Posted on 03/29/2008 9:15:36 AM PDT by kingattax
Amid fears the bitter battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama could tear the Democratic Party apart, some are hoping a heavyweight umpire like Al Gore may step into the ring.
The Nobel peace prize winner and former vice president under Bill Clinton is one of the party's 795 superdelegates who are free to vote for either of the two candidates contesting the party's presidential nomination.
Gore has yet to publicly endorse either of the two candidates. But some believe his backing could prove decisive in settling the stalemate between the former first lady and the charismatic Illinois senator.
Currently Clinton has 1,497 delegates to 1,628 for Obama, and with only a few primaries left to go neither seem set to pocket the 2,025 delegates needed to secure the nomination at the party's convention.
Which means the battle will most likely be settled by the superdelegates.
A few Gore fans however are pushing him to make a last-minute bid for the presidency as a means of moving beyond the divisive deadlock.
A handful of supporters launched a website algore-08.com in a bid to draft the veteran politician and green crusader into the presidential campaign.
Although the site says it is now dormant after Gore said several times he was not seeking the presidency, it remains watchful.
"If Clinton and Obama continue to do damage to each other's campaigns, if they continue to split the delegates, if it appears that the Democratic Party will be divided rather than united going into the convention, it may become evident that the party needs someone who can unite the Democrats, and most importantly, someone who can beat John McCain in November," the site says.
"To our way of thinking, the obvious someone is Al Gore."
Florida lawmaker Tim Mahoney was the first to publicly float the idea that Gore could be the one finally crowned at the party's nominating convention in August.
"If it goes into the convention, don't be surprised if someone different is at the top of the ticket," Mahoney said, suggesting the party would accept either a Gore-Clinton or a Gore-Obama ticket.
Since there is no love lost between Gore and the Clintons, the first option would seem unlikely.
"I'm rather embarrassed to admit that I'm slouching toward, well, a theory: if this race continues to slide downhill, the answer to the Democratic Party's dilemma may turn out to be Al Gore," pondered Time magazine reporter Joe Klein.
Even though Klein admits his theory of a Gore-Obama ticket is "extremely unlikely," he quotes one congressional Democrat telling him, "this could be our way out of a mess."
Although Gore has said he is not in the running, he has not categorically ruled out a return to politics.
"I have no plans to run," he said in December after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with the UN's top climate panel for campaigning against global warming.
But he added: "You know, I haven't ruled out the idea of getting back into the political process at some point in the future. Don't expect to, but if I did get back, it would be as a candidate for president, not in any other position."
Both Clinton and Obama vowed Thursday that the Democratic Party will heal its wounds, whoever wins their race, and unite to thwart Republican McCain.
And Democratic Party chief Howard Dean Friday warned the candidates not to rip the party apart.
"I think the candidates have got to understand that they have an obligation to our country to unify," the Democratic National Committee chairman told CBS.
"Somebody's going to lose this race with 49.8 percent of the vote, and that person has got to pull their supporters in behind the nominee."
Other party heavyweights have so far refused to be drawn on their positions. Former White House hopeful John Edwards who dropped out of the race in February has yet to endorse either of his former rivals.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi meanwhile has stuck to her position that the person who wins the popular vote should get the nomination -- which would currently see Obama crowned
Something tells me Gore won’t be voting for Clinton. Afterwards, he and Richardson can go have a beer and laugh about it in Denver.
Please step in....please step in.....
I have said for months that I believe that if he’s not the eventual nominee, El Al will somehow be involved in the selection of the nominee for the Democrats. This is going to be political theater the likes of which I haven’t seen in my lifetime (born 1968).
doesn’t drinking beer harm the planet somehow ?
That aught to turn off another whole level of voters...he has all the charisma of a cardboard box.
the DemRats are truly brain dead
Not if you buy urine credits.
Algore did not like Pres Clinton and found him embarrassing. Like most of the Dem pros, he would be looking to end the dominance by the Clintons.
Pathetic!! The RATS have 3 bad choices!! Wonder which better of the worst they will choose.
I'm not bragging about the choice we have, either!!
What did we do to deserve this!!!
Hilly will not listen to Algore.
After all, he was just a pee-on in the Clintoon administration (VP).
> Nobel laureate Al Gore may be Democratic peacemaker
The concept of an AlGore-invented Peacemaker is a funny one: with any luck he’d build it with the barrel pointed in the wrong direction.
bill press on FOX trying to spin this democrat mess into something positive.
The Gore’s and the Clinton’s hate each other. I do not think Hillary will listen to anything Al says.
"Gore always comes out swinging just as an issue is about to go south. He's the stereotypical white guy always clapping on the wrong beat. Gore switched from being a pro-defense Democrat to a lefty peacenik - just before the 9-11 attack. He grew a beard - just in time for an attack on the nation by fundamentalist Muslims. He endorsed Howard Dean - just as the orange-capped Deaniacs were punching themselves out. Gore even went out and got really fat - just before America officially gave up carbs. This guy is always leaping into the mosh pit at the precise moment the crowd parts."
Since that column, I have also noticed that Al Gore gives a speech about global warming on the coldest day of each year, and he chooses to do it in a balmy location like upstate New York. In fact, he has done it often enough to give the phenomenon a name--the "Gore Effect." Then in May 2007 he declared himself in favor of the Fairness Doctrine, a law aimed at silencing conservative radio talk shows, less than a week after Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan strongman, showed his true colors by shutting down the most popular radio station in Caracas, because it criticized his rule. Go for it, Al!
bill press on FOX trying to spin this democrat mess into something positive.
bill press as most lib/dems do NOT understand the concept of polishing a turd!!!!
Hillary is Eva Peron, Leni Riefenstahl and Elena Ceaucescu all rolled into one.
Throw Al into the mix and it’s Porklips Now!
God, I love the smell of burning libs in the morning.
“Yeah - bring him on.
That aught to turn off another whole level of voters...he has all the charisma of a cardboard box.”
Yes he is braindead, but what Dimowit isn’t.
Do you remember how close he came to being POTUS? Are you old enough to remember?
I posted earlier today that my fear is that Goreon the moron could wind up being the candidate. I was told that it was less then zero percent... We will see.
As dumb as Gore is, A Gore/Osama ticket would be hard to beat, considering how brain dead the public has become.
Bill Press trying to pick up a turd by the clean end.
Run Al run.....
Gore would be severely restricted and the mischief old Bill could create for Gore globally not even a liberal Congress could oversee. Seems the liberation theology of Obama would serve algore’s purposes more than having a Clinton anywhere near 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
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