Just a quick note that tonight is the Philadelphia Area Draft Gore Meetup! If you're around the city and have a few moments, stop by Nodding Head at 7PM and get to know some fellow local Gore supporters!

When?
Thursday, Jul 19, 2007, 7:00 PM 20070719T230000Z
Where?
The Nodding Head
1516 Sansom St.
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Info/Map

And now for something completely different...

Hat Tip Matt Stoller

Last week, during the runup to Live Earth, a few of the Democratic candidates for President did what they could to associate themselves with the event, in an effort to woo those Democratic voters who see the environment as their top priority (I count myself amongst this group). And while some of these efforts seem noble enough, others make me want to throw something. That "other" is none other than media darling, and vanguard of the "new" kind of politics: Barack Obama. On Obama's Live Earth page, which appears to be called "O Live Earth", Obama has this to say:

I know that there are far more important items to discuss in regards to Live Earth, but this is just way too cool.

And did you see Gore introduce Bon Jovi? Stiff and boring? That was the 2000 model, and it has long since been replaced.

Check out these two new Al Gore sites, which have just been added to the sidebar.

First up, Bloggers for Gore now has a website! There isn't much there now, but check back in a few days and join the Bloggers for Gore Google Group!

Second we have GoreHub, a feature rich site that has feeds and links galore. The video feed is especially good, and something which I hope to aggregate here soon, but the entire site is a one-stop shop for all the Al Gore information you need!

Gorehub was already featured on Personal Democracy Forum's techPresident i a post by PDF founder Micah Sifry today. The post also takes a look at an a cover article from Fast Company Magazine titled Al Gore's $100 Million Makeover. Micah reads the article, and comes to the conclusion that Gore isn't likely to run, but when I read these two paragraphs all I could think was How could he not run?!?!:

Funny guy, indeed. In one well-delivered anecdote, Gore manages to make fun of himself, the election, his relationship with his former boss, the Bush administration, and the media--and still come out on top. Gone is the robo-candidate who provided fodder for conservative bile and late-night merrymaking. (For a good time, google "SNL" and "lockbox.") After the 2000 election, Gore might have slunk away to a loser's life: a memoir here, a visiting professorship there, the occasional keynote speech or celebrity golf tournament. Instead, in what may be the greatest brand makeover in history, Gore is being hailed as a visionary who was right about everything from global warming to Iraq. 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 rock stars themselves.

What no one is talking about is that he has also become a stunningly successful businessman--and that has fueled his comeback. Since his nonelection, Gore has become a millionaire many times over, bringing him, in financial terms, shoulder to shoulder with the C-suite denizens he used to hit up for campaign cash. In addition to the steady flow of six-figure speaking gigs, he has become an insider at two of the hottest companies on the planet: at Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), where he signed on as an adviser in 2001, pre-IPO (and received stock options now reportedly worth north of $30 million), and at Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), where he joined the board in 2003 (and got stock options now valued at about $6 million). He enjoyed a big payday as vice chairman of an investment firm in L.A., and, more recently, started a cable-television company and an asset-management firm, both of which are becoming quiet forces in their fields.

The Tennessee Guerrilla Women point to this (kind of cheesy) video by the Young Turks:

I'm not so sure that this is a real possibility, given the fact that Obama is chair of the Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Caucus in the Senate and has sponsored a bill that would give tens-of-billions of dollars to the coal industry (oh, and he also seems to be lying about what he will and will not support as well, given that he is still sponsor of the bill), but if it would get the Obama-maniacs excited and on board than I suppose that I personally might support this.

A new Quinnipiac poll was released today, and it shows Al Gore continuing to trend upwards despite the fact that he isn't in the race (yet). And while it still shows Al in 3rd place, just slightly behind Mr. Coal-To-Liquid (aka the audacity to hope that coal starts to miraculously burn clean), he does the best of any of the candidates in head-to-head matchups against the Repubilcan front runners:

The top three Democratic presidential contenders all have caught up with former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, the Republican leader: New York Sen. Hillary Clinton gets 45 percent to Giuliani's 44 percent; Illinois Sen. Barack Obama ties Giuliani 42 - 42 percent and former Vice President Al Gore gets 45 percent to Giuliani's 43 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today.

Giuliani, leading in national and statewide polls by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh- pe-ack) University for several months, had a 49 - 40 percent lead over Clinton in a May 3 national poll, where he also topped Gore 48 - 41 percent and Obama 44 - 41 percent.

His favorability ratings are also the highest.

As I've been telling people all along, Gore's present path is a brialliant one to take to the White House. Why bother wasting time and money on a year-long campaign, when you can remain in the spotlight, raise your profile, and increase the positive view that low-information voters have about you? If Gore didn't mean this to be a campaign strategy, that's all the better. But if he did, than it is BRILLIANT!

Most of the people who talk about the need to draft Al Gore to run for President focus on the issues of Iraq, technology, and/or global warming, as well as his general leadership qualities. All of these are great reasons to draft and vote for Gore, but today I found yet another, buried in a post on Daily Kos about Michael Moore's new movie SiCKO. From the SiCKO production notes (emphasis added):

Q: Does any candidate have a solid health care plan at this point, or are they just making vague generalizations?

