DU.

:hi: :hi:

[politicasista]

27. Exactly n/t

[ray of light]

4. oh boy! this is a bad news night huh? time to bringout the nonnews issue.

So...lets see. Kerry and Dodds in Iraq, Syria, Israel and being TRUSTED and respected for their view.


Bush is escalating the war. Time to pretend that Kerry is the issue.

Bush is likely to send more troops to die for a lie...time to harp back to 04.

Love DU.

It's like cyberspace has nothing to do with reality.

2004 is done.

Move on.

[nolies32fouettes]

7. hear hear!

Well put, Ray!

So many things to be talking about and this is IT?!


(side note, I'd be happy with Kerry OR Gore running... both are experienced... thats my main quibble with Obama... He'd make an excellent president in the future though... Just not this election.)

[wisteria]

8. You know little about politics if you think people just get one shot.

first, politics change and grow. Many candidate who don't make it for office the first time run again successfully. Oh, and it wasn't 50 years ago that Nixon was given a second chance as you say.
Who gets voted in and who doesn't depends largely on the mood of the public at the time.
I will stick with Kerry, I don't go with what some consider conventional wisdom.

[jaysunb]

11. Did someone mention Kerry ????

Gore/Obama 08

[AtomicKitten]

15. woot

[renie408]

19. Wouldn't it be lovely? n/t

[MsUnderstood]

12. Applying that same logic to sports

The Seattle Seahawks should not be allowed in the football playoffs this year cause they blew it last year.

C'mon--here you we democrats are talking about unprecedented things like an african american and a woman have a decent chance at a presidential run and you want to apply logic such as this--one shot and you're done?

And BTW I love Kucinich too. . .but didn't he run for the primary last year and LOOSE? So with your logic isn't he out of the running?

[PresidentObama]

13. Yes, they did mention Kerry.

If you count him out, your crazy!

The failed idea that you get one chance, and thats it really doesn't stand true. I think John Kerry and Al Gore are both experienced, true leaders, and are on the right side of the coin on the key issues in America today. Both deserves another chance to showcase their abilities to appeal to the party, and then to the nation.

You may say Nixon was to long ago to be an example, but remember the old saying: history repeats itself!

America is looking for strong leadership, something Gore or Kerry could show the nation!

[zulchzulu]

14. Two things about Kerry and Gore

1. They both WON! If you've looked at what happened in 2000 with SCOTUS and what happened in Ohio in 2004, you know that both "victories" by Bush were not. Read Robert Kennedy's Rolling Stone article and feel free to refute his findings. I'd love to see that. In Kerry's case, if you read how Carville tipped off the Bush/Cheney team with Kerry's plan to protest the Ohio vote on Election Night (State of Denial/Bob Woodward Pg.343-346), you can also see we have enemies and turncoats within our party that would love to NOT have Gore or Kerry run.

2. They are both the two most qualified leaders to run in 2008 imho. Say what you will about how you only get one chance in American politics (it's not true... Nixon and Reagan ran twice recently), but historically, if you look at the first point, anything is possible. If the voters have a chance to choose between Gore, Kerry and whoever else decides to run, it's all good.

To say that Gore or Kerry should not run only makes me think that the person with this opinion sees them as a threat to their candidate's viability and vulnerability.

[Mass]

16. I am fine with any of the two running.

For your info, Kennedy said he supported Kerry, but that he should declare soon, not what you said he said.

In the rest of the world, people would run somebody who has come close to become president and run him again, and this is how these countries have had strong leaders that are known to the public and not people who need to reinvent themselves every 4 years.

The strange thing is that the Democratic Party is the only one who think that, not only they should not run these guys, but they should destroy them. No surprise that we cannot succeed in having good presidents and only win by luck (Carter won by a whisper against a discredited Gerald Ford, Clinton could only win in a three-way race, Kennedy barely won). Gore should have been the unanimous candidate in 04, with the party strongly behind, and any of those two should be the 08 candidate (the Hell with it, put the two on the ticket) and anybody should be strongly behind. But personnal ambitions are too strong for that.

[karynnj]

17. Kennedy did not pull out of supporting Kerry

He was simply pushing him to declare that he is interested soon - in which case he said that he supports him.

There are only 25 elections in each century - so any analysis that looks at something happing only a few times is not that convincing. Each election had a huge set of factors that determined what happened. A hostile media in this decade likely made the difference for both Gore (who really won) and Kerry (who with no suppression likely would have won). The media has an affect - and it was not neutral in 2000 or 2004.

The reason Gore and Kerry are mentioned by many of us is because when we look at the question of who could be excellent Presidents - and Kerry and Gore would. They are both serious, intelligent men of proven character - which the Republicans worked very hard to distort.

[TayTay]

18. Because some people think they would be excellent Presidents

and wish to support them with money, time and effort.

Has this become illegal in this country or in the Democratic Party?

[renie408]

20. You do realize that Kucinich has run before, right? n/t

[mrgorth]

22. LOL!

I missed that little piece of logic.:)

[NYCGirl]

24. The OP means someone who has won a primary. Kucinich will never win the

Democratic primary, so he can't be included.

[blue cat]

23. Kerry or Gore

my 2 favorite guys.

[Uncle Joe]

25. This sentence means Al Gore may have saved life as we know it,

"I think Kerry has grown a spine since 04 and I love the way Al Gore has pushed public opinion on global warming from a question mark to the hard reality of scientific fact"

all your family, friends, coworkers, movie stars, rock and roll singers, rappers, country music stars, jazz artists, rhythm and blues, doctors, lawyers, indian chiefs, police, fireman, Marines and soldiers, cooks, maids, blogger, journalists, janitors, teachers, scientists, truck drivers, realtors, attorneys, air traffic controllers, congresspeople, supreme court justices, even your pets, etc. and you don't want him as President!?

Of course if that's not enough Al Gore's vision empowered you to praise your favorite leader for all the world to see when Al championed the internet. No doubt as well, Bush's poll ratings would be much higher today, if we didn't have the internet to get the truth out. The mass corporate media did not appreciate this loss of power and subsequently gave Al the Prometheus Treatment, not having a taste for liver, they just trashed and slandered him. These are just a couple of reasons as to why, I will always support Al Gore for President.

[Steely_Dan]

28. That's Funny...

...I may not be a big Gore fan, but I think he is the most electable.

-P