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HmmmmHe's increasingly mentioned as a potential Democratic powerbroker, but former Vice President Al Gore said Thursday he still expects his party's heated White House race will resolve itself.
"What have we got, five months left?" Gore told the Associated Press after delivering a speech at Middle Tennessee State University.
"I think it's going to resolve itself, but we'll see," he added.
Cheeky monkey! He must love this.
Meanwhile, Patrick Leahy calls for Hillary to quit the campaign:
"There is no way that Senator Clinton is going to win enough delegates to get the nomination," Leahy said. "She ought to withdraw and she ought to be backing Senator Obama. Now, obviously that's a decision that only she can make. Frankly I feel that she would have a tremendous career in the Senate."
Not a good day for HRC, as Obama snagged another big endorsement in Bob Casey.
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Gore!
Why would Gore love this?
Goracle, lol.
So?
Step aside Mrs Clinton.
Sorry to be off topic but this is MUST READ MATERIAL below:
“It’s a relatively straightforward story: Iraq is ablaze today as a result of an attempt to impose Colombian-style democracy on the unstable country: Maliki’s goal, shared by the like-minded allies among the Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish communities that dominate his administration, and with at least tacit U.S. approval, is to kill off the opposition and then hold a vote.”
In short Muqtada’s brigades are being targeted for extinction before the upcoming elections.
Best article I’ve read relating to the latest violence bar none!
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/80580/
“Ask again later”
apparently no love lost btw Caseys and Clinton’s - the old man was denied a convention speaking spot in 92 subsequently refusing to campaign in swing state Pennsylvania although he eventually gave verbal endorse
he contemplated a 1996 run against Clinton but was sidelined by illness
He’s in the position of being kingmaker, and everyone wants to know what he’s going to do. Wouldn’t you?
“Better not tell you now”
As I hve been saying for the last few days. Clinton supporters need to ask themselves 2 questions.
Is there any realistic chance she can win the nomination?
And if she can’t, what purpose does continuing her campaign serve?
or my fav :D “Reply hazy, try again”
AND she HAS to tell her supporters to get behind the nominee, to vote for the nominee AND work their butts off to make sure THE nominee Obama is elected President.
THEN we will see if the 28% of her supporters who would vote for McBush if she was not the nominee… She told them to… that only she and McBush are qualified to be Prez…. go down in numbers…. She has to reverse this asap.
Ditto! I don’t understand the reasoning. He may not have any particular fondness for Hillary (from most reports) but I think he loves his party and his country and he wouldn’t like what this food fight between the two major candidates is doing to tear the party apart.
I feel bad for those of you who still believe in Hillary, but my bottom line has now come down to Obama seems to want to appeal to the angels of our better nature while Hillary seems comfortable appealing to our baser instincts. She seems to want to win at all costs; the end justifies the means. Her strategy has been described as the Tanya Harding strategy; kneecap Obama to permanently injure him so that she is the last one standing. I think what she’s doing would bring them both down while elevating McCain. I was glad to hear her ask folks not to defect to McCain the other day, stating that either Dem would be far better. I just don’t understand why she let this be a contradiction of her earlier statement that both she and McCain pass the Commander in Chief test, but you’d have to ask Obama how he figures he passes that test.
BTW, I have to say, as far as speeches go, as good, even as historic as I believe Obama’s race speech was, I still liked Gore’s speech at Constitution Hall on MLK Day, 2006, on the Constitution better. To me, the very best candidate is not in the race and will not be in the 2008 race, period. The best we can hope for is some guidance from him.
“Is there any realistic chance she can win the nomination?”
Yes.
Theftsuperdelegate override.I agree completely katymine!
I have little respect for Gore or Kerry. When history thrust upon those two politicians the chance to Defend America From Enemies Within and become a part of Patriot History, they instead chose to stay members of the Club, and to play Gentleman’s cricket.
Thanks for nothing, “Gentlemen”.
kirk, you have mail
That may be the plan but is it realistic?
yeppers.
Would she bail if she knew she could be Senate majority leader?
