Today Gore said he will endorse one of the candidates

[jokerman93]

Any guesses? I think he'll endorse Clark. Just a hunch.

[trotsky]

1. I wonder how Lieberman will take it...

when Gore doesn't endorse him.

[tom_paine]

3. Who cares what Lieberman thinks?

He backstabbed Gore. He backstabbed the Democratic Party (though not nearly as bad as Zell Miller). By doing that, he backstabbed America, which MUST stop the Busheviks if we wish our great-grandchildren to be free.

[xultar]

96. He'll take it like a screamin SISSY

[CMT]

2. yeah he said that a few months ago too

I honestly think he is going to wait and see how the situation is after Iowa and New Hampshire and then make his move. I don't have any guesses on who he will endorse except I'm almost certain it will not be Joe Lieberman.

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

7. If he endorses someone other than Lieberman

how much do you want to bet that Holy Joe will go on a raging smear campaign against the endorsed candidate in hopes of getting Gore to change his mind and endorse him?

I'm just joking of course, I don't think he would do that, but since his main plan in running for president has been 1) attack, 2) pontificate, and 3) whine, I have no reason to believe that he'll handle Gore's endorsement of someone else very well.

[Bucky]

88. I think it's a bad idea for Gore to do this

I thought he was running for "senior stateman" and "wise leader from our glorious past." This is very unstatesman like. He should follow the example of George Washington and remain above politics. There's a nice synchronicity there, too--the first guy elected president and the last guy elected president.

Gore has nothing to gain and lots of enemies to make by endorsing a candidate before the people have spoken. If he backs the wrong horse he's damaged goods and the eventual winner has this albatross around his neck: "Gore didn't want him to be president" or, in Hannity's probable words "Gore didn't trust him to be president."

If he picks the winner, the nominee will look like a puppet. This is a lose-lose situation for Gore and the Democrats.

[IndianaGreen]

4. Lieberman

Gore will endorse Lieberman. It has to do with friendship more than anything else.

[w13rd0]

6. Well...

...my presidential preference meter goes from 1 to 100. Gore's endorsement is worth about 40 pts on my meter. If Gore were to endorse Lieberman, that would put him at about a 62. So he'd move to maybe third from the bottom, rather than being on the bottom.

My guess...he's waiting for Lieberman to drop out before endorsing anyone.

[Closer]

17. You're exactly right

Here's the lowdown: Gore was going to endorse Dean a few weeks ago, but backed off, deciding that he will wait until Lieberman drops out.

That's what I hear from multiple sources anyway.

[IndianaGreen]

20. Lieberman's vote on the war is defensible

Lieberman has consistently called for the US to topple Saddam regardless of the WMD issue. Lieberman's rationale was that Saddam was a horrible tyrant that needed to be removed for the sake of human rights. I don't think that anyone would disagree with that, the only disagreement would be as to whom should be doing the removing of Saddam.

Lieberman has an excellent voting record on women and gay rights. Lieberman voted against "partial-birth" ban, unlike my anti-choice Democratic Senator and DLC Chair Evan Bayh.

Lieberman has an honorable position on the Middle East conflict which includes an independent Palestinian state.

While I disagree with the positions Lieberman has taken on other issues, particularly on his Cold War view of the world and his moral sermonizing, one has to recognize that Lieberman is nowhere near the extremism of a Zell Miller.

If you think I am trying to convince myself of reasons for voting for Lieberman if he were to become the 2004 nominee, or were the VP, you are right! Bush is so bad that even Lieberman is a better choice!

[w4rma]

40. I agree with your assessment of Sen. Lieberman, IG. (n/t)

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

9. Really?

You think so? I'm not trying to be argumentative but I really don't see that --- what makes you think that will happen? Again, I'm not being argumentative, I'm just curious. I have no idea who Gore would endorse.

[baby_bear]

12. friendship??

I never thought they were friends to begin with, let alone after Lieberman gave away the overseas military ballots.

s_m

[CMT]

13. but I understand Gore

was pretty peeved by some of the comments Joe made about how Gore ran his campaign as a populist instead of the kind of DLC type campaign he favored.

[ima_sinnic]

49. absolutely not

Gore is not going to waste his influence because of "friendship"--that would be a timid thing to do and he has more balls than that. Besides, he and Lieberman are hardly friends. I think it will be Clark or Dean, who come closest to matching his insights and anger re BushCo.

[Terwilliger]

52. no WAY!

never happen

[ldf]

90. lieberman?

nah.

