Friday, January 26, 2007

"Imagine How It Would've Been." Could This Be Candidate Gore's Campaign Theme?


Frank Luntz, perhaps the preeminent Republican political strategist and pollster, appearing on Air America's Al Franken show Friday, said former vice-president Al Gore would make a terrific presidential candidate. And he suggested that Gore will be able to stand before America and say, "Imagine how it would've been" had he become president in 2000 and not George W. Bush. In hindsight, he called Gore "right" about a lot of issues.

So, imagine an America without the Iraq war. Imagine an America that's respected among its allies, and feared by its enemies. Imagine an America that's concerned about global warming and the environment. Imagine an America that's not divided into two socio-economic groups, as John Edwards laments. Imagine an America where the middle class, not the wealthy, get the tax breaks. Imagine an America where the minimum wage is not a paltry $5.15. Imagine an America that's actually led by a brilliant, caring, diplomat who can string three words together in a sentence without sounding like a blathering idiot. Makes ya wanna weep, no?

So if you're listening Al, it's time. It's time to stop the coy routine and officially enter the race. You know you're gonna do it, we know you're gonna do it, so just do it. America needs you. The world needs you.
Yes, imagine how it would've been. America deserves to no longer imagine....


On another subject......we could use your help at The Adrienne Shelly Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated in my wife's honor to help carry out her spirit and passion, with the goal of providing film school scholarships and grants to women filmmakers. As many of you know, Adrienne was brutally killed here in NYC on November 1st. Please visit our website to learn more about our mission and to make a donation. Every little contribution helps preserve Adrienne's legacy, and to help create something positive out of this horrible tragedy. Thank you.

23 comments:

Unknown said...

It is an embarrassment to hear G.W. speak. This is the leader of the free world? He's the "decider?"
Of course, worse than his poor elocution are his poor policies and decisions. Can't wait to see him goane, and Jeb, "No More Bush!"

Anonymous said...

I wish Al would run, but I don't think he will. It appears after many painful nights, he and Tipper have moved on. If he wins an Oscar, there's just one more option opened to him.

On the otherhand, Al deserves it and since he won once, I'm sure he could win again (How will the Repubs steal the election this time?)

As long as the Repubs nominate a social conservative rightie (like Hunter or Brownback), we will win. The American people are not where the social conservatives are.

We have many good candidates out there now, so if Al takes a pass, we will still have some very good people running. But we have to get out and vote in big numbers if we ever expect to win in 2008.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure I'll be able to stomach months of all Hillary/Obama
all the time. My hope (dim as it is) is that the public will overload on the two of them and they'll cancel each other out.

This morning I read where Chuck Hagel has started thinking about a run.

That said, a Gore/Hagel ticket is mighty interesting.

bravedem

Anonymous said...

GORE/OBAMA 2008!

Come on, Al. We're waiting for you.

Anonymous said...

Imagine not being depressed by the individual who is your president...imagine respecting this person and looking to him/her for clarity and courage...imagine the feeling in your spine when you realize that we have, once again, become a country that abides by the Rule of Law...imagine the nasty taste in your mouth that leaks in when your president speaks disappearing...imagine that we, as a nation, are once again respected, responsible, and responsive to the smart choices that real diplomacy presents.

Imagine. I can hardly do so, but yet, I do. Mr. Gore, we are in deep, dark trouble. I respect your choices, up to a point. But these fucking monkeys in DC are insane, and they could care less if they kill us all.

Anonymous said...

We let the Neocons get away with it!
Our Country and Constitution were lost on December 12, 2000
when We let Rehnquist and The Supreme Court appoint Bush to the
White House.
I cry everytime in see the scene from the movie Fahrenheit 911, when The
Congressional Black Caucus members tried to object to the election outcome on the floor of the House; no Senator would sign the objections.
Not One Democratic Senator!!!!
The 2004 elections were stolen in Ohio, and Bush and the Neocons got away with it again!
Kerry could have fought the results, and had an investigation.
In 2004 we got Skull and Boned by Kerry and the Neocons!
(This last week facts came out that the Recounts were Tampered with!)
Again, and Again we let the Neocons get away with it!
Welcome to a Thousand Points of Light......Welcome to the Neocon New World Order.......
Again, they got away with it!

Anonymous said...

ummm, yeah...but let's not so easily forget Gore/Leiberman...

Anonymous said...

Imagine how it would have been if Gore had been strong enough to demand a revote in Florida. Imagine, then, how it would have been if the Democrats had supported him; and, then the American citizens had demanded that the election be fair and legal. And, who among you is marching on Washington tomorrow Jan. 27th, with the "doers" marching to protest? We all failed in the Gore and Kerry elections. We let them get away with it. Maybe this march will signify our efforts to see better days.

Anonymous said...