Here’s my WAG:
In 1972, the Democrats had a candidate the people loved, but the Party hated-George McGovern. There was a treacherous backroom attempt to steal the nom from him at the convention called the “Anybody but McGovern” movement. After McG got the nomination and then got stomped in the general, the Democrats installed the superdelegate system, to make sure another McGovern could not get the nomination over their objections. This is why Hillary has been calling Obama “liberal”-she wants to paint him as a dangerous extremist, another McGovern, and thus convince the superdelegates to give the nomination to her.
Lotta stuff could still happen. Obama better not have any major dirt as yet unearthed that the HRC peeps — abetted by Fox Noise et al — could strategically reveal at the worst possible time to kneecap him.
With all due respect, I think that is unfair.
It is up to us to change ‘business as usual’.
jmho.
post over at kos about the HRC campaign playing games in the upcoming TX Democratic convention…
FUD in Texas, courtesy of Camp Clinton
Is anyone seeing this who is on the ground?
I’m afraid your statement requires that you divulge all the marvelous things that you’ve done for your country, and I certainly hope it’s really, really good, because these two men have done an awful lot of provable stuff.
I still think they will fight on in anticipation of a
theftsuperdelegate override.Heard Jim Hightower on the radio yesterday describing the Texas primary system as “goats on speed.”. It is truly a mess.
I don’t think so.
People in NY love her and she is a great Senator for NY.
Her aspirations are mighty and I so wish I could support her unequivocally.
The war(s) thingy prevents me from doing so…
We need more better Peacemakers.
Gore/Obama ticket and Prez and VP and Clinton Majority leader in the Senate!!
Yes. I agree with you. It’s the only way she can win…I just thought the superdelegate history might be elightening.
These are interesting political times for my Democratic Party.
Lahoma
Confidence and belief in “the process”, rather than illegally subverting it. What a novel, indeed, presidential, attitude.
Well, I followed that as far as it went, but why would that affect Gore? I guess for me you have to tie it up in a big bow? *g*
katymine, greenwarrior is a delegate for her district here in central texas. she’ll be able to give you info after tomorrow.
I take Bill at his word that “our family doesn’t quit.” They are supreme cage match knife-fighters.
I would expect that offer to be time-limited. Isn’t it pretty clear her Senate colleagues propose a graceful exit from the race, perhaps in exchange for their support when Harry Reid is booted?
Taking her futile war to Denver will make her a Democratic pariah. But does she care?
(And I don’t think Harry’s gonna get the boot anytime soon; likely we’ll improve our Senate number in 2008, and winning Leaders don’t get replaced.)
I think the remaining neutral Dem leaders are endorsing Obama in order of their importance, from the smaller ones on up. That would leave Gore waiting for Edwards, and Edwards waiting for Biden, etc. etc. etc. It could be that Obama is having them line up in the order he would prefer as well, and spacing them out. Given that Pennsylvania is a tough primary, maybe after Clinton gets waxed in both Indiana and North Carolina on May 6, which is looking increasingly likely, the floodgates will open. As an Obama supporter I’m beginning to feel like they must have in 1945 waiting for V-E day.
“Taking her futile war to Denver will make her a Democratic pariah. But does she care?”
No. And, the HRC camp does not see it as “futile.”
If Gore managed to waltz into the top spot on the D ticket after others (whatever you think of them) have put heart, soul and millions of dollars into campaigning through a seemingly interminable primary process - well I think that would be an abomination.
Yes, but a superdelegate coup in favor of Clinton really would tear the Democratic Party apart. If this is Clinton’s strategy, she doesn’t deserve to be the nominee. Nor is it likely for this precise reason to succeed. So I do not see it as realistic and I return to my original two questions.
If there was any there there, I think we would know about it by now.
Clinton didn’t have a plan beyond Super Tuesday, but I’m sure someone in her campaign was assigned oppo research on Obama. With all her early money, if there was something to find out, we would have seen it already.
put a rush on it y’all!
I agree. As much as I like and respect him, if he wanted to be prez (which I don’t think he did) he could have run.
