The Al Gore Thread: 'Former Vice-Presidential' Edition

[ShadowBoxing]

Updated) Fineman confirms: Gore considering 2008 bid Sunday, 06 February 2005 Appearing on the Chris Matthews Show broadcast the weekend of February 5-6, Howard Fineman reported that Gore is considering another run for the White House. Gore feels that the political winds are now “at his back”; that his populist message of 2000 is now in harmony with the grassroots focus of the Democratic Party, according to a close friend of Gore, who spoke with Fineman.

Transcript:

MATTHEWS: Welcome back. That was Al Gore showering Howard Dean with praise back in the 2004 election. Now they're both back on the scene. Howard Dean is the likely now leader of the Democratic Party. And get this, Al Gore is the comeback presidential contender in the year 2008.

Katrina, what are you hearing?

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: Hearing that he's talking to people about coming back. And you know, when you think last year when he worked with MoveOn, gave a series of really tough, very good speeches against the Bush administration, in a way he was preparing his comeback. But there is talk, and I think...

MATTHEWS: He was anti-war.

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: He wa--well, more than anti-war. He was anti-war, he was laying out the critique of the civil--of this administration on civil liberties, on environment, whole slew of things. And he attracted the generation that's come to Dean as well. Very Internet savvy, connected.

MATTHEWS: Mm-hmm.

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: I could see a Nix--Nixon scenario, by the way.

MATTHEWS: I can see that, too.

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: You know, Nixon goes around...

MATTHEWS: Howard, how goes...

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: ...to players in Congress.

MATTHEWS: ...the Nixon comeback scenario?

Mr. FINEMAN: Well, I talked to one of his closest advisers who told me he had had a long conversation.

MATTHEWS: On background or on the record?

Mr. FINEMAN: Well, the--the--the--the conversation is on background, but the guy said he'd spoken at length with Gore. And what Gore is saying is that the political winds are at his back, that he feels that the message and the tone the he, Al Gore, took in 2000, where he did that populous message, as he tried to put forth--and he got criticized for, was the right way to go. Not the DLC moderate, democratic way, but the full-throated populist way now makes sense and that's why the times have changed and the world or certainly the Democratic Party are ready for Al Gore. At least that's what he was saying to this very close adviser who, by the way, was taking him seriously. He wasn't laughing him off when they were discussing it.

Mr. DONALDSON: I don't see it. I--I don't think Gore's Nixon. I think Nixon was different. After Goldwater's defeat, yes, Nixon had been defeated in California, but the people who thought they would get the nomination in '68 were the Rockefeller Republicans. They were out of step with their party and Nixon wasn't out of step with the party. He became the nominee. I think there are plenty of people who are in step with the main Democratic activists in '08 that they don't turn to Al Gore.

MATTHEWS: We'll get to that in a minute. I think--I think there's an opening there for the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.

Mr. DONALDSON: That's...

MATTHEWS: Let's check with our Matthews Meter again. We asked 12 of our regulars: Both are long shots, of course, but which of these long shots, Gore or Kerry, would be--have a better chance for the nomination in 2008? Al Gore or Kerry? Eight said Kerry, but four said Gore.

Sam, that's pretty impressive.

Mr. DONALDSON: They can say whatever they want to.

MATTHEWS: That Kerry's--that--that--that Al Gore's coming back from the grave?

Mr. DONALDSON: Well, the Matthews Meter didn't give us a choice of a third of fourth candidate. Between the two of them...

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: But what--but what...

MATTHEWS: A pick-your-own meter.

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: But you said--what you said, Chris, is true. The Democratic wing of the Democratic Party was where the energy was...

MATTHEWS: Yeah.

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: ...in 2004.

MATTHEWS: Hillary still went right. Hillary doesn't want to be that leader.

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: No. And I don't think--and--and--and...

Mr. HEWITT: The difference--the difference from 19--from 1960 and Nixon was that in 1960 Nixon conceded, Gore didn't, made himself a hot point for the rest of the world. And in 1964 Nixon ran...

MATTHEWS: What do you mean Gore didn't concede?