It angers me no end when everyone says Gore didn't fight. He fought for 35 days. He didn't concede until Dec. 12, THIRTY-FIVE DAYS after election day. He fought. He just didn't have anyone fighting with him. Biden, et al were too busy coveting their own political aspirations than to be seen as a revolutionary. Tom Daschele, Feinstein, ALL OF THEM WERE INVISIBLE DURING THIS CRISIS. FRIGHTENED OF THEIR OWN LOBBYISTS.

The black caucus were the only ones with a spine to stand up to the electoral count by then which Gore had to tell them it was over.

Al Gore is my hero. I'll never recover from the 2000 election until I see his hand raised and swearing to uphold the constitution.

Only then will I be able to start breathing and functioning like a normal person.

dem4evR

Anonymous said...

but let's not so easily forget Gore/Leiberman...

I never forget it, but I blame the architect of this terrible decision: Donna 'shit-for-brains' Brazile and not Al Gore.

Brazile won't be involved in the '08 Gore campaign if he runs. She's said as much.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, Christopher but as Bush listens to Cheney; Gore LISTENED to Brazile. Therein lies the problem.

Anonymous said...

Re Al Gore for President and what we might have had -- please see my OpEd about Gore's speech to scientists in San Francisco. It was the first time I'd ever heard Gore speak in person -- and it was quite illuminating. All one has to do is listen to him in person and all the negative media labels that have been hung on him for so long fall away. He is erudite, thoughtful and thought-provoking, genuinely sincere (not that shabby fake sincerity that we've become used to in our presidents from Reagan onwards), and he projects intelligence. But I'm not sure that he wants to run for president -- how incredibly painful it must be for him to be so dogged by the false "doofus" image that is STILL being perpetrated, even by some writers on OpEdNews. He has found a way to serve the country and the world without undergoing the horrid nasty labeling and vicious vilification that the Wash Times/Fox "News"/Rupert Murdoch-funded/Richard Scaife-funded media and think tanks continue to pour onto his head. Bush, meanwhile, the most ignorant and incompetent president in our history, is shown in the media with the presidential seal encircling his head like a halo. This visceral image plants the notion that Bush is "better" firmly in the minds of those millions of Americans who do not know how they have been manipulated. After the horrific smear that was perpetrated against both the Obama and Clinton campaigns in the last couple of weeks, who can blame Al Gore if he chooses not to run? Or even if he chooses to say nothing? And sad to say, my fellow journalists are part of the problem. As we sat comparing the questions we would ask if we were given the chance to ask questions, too many of them wanted to ask if Gore would run for president -- no wonder he decided against taking questions from the press or the audience. And I also don't blame Gore for having Lieberman as his running mate in 2000. Lieberman has changed into something almost unrecognizable in the past 6 years. Lieberman today is not the same man as the one who debated Cheney. Perhaps the Republican smear machine has something really nasty that they're holding over his head in the same way that they are holding something over McCain's head. Either both of those guys have gone totally irrational or they are being politically blackmailed. Well, after all he's been through, we should just give Gore a break and let him talk about what he wants to talk about and not bug him with that infernal "will-you-won't-you" question. Yes, we would have a much better world if Gore had been inaugurated in 2001 -- we would have a much better world if Carter had been reinaugurated in 1981 -- but the past, however much we long to change it, cannot be changed. We have to live with what we have and try to fix what we can. Furthermore, I simply do not believe that the extremist right wing, funded by its wealthy patrons, would have allowed Gore to proceed with his policies without vilification. Sad to say, in order to disillusion the American public with the stupidities and fantasies of the radical right, they had to have a chance to govern and they would not have given any peace to any of us until they took over. I remember one commentator on CNN saying something like, "Well, now the Republicans have got what they wanted, control of the presidency and both houses of Congress. If they fail, they will have no one to blame but themselves." Lord, did they fail! It is horrible that so many people had to die, horrible that the American electorate was not more smart more soon -- but that is what we must live with. It is interesting that, now that the Democrats have control of Congress, the right wing media circus is still trying to blame the Democrats for the utter failure of the modern Republicans. Interesting, but not surprising.

Anonymous said...

Agreed, Gore would have made a far better President than our current doofus, but so would john McCain for that matter. Perhaps it takes six years of untrammeled GOP neoclown rule to make the American people realize there are far more important things than flag burning, gay marriage and blow jobs in the Oval office. Perhaps now the Democrats know it's important to have a backbone.

Anonymous said...

Timing is everything. Al Gore is as astute regarding politics as Jack Benny was in timing a face or breathing a sigh. For those of you too young to remember, (Jack was a comic genius and great American), there's always google.com. One reason Gore may still be mum on the possibility of running at this time, is that he or his documentary may win an Oscar. This would immediately propel him into the limelight (pun intended)and give him some much needed recognition at no cost if he or his film were to win that award. Don't count him out yet. If he were to win the Democratic nod for '08, he'd almost certainly want to include the brilliant and charismatic John Edwards-not as his running mate, but as a future Attorney General. In my fondest dreams, I can visualize Edwards going after Ashcroft Rummie, Cheney, Gonzalez Wolfowitz, and others. Never mind bush; he's a matchstick man at best.

ChrisDutch said...

