An Open Convention For Gore

[marmar]

from HuffPost:




Bill Curry
An Open Convention For Gore
Posted October 18, 2007 | 01:04 PM (EST)



Al Gore once campaigned for me with his foot in a cast. As we waited to be introduced at a luncheon he confided that the injury had ended his dream of an NBA career; that and the fact that he was 46 and Vice President of the United States. I expressed my sympathy.

Later, I was privileged to work with him in the Clinton White House. I saw right away he had impeccable character and a superb mind; curious, imaginative and relentless. And he was funny. This last part was hard to get across to friends back home.

One problem was his dry humor. Like the best sketch comics, he never smiled too soon. He used pauses like Jack Benny, pretending to mull over an indignity, allowing his listener to absorb the full irony of a remark or situation.

A bigger problem was that he was less funny in public, as if on the way to the lectern his personality seized up. His wooden, sing song delivery reminded me of how my third grade class said good morning to our principal. He liked to preach.

It was easy to lampoon. Reporters, including scores of envious boomers out to burnish their 'just plain folk' credentials, were merciless. In a pivotal 2000 debate, Bush lied and Gore sighed. Cable news spent a week ignoring the lies and replaying the sighs, long enough to reverse overnight polls that had Gore winning the encounter.

That December, the Supreme Court disgraced itself by declaring Bush president. A new book by Jeffrey Toobin reveals that Justice David Souter, an appointee of Bush's father, considered resigning over it and that Sandra Day O'Connor, a Reagan appointee and the critical fifth vote, sees it now as the worst mistake of her career, which it no doubt was.

Gore won the popular vote not only nationally but in Florida, where thousands of blacks were robbed of their franchise and where a deceptive ballot tricked thousands of Jews into voting for a man they loathed. 'Hanging chads' were beside the point. Gore won Florida not by a few hundred but by many thousand votes. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-curry/an-open-convention-for-go_b_68997.html

[IndyOp]

1. A stirring essay!

Gore may be the best prepared person ever to run for president. His willingness to risk the skepticism of the unconverted is invaluable when so many basic systems are in need of restructuring; energy, health care, defense and the budget being just the big four. His election may be the one thing that could wipe clean a stain on our democracy....

But will he? ....

There is still a faint possibility, a chance not only for Gore but for an Edwards, Dodd or Richardson. It's the chance that the insanely frontloaded nominating process backfires on party insiders, distributing delegates to enough different candidates to keep anyone from getting a majority....

Never before has there been a prospect of so many delegates up for grabs with so many candidates still in the race. One of two things will happen. If Clinton sweeps, prepare for the longest intermission in the history of show business, from early February till August 25th in Denver. But if Obama, Edwards and a second tier candidate outperform expectations, she might not make 50%. Then the fun begins....

A political party ought to have time for second thoughts. It ought to make its selection at a point closer in time to when voters make theirs. Ironically, a convention might prove more open than primaries, at least to ideas. For the first time in memory, the platform might matter, forcing Democrats to sort out whatever it is they really believe.

Republican justices who appointed Bush were said to fear "chaos." But in a system as calcified as ours, a little chaos may be just the thing to water liberty's tree. A process can be more chaotic and more rational. The convention and the months leading to it would be a battle for the soul of a party. In that battle, the drumbeat for Gore could be deafening.

[Control-Z]

2. knr

A must read. Best essay yet!

[SlowDownFast]

3. K&R.

More Gore, please.

[David Zephyr]

4. DU Post From May 2007: Locked Convention Favors Al Gore.

Posted here at the DU on May 22 by yours truly.

------------------------------------

Are the Democrats Facing a Locked Convention in '08? Could That Favor Al Gore?

Hard Fact: The rules still apply and it still will take take 50% of the delegates in Denver to clinch the Democratic Party's nomination in 2008.

The Status Quo: The way things are playing out in poll after poll, none of our top tiered candidates -- Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards--- can seem wiggle their way out of their 20% to 30% range in support. They all seem to have their "ceilings" of support thus far.

The Al Gore Factor: The man whose photo graces the cover of Time Magazine (again) this week, who is the first choice former President Jimmy Carter, the choice of of Silicon Valley executives, environmentalists, many studio heads in Hollywood and still a great percentage of voters, has still not given a nod or the shake of his head on another run at the White House. Like it or not, there are a lot of people sitting on the sidelines in hopes that Al and Tipper will go for it.

Other Factors: The seasoned and very sharp Governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, will outperform all expectations in both the early and heavily Latino populated Nevada and California contests and will arrive at the DNC in Denver with his own core of delegates pledged to him.

Survey Says! For the first time in political eons, there is a growing possibility that -- after the first and second roll calls of delegates in Denver are made -- that we may not have a nominee for the November general election for President. Should Hillary be locked at 30%, Barack locked at 30%, Edwards locked at 30% and Richardson locked at 10%, what is a national convention of fired up delegates in the Mile-High City to do? Who would be the consensus candidate?

Why, I think it's quite obvious, don't you?

Having been a delegate from California to two of our party's national conventions, I can tell you that candidate loyalty will run true only for so many roll calls before the dynamic changes. Delegates are, for the most part, activists in their on right within the party. A Gore draft at the convention, even if he stays out of the slug-festing primaries, is a real possibility with the way the current crop of candidates are polling.

Don't discount this possibility. I imagine that none other than Bill Clinton himself considers it a lot. It's just math and emotion that makes it happen.

The upside for Al would be that the Republicans would have a truly shortened hunting season to attack him, wouldn't they?

In any event, I am beginning to believe that this may indeed be how it all plays out. Mark my word.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=941632

[IndyOp]

5. Very nice. I've never seen this happen - when was the last time

that the convention really mattered like this?

[David Zephyr]

6. Good question.

I know this the American people will be watching our conventioin in Denver to see who to vote for in November.

[Hawkowl]

7. Gore can delay

If Gore really is interested in becoming POTUS, he doesn't even need to plan on getting 51% of the delegates. He simply has to enter early enough to garner some delegates and prevent any one else from garnering a majority. He could bypass the early primaries and see how it goes and then decide to enter the fray. He would force an open convention and probably would be able to put enough delegates together to win.

Personally, I don't think it is a good strategy, but, it is a definite possibility. It certainly would be chaotic and interesting.

[FourScore]

8. Very interesting essay.

I'm just not sure Clinton and the media would be able to "couch" Gore at this point if he got into the race. I think it is more viable that we democrats would get the raucuous convention described if he actually got into the race. That would certainly minimize Clinton's vote.