If you wanted to summarize the Rove philosophy of campaign management, it would go something like ths: “If you didn’t steal the election, or successfully prosecute your opponent for trying to teal the election, you didn’t do your job.”
I wonder if Hillary would leave all the unitary presidential powers in place. Will Congress step in and reclaim their oversight, war and purse powers? Would that be a Democratic Congress that would do that?
What about Obama? Where would he stand on unitary presidential powers if he inherited them?
Just wondering….
I think I know where McCain stands.
I hope you’re right, but I am by now never surprised by big bad outa-the-blue worst-possible-moment surprises.
What will the Democratic Party look like if they lose to John McCain?
Lahoma
“Signs point to no.”
I do not see anything in this quote from Gore that suggests anything but that this contest is going to play out. It is really a statement of fact.
As I sad earlier, for Senator Leahy too suggest that something should be reolved sooner rather than later is really rich.
The fact is that we Democrats have not selected a nominee, yet. As Gore said, over the course of time, we probably will. I suspect this will occur in the first week of June and ‘our’ nominee will be Obama.
“What about Obama? Where would he stand on unitary presidential powers if he inherited them?”
________
Well, the Supremes are beginning to reel them back in.
May 6 is gonna be brutal. There is much evidence that Bayh’s “machine” here is just going through the motions.
I have no idea what Obama would do, but it is becoming more difficult for me to imagine Clinton voluntarily giving up much in the way of power.
Clinton on Fox interview:
She is going to as the convention committee to seat FL and MI.
Barack Obama would be illegitimate nominee if FL & MI not counted.
Now, she might just be shrewdly saying this for some other reason- like she wants to get offered something or she needs her campaign donors to think she really has a chance so send in the money, but my guess is she really would do the convention fight. Hillary is all about Hillary.
As abominable as that might be, I would welcome it, as the most qualified guy on the planet for the Big Chair would be elevated.
Gore was my choice first, and this country needs qualified people at this time.
Or put it this way - Gore is vetted well beyond the others, and his challenge to McCain is, IMO, much more likely to result in victory than Senator Clinton or Senator Obama.
Not sure what you mean.
{{{Ann in AZ}}}
My fault…I read your excellent post, and then started daydreaming about what HRC’s reasoning would be for staying in. Kinda drifted from the point of your post, which I think is brilliant and spot-on.
One should have suspected Sen. Casey would not back Hillary as his father did his best to embarass Bill Clinton by wanting to give a speech speaking against choice at the Dem convention. Gov Casey made as much noise as possible to get his pro-life position highlighted, despite the mega majority of dems being pro choice.
“Is there any realistic chance she can win the nomination?”
How can she not, after winning virtually every large populated Blue state on both coasts, and Ohio and Michigan?
If John McCain is ‘this far gone now’, what would he be like in his second term as president?
L.
rim shot!
What, they don’t count the other states?
having Gore step in would not be as devasting as the superdelegates overiding the will of the people. I think Obama may be willing to do this as an alternative. If we take a 60 vote majority in the Senate it will not be because of any heroic deed by Reid
T
How will Bob Casey vote as a super delegate if PA goes big time for Hillary? I always thought Bob Casey as a bit of a leight weight. I would be less than thrilled to have his endorsement as he had a picture of himself and Dick Cheney on his Senate home page.
It was to be a coronation. Inevitability and all that. They felt no need of any Plan B. Now they just gotta fight it all the way out by whatever means are available. What’s the alternative? “The good of the Party? Hahahahahahahaha…
Reid is MIA.
Gore does have at least three very minor things going for him. He was against the Iraq war, he doesn’t like the DLC and he wants to protect our environment.
Lahoma
They just folow orders, their hearts are not in it. While I can’t be specific about it, as we were registering voters (at a fixed location, not door-to-door) a source from inside the machine wanted to let us know that many were going to vote for Obama even as they work for Bayh and therefore Clinton. I would suggest that this shows where a lot of them truly stand.
When did North Dakota last vote for a democrat as President?
Perhaps, Lahoma, if the Democratic Party should lose to McCain, then they shall look like a party with no future.
