Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Yes, there are still Jacksonian Democrats around

Al Gore is one of them:  Born again Guardian 05/31/06 (interview with Al Gore by Jonathan Freedland).

I don't know if he'll run for President again.  But Big Al hasn't given up the fight for the good cause.  The money quote that made the lede on the Guardian's news article on the interview was from this part:

Later I ask Gore if he's moved to the left these past six years. After all, he denounced plans for the coming war in Iraq in September 2002, long before his Democrat[ic] colleagues, and he now unashamedly attacks corporate special interests. A flash of anger: "No! If you have a renegade band of rightwing extremists who get hold of power, the whole thing goes to the right. But I haven't moved. I'm where I've always been."

To describe the Bush administration in such terms is indicative that, for all the gags, Gore's fury has not gone away. So is he gearing up for another go? "I don't expect to be a candidate." Is there some event that could change his mind? "Not that I can see," he says, with a wide grin.  (my emphasis)

A "renegad band of rightwing extremists".  That about describes the Bush administration, doesn't it?  Heck, it describes virtually the entire Republican Congress!

This is an interesting line, too:

Gore is fond of quoting Churchill and his warnings of "the gathering storm" of fascism. And everyone knows that Churchill came out of the political wilderness to lead the battle against the storm.

Ezra Klein makes an important point about a possible Gore candidacy on TAPPED of 05/30/06:

What makes divining his political intentions so frustrating is that Gore has, comparatively speaking, all the time in the world. It used to be that fundraising required a lot of rich buddies, a heap o' travel, and endless chicken dinners. Now, Gore could enter shortly before Iowa and, if the base was sufficiently dissatisfied, become financially competitive in a matter of hours. And he wouldn't have to lift a finger for infrastructure building until he sent out that press release. Moreover, Dean's loss and Kerry's triumph taught political watchers that the fundraising arms race isn't necessarily relevant - Dean's money didn't slow his collapse, and Kerry's comparative disadvantage didn't impede his ascension. Pundits watching to see if Gore tries to compete with Hillary's monster fundraising operation will be disappointed. He has no reason to. The early primary states are cheap, and that's not even mentioning the rush of free media he'd get from entering the race. He'd be both Time and Newsweek's cover boy the following Monday. And if he won some primaries, as Kerry proved, the money would be there for him in the general.  (my emphasis)

As Freedland observes, a Gore victory in 2008 would be "poetic justice".  Yes, it certainly would.

No comments: