Just one month ago, I wrote, “As part of my ongoing fascinating with Al Gore’s prospects in 2008, I find it interesting that every few weeks, a handful of new items pop up that add a little more fuel to the still largely non-existent fire.” This week is just such a week.
The estimable Ezra Klein has sparked a new round of Gore-related speculation with a terrific cover story for The American Prospect. As Klein noted, “Five years ago, Al Gore was the much-mocked pol who blew a gimme with his stiff demeanor and know-it-all style. Today? C’mon, admit it: You like him again.”
Duly admitted. The scuttlebutt has apparently reached the former Vice President himself, who responded to a few questions on the issue yesterday.
Former Vice President Al Gore said Monday he’s not planning to run for president in 2008 but hasn’t ruled out a future in politics.
“I’m enjoying what I’m doing,” Gore told an audience at Middle Tennessee State University, where he gave a lecture on global warming, one in a series.
“I’m not planning to be a candidate again. I haven’t reached a stage in my life where I’m willing to say I will never consider something like this,” he said. “But I’m not saying that to be coy; I’m just saying that to be honest that I haven’t reached that point.”
Reserved interest? Straightforward assessment? Both? You be the judge.
I respect the hell out of Gore and I’d love to see him run again. It’s probably an old fashioned political standard, but I sincerely believe he’d make an excellent president. I’m just a little hesitant about whether the smear job the Bush gang did on Gore six years ago stuck.
Brian Beutler noted today that there’s been “a real change in the public disposition towards Al Gore.” I’m just not sure if that’s right. I think many key players in the party and in the blogosphere have seen Gore become one of the leading — if not the leading — progressive voice in the nation. Many of these same observers were underwhelmed by Gore in the 2000 race, but now sing his praises and want to see him run again.
I wonder, however, how much of this change has spilled over into the electorate in general. I’m thinking in particular about a Quinnipiac poll done earlier this month, in which the poll guaged the popularity of major political figures in a “national ‘Thermometer’ survey, where almost 1,900 voters rate their feelings about national leaders.” Respondents were asked to rate leaders 0 to 100 on a “feeling thermometer,” with the highest numbers reflecting the warmest feelings.
Gore didn’t too terribly well. Of the 20 political figures in the survey, Gore did slightly worse than George W. Bush (43.2 to 44.1.) And Bush’s popularity was already in free-fall at the time. It suggests a lot of people, if not most, still have six-year-old impressions of the former VP.
I agree that there’s been a change in attitudes among those who follow politics closely and those who have seen Gore become an aggressive advocate on a series of progressive issues. But I also suspect the typical American hasn’t picked up on anything Gore related since the 2000 race.
If that’s the case, the question then becomes: can Gore win these people over? I’m cautiously optimistic — the Gore of the past few years has been forceful, articulate, passionate, and not incidentally, right about all of the major policy challenges in the country. Put him on the campaign trail, and I think voters would approve. How about you?