How are Democrats feeling about Al Gore these days? A recent DailyKos.com straw poll of 11,000 voters showed an astounding 68% would support the former veep if he decided to run for President in 2008. The runners-up pale in comparison:
Al Gore: 7513 votes/68%
Russ Feingold: 1721 votes/15%
Wesley Clark: 539 votes/4%
Mark Warner: 370 votes/3 %
John Edwards: 282 votes/2%
John Kerry: 86 votes/0%
Hillary Clinton: 78 votes/0%
Bill Richardson: 67 votes/0%
Joe Biden: 56 votes/0%
Evan Bayh; 40 votes/0%
Chris Dodd: 23 votes/0%
Tom Daschle: 15 votes/0%
Tom Vilsack: 13 votes/0%
“There’s a lot of love for Al Gore. I mean if he were to enter the race, I think it would turn everything upside down,” said DailyKos’s Markos Moulitsas recently on NBC’s Meet the Press.
If you agree, come to our Draft Al Gore 2008 Meetup/Discussion tonight! (see Events Calendar for details)
LSPinti
doesn’t mean much. Gore is the darling of the progressive blogosphere right now because of the movie, but it remains to be seen whether it’ll carry over to a run.
IMVHO:
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Warner’s a lightweight.
Feingold’s too liberal.
Vilsack’s too boring.
Kerry’s too vacillating.
Richardson’s too frumpy.
Biden’s too irritating.
Clark missed his best chance.
Dodd’s a blowhard.
Daschle couldn’t hold South Dakota.
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Could Bayh or Edwards really raise the dough?
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Gore may just tap into the electoral version of buyer’s remorse (although maybe that’s not the right term, since more of us actually voted for him than W in 2000). But if the country is in a mood for a change after eight years of W the Putz, a serious, competent person like Gore may be just what it wants (not unlike the uberhonest Carter after Nixon and Watergate 30 years ago).
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He has name recognition to get off to a fast start. He will be able to raise the money. A comeback would be a compelling free media story.
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If he goes, Gore has a serious chance to be the contender against Hilary.
From the few things I have heard about Bayh I think he is basically Republican lite. If I am correctly he made some news recently for supporting the elimination of the estate tax. BAD IDEA. Those types of positions are just unacceptable.
Don’t you think the country is ready for a true liberal? We’ve had 8 years of neocons. Feingold can say he’s been against the occupation from the very beginning. He has very clear messages. Terrific speaker. Liberalism is due for a resurgence, and it’s time for us liberals to start advocating candidates who share our ideals.
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Danny Moraff
Hmmm, I dunno. Let’s ask Presidents Stevenson, McGovern, Mondale, Dukakis, and Kerry. (Yes, I know, some of them weren’t liberal enough for you.)
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Sorry, but this is a reality-based site.
A Gore candidacy gives people who feel guilty about having voted for Bush in 2000 another chance to redeem themselves. A Gore vote for some folks is going to feel like righting a wrong, so there’s an emotional quotient we will not be able to really quantify. And for those who voted for Gore in 2000 and feel justifiably cheated, there’s the symbolism of the second vote. Another plus for Gore is that he has been changed by his experience. The new Al Gore will be much more skilled candidate and efficient campaigner.
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The next darling of the liberal left, Russ Feingold, is another solid choice. I’m not going to go into the merits of a Feingold candidacy (of which there are myriad), but I will say that a Gore/Feingold race, should it come to that, would be a formidable ticket and a supportable team.