How many times may a political party snatch, as they say, ‘defeat from the jaws of victory’ and still be viable.
One would think that some consideration of that question would be increasingly evident in the behavior of those who would seek our vote.
What do you think?
Michigan in particular demonstrates the peculiar use of the word “winning” that the Clinton campaign uses. But if Obama has the popular vote and the elected delegates, I don’t see how Clinton can make a realistic claim of “winning”. It is interesting though how all of these revised definitions crop up when the standard ones don’t produce the desired result.
Okay, so here’s the horrible, horrible thought process I had yesterday. If this keeps up I’m going to stop thinking…
“Following the divisive primary process, whoever wins the nomination will have to very deliberately and clearly call for party unity.”
“Wow. What if Hilary were to lose the nomination, and she were to refuse to call for unity. Then her backers might abstain, or vote for McCain.”
“Unless… Hilary decided to run as an Independent… (Sinking feeling in stomach.)”
“With another well-known Independent…”
Visions of an Independent “Clinton/Lieberman” ticket…
Reaching for the brandy bottle…
imagine if you will, a sense of entitlement on steroids
it could be argued she has done everything she was supposed to do to now stand at the front of the line - and we are now telling her ‘it’s not your night Charlie’
the letter to Pelosi reeked of it
Hey people, the race is not over. Neither candidate has enough delegates to win the nomination. This is exactly the kind of situation the super delegates were created for.
Hello? {tap tap tap}
Is this thing on?
Sheesh, I turn my back for a couple of hours and the place is out of control.
The Donner Party.
-G
OMG! Bite your tongue!
But Obama can’t get enough delegates either, so Leahy is just blowing hot air.
The process will resolve with the super delegates and was contemplated when the primary season began and people began to examine what might happen.
Of course the party never contemplated a dragged out fight to the convention as they expected an early nominee to run against the Rs way before the convention and the convention to be only a boost and way to focus the message.
Dumb party.
Wasn’t Clinton the only candidate on the ballot in Michigan?
If so, and she lost… Hillary losing to nobody would be even funnier than Ashcroft losing to a dead man.
“Hillary is all about Hillary.”
Hillary is about winning against the toughest of odds, unlike the last few democratic candidates for President, and possibly the current front-runner.
Would you please stop thinking. That stuff is nightmarish. :)
What do I think? That I am upset with my political Party. Hello DWBartoo.
L.
I have no earthly idea - but the question was whether she could win the primary, not the general election.
Nice post. Ding ding ding.
it looks to me like we might finally have a winner, now we can hope the mkkkain bashing will begin in earnest
“Wasn’t Clinton the only candidate on the ballot in Michigan?”
Yes, because Obama took his name out even though he didn’t have to, and then he desperately tried to instruct voters there to vote uncommitted instead of Hillary, and she still won.
I expect Obama will end up getting the nomination, but it ait’t over till it’s over. There could be an implosion before June (that’s when I think a deal will be made), or the supers may decide Obama is not electable because of the Rev. Wright bullshit (yes, I agree it’s bullshit, but that’s what Pukes and Indies live on). Also, most of the states Obama won are not in play.
I know, we keep going over and over this.
I believe they will put Romney on the ticket with him.
Personally, I would love it, but I see your point and in fact, well, just have no fear, it’s not gonna happen. I can’t see where Gore would accept a nomination that overturned so many primaries. Besides, if he was that anxious to be President, he would have run through the normal means. He has amassed wealth beyond my imagination, and I don’t think that he would want to put everything into a blind trust at this point when, in fact, he planned on using it to lend to people for starting up new green industries. I’ve read where he sees being President as too restrictive for what he wants to do. I believe he should follow his instincts. They seem to be better than ours. Besides, we are essentially a really ungrateful lot, as “TheShadowKnows” at 18 proves. Instead of “What have you done?” it always seems to be “What have you done for me lately?” So, in short, why would Gore want to be President?
The appearance is that Obi is a growing and gathering force headed toward the nomination. And maybe be would have received the more votes for him in the states which voted earliest. But they can’t vote over.
