via Drudge
Former Vice-President Al Gore is coming under pressure from political supporters and friends to jump into the 2004 presidential campaign even though he ruled himself out in December.
Goreâs spokesperson denied that there was any change of plans, but a former Democratic National Committee official close to Gore told The Hill he believes the former vice president may enter the Democratic primary this fall. A second Gore confidant, Steve Armistead, a local Tennessee government official, said: âI think heâd like to grit his teeth and jump back in, but I canât speak for him. I donât think he liked the medicine he got from the Supreme Court.â
Truth Serum gave him a bad reaction huh?
Armistead, a good friend of Goreâs for more than 40 years, said Gore has not indicated to him whether he would run. But he added: âIâve had a lot of people that know him real well tell me that he ought to get back in. I hear it daily. âHe got out too soon.â âI wish Al never got out of the race.ââ
| "I wish Al was in Samoa... I wish space aliens would disintegrate him..." |
Talk of Gore joining the race could be a trial balloon to test the atmosphere for a 2004 White House run. Gore lost in 2000 to George W. Bush in an election finally decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
| "Selected not elected" = "We weren't able to manipulate and machinate them into picking our guy" |
The former DNC official, who was active in Goreâs 2000 campaign, said his prediction of another Gore campaign is based on more than a hunch. But he declined to offer specific evidence.
Hey! This time run on your national security creds? Have Hillary and Bill campaign with you? The possibilities are endless as will be the fun
| "I was responsible for the creation of the United States Army..." |
He believes, as other Gore confidants do, that the political climate has changed significantly since December, making Bush more vulnerable to defeat in his bid for a second term. âThings have dramatically changed since his announcement,â said the official. âBush has lied to the country, no one is articulating a foreign policy thatâs resonating.â
| Uday and Qusay are stuffed and mounted. Idi Amin's on his death bed. Chuck's about to disappear. The French are eating crow in a delicious sauce made from unsold wine... |
However, Kiki McLean, Goreâs spokesperson, denied the possibility that her boss would declare his candidacy, adding his name to the nine already declared candidates and automatically moving into their front ranks. âHe is not a candidate for president, heâs made his position known and he has no intention of changing his mind,â said McLean.
| "Despite his demeanor, he's bright enough to realize that he'd probably lose more states than we actually have in the Union. All the Bushies would have to do is ask people what Al would have done September 12th..." |
Surveys show that Gore would have a good chance of capturing the nomination, even if he entered the race only a few months before the nationâs first primary next January in New Hampshire. A Time/CNN poll conducted between May 21 and 22 showed that if Gore changed his mind and ran for president, 40 percent of Democrats and Independents who lean Democratic nationwide would vote for him. The Democratic runners-up, Sen. Joe Lieberman (Conn.), Sen. John Kerry (Mass.), and Rep. Dick Gephardt (Mo.), would each draw 7 percent of that vote. A Washington Post-ABC News poll from mid-July showed that Bushâs support has dropped sharply amid growing concerns of U.S. casualties in Iraq and questions over whether the administration exaggerated Iraqâs efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction. Yet Democrats so far have failed to capitalize on Bushâs potential weakness. A new poll commissioned by the centrist Democratic Leadership Council shows that the Democratic Party is losing support among white men.
| That's because they generically dislike white men. |
A USA Today/Gallup Poll released yesterday shows that no more than 20 percent of the voters likely to pull the Democratic lever back any of the declared candidates. The fluid situation has apparently kept a core group of Democratic fundraisers who played key roles in Goreâs 2000 campaign to remain aloof from the current candidates despite being courted intensely. A former Gore campaign aide who surveyed fundraising data on politicalmoneyline.com noted that nine Gore supporters — eight of whom served as finance chairman, or deputy finance chairman at the DNC during the 2000 election — have by and large sat out of the Democratic primary. Two of the three persons who had served as finance chairmen at the DNC in 2000 have contributed to presidential candidates, but otherwise remain uninvolved. Carol Pensky has given $2,000 to Kerry and Joel Hyatt has given $2,000 to Lieberman this year. Hyatt said in an e-mail that heâs too busy to become more involved. The third finance chairman, Joe Cari, has yet to give to any of the candidates. Of the fundraisers who served as deputy finance chairs at the DNC during Goreâs run, Pamela Eakes has given $750 to former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, Christopher Korge has given $2,000 to Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) and Alan Kessler has given $1,500 to Lieberman. Ken Jarin and Peter Knight have yet to give. In interviews, Eakes and Kessler said they are not yet committed to a candidate. Another Gore official, who also worked on the 1996 and 2000 campaigns, said: âThese folks are playing in a non-material, insignificant way. These were the top fundraisers for Gore and the party in 2000 and they are basically keeping their wallets shut and more importantly not asking their friends [and] colleagues to help with an â04 candidate.â
trial balloon going up to see the reaction. |