I wanted to post a few updates to my story on former VP Al Gore from today's print edition. The story outlined the strengthening "Draft Gore" movements despite the Democrat's seeming disinterest in mounting another White House bid.
A Democrat familiar with the inner workings of the 2000 campaign said former staffers and supporters have mixed feelings: "Some of them feel like he is probably getting too late to get anything together to make it a showing. Some think it's never too late."
In addition to the California and Iowa efforts detailed in the piece, Gore fans in Michigan are also pushing a signature drive to get him on the Jan. 15 ballot. They need 12,400 signatures by Oct. 23, but they also would need Gore to certify the petition. The group there cited an August Detroit News poll of 400 Democratic voters showing Mr. Gore would beat Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama there. Michigan is critical - the declared candidates pledged not to campaign there because the state is violating DNC rules on the primary calendar, but the election will take place regardless.
A Gore spokeswoman didn't respond to my inquiry about Michigan.
Also worth noting, the declared Democratic candidates are courting Gore's endorsement. Gore, an early opponent of the Iraq war, backed Vermont Gov. Howard Dean in 2004. The endorsement gave Dean an initial boost but he failed to get the nomination. Democrats familiar with Gore's activity said he is willing to talk with any candidate but has made it clear no one should expect an endorsement soon. Once there is a nominee, one Democrat said, Mr. Gore will play a "major role" as a "messenger and fundraiser."
For now, he's still pushing the climate change issue. Gore, who has an e-mail list that helped him collect 516,000 signatures urging Congress to pass climate change legislation, last sent a message to supporters Sept. 27.
In it, he mocked President Bush's claim of taking action to address climate change, and asked his supporters to send a message to the president that, "It's time to promote real solutions to the climate crisis and support an international treaty that will reduce CO2 by 90 percent." His site posts his speech to the United Nations last week.
Will Gore win the $1.5 million Nobel? I would bet money on it, but no one will know for sure until Friday. Reuters reported Gore or another person fighting climate change are favored to win among the 181 nominees.
Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and also nominated for the prize, told Reuters he believes Gore will win. "I think he deserves it. He certainly has done a remarkable job of creating awareness on the subject and has become a crusader," he said.
I'll be talking about my Gore story tomorrow morning in a radio interview with D.C.'s 3WT Radio around 9:15, feel free to tune in.
-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times
Comments (4)
AMERICA FOR GORE: NATIONWIDE COALITION CREATED TO DRAFT AL GORE FOR PRESIDENT IN 2008
National Milestone Reached in Growing Grassroots Movement
They are teachers and students, scientists and doctors, secretaries and CEOs, store clerks and store owners, factory workers and artists. They represent every demographic group and every geographic region in the country. They are everyday Americans, from coast to coast and across the political spectrum - Democrats, Independents, Republicans, conservatives, liberals, moderates. And they have two things in common: They have become involved in the political process (many for the first time), and they want Al Gore to run in the 2008 presidential election.
And, as of September 2007, the grassroots effort of these thousands of individuals has reached a milestone: They have joined together as a nationwide coalition - America for Gore.
America for Gore encompasses all the major and minor groups within the movement whose goal is to persuade Al Gore to run for president. Among the groups in the coalition are DraftGore.com, AlGore.org, Netroots for Gore, GoreHub.com, AlGore08 MySpace, Draft Gore Facebook groups, GoreforPresidentNow.com, Goreganic.com, RunDammit.com, RunGoreRun.com, and the Al Gore Support Center, as well as hundreds of Draft Gore meetups and groups nationwide. While the groups will continue to focus on their individual strategies, they will also be working together on important initiatives by sharing information, exchanging ideas, and mobilizing their members to help other groups within the coalition.
The America for Gore coalition is launching a new website - http://www.AmericaforGore.org - to establish a central location on the web for the coordination of this grassroots effort. America for Gore is not replacing existing websites, groups, and blogs. The individual websites of each organization will continue to exist as before, but the new coalition website will keep group members and the public informed and will act as a portal, directing Gore supporters to the member sites so they can become involved in the many different facets of the Draft Gore movement.
Members of the coalition cite Gore's unmatched political experience (eight years each in Congress, the Senate, and as Vice President), the fact that he won the popular vote in 2000, his early and outspoken opposition to the war in Iraq, and his commitment to solving the climate crisis as core strengths of a potential candidacy in 2008.
The formation of this coalition signals a significant increase in the sophistication of the Draft Gore movement as well as in the powers of coordination, recruitment, and influence of the movement.
By coordinating their activities, the groups hope to extend their reach, recruit more members, and increase their impact on the public's and the media's perception of Al Gore's strength as a candidate.
Posted by Bruce Little | October 8, 2007 6:35 PM
Gore should run.
It would be a dream come true, and he would be a dream candidate.
Posted by Oscar | October 8, 2007 6:46 PM
Don't forget MA for Gore! We began our ballot initiative October 18th. We are required to collect 2500 signatures and then have them certified. Volunteers have been active in all regions of the state, working daily, and the support for Gore that we are seeing is overwhelming. In general we are seeing between 75-80% of the people approached are pro-Gore and wish to see him run. Our petition drive will continue well above the 2500 required signatures to demonstrate the enormous support for him in MA.
Posted by kerry lusignan | October 8, 2007 8:43 PM
Al Gore won't run against Clinton. He was with them too long and knows the consequences. They ignored him during his presidential election bid. Besides, there is a chance for real irony with regard to the Nobel Peace Prize. Bill petitioned for it and Al just might get it.
Posted by Larry Stone | October 9, 2007 2:44 AM