Our former Vice President
So, there's been a lot of talk about whether or not Al Gore is going to run for president in 2008. There's a lot of talk regarding the various speeches that he has been recently giving, and the progressive leaf that he has seemed to turn. My instinct is not to trust him, as he was once considered pretty darn progressive (remember Earth in the Balance?), but serving under Clinton for so long kinda tarnished that image, and then, after serving under the semi-popular Clinton, didn't know what sort of campaign to run.
And that's when it hit me, there is a historical metaphor to draw with Mr. Gore that noone has really made before--Al Gore is Hubert H. Humphrey. Both were senators that made bold strikes for progressive causes when younger (Humphrey most famously for civil rights during the 1948 democratic convention, Gore for the environment), and built their names up to the point that they would become Vice President, and see their running mates seemingly crush their opponents (in 1964 and 1996, respectively). But then, both individuals saw their running mates' presidencies collapse under scandal and despair--Johnson due to Vietnam, and Clinton due to his dumbass impeachment. Forced to stand point for the other guy, both suffered with respect to their public image, and ultimately, had no idea whether or not they wanted to run with or against the image of the outgoing president during their campaigns, which ended up lackluster and uneven, and would ultimately elect scandal ridden, paranoid two term republican successors.
I don't know whether or not this perspective makes me more or less likely to support Gore in the election. Probably not, though I think that he'd probably be my second or third choice after Russ Feingold and John Edwards. I also don't know whether or not he will revert back to the Clinton-era gore the second that pressure is applied to him. I don't know how this can even be determined until after he is in the general, and then that may be too late. With a George Allen or Sam Brownback presiency possibly at stake, I don't think that that is a risk that I, personally, would be willing to take. Who knows whether or not enough dem voters agree with me...
Regardless, this is all academic until after the 2006 elections, which will vastly change the political landscape for president 2008.
And that's when it hit me, there is a historical metaphor to draw with Mr. Gore that noone has really made before--Al Gore is Hubert H. Humphrey. Both were senators that made bold strikes for progressive causes when younger (Humphrey most famously for civil rights during the 1948 democratic convention, Gore for the environment), and built their names up to the point that they would become Vice President, and see their running mates seemingly crush their opponents (in 1964 and 1996, respectively). But then, both individuals saw their running mates' presidencies collapse under scandal and despair--Johnson due to Vietnam, and Clinton due to his dumbass impeachment. Forced to stand point for the other guy, both suffered with respect to their public image, and ultimately, had no idea whether or not they wanted to run with or against the image of the outgoing president during their campaigns, which ended up lackluster and uneven, and would ultimately elect scandal ridden, paranoid two term republican successors.
I don't know whether or not this perspective makes me more or less likely to support Gore in the election. Probably not, though I think that he'd probably be my second or third choice after Russ Feingold and John Edwards. I also don't know whether or not he will revert back to the Clinton-era gore the second that pressure is applied to him. I don't know how this can even be determined until after he is in the general, and then that may be too late. With a George Allen or Sam Brownback presiency possibly at stake, I don't think that that is a risk that I, personally, would be willing to take. Who knows whether or not enough dem voters agree with me...
Regardless, this is all academic until after the 2006 elections, which will vastly change the political landscape for president 2008.
posted by Valatan @ 10:53 PM
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