New polls released recently show once again that the strongest potential candidate for the Democrats is Al Gore, as Gore does the best in all head-to-head match-ups and has the highest favorability ratings among all Democrats in the swing states of Florida and Pennsylvania.
This follows on the heels of polls that show Al Gore placing in second place in delegate-heavy New York and California, ahead of both Obama and Edwards. Nation-wide, despite not running, Gore also consistently comes in third place, close to Obama and ahead of Edwards.
This data shows that Al Gore, the man Americans have already chosen as their President once before, is the most beloved Democratic candidate and is quite possibly our best bet for winning the general election in 2008.
So how do we get our best candidate into the race?
This is where all of us can make a difference.
Al Gore has a very solid base of support among progressive, online activists. In one dairy, over 2400 Daily Kos readers pledged between $780,000 and $1,098,404 to Gore the day he announces his candidacy. A pro-Gore diary remains the most recommended dairy on Daily Kos ever, with over 1400 recommendations. And, when included, Gore crushes all competition on the front page straw polls with over 7,000 votes.
It’s clear that the majority of Daily Kos members would support Gore in the primary. How do we let him know how much we value his leadership, vision, and experience?
We can each write him a letter explaining why we want him to be our nominee in 2008, and why we want him to be our next President. This is a very important step for the Draft Gore movement. If Gore doesn't know that you support him, how could your support influence him to get into the race?
A letter has a personal touch that is worth more than a signature on an online petition. Furthermore, letter writing is something that everyone can do, right now, instead of waiting for the next Draft Gore meet-up or event.
Also, the best way to make Al Gore our next President is if he jumps into the race himself, ala Clark in 2003. Deadlocked conventions and ballot stand-ins are good ideas and speculation, but in this day and age, especially with at least three viable candidates already in the race, it’s an unlikely way to make Gore our next President.
Let’s convince Gore to jump in under his own volition.
Here is Al Gore’s official mailing address:
The Office of the Honorable Al Gore
2100 West End Avenue
Nashville, TN 37203
Can you imagine what could happen if Gore were to receive one hundred letters from all over the country explaining why he should run for President? What if he received five-hundred letters?
If 2400 of us pledged upwards of $2300 to Al Gore if he were to run for President, surely we can spare a piece of paper, an envelope, and $.39 for a stamp?
Let’s make a difference. Let’s see how many letters we can send to Al Gore.
Here is the letter I just wrote:
Dear President Gore,
I’m writing today to beseech you to enter the 2008 Presidential race. As time goes on, it becomes more and more clear that no candidate has the passion, vision, and courage that you do to lead American through a time of both healing and hope.
Your outstanding defenses of American civil liberties, your passionate opposition to the horrible War in Iraq, your vision for America once again being a respected leader around the world, and your endless work against man-made climate change all lead millions of Americans to the same conclusion: You are the best man for the job of President of the United States.
No other person can come close to what you could accomplish if you were the leader of the free world. Imagine being in control of the EPA. Imagine having the power to send your proposals to an eager Democratic Congress. Imagine you, as one of the most beloved figures around the world, working with our allies to alleviate the suffering of millions of people around globe, ending the War in Iraq, and helping those so sorely in need.
You have said that the threat of global warming is the greatest threat currently facing the entire planet. While your efforts up until this point have been super-human, you can do so much more if you were in the Oval Office, the head of world’s largest economy and most powerful nation. You could negotiate carbon-reducing treaties and head an international green revolution to save the world.
Furthermore, you could do so much to help those who are in dire need of a helping hand right here in our country. Millions of Americans live in poverty, have no health insurance, and have lost faith in the American dream. Imagine what you, the only man elected twice before taking office, could do for America. Eight years as President of the United States would be an excellent exclamation point at the end of an already outstanding American story of sacrifice and public service.
You once said,
"My friends, if you look up for a moment from the rush of your daily lives, you will hear the quiet voices of your country crying out for help. You will see your reflection in the weary eyes of those who are losing hope in America. And you will see that our democracy is lying there, in the gutter, waiting for us to give it a second breath of life."
You have a historic opportunity to be the one who restored American democracy and gave our nation a second breath of life. Your country needs you. Please answer the call and lead America in a new direction of hope and healing. Please declare your candidacy and run for President in 2008.
Sincerely,
I’ve uploaded the letter in .doc format for easy access. You can download the letter for printing here. Feel free to print the letter and send it off with your name.
If you wish, write your own letter to Gore expressing why you think he should run. It took me only fifteen minutes to write the letter. If you do use the letter here, add a Post Script telling Gore your own personal reasons why you think he should run.
All it takes is five minutes to print out a letter, stick it in an envelope, write the address on it, affix a stamp, and put it in your mailbox. Five minutes to be part of a movement to get Gore into the race.
If you want Gore to run or would support Gore if he were to enter the race, go ahead and send a letter. This is one action we can take that will certainly make a difference.
If you like this idea and support a Gore candidacy, please recommend this dairy so that every member of Daily Kos can see it throughout the day.
Let’s be a part of something big here. Let’s send our letters to Al Gore, asking him to run. All it takes is 39 cents.