Al Gore = Possible VP?

helimachoptor

From this..
http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/mhgbgbcweyey/

Firstly is he even eligible?

And secondly if he is would Obama go for it?

Former US Vice President Al Gore said he is backing fellow Democrat Barack Obama and will do whatever he can to help him get to the White House.

In a letter to be emailed to Obama supporters, Mr Gore said Mr Obama has united a movement over the past 18 months.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner also asks for donations to help fund Mr Obama’s effort – the first time he has asked members of his website AlGore.com to contribute to a political campaign.

Mr Gore is one of the most popular figures in the Democratic Party, but he kept a low profile in the primary campaign.

He’s planning to appear with Mr Obama at a rally in Detroit later tonight.

SteveS

helimachoptor wrote: »

From this..
http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/mhgbgbcweyey/

Firstly is he even eligible?

And secondly if he is would Obama go for it?

Yes, he is eligible. I hope Obama picks someone else. He has some great ideas, but with how bad Bush was at foreign policy, I would like to see someone with more experience in that are, like Bill Richardson.

David@Bayard.co

helimachoptor wrote: »

From this..
http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/mhgbgbcweyey/

Firstly is he even eligible?

And secondly if he is would Obama go for it?

Obama would go for it lright, Gore is extreemly popular ini America and especially among democrats (including Clintonites)!!

However its not going to happen, no way never.. and why you ask....

Because Al Gore said so!!!

CtrlSource

Yeah, he's already ruled himself out.

Al Gore in 2000 was a disaster. So remote and stilted in his public appearances. The first time i saw any real passion displayed by him was in his final televised concession speech to Bush. Bit late then! It really was his election to lose as well and never should have come down to Florida.

Since then however, he's come into his own and is a true elder statesman of Democratic politics.

In general it seems, Americans don't like the idea of election losers running again. i really believe that John Kerry would have been a great President, but fail once and you're unlikely to get a second bite at the cherry. Just look to history to see how many failed candidates ran again. Nixon is the only one i can think of.

As has been mentioned elsewhere though, if Obama doesn't win this year, Clinton may well go again in 2012.

GOBAMA!

RayM

The vice-presidential candidate needs to be somebody who won't attract the inevitable dishonest Republican smear-campaigns. That alone leaves Al (I invented the internet) Gore completely out of the question. It needs to be somebody very bland and uncontroversial.

mikemac

CtrlSource wrote: »

Nixon is the only one i can think of.

Adlai Stevenson tried twice in 1952 and 1956.
In fact, he nearly went again in 1960 but Kennedy got the nomination and Stevenson didn't realy push to be chosen a third time. Possibly he could have done it, we'll never know......

Black Swan

OP: You have to be kidding? Al Gore for VP on the Obama ticket? This will not happen, no matter what the political newscasters say.

You may not like Hilary Clinton, but she did take almost half the vote in the Democratic primaries, and if Obama and Hilary were to unite, then there's a chance that the Democratic Party might also unite, and if this were to happen, because there are quite a bit more registered Democratic voters than Republicans, it would be a landslide win for a Obama-Hilary ticket November 2008. A lot of "if's..." but she is short-listed for VP according to Obama.

CtrlSource wrote: »

Al Gore in 2000 was a disaster.

I find it rather interesting that this "disaster" won the popular vote for president in 2000, with a half-million more votes than Bush? And if brother Jeb Bush had not been running the election process as governor of Florida, Gore would have been president. Even with all the so called "election irregularities" in Florida, brother Jeb could only manufacture about 500 votes for brother Bush to win Florida? I also find that this "disaster" has attempted to do a little good for the environment since leaving office? A film with an Oscar? A Nobel Prize? I guess there are a few people that would not consider him a "disaster?"

Red Hand

Blue_Lagoon wrote: »

OP: You have to be kidding? Al Gore for VP on the Obama ticket? This will not happen, no matter what the political newscasters say.

You may not like Hilary Clinton, but she did take almost half the vote in the Democratic primaries, and if Obama and Hilary were to unite, then there's a chance that the Democratic Party might also unite, and if this were to happen, because there are quite a bit more registered Democratic voters than Republicans, it would be a landslide win for a Obama-Hilary ticket November 2008. A lot of "if's..." but she is short-listed for VP according to Obama.

Having Hillary as VP would be a bad idea for Obama. The Democrat contest was a pretty bitter one and I wouldn't like to be President with Hillary plotting away against me for 4 years.

quidestveritas?

Jim Webb from Virginia might fit the bill. He was Assistant Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Navy under Reagan, decorated war hero, major defense/security credentials and a ferocious critic of Bush and Iraq (his own son has just returned from duty there). Problem is he is way over on the right wing of the Democratic Party (which he only joined in 2006) and got in trouble some years ago for making disparaging remarks about women in the military. It would also probably wrap up Virginia for Obama, given that it already leaning towards him anyway.

CtrlSource

Blue_Lagoon wrote: »

I find it rather interesting that this "disaster" won the popular vote for president in 2000, with a half-million more votes than Bush? And if brother Jeb Bush had not been running the election process as governor of Florida, Gore would have been president. Even with all the so called "election irregularities" in Florida, brother Jeb could only manufacture about 500 votes for brother Bush to win Florida? I also find that this "disaster" has attempted to do a little good for the environment since leaving office? A film with an Oscar? A Nobel Prize? I guess there are a few people that would not consider him a "disaster?"

Did you read all of what i said, or just fixate on the word "disaster"?

