Heh! .... "Pop" Culture ..... he's nobody's fool.

[Stinky The Clown]

Upfront disclaimers ..... I am not ready to endorse a 2008 Al Gore candidacy (or anyone else's, for that matter). I am also strongly supportive of his running.

He's playing the role of politician and activist just perfectly. Today's concerts are just more of the same. He's doing his thing, he's won an Oscar, he may win the Nobel, he's a man young people now know and love. He **IS** "Pop" Culture. A non-singing rock star. He may well be more widely loved than Bill Clinton, our only other political rock star.

He openly eschews the political for what he sees as right and principled.

And BY GOD he's making many, many people just plain WANT him for president. It has quickly become fact that no one much cares about the details of what he stands for. They just want HIM.

It is almost as if he's ready to do the second Human Water Walk.

Yeah ..... my words here seem silly, or perhaps sarcastic. Make no mistake. It is my attempt at humor, only. I seriously think Al Gore can walk into the presidential race in October or even November and just plain knock the shit out of any other campaign. He's made it so THE PEOPLE want him to run.

You Go, "Pop" Culture!

[Labors of Hercules]

1. I'm kicking this post! Right ON! nt

[rzemanfl]

2. Gore 2008, it's not an election, it's restitution. n/t

[greenbriar]

6. great comments

like that thinking

[ldf]

3. maybe if the young people

were to ask him, and he knew that he had their complete support, he would consider it.

he IS doing all this for future generations... IF there are going to be any...

[glowing]

4. You make a great point... Idol worship over level headed thinking

is not what we need. If he runs, I want to know his platform forwards and backwards like the other contenders. There are a few things I didn't like about his agenda in 2000. I would have to know that they have changed with his revolution, otherwise, there are contenders who want real change, and I think they deserve to lead us on that way.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. You're kinda missing my point ......

.... or maybe I didn't make it very well.

I think any person who's been paying attention for the last 12 ..... 14 years knows who he is and what he has and does represent. There were some views of his in 2000 that many didn't like. There are some views of his now that people don't like. Then there are the changes he's made in his views between then and now. But on balance, he's still the same guy, so people who are paying attention know pretty much who he is.

The point I was trying to make in dubbing him "Pop Culture" is that he's 'rock star' persona, for the great mass of the stupid, out of touch, willfully ignorant, and intellectually unwashed, is t hat they may well be ready to not just accept him, but clamor for him and beg him to run.

If that were to happen, we, as Democrats and Americans, could do one HELL of a lot worse.

[glowing]

10. Hope your right?!

[xiamiam]

7. truth to power...he is running a legitimate no holds barred campaign...without media scrutiny

as a presidential hopeful...he just took his place as the statesman that he is...wrote a couple very important books which got a lot of media attention...has stayed in the spotlight...and now has the support of, well, anyone with a brain...we needed this...all of it...he is politically savvy...has been wounded and resurrected with a fire in his belly...i knew it...i knew he would do this...or something equally as powerful as this..when i heard his speech on mlk day in 2004 or 2005..cant remember which...but he changed in my opinion...and its all for the better...Bless Him...

[gordianot]

8. Can you imagine how he would be treated by Corporate media if he declared candidacy?

Al Gore has answered for all time the difference in the Political Parties even if he does not run.

[WCGreen]

9. Even if he ran....

Die hard party activists, the ones who depend on the party for their jobs, have already committed to one candidate or another...

It will tough to dislodge those votes...

The good news is that party's such as the Cuyahoga County Democratic party here in Cleveland, Ohio, the largest party organization between New York and Chicago, is not ready to commit as of yet...

Gore would have to get a whole bunch of new voters signed up and ready to vote in the democratic primaries...

[Prophet 451]

11. Are you sure they've comitted?

Granted, I'm basing this purely on anecdotal evidence but I've talked to quite a few diehard Dems lately who tell me they've decided to vote for X candidate if Gore doesn't run. I'm in the same position, if Gore doesn't run, I'm for Kucinich but if he does, it'll be a very, very difficult choice.

[WCGreen]

14. I'm talking about the people who say work at the county auditors

office, run by a democrat...

And he/she is backing Obama...

You can bet that he/she is giving strong suggestions to the people who work in that office to back Obama as well...

These are the first people that put yard signs up, have coffee meetings, walk door to door...

Then the ward leaders have some sway...

It's just the way it shakes out within the party structure...

I know a lot of democrats that aren't within the party structure that look to those on the inside for clues on how to vote...

Then you have the congressperson who backs say Clinton...

They strongly suggest to their people, their backers to support Clinton...

Those people who are connected via work or relations or Friend of people who work for democrats make up about fifteen percent, I would say, of registered Dem's who vote in primaries...

That's what I am talking about...

And you really can't see what goes on until you get inside, see how the people sway people and how people feel loyal to certain folks and then they follow their leads...

[NoFederales]

12. You are definitely NOT silly; many of us ARE hopeful....

And I certainly would like to see a popular candidate kick the shit and feathers out of the current hopefuls, mostly because the media is PICKING our candidates for us. THEY are choosing Hillary; THEY are abusing and telling Edwards how out of it he really is (recall Howard Dean?); THEY are very careful about Obama. The Democratic Party/Corporatist Branch is mirroring the Media, not as hard on Edwards as much, but completely disavowing Kucinich it seems. Fuck them. It's time for significant change and the so-called "top tier" ain't cuttin' it.

NoFederales

[ruggerson]

13. I must be blind

because what I see is a very committed guy who is still comes across absurdly badly on television. His voice is bizarre, almost weird, he has the same off personality that made him walk over to Shrub in the debates in a very dissonant moment and gave Shrub the opportunity to stare at him as if to say "you are fucking weird, get over to your own podium." A moment that unfortunately gave instant credibility to all the rightwing spin about how "weird" Gore was.

I see no difference in the *political skills* of Gore 2000 vs. Gore 2007. I see a very hard working guy who believes in his cause passionately. But I do not see someone who can effectively take on the rightwing.

I think because liberals love what Al Gore *says*, they tend to forget what a horrendous politician he is/was. Florida shouldn't have even been CLOSE in 2000. I love Al Gore, but he isn't the answer.