Al Gore

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-Tom

I wrote previously that I would mainly be focusing this blog on the prime candidates for the Democratic Presidential nomination. However a friend of mine recently brought to my attention the fact the Al Gore might yet make a run for the nomination. Let's be plain about one thing: this is purely speculation. It had been rumored that the former Vice-President would announce his candidacy at the Oscars, when his film An Inconvenient Truth won Best Documentary; that announcement never came.

This raises an interesting question however as to how Gore might fair if he were to run once more. After all he never actually lost to George (aka The Doomed Emperor of Fantasy Land) Bush back in 2000. A Gallup Poll conducted on March 23-25 shows that 17% of the polled democratic voters prefer Al Gore, ranking him third to Obama (22%) and Hillary Clinton (35%). In my opinion, this poll shows two things. The first is that many Americans long for the good old days of the Bill Clinton Era but would rather not see his wife as President. Second, it reveals that people are generally fickle and that the buzz surrounding Al Gore's film has created artificially high numbers for him. After all let's not forget that Gore has yet to outline any foreign or domestic policy plans, excluding his environmental stance.

Don't get me wrong, I like Gore. He is a stand-up guy who is truly passionate about saving the planet. I think he has a great mind and was, in his time, a patient and confident politician. He would certainly be my first choice as an environmental policy advisor, but not as President.

I would like to pull your attention back to a previous statement I made about Gore being passionate. That, my friends, is what the Democrats need in their candidate. Obama gave the country a jolt of excitement when he spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Fir the first time in years I saw democrats with smiles on their faces and optimism in their voices. What I am waiting for from Obama is an issue--preferably something other than the war on Iraq--that he feels connected to in the same passionate manner that Gore has displayed. I think that at that point he could actually overtake Hillary for the nomination--the woman whose cold and calculated political maneuvers have earned her great praise but fail to mask her seeming inability to truly connect with voters on a personal level.

Former Senator John Edwards ranked fourth in the same Gallup Poll mentioned above, which I find to be misleading. Mr. Edwards has outlined detailed plans to salvage the war in Iraq, improve America's Healthcare plan, and has put in personal effort to help make America more energy efficient (OneCorp). In short, Edwards' numbers will go up.

Another individual also brought to my attention New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson as a possible darkhorse candidate. With a 3% following (again according to the Gallup Poll), this seems unlikely. However with this political process only just beginning anything is possible so I will keep an eye on this underdog.

-Tom.