[Zynx]

5. My guess is that it will be Clark.

Kerry, Dean, Gephardt, and anyone else will not get it in my opinion.

[Zorra]

36. I agree, Clark is my guess too.

[Ardee]

79. guessing is fun, but inacurate generally

1. Clark is Clintons man
2. Gore and Clinton are fire and gasoline
3. Gore isnt likely to endorse Clintons man

[HFishbine]

8. A simple test

Listen to or read Gore's speeches to MoveOn, then ask yourself, which candidate comes closest to saying the things Gore is saying. There's your answer. (Not very useful hint: It's not Lieberman)

http://www.moveon.org/gore/webcast.html

[otohara]

10. I'd Like To See Him DissThe DLC

like they did to him and give Howard Dean the:thumbsup:

[Bombtrack]

19. That wouldn't be dissing the DLC, Dean's one of them

The only candidates that haven't any direct affiliation with that think tank are Sharpton, Kucinich, Braun, and Clark. And I'm not even sure about Braun

[otohara]

22. Nope, They Hate Dean

w/ a passion..

[Bombtrack]

25. And who would "they" be

the DLC isn't an autocratic secret society and it isn't a power broker. It has administrative chairman who is a pr guy and a wonk with almost no authority outside of his day to day duties.

[ShimokitaJer]

78. "They" would be the DLC leadership

-snip-
Al From, founder and CEO of the Democratic Leadership Council and Bruce Reed, President of the DLC, yesterday circulated this memo to “Leading Democrats” in which they argue that traditional Democratic values are “an aberration” and that the thousands of grassroots Democrats inspired by Governor Dean’s message to “take back our party” are “activist elites” and not “real Democrats.”
-snip-

Now quit playing with words and acknowledge the fact that the DLC leadership has had an antagonistic attitude toward Dean.

[otohara]

83. Al From Would Disagree

with your "no authority" assessment of his duties. Mr. From writes a mean column, starting with the nasty one he wrote about Al Gore after the the stolen election.

[bitchkitty]

57. one of them?

You can prove this, right? I know you're not just talking out of yoru ass - you wouldn't do that, would you?

[bitchkitty]

75. Again, one of them?

You have some way of proving this, right? You wouldn't be just talking out of your ass, right?

[WillyBrandt]

11. Where did he say that?

[MrSoundAndVision]

14. I have hunches too but...

It's Dennis Kucinich all the way. Dennis has been anti-war and anit-PATRIOT act all the way. Dennis was speaking out (incredibly so, check out 'A Prayer for America' video from http://www.kucinichwatch.com) when other Democrats were afraid to oppose Bush in any way ('cept Dean I guess, wish he'd give my candidate the respect to not dismiss him, anyway). Gore must endorse Kucinich as the only true Democratic party reformer in the field.

[MrSoundAndVision]

18. And Gore says what he means...

and means what he says, speaking with no notes like that is something like only Bill Clinton, or Dennis Kucinich! would do. No his stances are Kucinich in nature.

[xJlM]

53. I was impressed

No notes, no teleprompter, 45 minutes of speaking off the top of his head. And no words pronounced in ways I've never heard before. God, it would be nice to have a president with a brain, wouldn't it?

[lostnfound]

76. And a heart. Even more important than a brain. n/t

98. extemp

I saw Dean do the same thing in Bryant Park, NYC.
It creates an air of sincerity.
However, anyone with any real training in extemp speaking can do that sort of thing.
Don't be too impressed by it, but at the same time don't be unimpressed.

[Bombtrack]

15. he's better friends with Kerry than any of them

both he and Edwards were veep shortlist considerations for him.

I'd say Kerry is the likly recipient

[nbsmom]

33. I'd say that's wishful thinking

No way would he be dissing Kerry on that 'Bachelor' segment of SNL (and he most certainly did IMHO) and then turning around and endorsing.... (you could also infer that his considerations then and now are slightly -- ahem -- different.)

After viewing his MoveOn speech, I also doubt that it's Clark, since he alluded to a candidate in the present tense, and IIRC, Clark hadn't declared at that point.

[JI7]

44. that wasn't "dissing"

that segment was based on gore's pick of lieberman for vp. they had the other guys play john kerry and john edwards because they were on gores short list . i think bob graham was also on the short list. but the final list was edwards, graham,kerry, and lieberman.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

64. Nice try JI7

Logic usually works for Kerry supporters so I can understand if you come up short here.
Gore could give Kerry the shot he needs here, and it would be consistent with the other high profile endoresments he has recieved from Wilson et al.

[blm]

87. Yes, he would. That's in line with their sense of humor.

Kerry was one of the few who came out to speak up for Gore during the recount. Gore is also big on policy and his endorsement will go to that person who he TRUSTS with foreign policy and domestic matters.

[WilliamPitt]

16. How does this jell with the Draft Gore movement?

Unless he endorses himself... :think: :freak: :)

[HFishbine]

23. D'oh!

Damn you Will Pitt! Damn you and your logical logic!

[birdman]

50. It won't make any difference

Drafting Gore will be every bit as realistic after
he endorses a candidate as it is now.

:crazy::crazy::crazy:

[MGKrebs]

21. Gore said he will endorse someone before the convention?

That would surprise me.

and MrSoundAndVision, I don't think Gore was speaking without notes. I'm pretty sure there were teleprompters for him. Just my observation from when he was going through the list of Arabic hijacker names, he seemed to be looking closely at something (presumably moniters) to get them right. An impressive speech and performance nevertheless.

[hang a left]

24. I loved Gore's speech. He moves me man. I can feel him. But I

gotta tell ya, when he was ramblin off them Arabic hijackers names, he had to have some help.

[Hieronymus]

41. I agree with

you, Gore is a great speaker with a great message. I was wondering about how he did that, with no help, then later on I saw teleprompters. They were the least detectable ones I've ever seen.
Hell, shrub can't speak with all kinds of help.:yourock: < Gore

[janx]

26. Yep. It looked like teleprompters on the right and the left.

That was a long speech, and he did a great job.

[w13rd0]

28. Um, not to be a big naysayer...

...but C-Span, while covering it, pretty blatantly panned to screen left to show the teleprompter. It wasn't hidden. Gore's been doing work as a professor, even if being VP didn't teach it to him, he's learned how to give a good lecture, and that's what this speech was, a damn good lecture.

[loyalsister]

30. That would be bad!

I would be very surprised if he endorsed before the winner was clear. He knows damn well that his endorsement will be needed most in the General. It would be terrible to endorse someone then wind up having to try to convince everyone that you meant to endorse the guy who actually won the primary. Particularly if there is a lot of difference in the candidates. I think Gore is too smart and loyal a Democrat to endorse before the primaries have played out.

[JeniB]

62. I agree

I noticed that too.

[ldf]

91. yes, there were teleprompters

one on the left and one on the right.

[janx]

27. Did he say WHEN he was going to make the endorsement?

Because I can't imagine that he would do that before the convention.

[jokerman93]

73. He didn't say when he's endorse a candidate

But I got the imprssion he would select one of the candidates currently running for the nomination -- not after the primary! That was a subjective assumption though.

For anyone who didn't hear the speech here's an online link:

http://www.moveon.org/gorespeech.html

Tell us what you think he meant!

[Fleshdancer]

29. lol

Did he say whether he'd endorse a candidate before or after the primary elections??

Aside from the SNL thing, Gore seems to always play it safe. It's hard to imagine he would endorse anyone at this point.

[funkyflathead]

31. Lyndon LaRouche

Want to bet me 10 bucks? :evilgrin:

[lysergik]

66. You can just send your $10 to Skinner right now! n/t

[Dover]

I'm very curious who he'll endorse. It should be very revealing

about Gore's true alliances and policy positions. Interesting that no one seems to have a clue about who he'd endorse...particularly those who want to draft him. Are his positions that ambiguous? Or is it that no one is quite sure how or if he has changed his tune since 2000?

[Dover]

32. ..n/t

..

[He loved Big Brother]

34. Lieberman is the reason Gore chose not to run again

He couldn't very well pick the guy again as a running mate, and if he chose someone else as a running mate he'd appear fickle. Big turnoff either way. Lieberman was/is a catch-22 for Gore, and I think Gore just chose to avoid participating in it again this time around. I don't blame him.

[LuCifer]

35. oh man, good points...

...damn, you nailed it. why oh why did gore EVER think it would be a good idea to do all he could to "distance himself from the CLINTON BAGAGE"?!??!!? Crap on a stick.

Lu Cifer

[imhotep]

37. He will endorse Bush

just like he did in Dec 2000.

[Doomsayer13]

38. uh-huh

:wtf:

[WilliamPitt]

39. Gibberish

[Dr Satan]

42. I dont get it

?

[tkmorris]

46. Mr. Satan sir?

Could you PLEASE dump that sig graphic? That is really disturbing, I don't want DU to turn into the kind of place I can't go to with my girls in the room.