A: Yeah, they don’t seem to want to grapple with the real issue. It’s very sad. Even the well-intentioned people like John Edwards—his plan seems to be to take our tax dollars and put them into the pockets of the private insurance industry. That is not the solution. Obama hasn’t put together his plan yet, though I’m hoping he’ll come up with something good. And then, of course, there’s always the candidate who hasn’t entered the race yet, but who won the office back in 2000. What he's been saying on this issue since 2003 is the best.

And what is it that Al Gore has been saying about our health care system? We need a single-payer national health insurance plan.

"I think we've reached a point where the entire health care system is in impending crisis," Gore said. "I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that we should begin drafting a single-payer national health insurance plan."

Depending on the details, calling for a single-payer plan could be a very dramatic step for Gore. During the 2000 primary campaign, Gore attacked Democratic rival Bill Bradley's central proposal – universal health care – calling it too expensive and not expansive enough to help poor people afford full coverage.

I recently went through a 6-month spell without health care, so I personally understand the crisis 50-million or so Americans face every year. In my situation, both my wife and I were working at jobs without benefits (I was running a City Council campaign in Philadelphia, my wife was doing freelance editing work), so we did not qualify for state provided health care. We tried to apply for health care through a few different insurance companies, but we were rejected outright each time for seemingly trivial reasons. During this time, there were very few moments when I wasn't acutely aware of my situation, given that I have a few conditions that require constant attention (asthma is the primary one). I was lucky enough to have a mother and some family friends who work in various health related fields who could get me most of the medications I take, including, luckily, my asthma medicine (without which I could end up in the hospital). This episode was also extremely stressful on my relationship with my wife, since I had quit a good job with good benefits to work in politics and was consequently putting myself and my family at great risk. But, luckily my wife got a full-time gig with benefits and now I can see a doctor again and get medicine that isn't expired and/or in a small trial package.

Anyway, I cringe when I hear candidates like Clinton or Edwards put forth their health care plans, which seem like band-aids on a bullet wound. Where is the moral outrage at what's going on? Where is the sense of urgency that almost 1/6 of our population has no insurance at all? Why aren't these people standing up in public and loudly demanding that our nation do something to address this crisis?

There is only one person who is standing up and saying all of the right things on the numerous crises we face as a nation. There is only one person who will take the lead and who will, I am positive, push our nation to address these problems in a timely fashion. That man is Al Gore, and if you believe, like I do, that our nation is on the brink of a few major disasters than please, please, please join with the 80,000 other people who have signed the pledge to Draft Al Gore for President in 2008!

According to a Quinnipiac University poll taken last month, Al Gore led all Democrats in head-to-head matchups with the potential GOP nominees.

But former Vice President Al Gore, who is not yet a candidate, runs better against Republican challengers in most Swing State matchups than Sen. Clinton or Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. The independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds:

• Florida - Giuliani leads Clinton 49 - 41 percent, compared to 50 - 40 percent in an April 2 poll. Gore trails Giuliani 47 - 43 percent.
• Ohio - Giuliani leads Clinton 46 - 41 percent, compared to March 22 when Clinton was up 46 - 43 percent. Gore trails Giuliani 47 - 39 percent.
• Pennsylvania - Giuliani leads Clinton 47 - 43 percent, compared to 46 - 42 percent March 29. Gore ties Giuliani 44 - 44 percent.

"Mayor Rudolph Giuliani remains the front-runner, but he and the entire Democratic field should wonder if Al Gore will become an inconvenient truth in the 2008 presidential race and go for the biggest Oscar of them all," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Gore also had the highest favorability ratings of any of the Democrats in Florida and Pennsylvania. Here are the PA #s from last month:

Giuliani gets a 57 - 22 percent favorability rating from Pennsylvania voters. Favorability ratings for other contenders are:

• 48 - 42 percent for Clinton;
• 51 - 38 percent for Gore;
• 48 - 24 percent for McCain;
• 46 - 17 percent for Obama;
• 49 - 22 percent for Edwards;
• 66 percent haven't heard enough about Thompson to form an opinion;
• 73 percent haven't heard enough about Romney to form an opinion.

A little over a week ago another Quinnipiac poll was released, which showed that Gore's star continues to rise, despite the fact that he is "not running":

Former Vice President Al Gore, who has not declared his candidacy for the 2008 presidential nomination, runs better in Pennsylvania than any Democrat against the Republican front runner, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani: Gore has 45 percent to Giuliani's 44 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Giuliani leads New York Sen. Hillary Clinton 47 - 43 percent and tops Illinois Sen. Barack Obama 45 - 40 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. In other possible presidential matchups in Pennsylvania:
Clinton edges Arizona Sen. John McCain 45 - 43 percent;
Clinton tops former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson 50 - 36 percent;
McCain gets 42 percent to 41 percent for Obama;
McCain ties Gore 44 - 44 percent;
Obama beats Thompson 47 - 32 percent;
Gore beats Thompson 50 - 35 percent.

I know that Gore wishes that people would stop talking about an election that is over a year away and focus on the issues at hand, but the reality is that our nation will not be able to address the looming crises we face without a real leader in the White House. Unfortunately, there currently is no candidate who fits that bill other than Gore. As it stands there also doesn't seem to be another Democrat who is better situated to take the White House in the 2008 general.