Mr. HEWITT: Gore did not concede the election in 2000.

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: No. There are a lot of people...

MATTHEWS: He gave a marvelous concession.

Mr. HEWITT: He fought on in Florida...

MATTHEWS: He gave a marvelous concession speech.

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: Yeah, but a lot of...

Mr. HEWITT: ...for 40 days and he--he became a lightening flash for the right and for the center right. So he's tarred.

MATTHEWS: Why wouldn't Gore have fought on against the...

Mr. HEWITT: For the same reason Nixon did.

MATTHEWS: No, no, no.

Mr. HEWITT: It was not good for democracy.

MATTHEWS: But why--why didn't Gore have--have lesser right to contest the results in Florida than Bush did?

Mr. HEWITT: Well, he had every right, but it ruined him politically...

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: No it didn't.

Mr. HEWITT: ...because it constantly cast him...

Mr. FINEMAN: Not among Democrats.

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: No. Not among Democrats, Hugh.

Mr. FINEMAN: Are you kidding? That's what...

Mr. HEWITT: It cast him as an absolute extremist...

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: Not among Democrats.

Mr. FINEMAN: That's what... 0 Mr. HEWITT: ...when it comes to politics.

Mr. FINEMAN: But that's what the Democrats...

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: There is a credible that he lost--that he was deprived of stol--the election was stolen from him. Kerry doesn't have that, I have to say. And Kerry, also there's a sense he's a very decent man but it was such a weird year. It was anti-Bush, anti-Bush. And I think Gore, as I said...

MATTHEWS: Gore's been staid.

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: ...he also endorsed Dean, don't forget.

MATTHEWS: And remember he used to...

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: Dean--it's going to--Dean is going to bring a politics of conviction, of connection to the state parties, of the Internet, the grass roots...

MATTHEWS: OK.

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: ...the net roots of the party.

MATTHEWS: I'm dying here to correct something. Gore's problem in 2000 was not that he called for a recount, but he called for a limited recount...

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: Yes.

MATTHEWS: ...of only the counties he would do well in. And everybody knew that meant he wasn't really playing fair square.

Mr. HEWITT: Gore's problem was he tried to get the military absentee uncounted. He tried to keep men and women...

MATTHEWS: OK.

Mr. HEWITT: ...in uniform from casting their votes.

Mr. FINEMAN: I was just--I was just going to say that John Kerry didn't impress Democrats with the campaign that he ran...

MATTHEWS: Right.

Mr. FINEMAN: ...this time. Which gives Gore, who really would be the populist Dean-type candidate...

Mr. DONALDSON: Wait a second.

Mr. FINEMAN: ...a chance.

Mr. DONALDSON: Gore should have been president. Had he shown up at those three debates and been a normal human being, he probably would have been president. Why do you want him back, if you're a Democrat, to show up at the debates and go, `Haah'?

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: Well, what the...

MATTHEWS: Isn't the first primary, in your heart, if Al Gore decides to run he becomes a factor no matter what any of us say?

Mr. FINEMAN: Maybe.

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: I--you know, I don't know. I mean, I think the most...

Mr. FINEMAN: Maybe.

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: ...important thing...

MATTHEWS: A new fact...

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: The most im...

MATTHEWS: As Golda Meir used to say, `new facts'? It's a new fact he's running.

Mr. FINEMAN: If he can get out there and do it. If Hillary Clinton is going to be--in the Senate is going to be up to other things that she has to do, if he wants to get out there and stir the grass roots, Gore's got a chance to do it.

Mr. HEWITT: Run the video of the NYU speech where he's screaming `betrayal.' He cannot come back.

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: But most important thing at this point is that the Democrats show a spine, that they have strength of conviction. And I really think Dean's going to give that to the Democrats and Gore could. There are others out there.

Mr. DONALDSON: Well, I think she is still...

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: Evan Bayh, Russ Feingold.

Mr. DONALDSON: She is still the person to beat. She is still the person to beat.

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: I don't--I don't think she's going to run.

MATTHEWS: Hillary's not going to run?

