Tuesday, December 17, 2002
Gore's no more - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER – Al Gore has decided not to run for president in 2004. His announcement was stunning in that it was unexpected. He had blitzed the media, doing interviews with newspapers and television shows in New York this past week, even turning in a performance hosting Saturday Night Live this past weekend. Some thought this media gladhanding might be his attempt to get back into the limelight after shunning all media attention following the raucous in Florida in 2000. For weeks he had been saying he'd make a decision about a 2004 bid over the holidays making an announcement in January. Word from "senior aides" in the Gore camp, late last week in the New York Times, said that Gore had in fact, opted not to run. The world woke up yesterday with the overnight news made on Sunday's 60 Minutes where Lesley Stahl asked: "Are you gonna run?" To which, Gore promptly answered: "I've decided that I will not be a candidate for president in 2004." The political chattering classes have been dealt a news item to debate ad nauseam on the cable and network programs for some hours to come.
In the 2000 campaign, I thought George W. Bush was the better candidate for president. And were I an American, I no doubt would have voted Republican. Al Gore, even on his occasionally funny performance on Saturday Night Live, appeared wooden and a tad condescending. This doesn't bode well on Americans who seemed to relate more to Dubya. Gore had spent most of his life in Washington. The son of a senator, a congressman and senator himself, not to mention a war vet and Vice-President, Al Gore seemed destined for the presidency. (I heard on the BBC World service Sunday night the description that Gore was forever "groomed for the presidency.")
When contenders for 2004 began to emerge, whenever the name Al Gore would be murmured, it did send Republicans in a tizzy, as they knew this time they could finally beat Gore. Gore, it seemed, following his departure from the public eye, was smarmy and the fake he is. Gore was a phoney, through and through. (It was rather painful watching him on SNL, so obviously reading his lines off of cue cards off-camera.) When he finally emerged back into the throes of public debate my favourite line from him was: "This time I'm going to say what I mean." So does that mean, in 2000 he wasn't saying what he meant?
Without Gore, Bush's chances at getting re-elected are slightly dimmer. Admittedly, seeing a Bush/Gore rematch would have seen The President finally gaining the popular vote from Gore, who would no doubt be seen as a total reject and loser from the previous political campaign. If last month's mid-term elections were any indication, the Democrats are in serious disarray. They fumbled badly, as the political climate made it very difficult for them to really stake out any credible ground. They could act as the opposition to the administration, opposing Bush's tax cuts and call to arms in the ‘war on terror' and the inching towards going into Iraq. Yet to do so would gain the reputation of being unpatriotic. Leading Democrats like John Kerry and Joe Lieberman, paid mere lip service to saying Bush was wrong, then going over and voting for some of The President's key policy initiatives. Bill Clinton was right, when asked following the disastrous mid-term showing, when he said, the Democrats need to have a credible leader to unite behind. Gore's foray into all kinds of media these last few days, seemed to suggest he was thinking hard about coming back into the fray, ready to assume the mantle of Democratic leader. Alas, with two books doing dismal sales, the Democrat decides to ditch his desire to be president, stepping aside for a new face. The announcement caught everyone off-guard with its timing, but it was one that was expected.
Now, what? John Kerry, the Massachusetts Senator, preceded by a rather glowing profile in The New Yorker magazine, announced two weeks ago that he was in fact, studying for a bid to run for the Democratic nomination in 2004. Kerry is a good Senator. Perhaps Gore saw that Kerry would be a formidable opponent and that perhaps Kerry could finish Bush off, rather than he. (Although in the 60 Minutes interview he said, he thought the "could" beat President Bush himself.) Kerry has the profile to succeed in getting the nomination. He sounds awfully like John F. Kennedy, not to mention his cohort in the Senate is Kennedy's brother Ted. He's a war vet like JFK, and he also shares the same initials!
Senator Joe Lieberman, Al Gore's running mate in 2000, has said he'd consider running only if Al Gore wasn't. He wouldn't challenge his former leader, so now that Gore's out, it's clear that Senator Lieberman will need to state if he's planning a run. However, like Kerry, Lieberman has too voted like a Republican. Lieberman is one of the more hawkish Democrats in politics today. He staunchly backed President Bush's plan to create a Homeland Security department, as well as supported the administration on Israel and Iraq. Whether it's Lieberman or Kerry as the Democratic nominee against Bush, the economy will have to tank further or the war in Iraq will have to be badly bungled before Bush could be defeated. As Lieberman and Kerry are on the right on most issues, the American voter come election time, will vote for the real conservative, the Republican George W. Bush.
. Then again, the race for the Democratic nominee also has people like North Carolina Senator John Edwards, former majority leader Dick Gephardt (who'd be loath to run considering he's accepted blame for the mid-term disaster) and Vermont Governor Howard Dean. Hillary Clinton says she's not running, but don't count her out. With that, the Democrats need to get their act together. Sure Bush has got high ratings and the last time a Bush had high ratings he went down to ignominious defeat. Alas, with a surprise showing last November, the President looks unstoppable. Then again with this mess over Trent Lott's loose lips, anything could happen.
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An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .