It is painful for me to write these words, I just got this letter from Karen Wunderman Chief of Staff at AlGore.org
Dear AFG Steering Committee Members:
We have received a communication from a member of Al Gore’s staff discouraging our efforts to put Al Gore’s name on any primary ballots. This includes California, New York, Massachusetts, and the write-in effort in New Hampshire, as well as any other states that are working to get him on the ballot. Accordingly, effective immediately, we are recommending that all groups cease their signature collection and related fund-raising activities.
AlGore.org
Some of you may wonder about the discrepancy between this message and the one sent out last week. We have attempted to bring you information as we receive it, and only information that is credible, and last week’s information came from credible sources, but not sources from within Gore’s office. Unfortunately, today’s communication comes from Gore’s staff and trumps the information we received last week.
We’re all reeling and in a bit of a state of shock, and our main objective right now is to get people to stop working for something we’ve been discouraged from pursuing. Beyond that, we recognize that for many this will feel like getting hit by a Mack truck. It’s impossible to convey the deep disappointment we all feel, but we’ve been to hell and back again with this, and just as we hung together in the past, we’ll grieve together and get support from the community we built. Regardless of how we attempt to deal with this blow, we should at least now be able to turn our attention back to family, friends, and jobs that have been neglected over these long months of hard work. We built a community of support and supporters, and I believe our lives were enriched for having known each other and worked together for this cause we believe in so strongly. Many of us have formed permanent bonds with people in this movement that transcend the political ideology that brought us together in the first place. These are ties that will last a lifetime.
We’ll be putting out more communications in the days ahead, but for now we felt it was urgent to get this information out to people so they wouldn’t put any more time or money into the effort. I hope we can turn our grief and disappointment into something more positive and productive in the future.
There are no words to express our sorrow at having to deliver this news, but I’m afraid it is real, and the request needs to be heeded.
With deepest regrets,
--Karen
Karen Wunderman
Chief of Staff, Volunteer Division
This is sad news for us in the Draft Movement. We continue to respect the man and will work hard to see the change in consciousness that this world needs. "Business as Usual" doesn't cut it anymore. We need transformational change in this country, the climate crisis needs to be the #1 issue in 2008 and all other issues need to be viewed through that issue. (added one more thing)