[Name removed]

48. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Military Brat]

60. Hey, Satan

I'm in agreement on the sig graphic. It's just simply, frankly speaking, annoying. Almost as annoying as the sig graphic with the 700 Club banner.

[Name removed]

54. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[alittlelark]

43. FUNNY

I must have just peed my pants!!!!!!!!!!

If you are another Naderide who has not converted........BEGONE... IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS GOOD!!!!!!!!!!

[AnnitaR]

45. He's one pissed off guy now and I think he is

going to endorse the person he thinks has the best shot out getting that Idiot in the White House out. I think that will be the #1 factor in who he endorses. Al doesn't feel he owes Lieberman a thing and won't endorse him. I would bet my last dollar on that!

[Maddy McCall]

47. I agree...pragmatism over "friendship"

He will endorse Clark, and then watch Clark's numbers skyrocket.

[Guaranteed]

71. I think you're absolutely right. And that should REALLY tell us something

That means we need to take who he endorses VERY seriously.

In fact- now that I think about it....is it wrong to just vote for whoever he endorses? He's obviously got ONE thing on his mind- and he's had all day, every day, to think about it....

[Cheswick2.0]

51. where, w hen did he say that yesterday

It wasn't party of his move-on appearance.

[hang a left]

55. He told us that in his first Moveon sponsored speech back in

the summer. Can't really remember exactly when, but it you go to moveon's site you can read Al's first speach. He told us he wasn't gonna run but, he was going to endorse, sometime in the near future, or something like that.

Go read the transcript, it was also an awesome speech!


Am I spelling speach, speech right?

[moz4prez]

56. the correct spelling is "speech"

spelling

[hang a left]

58. Thank ya.....thankyaverymuh.

I am giving you a smile and a wave.



I can't get those damn smilies in my posts. But, I learned how to cut and paste this week. I am feelin really good about myself!

[xJlM]

59. Ain't English fun?

Any other language would try to make sense out of the words and their corelation to each other. Not English. We've got rules, exceptions to rules, and exceptions to the exceptions to rules.

[Military Brat]

61. And don't forget about "the exception makes the rule"

[chaska]

63. He will...

wait to see if Dean continues to rise. If it becomes obvious that Dean is unstopable Gore would be unable to endorse anyone else from a practical standpoint.

BUT, I think he wants to endorse CLARK.

Gore lost his home state last time around. Clark has a much better chance of winning Tenn. than Dean - Tenn. and Ark. are neighbors, idiologically not dissimilar, etc. This will help to insure that Tenn. goes for the dems. It's a must have state. None of the other candidates has much of a chance in Tenn., even with Gore's endorsement.

Damn, I hope Gore reads this.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

65. Methinks thou hunchest rightly. (nt)

[joshan361]

67. when?

did he say when he will endorse someone?

[Guaranteed]

68. I think so too.

I'm a Dean supporter, but, I think Gore's speech signalled a massive change in the political arena that's going to heavily favor Clark.

[lostnfound]

77. I TRUST Gore -- his character -- & if he supports Clark I would too. n/t

[Bucky]

92. WOW! I'm glad to hear that

I've always thought that the "my guy or the highway" talk from many DUers was all game. When we get to the crunch next November, 90+% of the left will back ABB. But I'm glad to hear a Kucinich supporter say this.

Thank you.

[Cocoa]

69. his speech was so damaging to Bush

the republicans will have to divert attention away from what he said to things like speculating on his running again, and speculating on who he's endorsing, and reviving the Nader/2000 stuff.

[burr]

70. Gore's endorsement...today???

he must be endorsing his longlost half-twin Bill Wyatt, with Zell Miller as Wyatt's running mate. :thumbsup:

<http://www.billwyatt.org/>

[Kamika]

72. Lieberman I bet

Maybe Clark or very maybe Dean

[DoveTurnedHawk]

74. Who? What? Where?

What exactly did he say? Did he say when? Why do you think it'll be Clark? (Hope, hope, hope...)

DTH

[jokerman93]

80. I think he wants to endorse Clark

because I did a little thought expriment as I was watching the speech/speach.

I took a kind of topological snapshot of Mr. Gore's positions as he made his way through his arguments. Basically, since it's been quite a while since I'd heard him speak, I wanted to get a kind of political calibration on him.