The trend IS Obi. The messages are not very different. Neither is very progressive. Both are too close to corporate america. Each has some skeletons and Hillary seems to be more into smoke and mirrors and a bit of snake oil sales.
I think the party fathers and mothers brother and sisters are reading this and want it to end and begin fighting McLie and work on the coat tails. They need the coat tails. Did I say coat tails?
I think that if Hillary loses, her first phone call will be to Obama: “Congrats. What do you need and how can I help?”. But until then, she’s going to fight as only the Clintons can fight. Not until the last Super vote is counted will she surrender.
Boxturtle (Obama will do the same)
One thing for sure: Mr. McCain and Mr. Rove and Mr. Bush, among other Republicans are enjoying the Democratic Party’s convulsions.
L.
Just be patient for May 6, just as Pennsylvania doesn’t care about the momentum building for Obama nationally, North Carolina and Indiana won’t care about any momentum built by Clinton coming out of Pennsylvania. And these two states are together larger than Pennsylvania and much larger than any of the remaining primary dates.
It seems like EVERY time I surf briefly on to FoxNews on the TeeVee they have a videop panel up with Wright’s mug.
I must disagree. The superdelegates were created to stop
Obamaanother McGovern from getting the nomination, against the wishes of the Party machine.This whole discussion will be moot when McCain’s advisers put Condi Rice in veep position on his ticket. That will end the discussion on a woman or a black.
Repub ticket reads: McCain-Rice.
So much happens while the Democrats mud fight and destroy themselves.
No, I agree with you that he Gore does not want to be president, and that it will not in fact happen. Just commenting on the speculation that such a thing could happen. I get a little tired of the Gore-as-saviour theories.
Actually I wonder why anyone wants to be president under the present conditions.
That’s what you get for watching Fox *g*
Is Hillary a popular NY senator? I don’t know. The only democratic voter I know from New York who has shared his opinion with me says that Hillary hasn’t done anything for New York. He is from Syracuse. Otherwise, I haven’t heard a single peep about Hillary’s senate work in New York. Course, New York is bleeding just like everyone else.
Indeed, and neither candidate can win the nomination just based on delegates won. The superdelegates will have to consider electibility in the general election, and that’s where North Dakota versus California would come in.
Well, how did the McGovern thing work out? Oh yeah…
Hell, yes, the remaining Obama t-shirt I ordered on Feb 6 finally got here!
One of the thought experiments that we like to run in the left side of the blogosphere as a reality test is to reverse the role of the players and see if the views of the situation would stay the same.
For example, how would Republicans react if the disaster that is George Bush was a Democrat?
I think we could do the same here. If Clinton had the popular vote and the elected delegates, would she and her supporters back Obama staying in the race or would they say it is time for him to bow gracefully out for the good of the country?
I’ve actually heard that she’s quite popular among her NY constituents.
You gotta episodically see what the enemy is up to.
She won the nomination there, didn’t she? And she’s a 2-term senator from NY. That ought to say something about her popularity.
I’m tired of it too, although I wouldn’t mind too much if he ran, as long as he doesn’t give another sloppy kiss to Tipper on stage.
eeeeeeewwwwwwwwwww, where’s the brain bleach?
I don’t know of anything that Hill has done for NYS.
Fox is tickling itself if they think Wright re-runs are having an affect outside their regular viewers. They weren’t voting for Obama anyway so no loss there. Fox is preaching to the Fox choir.
In an ideal world we would have an environmentally disposed president. Because that woulld be a leader who was consumed with protecting the ecosystem, our economic well being, education for our children, medical care for everyone, justice for all, and last but not least, peace. But naturally, we have never existed in an “ideal world”.
L.
This is one of the lamest arguments I have ever heard.
It wouldn’t have happened at all. They would have started impeachment hearings in 2003, IMO. And they would have been right to do so. As would the Dems from ‘07 till now.
k, I take your point.
hey Hugh -
raw story reporting Fed to auction off another $100 Billion - dumb question
is that yet more of the $800B now down to $400B Ian posted about ?
link