Ms. VANDEN HEUVEL: I don't--I don't think so.

Complete transcript: http://www.thechrismatthewsshow.com/020605.html

Addressed at end of article here

CBS) Dotty Lynch is the Senior Political Editor for CBS News. E-mail your questions and comments to Political Points
Despite frigid temperatures in Washington on Thursday, the Mayflower Hotel in there was hot. Literally. Just hours before John Kerry ended his post-election hibernation and came out swinging on health care, the hotel's lobby filled with smoke; apparently a planter in the lobby had caught fire.

But neither cold nor snow nor flaming planters could keep Kerry from speaking out on the issue that he tried in vain to make central to the election. His campaign spent millions on health care ads to compensate for the media's decision that Iraq, not health care, was the topic de jour. Speaking to the liberal health care group, Families USA, he attacked the Bush administration for a "cradle-to-grave irresponsibility plan" on health care and accusing them of hyping a phony crisis on Social Security.

At the same time on Thursday, a few blocks away, Kerry's Massachusetts compadre Ted Kennedy blasted the administration on Iraq, becoming the first U.S. senator to call for a pullout of American troops, claiming the military presence is fanning the flames of the conflict He compared Iraq to Vietnam and called for an exit strategy which would include negotiating the immediate return of 12,000 troops.

This one-two punch was the first high-profile sign of life from the Democrats since November, though beneath the radar some activity has started to replace the hand ringing. Two campaign committees have chosen very aggressive fundraisers, Sen. Chuck Schumer for the Democratic Senate campaign committee and Rep. Rahm Emanuel for the congressional committee. And strategies on Social Security and judicial nominations are being hammered out.

While the media focus is on the elections in Iraq, Democrats are obsessing about two American elections, one for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee, which will be decided on Feb. 12, and another for President in '08.

Howard Dean who burst on the scene in 2003 with a rousing speech to the DNC attacking the party leadership and claiming to represent the "Democratic wing of the Democratic party" is making significant headway in his attempt to take over that party. After an embarrassing exit last year, Dean is running strong. Whether the roll he is on is another big bluff similar to the one his advisors brag they pulled off in the summer of 2003 or the real deal, Dean is now seen as the guy to beat. Even some beltway types are starting to relax a bit about the possibility of giving Dean a big platform.

The Dean folks hired former Kerry manager Jim Jordan to help them put out the word to insiders that this was not the Howard "Joe Trippi" Dean of '04, but the one who made liberals in Vermont so unhappy in the nineties. Democratic consultant and DNC member Minyon Moore said that she is backing Dean because the party is at a crossroads and Dean has been a pathfinder on how to raise money and bring in new people. There are a couple of weeks to go and some heavy Democratic players, including some governors and congressional leaders are trying to forge a "stop Dean movement." Labor is deciding what to do and who to back. This has become a very personal contest and there is mud being slung on many sides. Martin Frost's folks claim Dean supporters are sending around negative e-mails about him (they are) and there are rumors of dirt "out there" that could blow Dean out of the water. But, with two weeks to go, it looks like it's Dean's to lose.

But one of the interesting things is how many big players don't have horses in this race. Former Reps. Martin Frost and Tim Roemer are hoping that the anti-Dean folks will coalesce around them, but so far the biggest names who should have a real stake in the outcome, the '08 crowd, are staying neutral. While the Clintons are "rumored" to be worried about Dean, one advisor denied it. "Hillary wouldn't even endorse (old friend and advisor) Harold Ickes," the consultant said with a chuckle.

Speaking of the New York senator, there is considerable movement in the race for '08. Hillary Clinton made a big speech that was interpreted (or over-interpreted) to be an attempt to reposition her as a moderate on the abortion issue. Also, Kerry has a well-funded PAC to keep his political options alive. John and Elizabeth Edwards are scheduled to headline the big "100 Club" fundraiser in New Hampshire on Feb. 5. Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh has been working the Democratic money folks in New York and has his team of advisors, including media consultant Anita Dunn and former Dean pollster Paul Maslin, already in place. His vote against the nomination of Condi Rice was his opening salvo in nomination politics. The dance is on; Hillary takes a step to the right, Evan to the left.

Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack is "thinking hard" about '08, according to his supporters and he rejected the race for DNC chair to explore a presidential option. Delaware Sen. Joe Biden said this week that '08 might just be his year to run. And, Democratic insiders are also buzzing about a blast from the past. Former V.P. Al Gore is apparently thinking hard about making a comeback in '08.

So the donkey stirs but which way it will move is still murky.

Link to AOL piece
http://news.aol.com/dailypulse/050806/_a/will-he-run-again/20060508101609990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

 

[Lackey]

poppycock

 

[Admiral_N8]

Is he cerial?

 

[The Riddler]

al gore ftw.

 

[Lackey]

Is he cerial?

looks like it... and as soon as he kills the Man-Bear-Pig, no one else is gonna have a chance.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

I am not sure how to feel, I liked him in 2000...I even like his new movie coming out about Global Warming, its a good cause...I even agree with his current political stances...but would I vote for him

 

[E. Bison]

I, BISON, created Man-Bear-Pig at Shadaloo Labs Inc. Its seems Mr. Gore caught on to my plan but no one takes him cereal.

 

[Flexo]

The Gore will live again.

 

[Calvin]

I've grown to like Gore quite a bit. I'd vote for him

Gore, if you want to win, grow that beard back and run with it!

 

[Tangled Web]

Does anyone watch Gore's network Current? I like to check it out every once in a while. Some very interesting stuff on there.

I'd much prefer Walken, or Kerry to run in '08 but Gore is good.

 

[E. Bison]

You know that with his whole obsession with the environment and global warming that this is what's going to be used against him during campaigning. They will twist it that he is more concerned with global warming than terrorism and Iraq. What else could be used against him?

 

[The Riddler]

Does anyone watch Gore's network Current? I like to check it out every once in a while. Some very interesting stuff on there.

I'd much prefer Walken, or Kerry to run in '08 but Gore is good.

umm walken?

lmao.

umm kerry over gore?

kerry isn't bad but i like gore better.

 

[Tangled Web]

Sucks that I turn 18 two weeks after the election.

 

[The Riddler]

Sucks that I turn 18 two weeks after the election.

noob.

 

[Lackey]

You know what Man-Bear-Pig droppings look like?


Like Pig droppings but only more Man-Bear like.

 

[Immortalfire]

"Running again is futile."

 

[ShadowBoxing]

I've grown to like Gore quite a bit. I'd vote for him

Gore, if you want to win, grow that beard back and run with it!

I agree regrow the beard. Its far time for beards to return to the Presidency again.

 

[Lackey]

Sucks that I turn 18 two weeks after the election.

Yeah, because your vote matters

 

[Tangled Web]

umm walken?

lmao.

umm kerry over gore?

kerry isn't bad but i like gore better.

I like Kerry because he is a warrior and knows that wars should be avoided as much as possible. Unlike the Cowboy who never served, jumping into conflict with other people's kids.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

If it comes down to Warner versus Gore I think my head would explode.

 

[Calvin]

I agree regrow the beard. Its far time for beards to return to the Presidency again.

We should start a petition for that.

 

[Lackey]

I like Kerry because he is a warrior and knows that wars should be avoided as much as possible. Unlike the Cowboy who never served, jumping into conflict with other people's kids.

Kerry was for the war too and had no intention of pulling out the troops, just getting more troops from other countries involved.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

I like Kerry because he is a warrior and knows that wars should be avoided as much as possible. Unlike the Cowboy who never served, jumping into conflict with other people's kids.

He went to war to be like Kennedy, same reason he got out so quick too...his war record, while much more admirable than Bush's, is still not that admirable.

 

[Tangled Web]

Yeah, because your vote matters

Whoever runs on the Democratic ticket will win my state anyway.

 

[Wilhelm-Scream]

If he dressed like this I'd vote for him.

Otherwise, no.
Maybe if some nightvision footage of him and Tipper were "leaked"...*shrug*