I was scanning GoreHub for the latest articles on Al Gore and stumbled upon this one - William Rusher: Watch Out for Al Gore - in the Sacramento Bee (registration required)
With all due respect to my fellow election observers, I don't think nearly enough attention is being paid to the plans and potentialities of former Vice President Al Gore.
In the last few years, Gore has moved into the leadership of the national and international crusade against this alleged menace (Global Warming), a highly popular cause, especially among the liberals and leftists who dominate the Democratic Party. This quest has enabled Gore to travel the globe in a seemingly nonpolitical campaign to save humanity from all sorts of perceived perils, which may very well win him a Nobel Prize later this year.
That's quite a statement from a person who was once one of the pillars of the traditional Republican establishment.
The name looked vaguely familiar to me and and I read up a bit on him to refresh my memory. His Wikipedia entry says this about him
In 1957, William F. Buckley, Jr. hired Rusher as publisher of the conservative political magazine National Review. Rusher was an early mentor of 'Young Americans for Freedom' and was active in the campaigns of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan.
Rusher retired as National Review publisher in 1988.
His Claremont Institute bio indicates that Rusher is not your typical wingnut. A Princeton University and Harvard Law School grad, he is also a World War II veteran. He was "one of the three men who in 1961 launched the draft of Barry Goldwater for the 1964 Republican nomination -- a drive that captured and transformed the Republican Party." I wrote a diary this past Sunday -- Bush v Gore: Two Bush Voters Render Their Verdict -- in which two other high-profile moderate Republicans (whose political beliefs are probably similar to Rusher's) blasted the Bush Administration and characterized it as an "organized crime ring." One of them explicitly endorsed Al Gore for President in 2008.
Why is this relevant and why should we care what Rusher says about Al Gore? Rare is the conversation among Republican activists when the possibility of Hillary Clinton being the 2008 Democratic nominee doesn't elicit reactions of some joy as they think her candidacy will unite the Republican Party. Whether it will or not, remains to be seen. It is, however, a fact that per a recent Mason-Dixon poll, she faces a steep uphill climb
Clinton is the only major presidential candidate -- either Democrat and Republican -- for whom a majority of likely general election voters say they would not consider voting. In addition, she's the only candidate who registers with a net-unfavorable rating.
In the poll, 48% say they would consider voting for Clinton versus 52% who say they wouldn't.
While Clinton leads in every national poll amongst the Democratic primary voters, there has also been a recognition by her campaign to step-up their efforts to lower her high negative ratings. The Los Angeles Times reported recently
In Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's relentless mission to convert her doubters, every grasp of the microphone, every empathetic nod, every studied recitation of fact matters. In the hourlong span of a town hall meeting, an assured performance can bring a few more skeptics into the fold.
For Clinton, convincing doubters among Democratic primary voters is essential for her presidential hopes... To that end, the Clinton campaign is already deep into a concerted, poll-tested effort to sway the public conversation about her in the primary states where it matters most, portraying her as both Midwestern family woman and accomplished national leader instead of a lightning rod for ceaseless political warfare.
Will the recent efforts to actively enlist Bill Clinton to "soften" Hillary's image work? Rusher is extremely skeptical and and states rather bluntly what's often been discussed on these pages. The argument can be distilled to this: Clinton may be unelectable and Obama, while having a promising political future, may be a bit too inexperienced
As the Democratic nomination battle seems to be settling down to an ugly slugfest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, one would have to be a pretty embittered Republican not to admit that Gore looks positively attractive as a possible alternative.
What are his negatives? It's hard to think of many. His name and conventionally liberal-Democratic views are almost universally well known. Experience? He was a U.S. senator, who then served eight years as Bill Clinton's vice president. His background appears to conceal no scandals, and his health seems robust at 59 years old.
Gore hasn't declared his candidacy for president in 2008 and says he has "no plans" to do so, the politician's stock phrase for keeping all options wide open. Why on earth should he wade into the fray now?
Unlike Clinton, Gore would not inspire the Republicans to the heights of frenzy that would be generated against the Ice Queen. And his record as an office-holder, let alone global do-gooder, would simply overwhelm Obama's pitiful three empty years in the Senate.
In other Gore news today, the Draft Gore group delivered 100,000 signatures today to Gore's Nashville, TN office, including several Republicans and Independents who regretted "not voting for Gore in 2000"
"This enormous outpouring of support for Al Gore is testimony to his enduring appeal among the grassroots and to the dissatisfaction of the Democratic base among the current crop of declared candidates," said Monica Friedlander, chairman of the draft effort, which has been spotted here and in New Hampshire, New York, Iowa, and California.
A column in the Ventura County Star urges Gore to enter the race for the presidency
Gore has shown in recent years how determination can make a difference. And his determination could find no better outlet than helping this nation regain its world leadership role, especially in the face of this aging planet's most insidious threat: destruction by humanity's ever-growing burden on the environment.
On stage Saturday in New Jersey, Gore asked audience members to commit themselves to a seven-point pledge that includes urging a moratorium on new coal-powered plants and an increased effort to find more renewable energy.
"I would like to ask each and every one of you to answer the call," he said.
Gore has issued his call. Will he heed the nation's call?
Finally, Rusher has this warning for his fellow Republicans
It may be objected that Gore has been around too long, while Clinton and Obama haven't yet had their chance at the Oval Office. But Americans have short memories, and recollections of Gore as a politician will be at least eight years old by the primary, obscured by his newer fame as Savior of the Planet. Republicans will neglect him at our own peril.
It is one thing when partisans in your own political party advocate your candidacy. It is an altogether different ball game when the opposition starts to sing your praises and reminds others that your time to lead this country may have finally arrived.
All of this must be music to Al Gore's ears.
(crossposted at Truth & Progress)