Telegraph UK: Senior Democrats Mull Al Gore's Nomination

[Hissyspit]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/30/wuspols130.xml

Senior Democrats mull Al Gore's nomination
By Tim Shipman in Washington
Last Updated: 2:23am BST 30/03/2008

Plans for Al Gore to take the Democratic presidential nomination as the saviour of a bitterly divided party are being actively discussed by senior figures and aides to the former vice-president.

The bloody civil war between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama has left many Democrats convinced that neither can deliver a knockout blow to the other and that both have been so damaged that they risk losing November's election to the Republican nominee, John McCain.

Former Gore aides now believe he could emerge as a compromise candidate acceptable to both camps at the party's convention in Denver during the last week of August.

Two former Gore campaign officials have told The Sunday Telegraph that a scenario first mapped out by members of Mr Gore's inner circle last May now has a sporting chance of coming true.

Mr Gore, who was Bill Clinton's vice-president and has since won a Nobel Peace Prize and an Oscar for his work on green issues, remains an influential figure eight years after he beat George W Bush in the popular vote but lost the White House after the Florida recount fiasco.

The opening has emerged because opinion polls show Mr McCain stretching his lead over both Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton, whose campaigns are engaged in a daily cycle of attacks, character assassination and mutual recriminations on religion, race and the economy.

Between a quarter and a third of Obama and Clinton supporters say that they would not now vote for the other in November.

MORE

[Radio_Lady]

1. Thanks, Hissyspit. I'm sitting here in my nightgown, praying that SOMETHING or SOMEONE

can unite the Democrats. You just made my evening (or morning) here in Oregon!

By the way, there were rumbles of this at a site we used to check frequently...

The significant post is at: http://www.algore.org/blog/earthmother/waiting_0

Tonight, the splash page is promoting the "60 Minutes" interview with Vice President Gore coming up Sunday evening Mar. 30 at 7 PM ET. (Check for your local time if you are in the U.S.)

http://www.algore.org

Radio Lady

[Radio_Lady]

2. GD Vibes and your MORNING K&R for this interesting article, DUers.

I have seen more in-fighting on this site in the past three weeks than I have in the last three years.

Please K&R.

[Radio_Lady]

16. Hissyspit put this item into Late Breaking News.

Go here for more information:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3248467

[Hekate]

3. KnR, at Radio Lady's request!

I'm sitting here in my jammies just praying for the Repubs to lose big....This spectacle of Dem-on-Dem violence is appalling and will do nothing but guarantee a McCain win in November. But somehow I just cannot imagine Al Gore stepping in and then winning in the General Election himself.

Hekate

[Radio_Lady]

9. Thanks, Hekate... appreciate your efforts.

We've been out all day looking at houses because we might want to downsize...

All I could think about is that two excellent Democrats are being more and more besmirched... right here and now.

What will the Democratic landscape look like in August -- September -- October -- and November?

What house I choose seems so much secondary to this ongoing backstabbing primary election period.

There have been brokered conventions before.

Things have worked out.

Al Gore might have a place in all of this; who knows?

I thank you for your comments.

Respectfully,

Radio Lady Ellen and husband Audio Al

[PetraPooh]

4. Gore had his chance to run, he's a one issue guy these days, before anyone

disavows ALL democratic voters and attempts to put Gore on the ticket as the presidential nomination; there better be some hard evidence (polls since that's what they are using to claim that McCain is winning against O and C) that Gore wouldn't also lose and perhaps lose even bigger than Obama or Clinton.

[Radio_Lady]

11. People can disagree and I disagree with you completely. We are a republic.

We choose people to represent us. Those are the delegates and the super delegates (by extension). They are NOT CHAINED to the popular vote forever.

If those people vote on a ballot or two, but then come to think for themselves that we cannot win with a divided Democratic ticket, then there just might be something our representatives can do about it. They can forge something else or turn to something new and unique. It's been done before with great success.

Frankly, when you say, "Gore had his chance to run..." I wonder... do you mean in 2000, or during 2007-8?

I'm going to keep an open mind. Here in Oregon, we get to speak our piece by May 20th. It's pretty late, but this year, the choice will have more meaning.

I think what is going on in the Democratic party is absolutely positively choking us to death. Blame it on the media, on the Internet, on the telephone, on rumor or race or gender.

If we choose one of the people who is "imperfect" and subsequently lose, we will pay for it with at least four more years of Republicans.

That's the option I cannot bear to think about.

Cordially,

Radio Lady in Oregon

[girl gone mad]

5. This isn't going to happen.

We have a great candidate in Barack Obama. Once we get to the GE, McCain will become an easy target and I fully expect most Dems to fall in line.

Obama needs to seal the deal within the next few weeks, and I believe that he can and will do that.

[Radio_Lady]

12. I don't think that Obama is the Messiah. People are projecting their wants and needs on him.

I have nothing in particular to say against him; I just can't get on board with the youthful inexperience of a person who is certainly a gifted orator.

I will vote on May 20th here in Oregon.

My choice may be between a MESSIAH and a PARIAH. But the future of our party is knitted up with this decision and for me, it is a toss-up.

I just can't decide who is who.

Cordially,

Radio Lady

[ThomWV]

6. I wanted him for President, but if he doesn't have the balls to get in the race, then No.

To this day I have a "Gore'08" sticker on my truck, but if he did not have the guts to get in the race then why should he be President? Answer, no reason at all.

[malaise]

7. He did it already

and Bush and the Supremes stole the presidency from him.

[Radio_Lady]

13. Bingo on your response! But where do you stand TODAY?

[unblock]

8. this might be acceptable to democratic VOTERS, but never to democratic DELEGATES

there's just no way all those highly partisan delegates would go for someone who got zero delegates.

[Radio_Lady]

14. Hey, maybe we need to go back to civics class. I believe delegates can be freed up from

their obligations FOR THE GOOD OF THE PARTY. They are only pledged initially when they start calling for ballots at a convention.

We had a long discussion about this several months ago. I'll try to find it.

Thanks for your comments.

Respectfully,

Radio Lady

[Zorra]

10. "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush". Al will definitely win the GE.

Barack or Hillary have a fifty-fifty chance at best at winning the GE.

This is a no brainer.

[Radio_Lady]

15. Stay tuned...

[UALRBSofL]

17. Thanks for posting the article but this isn't going to happen

But once the nominee is determined which will be Hillary Clinton she will be able to unite the party and expose McCain's weakness'. That said she is much more electable then the other candidates.

[Radio_Lady]

18. Shinin' up ye olde crystal ball... thanks for your post.

Cordially,

Radio Lady Ellen Kimball in Oregon

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