December 21, 2007
A Little Al Gore Name Dropping
Barack Obama, last night in Portsmouth, N.H., advised a guy wearing a Santa hat to go to his Web site to learn more about his plan to combat global warming. And then he said this:
"I talk to Al Gore about every three weeks, and we're going to make sure that your home at the North Pole is still available to you," Obama said, reports NBC/NJ's Erin McPike.
Endorsement tease, anyone?
Posted at 11:54 AM
Comments
Gore/Obama, that's my dream ticket!
Dan | 12.21.07 01:25 PM
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Hmm - why don't I hear Al Gore saying he talks to Obama?
At this point in '03 I believe Gore had already endorsed Dean. Obama's no Dean - at least Dean had a consistent message and really was from the "Democratic wing of the Democratic party".
Obama's from the Lieberman/Bloomberg wing but don't tell the young folks. They believe in the guy from the North Pole, and the guy from Chicago - wait until after Christmas.
PanMetron | 12.21.07 01:34 PM
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I smell an endorsement coming soon to counter Bill Clinton...
Dan | 12.21.07 01:39 PM
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Gore, Kerry, Kennedy and Feingold are thinking of endorsing before the caucuses. And no it won't be Hillary.
yiannis | 12.21.07 03:39 PM
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i smell an endorsement, too, possibly, but it's certainly no counter for bill clinton.
blake | 12.21.07 03:51 PM
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who cares about endorsements? i'm a huge obama supporter in iowa and i could care less... in fact, his endorsement might not be what obama needs... he just has to keep organizing in every precinct.
Phil | 12.21.07 04:11 PM
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Gore has said that he's talking to all the candidates. And he will probably endorse one of them. I think it'll be Obama and I think he's going to wait until the caucus draws closer so it'll matter more than it did for Dean.
Mike | 12.21.07 04:13 PM
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If he does endorse him, that would certainly make for headline news. Gore had something like 10% of the vote in national polls even though he wasn't running. If Obama can even capture half of that by an endorsement, that'd be big news.
RJ | 12.21.07 04:15 PM
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How can anyone compare Obama to the treacherous Joe Lieberman. Obama opposed Bush's misguided war from day one, while Lieberman is its biggest cheerleader.
stan | 12.21.07 05:40 PM
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My hunch is that Gore will not endorse Obama before the caucus. When he endorsed Dean he said that he had concluded that Dean was going to be the nominee. Gore can not reach that conclusion about Obama now.
Obama and Clinton are basically tied in Iowa, although the latest polls have Hillary a few points ahead. Most New Hampshire polls show that Hillary has a substantial edge. One poll has them tied. No poll has Obama ahead in New Hampshire. Gore will not want to make an erroneous endorsement again.
Gore also knows that if Hillary is elected president he will need to establish good will with her. Endorsing Obama now, Gore understands, could be a serious political mistake.
I am waiting for Gore to confirm that Obama does speak with him every three weeks. Gore is going to say he talks with all the candidates. At any rate, the infrequency of these calls (every three weeks) does not establisht that Gore and Obama are close buddies and working together.
Richard | 12.21.07 05:51 PM
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Obama's from the Lieberman/Bloomberg wing but don't tell the young folks. They believe in the guy from the North Pole, and the guy from Chicago - wait until after Christmas.
PanMetron |
You got some damned nerve to critique we young folks ;What have the folks you believe in given us:War,outsourced our jobs,no healthcare,university unaffordable,racism,media consolidation & corrupt Government.You the old folks screwed our country up now you attacking a fresh face.Well boo whoo a..h..e
Tom Troube | 12.21.07 05:56 PM
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Gore's going to wait until the last second so the bounce will be reflected in the voting.
When he endorsed Dean, it solidified him as the front-runner and put him way ahead. However, that made him the target of absolutely everyone in Iowa and a lot of Republican groups, so he wasn't able to hold the lead.
Darryl | 12.21.07 06:34 PM
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I hope Gore endorses Edwards. He's the best in terms of policy and the only one whom we can trust to fight and win against the GOP.
And enough with the "Obama was against the war from the beginning!" There's nothing courageous about a man who was against the war in a heavily liberal, staunchly anti-war district. There's nothing bold about a man who refuses to lead on Iraq while in the Senate. There's nothing admirable about a man who co-sponsored a bill that used the same language to define the Iranian revolutionary guard as the bill Clinton voted for, a bill he conveniently wasn't there to vote against.
@Tom Troube: I'm a twentysomething, too, but you're dumb as all hell to blame a previous generation for every ill in society.
Nathan | 12.21.07 07:44 PM
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The fact remains that after spending 8 years as a White House Team member with the Clintons Gore has been silent, if he really believed in her he could have said so right from the start. What would he have to lose? he's not running for any office, and may not ever again, he's found his calling (I think he's above politics now).
kathe | 12.21.07 07:51 PM
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Gore and Obama both got the biggest question of the last 5 years (should we go to war with Iraq ?) RIGHT. So it's fitting if Gore endorses Obama.
