While I don't necessarily expect Al Gore to read this diary himself, my hope is that at least one person who has his ear will see it and let him know about it.
Dear Vice President Gore:
By now you are surely aware of the efforts around the country to convince you to get into the presidential race. You've received the petitions and letters and no doubt know about much of the on-line activity. You presumably know there are people all over the U.S. circulating to get your name on their state ballots. In some states, they can do this without any word from you. In many, if not most, you would need to sign a form to allow the ballot petitions to be filed.
I know you have "no plans" to run. However, in light of your steadfast refusal to make a "Shermanesque Statement," I am asking you to agree to sign those forms necessary to allow those of us trying to get you on our state ballots to succeed.
Not only would signing such a form give us the legal ability to file our petitions, I believe it would be a signal to people that you are willing to stand for election. There are so many people who want to support you if they know you are willing to place yourself on the ballot. If we can just get you on state ballots, I don't know that you would have to actually begin running a campaign -- at least not yet.
There is so much grassroots support for your potential candidacy that your agreement to let us file the papers should be enough to allow us to succeed in our efforts to get you on all state ballots. Your statement would greatly increase the number of people willing to circulate and/or sign such petitions (not that I've had any trouble getting people to sign mine: everyone I talk to, liberals and conservatives, want you to run).
Once you are on state ballots, we'll see how much of a primary "campaign" you really need to run. My guess is you could just keep on giving speeches about the most important issues of the day -- the climate crisis, the threat to our constitutional democracy, etc. -- and that might be enough. As you surely know, polls in states as far apart as Michigan, New Hampshire, and Arizona, show you winning already (and show a certain other candidate, whose committment to fixing what ails the country and the world is very much in question, winning by a landslide if you don't enter). And then there's the DailyKos June poll that shows you already have majority support among our readers (2/3 when "leaners" are counted) -- a fairly good representation of the activist wing of the Party.
The only thing working against our efforts is time. The primary schedule has been moved up so much that filing deadlines are fast approaching. Michigan's is only 4 weeks away. So we need to know SOON that you will do the minimum required for us to file our petitions.
I understand that you may not want to do even this until the Nobel Peace Prize is announced on October 12 -- because you don't want to jeopardize the attention such a Prize would bring to the issue of Global Warming. But I hope you will signal your willingness to sign the necessary documents immediately after that (hopefully) auspicious day.
In other words, if we build it (and we ARE building it), will you run -- i.e., allow us to put you on the ballot? A watchful world awaits your decision.
Sincerely,
Jim in Chicago
Please use this diary to let Vice President Gore know what you are doing to build it or what you would do if he indicates he will let us place his name on state ballots. Expressions of what you would do promote his "campaign" once he's in are also welcome.