Gore was indeed a disastrous candidate in 2000. Coming in on the back of a successful 8 year Clinton presidency, with the economy is good shape, Gore ran a wooden campaign and was without charisma. He chose not to use the Clintons at all during the campaign and distanced himself from them, probably concerned that the sex 'scandals' might taint his chances among more conservative Dems. This was not a wise move. He also failed to capitalise enough on Bush's obvious weaknesses.

However, as i went on to say in my post, he certain improved a lot since then

I doubt he'd pick Gore or Clinton, his "forward looking" image would take too much of a hit.

Black Swan

CtrlSource wrote: »

He chose not to use the Clintons at all during the campaign and distanced himself from them, probably concerned that the sex 'scandals' might taint his chances among more conservative Dems. This was not a wise move.

Is this a case of revisionist history? "The public has a short memory?" Do you vaguely remember that the Republicans made gains in both Houses of Congress, fueled by the scandal? The sex scandal was embarrassing for anyone connected to it, and the Republican Right Wing candidates surged ahead because of it with their "family values" campaign appeal (pointing to the Clinton sex scandal). The nation was consumed by it, as if the latest soap version of Sex and the City. It went on for months and ruined the Clinton presidency, and anyone associated with it. Gore wisely distanced himself from Wild Bill, as did most other Dems seeking election or re-election (There's still talk about not letting Hilary into the Oval Office, because Wild Bill could pick up where he left off with his cigars and college interns). After an economy that had been booming for 8 years, Gore would have easily won, if it had not been for the sex scandal.

As to Gore's wooden campaign? Compared to what? Bush's charismatic, thrilling, articulate, silver-tongued, and witty stump? Give me a break! If Gore was dumb, Bush was dumber (and more wooden). There were Bushisms galore then, just as there has been for the past 7 years. He was an inarticulate bore then, that pretended a Texas country bumpkin drawl, and if he's changed, it's been for the worse. Many Republicans back then thought they had really blew it after the so called "debates," where Chaney sounded more presidential than Bush. But it's easy to forget that, blame Gore, and completely ignore that he had a half-million popular vote lead on Bush at the end of the 2000 election. But Gore did not have a brother Jeb "running" the election count and recount in Florida, again and again and again (until they mysteriously came up with a mere 500 votes for brother George... 500 votes that counted more than the half-million vote lead of Gore). Or an electoral college that puts state's rights ahead of one-person-one-vote. A half million votes for Gore were tossed into the dumpster while 500 "manufactured" Florida votes were counted because of an archaic, half-baked patronage system written into the US Constitution more than 200 years ago. Does anyone remember "dimpled chad?" My Da studied this election, still shakes his head, and laughs at the Super Power Sex Scandal that determined the 2000 presidency.

CtrlSource

You make some valid points, but remember that winning the popular vote does not an election victory make. Well, at least not in America

Gore was robbed in Florida, no question. But the point i was trying to make was that he should have performed a lot better, been a more impressive candidate and annihilated Bush. He didn't. He was a poor candidate and by distancing himself from the Clintons so conspicuously, he made himself look like he had a superiority complex. Clinton still had a lot of support among many Democrats. He could have chided the outgoing President, his boss, but still used him to some advantage in the election campaign.

i'm not saying this was the reason he didn't win, but it was one of them.

Having said all that, i thought electing Kerry in '04 was a no brainer, but the American voting public thought otherwise. Ever since that political atrocity, i have little faith in their judgement and have grave doubts about Obama's chances this year, despite wanting and hoping otherwise

Belfast

helimachoptor wrote: »

From this..
http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/mhgbgbcweyey/

Firstly is he even eligible?

And secondly if he is would Obama go for it?

Al Gore is too much it to man made global warming to be an asset to Obama.

Obama's message is about change does not go well with people who have been part of the Washington system.

brianthebard

CtrlSource wrote: »

but the point i was trying to make was that he should have performed a lot better, been a more impressive candidate and annihilated Bush.

no one 'annihilates' the other candidate in an US ge anymore.we already know in advance how the majority of states will vote.even in this years election which is more open there will be no landslide.as for kerry,countrys rarely change leader in the middle of a war,plus there was a very successful negative campaign against him.

Pocono Joe

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Bill looks at Al, chuckles and says, "You know, I could throw a $10,000 bill out the window right now and make one person very happy."[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Al shrugs his stiff shoulders and says, "Well, I could throw ten $1,000 bills out the window and make 10 people very happy".[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Hillary tosses her perfectly sprayed hair and says, "Of course, then, I could throw one-hundred $100 bills out the window and make a hundred people very happy."[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Chelsea rolls her eyes, looks at all of them and says, "I could throw all of you out the window and make the whole country happy."[/FONT]

CtrlSource

brianthebard wrote: »

no one 'annihilates' the other candidate in an US ge anymore.we already know in advance how the majority of states will vote.even in this years election which is more open there will be no landslide.as for kerry,countrys rarely change leader in the middle of a war,plus there was a very successful negative campaign against him.

You're right of course. i must have been thinking about what Hillary said on the morning of the Pennsylvania primary about annihilating Iran :rolleyes:

But i still believe that Gore should have trounced Bush and it didn't have to come down to Florida. As for Kerry in '04, that result was just a big disappointment. The scaremongering that the GOP engaged in about the terror threat and the Swiftvets' disgusting broadsides on Kerry obviously had an impact. Why else would sentient beings vote a guy like Dubya back into office?