With the presidential race starting earlier than ever, there is more than the usual tendency to get bored with the candidates. With Fred Thompson apparently ready to announce and Al Gore polling better than any of the announced Democrats running, there is the promise of a bit of excitement yet to come. I think Gore would be a tougher opponent for Republicans to beat than Hillary Clinton, but I still hope he gets into the race. I like watching the fireworks.
According to a recent poll of New Hampshire likely voters, if Al Gore entered the 2008 presidential contest, he would beat Hillary Clinton 32 to 26percent, as well as easily beat all other Democratic candidates. Rumors arefloating around that Gore is seriously considering another run. I would love to see Al Gore get into the race if for no other reason than to see how the Clinton campaign would react.
The Washington Times quoted David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research center, which conducted the survey, saying “Gore is the only Democrat, including Hillary, who can instantly melt the field.” Wow. Gore could instantly “melt the field.” The global warming puns could write themselves.
I don’t mean to make light of the impact Al Gore would have on the race. Al Gore would be a formidable opponent. He is not the same Al Gore that ran in 2000. Commenting on his “$100 million makeover,”Ellen McGirt recently wrote, “At 59, he’s an Academy Award winner, a bestselling author, a front-runner for the Nobel Prize, and a concert promoter who turned out to be a bigger rock star at this year’s Grammys than the rockstars themselves.”
A contest between the “unbeatable candidate,” as Hillary Clinton was recently dubbed on the Today Show, and the “rock star” Al Gore would be apolitical junkie’s dream come true.