The momentum is building...once Obama shows he can win...why would anyone prefer Hillary?
jacob | 12.21.07 07:56 PM
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The fact that Obama (who I support for the nomination as the strongest CANDIDATE and best PRESIDENT among the leading Democrats) is in regular touch with Al Gore is embematic of his greater likelihood to truly address global warming if he gets to the White House.
I know that some have suggested other of the leading candidates advocate more on this issue, but I have yet to see a cogent comparison of Obama to any other leading Democrat OR REPUGLICAN arguing that Obama would do less about this PIVOTAL issue
cloudy | 12.21.07 08:15 PM
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I want to comment on the constant attack on Hillary Clinton by Chris Matthews. I don't think he is been fair to her.I am still undecided about who to vote for, but constant attack on Hilary will not make people vote for his prefered candidate, Obama.
Please call Chris to be fair to all candidate
gdy | 12.21.07 08:15 PM
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In other news.....August 2, 1876, Wild Bill Hickock turns over his cards in a friendly game of poker, to reveal a pair of aces and a pair of 8s.
robert ethan | 12.21.07 08:45 PM
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I think Obama needs every endorsement he can get, and Gore's support could be pretty big depending how much effort Gore would actually make in campaigning.
But Obama needs endorsements cuz he's 'weak on experience', at least, that'll be the cliche message repeated ad nauseam. He needs people to publicly express their confidence in him
ecu | 12.21.07 10:09 PM
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I'm an Obama fan, and this might sound ridiculous, but I do not want Gore to endorse him until AFTER he's won this thing himself. To see Obama win it on his own with no kingmaker or even support from Dem heavyweights would be just stunning. Let's face it, Hillary and Bill have been arm-twisting the Democratic powers-that-be in DC and in states across the country that HRC is "inevitable", so they "had better get on board". They have powerful Dems scared sh**less that if they don't support her now, they can forget about her support when she's in the oval office. That said, I'd be surprised if Gore endorsed anyone...way too risky for him until there's a Dem nominee.
Steve Watson | 12.21.07 10:12 PM
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Obama will take over Iowa with or without the endorsement of Al Gore. I love al gore and his works. But he's best as the Pres.Obama's secretary of Energy. Hilary is NOT going to win the general election. As half the nation won't vote for her. I know I won't, I went to iraq as a soldier, I don't wish that on anyone else. You hilary lovers might not CARE coz you don't have anyone that has to go to War. If you STUPID enough go ahead nominate hilary only to lose to the repubicans in the General election. HRC is set to divide the nation, Obama is set to unite the nation. WAKE UP people, vote obama, make him first, ITs win it or lose it all. As Sen. Obama is not running for Vice president. GOSH sometimes i entertain myself with the idea of having a draft so all of you can feel wat some of us americans are feeling. WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!! and VOTE OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!
Jing | 12.22.07 01:09 AM
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> Obama opposed Bush's misguided war from day one, while Lieberman is its biggest cheerleader.
Obama admitted he might have voted for the war if he had been in the Senate, he chose Lieberman to be his mentor, and he actively endorsed Lieberman against anti-war Democrat Ned Lamont early on (even Hillary had the sense to say she'd support the party's nominee). Obama's voted 100% for the war in the Senate, said he'd unilaterally bomb Pakistan, flipped on Iran (he had the same position as Hillary). Meanwhile he's skipped over half the meetings for Veterans Affairs while Illinois has the worse veterans benefits in the nation. Etc. etc.
Others are right that even if an endorsement comes it probably won't matter much - Gore's endorsement certainly didn't seem to help Dean much.
I don't think there's any way in hell Kennedy would ever endorse Obama. Kennedy knows what it means to be a Democrat; he's not going to endorse the ambitious non-partisan deconstructionist.
> You got some damned nerve to critique we young folks
Sorry, my bad, I'm not as old as you think, and I never imagined you'd be so thin-skinned (I guess you truly are post-punk, huh?) On my recent actions: I voted for Nader in 96, Gore in 2000 and initially contributed to and supported Dean in 04 (then voted for Kerry).
The real lesson to be learned this year isn't from '04, it's from 2000. Bradley blasting Gore is just like Obama blasting Clinton; all it's doing is weakening party unity and feeding the Republicans for the general. Obama and Clinton are in reality very close on policy, he's actually slightly right of the DLC due to his non-partisan, pro-corporate stance. There's no excuse for the sanctimonious tone he's used to address her throughout this cycle - apart from his own ambition and willingness to gamble with the party (just as he'd gamble with the White House).
Obama's hypocrisy is possibly less troubling than the danger of the charismatic reality distortion field around him, and that's what I should have evoked instead of talking about "young folks" - sorry if that offended, I realize it's not a question of age, there are plenty of older folks falling for Obama's B.S. as well. Obama's "intuition" and Bush's "instinct" really are of a kind; woe to the nation that starts habitually falling for such in lieu of policy and proven statesmanship.
Indeed it is a strange-disposèd time;\ But men may construe things after their fashion,\ Clean from the purpose of the things themselves.
PanMetron | 12.22.07 04:47 AM
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Kudos Tom,
Such snobby, generational arrogance from our "elders" who want us "seen and not heard" is sickening, and that's coming from me, a Dodd supporter.
Kevin Ballie | 12.22.07 04:50 AM
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Gore would be an idiot to endorse anyone. He would be re-politicizing his campaign on climate change and i'm sure he hasn't forgotten his egg on face expereince of his Dean endorsement.
gus | 12.22.07 05:11 AM
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Gore probably won't be endorsing anybody except himself. Two scenarios are becoming more likely every day; a) Becoming the Democratic Nominee after a Deadlocked Convention with Obama as the VP...or b) Running as an Independent (and winning)
Drew | 12.22.07 07:32 AM
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i agree darryl, gore will wait until the last second. he may even wait until after iowa and endorse for new hampshire.
yesterday gone | 12.22.07 08:40 AM
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My hunch is that, if Gore endorses anyone, it will be Edwards, the most truly populist candidate. As a bonus, Edwards is the only Democratic candidate that polls show beating any of the Republicans with ease.
Ann in AZ | 12.22.07 09:57 AM
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Right... like Gore is going to endorse the guy who was initially for liquefied coal, and has a mediocre energy plan at best...
If Gore is sincere in being an advocate exclusively for climate change, Obama is one of the WORST choices to endorse (along with even more mediocre platforms from Clinton & Biden).
Bottom line: if Gore endorses Obama, that would diminish my now greatly improved opinion of him. My opinion of Obama has been pretty darn low for along time now, and I don't see any way that's changing.
Peace Czar | 12.22.07 10:57 AM
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And just who was Gore's Vice Presidential choice?
I seem to remember that that was the fellow who claimed Obama picked him as mentor. The fellow Obama gave that great speech for at the Connecticut State dinner.
Jane | 12.22.07 12:07 PM
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I will believe Gore's endorcing Obama when I hear or read about it, till then it's just hear say. I think he would sooner pick someone with more experience because he knows how important that is. I'm thinking it might be Senator Joe Biden. He is the one with the most experience. Hillary would be next, but I think he will pick Biden and give him a great boost.
Helen P. from Pennsylvania | 12.22.07 12:29 PM
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Obama "opposed" the war so much that he endorsed one of Bush's main war cheerleaders - Lieberman.
Then Obama co-sponsored Lieberman's Iran bill last spring - which paved the way for Kyl/Lieberman.
Nope! can't go with the hope and dope guy!
John Edwards will be a great President!
Margaret | 12.22.07 01:52 PM
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"be still my heart": Gore/Obama is MY dream ticket too.
Mark In Irvine | 12.22.07 03:37 PM
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Obama continues to snow his way with sly suggestions re: Gore. This is pathetic. He is now bragging that he has more ex Clinton foreign policy advisors than Hillary. An absolute outright lie. Hillary has more than twice the support from foreign policy/diplomatic supporters; all former Clinton supporters.
Another lie.. His Chairmanship on the Subcommitee
of Foreign Relations for Europe has produced...zip. His attendance record is dreadfull and performance sluggish and unproductive. What did he accomplish?
He voted for Joe Lieberman's forming of a ridiculous senate committe on 1/18/07, and his absent votes are at 37% for a first term senator.
His record in Illinois is full of "Present" votes which are cop out votes that give political cover when he doesn't want a straight up or down vote on the record.
He won't reveal his state senate 8 yr record in Illinois. Says too costly and he never thought it would be important. Duh.
His "Present" votes are all on controversial issues he didn't want known.. Abbortion, protecting sex criminals record's after prison release,introduction of new evidence after a crime conviction, and so much much more. 144 votes as "Present".
Many $$$ donors are lobbyists...Wal Mart, and a cast of many. Google. This purist who claims he will rid lobbies in DC? He says one thing, does another but his followers are like Nader Robots who refuse to look at his contradictory record, and his avoidance of transparency.,
His healthcare isn't the main problem. It's his oversimplification and naivete. "I'll just sit down at the big table with these folks and will work it out". Or else?
Both Edwards and Hillary have spoken about how ferocious the Health and Drug lobbies will fight for the status quo and their windfall profits.
Obama promises a rose garden of change. How with his simplistic jingoism and unpreparedness can he expect anything but the GOP feasting on him for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
morris1030 | 12.22.07 10:27 PM
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Jessica | 01.28.08 05:44 AM
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