Gore-Richardson in '08. This is really a no-brainer. Gore has enough profile with the Dems and can also move through several forests in the party (i.e. DLC corporate types, labor unions, the peace movement) and not be left with a ton of questions. He has experience and just his presence on the ticket will be enough to drive a "buyer's remorse" position by the voters in this country. The key issue is the war; no Dem wins next year without a clear cut position on Iraq and Gore is the highest profile Dem to take a position opposed to the war. Without the Clinton hangover Gore can move on some of the best elements of John Edwards' campaign and move toward forming a new domestic consensus. I also think that the Democrats would be motivated to work for him given what happened in 2000 and, for that matter, to Kerry in 2004. Dem politicians are suddenly more comfortable talking about the serious economic class issues and the Rethugs have no defense against this. Gore can talk with the voters like no other Dem has been able to talk since Robert Kennedy. The Rethugs will really be stuck next year; President Poopy pants has no left no legacy to be leveraged and their likely nominee (Brownback?) will run on a very narrow road on a few issues (abortion, gay marriage). If he puts Richardson on the ticket he seals the deal with Western states that are trending blue anyway and might be able to do even better than people think in the Southern "rim" states (Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina etc.). Gore Richardson in '08 --- for Liberty, Peace and Justice.

Anonymous said...

To sciobserver: I'm sure Gore proved he is "eruidte, thoughtful and thought - provoking ... " His "doofus" image was because he took the advice of his campaig handlers who were fools, as was he for listening to them. And we can blame him for not having the courage to run again, since I believe he would be a very effective president and I think he has a chance of winning if he is more relaxed and "himself."

However, Lieberman was a huge mistake. Lieberman has not changed and what he is was always apparent He is one of the few Democrats who voted for the first war on Iraq under Bush I. And, the debate with Cheney was a disgrace. Lieberman all but licked Cheney's boots. He gave Cheney the debate victory. And, McCain, is so wishy-washy and opportunistic that he's become the current "doofus." If, as you suggest, Lieberman and McCain are beling blackmailed, they should then get out of politics rather than betray our country to save their own necks.

Anonymous said...

There in lies the problem.

Then he may not be the candidate for you.

I'll take Gore hands down over all the other Democrats running in '08, especially Queen Hillary and John "goodhair" Edwards.

Anonymous said...

Regarding what Gore should or should not have done--Go to Tony Robbins' (yes, Tony Robbins) web site (www.Tony Robbins.com) and look at the video on the home page. Tony is speaking to a high powered audience that happens to include Gore. About 6 minutes in is a very enlightening moment by Robbins with his assessment of what Gore should have done to kick Bush's ass in 2000.

Anonymous said...

Imagine how it could've been:

* Democratic broken campaign promises
* Harry Reid's latest corrupt land deal
* John Kerry criticizes Bush for 'walking away from koyoto' even though Clinton is the first US president to walk away , plus Kerry was one of the 95 senators that voted 95-0 to not ratify koyoto
* John "2 Americas" Edwards recently purchases a 26,000 sq ft house
* John Edwards sends staff member to WalMart to purchase a Wii, after telling us to boycott WalMart
* Nancy Pelosi attempts to place corrupt Democrats in charge of the Intelligence Committee
* Corrupt Democrat William Jefferson is still in the house, no Democrats attempted to reprimand him for accepting $100K bribes
* Ted Kennedy blocks alternate energy windfarms because they will ruin his view from his compound
* Al Gore flies private planes like they are going out of style. He burns more carbon fuel as he tells us to change our lifestyle. When is he going to change his lifestyle?

Anonymous said...

New Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid bought undeveloped land in Arizona far below its assessed value, then introduced legislation that could have aided the seller of the property.

Revelations about the land deal follow last year’s reports that Reid, a Nevada Democrat, had collected a $1.1 million windfall on a Las Vegas land sale even though he hadn’t personally owned the property for three years.

In the newly disclosed land deal – uncovered during an investigation by the Los Angeles Times – Reid paid $10,000 to gain control of a 160-acre parcel in Bullhead City, Ariz., in 2002.

Anonymous said...

The items on the lists of the above-two bloggers above PALE when compared with the horror that is Iraq. Surely I don't have to list what those horrors are. Even the two-above must have heard.

Anonymous said...

8:49 and 9:22 are engaging in the old playground trick of trying to make something unrelated look worse that what they've (I'll generalize to the GOP and Bush) have done.

Pulleeze!

So a Democrat or two took advantage of real estate games the GOP have enjoyed for years...SO WHAT!

Stop with the whitewashing of Bush. It's too late and we are NO LONGER listening to he did it stories that don't pertain to the situation or the main idea of the post.

Anonymous said...

You are dreaming.
You should get a masters degree in complaining. The way you talk about our president is a disgrace.
You can complain, but can you create and lead?
Are you willing to make a decision and stand for what is right?
I doubt it. You complain and gossip for a living. But that probably does not bother you at all.
Please Consider your Behavior.
Josh R, CA