The LuLac Edition #2690, July 7, 2014

BEATING HILLARY

Right now it seems that Hillary Clinton is on an uncontested path to the Democratic nomination for President. She is roughly at the same spot that Republican Senator Robert Taft of Ohio was in late 1950, Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine was in 1971 and Governor Mario Cuomo of New York was in 1990. Taft and Muskie ran, Cuomo did not. None became President. None even became the nominee.
It used to be a week was a lifetime in American politics. With the age of Twitter, a mere afternoon can constitute a lifetime in modern day political drama. We are two years away from the General Election of 2016. We are shy of 18 months before the first Democratic primary. Hillary Clinton is ahead and favored by most Democrats but that is by no means a sure thing.
Democrats will tell you that the former First Lady has pretty much dominated the field because no one has her gravitas and experience. People are talking up Brian Schweitzer the former Governor of Montana and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts but no one believes they will be formidable challengers,
Vice President Joe Biden so far has not said a word about his intentions. The Clinton camp has not been very worried about Mr. Biden but he is just at that age where he might make still another bid for the top job. After all, what does he have to lose?
However last week political analyst and author Mark Halpin tweeted that perhaps a person in the Clinton’s past might make a run at Hillary. And it might be this guy pictured below.

The prospect of an Al Gore for President challenge might be dismissed as “crazy talk”. There have not been many former Democratic nominees who ran for President years later. George McGovern did it in 1984. But for the most part things like that don’t happen. But Al Gore is a man who like Hillary has won the popular vote and lost an election. (Hillary won more of the popular vote in ’08 over President Obama in the primaries) and we all know about what happened to Gore in 2000. If this happens it will be intriguing. Here are the Pros and Cons.

PRO

Gore has been a national figure. Even though he has been out of the spotlight for a long period of time, he can make the case that the Obama administration has failed on a number of fronts. He will instantly gain the favor of seniors worried about the President’s overtures to Republicans in Congress on Social Security as well as those who feel the Obama administration has not been progressive enough.
He is well known, has a ton of money and can match her in any debate.
Gore can run as a Fresh Old Face whereas Clinton has been consistently in front in various capacities for the last twenty years.
For people asking why would Gore even consider it, look at it this way. The GOP at this point is likely to eviscerate itself with intra party squabbling over Immigration and an impossible yardstick of conservative philosophy. Plus Rand Paul seems to be the only candidate who might tie Gore in a debate on style. Gore with no love for the Clintons might believe he has a shot. And how ironic if Gore, the man Bill Clinton picked in ’92 denied the Dream of Clinton 2.0.

CON

A former Clinton campaign adviser said this to me about Gore. It is telling that all of his policy people were with him for years with virtually no turnover. Yet his campaign staffs were like candy bars on a conveyer belt, making an appearance and then moving on down the line and out the door. Gore never kept campaign staff people. That’s why there were numerous Al Gores.
Gore might be rusty. Plus his movie about Global warming will make him an easy target for the power of talk radio and the right wing crazies.
Gore dumped his wife after 40 years after being on his high horse about Clinton’s infidelity. There is a segment of voters out there who will say, Bill and Hillary-still there, Al Gore and Tipper….see ya.
Gore has no political base. Never mind Florida, the man might have been President if he just carried Tennessee his home state. He didn’t. The reason was because Gore never cultivated it once he became Vice President reinforcing the belief in Tennessee that he was using his home state as a mere steppingstone.
Finally, never underestimate the wrath of the Clintons. A gore candidacy, like that of say a Jerry Brown or Schweitzer policy oriented one would make it personal. If Gore says yes, he better be ready to get hit with both barrels.
Can it happen? The very fact that MSNBC dedicated a segment on it last week is telling. At the very least, it might shake up things in the Democratic party and make Hillary a better candidate. At most, it will be so much fun to watch.