Al Gore cannot say he is running because of his movie--campaign finance

[HamdenRice]

At this point in the 2008 election cycle, almost all politicians who are considering a run for the White House tend to be very evasive about their intentions.

But Al Gore has an added reason to pretend that there is no chance that he is running: namely the way the Republicans would use his intention to run against Gore's new film, An Inconvenient Truth.

In 2004, while up to their nostrils in the vilest forms of campaign finance abuse, the Republicans tried to use the campaign finance laws to stifle Michael Moore's Farenheit 9/11 and advertisements of it as campaign commercials, because it was a documentary critical of Bush while he was running for office. While the issues and rules are different this far out in the election cycle, it seems obvious that Gore has to maintain that he has no intention of running so that An Inconvenient Truth is not somehow twisted into a campaign commercial and suppressed.

[rosesaylavee]

1. Well that and

the more he says no, the more attractive a candidate he becomes. Very Jimmy Stewart of him. And I am not being sarcastic here. I think, if it is a ploy or not intended at all, it seems to be working up a groundswell of support for the guy. Sheez, even the Rude Pundit is smitten... :)

[lonestarnot]

2. Gore/Feingold 2008!

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

9. That's my ideal ticket too! eom

[dalaigh lllama]

3. Ah, that makes sense.

Meanwhile he's kicking butt left and right. The groundswell is growing:

Al Gore in '08!

[durrrty libby]

4. He can deny all he wants, but I wish he would give us

a secret wink or a baseball sign.

Yeah...I'd like a wink and a nod.

[rosesaylavee]

5. Yeah, but that

would make him just like the other politicians.... saying something opposite out of the other side of his mouth. I kind of like this fantasy that he is going to be persuaded to join the race by the general voting public rather than pundits, lobbyists and shady backroom types.

[blm]

6. In many markets, PBS wouldn't run Be Good, Smile Pretty because the girl

who tracked her father's Vietnam service before he died ended up talking to Kerry who served closely with him.

They were being VERY nitpicky, since the documentary wasn't ABOUT him, at all. But, Repubs will scream about ANYTHING - even the most peripheral. They are bully babies.

[Dunvegan]

7. Gore is an honorable statesman. When he's free to run and ready...

...we'll know.

Kind of like Fitzmas.

[HamdenRice]

8. Federal Election Commission considered banning Farenheit 9/11 Ads

It may seem like ancient history, but there was a scare just before F9/11 came out that the Republican controlled FEC actually would ban advertising of the movie under the campaign financing laws. It's that serious.

[AnnieBW]

10. He Won't Say Anything

Until after the elections in November. I think he's concentrating on his movie right now, but I'm sure that, if the expected Democratic landslide happens, he'll jump in.