As someone suggested upthread, Al Gore's had nearly three years to think REAL hard about the Bush administration and the direction they've taken this country. No one but the dead and the maimed have been impacted more directly by this junta in the WH then Mr. Gore was. (ranting sorry)

Anyway, like allot of DUers who posted, this speech was a revelation to me. I found myself discovering an Al Gore that was more assertive, more angry, and more courageous than I've known. And I thought to myself, "Damn! This guy's on the warpath!"

I also noticed he's been doing research, study and probably meditating on the constitution and the current American ethos. So much of that came through for me in his delivery and rhetoric. I also thought he might be reading DU!

Anyway, I guess if I were to use my sense of Al Gore as a template against which to compare the candidates, General Clark seems to be closer to Gore than the others. He has this vision of a New Patriotism and a bright progressive sense of America's destiny in the 21st century...and all that.

As everyone knows Mr. Gore has always been a guy with similarly broad visions. Of course, it's more than that. Gore is a thinking man's politician in that he has a profound enough knowledge base and sufficient intellectual discipline to create policies based on sound principles and rule of law. Gen Clark strikes me as man cut from a similar cloth. I'll bet they know each other and have allot in common.

Anyway, that's the kind of intuitive way I arrived at my bet on Clark. Of course, as someone else pointed out, if Dean keeps getting these powerful endorsements, a Clark endorsement by Gore could be more divisive than galvanizing...and I doubt he'd do that.

So we shall see what we shall see!

on edit:
more typos!

[theboss]

81. WWF style

Gore schedules a press conference the day before the New Hampshire primary. And he publicly invites Howard Dean. At the presser, Dean stands behind Gore looking like the cat who swallowed the canary. Gore goes on a ten-minute rant about how W is ruining America and how it is crucial that the Democrats nominate the right man to lead America at this crucial time. He asks Governor Dean to step forward.

Gore shakes his hand and says, "And that's why I am giving my endoresement to (long pause) General Wesley Clark!!!!"

The press corps goes nuts. Chris Matthews is screaming "What in THEE Hell?!?!" a la Jim Ross.

Dean looks stunned and is asking Gore, "What are you doing?"

Then Wesley Clark rushes in from the back and hits Dean with a chair. Clark and Gore hug as Gore takes off his neutral-tone shirt to reveal a "Clark for President" t-shirt.

Matthews is screaming, "What carnage!! Can anyone stop the General?!"


Now that, my friends, is how you book an election.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

82. LOL!

That's hilarious!

DTH

[DrFunkenstein]

84. Dean Would Literally Kick Gore's Ass

I don't mean that like an expression. He'd get a baseball bat and do a Robert DeNiro on him.

<>

[jokerman93]

94. Perfect!!! n/t

[goforit]

85. It will be Dean or Clark!!!!......Unions may be th clue!

Either one will have a good chance against
the mass murderer.

[blm]

89. heheh...scratch Dean.

Bad blood between them. WSJ had a report about it a couple weeks ago. The ABC Note referenced it.

[Zynx]

95. While I don't think it will be Dean...

Gore seems to have some fairly significant hatred of Bubba now and I don't think he will necessarily back the DLC candidate.

I don't know what happened between Clinton and Gore, but they seem to have a very sour relationship now.

[WeirdSceneGoldmine]

86. He'll endorse Liberman

After all, he would not have picked him as VP if he didn't have complete trust and faith in his ability to lead the country in his footsteps. Right?

[RandomUser]

93. I don't think it will be Lieberman

If Gore felt strongly of wanting to back Lieberman, he could have done so early on. I don't think Gore's pick of Lieberman for VP had much to do with trust and faith, but rather with concerns of counter the Clinton sex scandal impressions left over from the Monica Lewinsky fiasco.

[MODemocrat]

97. What's the chances of him endorsing Lieberman?

:think: Do we dare hold any hope whatsoever that he will endorse another candidate besides Joe?

99. henry adams

I'd like to see him endorse his cousin, the Henry Adams of our time, Gore Vidal.

100. can we combine the Dean invented the internet thread with this one?

:)

[Larkspur]

101. I don't see Gore endorsing anyone prior to the primaries

He'll let the Dem Prez Primary race sort itself out, which he should do, and then back the obvious leader or winner. He may endorse early in the primary season, say after March, when most of the large primaries are over.

The only way I'd see Gore endorsing sooner than that would be if he really thought the frontrunner had the best plan to unseat Bush and the others were nitpicking him/her to the point that the naysayers were helping Bush more the the Democratic cause.

Based on Gore's last speech, I'd say that he's leaning towards Dean, the only bonafide anti-Iraq War Dem on the slate, and Gore repeated one of Dean's stump speech lines -- we can do better than that.