Say It Ain't So, Al
I've been getting my hopes up for months. The liberal blogosphere, along with a few Congressman, has been actively lobbying former Vice-President Al Gore to make another run for President in 2008. But on Tuesday, my hopes were crushed when Gore reinforced his previous disappointing announcement that he will not be running in '08. It appears the guy really has chosen to end his political career.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not a die-hard supporter. I'm merely a political scientist who feels like he's won the lottery every time Al Gore makes a public appearance. The man is a poli sci geek's dream come true. He panders to voters as shamelessly and as transparently as any pol who has ever lived. He stages hokey, over-the-top "moments" for the benefit of the camera (remember "the kiss" with Tipper at the 2000 Dem Convention). He's incapable of even a shred of humility, arbitrarily launching into self-aggrandizing statements that would make even Muhammed Ali blush. And best of all, his public persona changes every time he hits the stage. The old adage that "you don't know which Al Gore is gonna show up" perfectly sums up the Al Gore experience. The soft-spoken intellectual wearing "Earth tones" and putting us to sleep with droll, robotic soundbytes by morning could easily become the enraged "alpha male" screaming at the top of his lungs, flailing his arms, and making exasperated sighs of condescending disgust towards his political opponents by night. With Al Gore, anything can happen.
In all seriousness, Al Gore is a worthy public servant who brings alot to the table intellectually and could even make an above-average President if he cut the act. But there's no escaping the fact that he sucks as a politician. The gamesmanship that came so easily to Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and even to George W. Bush consistently eludes Al Gore, motivating an otherwise smart guy to behave like a fool. As frustrating as it always been for me as a Democrat, I can't say that Gore's antics haven't provide comedy relief to help me through the tears.
The comedy value quotient of the 2008 Presidential campaign is certain to be much less prevalent if Gore holds to his word of not running (this is Gore...he's changed his position on everything else over the years, so there's still hope he'll have a change of heart here too). Just the thought of watching a primary debate that included Al Gore brings back wonderful memories of the fall of 2000, the heyday of Gore-dom both before and after the election. Would we see the thoughtful but boring centrist or the sweaty, table-pounding leftist who can easily out-"Yearghhhh!" that amateur Howard Dean? It's sad to think the world may never know.
At the very least, we should be able to count on Gore making headlines with one of the shrill, bombastic verbal smackdowns of the Bush administration he makes every few months. Still, it's nothing like being able to see him in full pandering campaign mode. It's the political world's loss if Al Gore is not standing in front of a camera. Political geeks of all persuasions should be in mourning this week.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not a die-hard supporter. I'm merely a political scientist who feels like he's won the lottery every time Al Gore makes a public appearance. The man is a poli sci geek's dream come true. He panders to voters as shamelessly and as transparently as any pol who has ever lived. He stages hokey, over-the-top "moments" for the benefit of the camera (remember "the kiss" with Tipper at the 2000 Dem Convention). He's incapable of even a shred of humility, arbitrarily launching into self-aggrandizing statements that would make even Muhammed Ali blush. And best of all, his public persona changes every time he hits the stage. The old adage that "you don't know which Al Gore is gonna show up" perfectly sums up the Al Gore experience. The soft-spoken intellectual wearing "Earth tones" and putting us to sleep with droll, robotic soundbytes by morning could easily become the enraged "alpha male" screaming at the top of his lungs, flailing his arms, and making exasperated sighs of condescending disgust towards his political opponents by night. With Al Gore, anything can happen.
In all seriousness, Al Gore is a worthy public servant who brings alot to the table intellectually and could even make an above-average President if he cut the act. But there's no escaping the fact that he sucks as a politician. The gamesmanship that came so easily to Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and even to George W. Bush consistently eludes Al Gore, motivating an otherwise smart guy to behave like a fool. As frustrating as it always been for me as a Democrat, I can't say that Gore's antics haven't provide comedy relief to help me through the tears.
The comedy value quotient of the 2008 Presidential campaign is certain to be much less prevalent if Gore holds to his word of not running (this is Gore...he's changed his position on everything else over the years, so there's still hope he'll have a change of heart here too). Just the thought of watching a primary debate that included Al Gore brings back wonderful memories of the fall of 2000, the heyday of Gore-dom both before and after the election. Would we see the thoughtful but boring centrist or the sweaty, table-pounding leftist who can easily out-"Yearghhhh!" that amateur Howard Dean? It's sad to think the world may never know.
At the very least, we should be able to count on Gore making headlines with one of the shrill, bombastic verbal smackdowns of the Bush administration he makes every few months. Still, it's nothing like being able to see him in full pandering campaign mode. It's the political world's loss if Al Gore is not standing in front of a camera. Political geeks of all persuasions should be in mourning this week.
posted by Mark at 5:22 PM
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