Al, winning elections is about providing real (attractive) alternatives that voters will support. The Democrats will lose again (unfortunately). It’s inevitable. One way or another a third party candidate will spoil it again. Let that spoiler be you…because you could actually get elected and change the game in the United States forever.
as a direct reply to jonmarkp (who apparently specializes in being a nattering Nabob of anti-Al negativism), but it loads in my browser as a direct response to the article itsefl. I just wanted to point that out lest these be any confusion. Thank you.
by
NL (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 2 comments)
on Sunday, August 19, 2007 at 2:37:01 PM
until anyone can show me that the American people have a good chance that their votes will be counted as cast, all of this is, sadly, academic. we are in the clutches of private, quite partisan corporations, where profit is of more concern than the quality of their product. They use secret proprietary software to keep election officials and citizen oversight out. that is not what our Founding Fathers intended democracy to be.
the fact that so many of the companies have felons working for them should not make anyone feel confident about this whole ball of wax. the Rather special touches on the tip of the iceberg. There are articles and documents dating back years that have been ignored or ridiculed by the mainstream press. the only ones laughing are the voting machine vendors who have gotten a free ride, time and time again. and hr 811 and s 1487 (in the House and Senate respectively) will further reward this behavior by further entrenching secret vote counting in the hands of a few corporations whose loyalties lie with their bottom line. think non-disclosure agreements, select individuals with access to the innards of the machines and you'll see what's in these bills, along with some good provisions not sweetened by these deal-killers.
what are we prepared to do about it?
by
Joan Brunwasser (164 articles, 3538 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 634 comments)
on Sunday, August 19, 2007 at 10:22:59 AM
Let us review , shall we, the baseless contention of Mr.Bahar.......
Gore refused the assistance of Bill Clinton, which would have certainly guarranteed him the election. That he won anyway , as has been noted already, is besides the point really. An overwhelming vote is harder to steal.
Gore failed to carry his own state, which would have made the machinations in Florida pointless.
After fully understanding the way he was cheated of the election, comprehending as he surely did ,being a rather smart guy, the way the election was stolen, he failed to carry a fight which desperately needed to be waged. Instead of defending the very foundation of Democracy, the free and honest election, Gore walked away.
Is this really a smart choice for a candidate? Is the mantra of a "spoiler" really true? I voted for Nader in two elections, '00 and '04. I did so because, of all the potential choices, Nader spoke to my vision for my nation.
Nader, having been born in this country and being over 35 years of age was legally qualified to run for any office he chose. I , being a voter, was obligated to cast my vote, not for someone who I thought might win, that cheapens the process, but for someone who I wanted to win, someone who I thought would lead my nation where I thought it should go. Gore lost that election by his own device and I am frankly sick of the shallowness of those who speak of spoilers as if my vote was owned by anyone but me.
by
ardee D. (6 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 2377 comments)
on Sunday, August 19, 2007 at 12:17:39 PM
It's not enough that Democrats are vilified, insulted, and lied about by the Republicans and Fox news, the so called far left won't give them a break either. Do you want another Bush, that's what you'll get or worse if a Dem isn't put in the white house in 08. Bash Clinton all you want, I was much better off in the 90's and so was my country. Yeah, dems voted to give Bush the authority to use force because, damn them, it was right after 9/11 and they wanted to show unity. He personally told them he would exhaust all diplomatic efforts first, and they didn't think a president would lie to them so shamelessly. Shame on the politicians for playing politics, to hell with them for wanting to get re-elected. This kind of all or nothing thinking will get another Republican in the white house. Just look at our candidates, they have personality, humor, intelligence, judgment, and heart. Sorry most of America is mainstream. Just chuck the dems and end up with Romney and see how corporate we become then. You are dissing my friends John Murtha and Jim Webb and John Kerry and yes, Pelosi and Reed. Nobody's perfect, and someone who seems to be is too good to be true. Take a lesson from the Republican Borg and let a few things slide every once in a while.
by
Pleru (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 10 comments)
on Sunday, August 19, 2007 at 2:15:13 PM
waiting for the shoe to drop? The economic changes undertaken by Mr. Clinton took a while to affect you but they have and they do. In addition to Blue Pilgrims concise and accurate words Clinon altered the DLC to primarily act as a conduit between the Democratic Party and the coffers of the Corporations to which they answer today.
by
ardee D. (6 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 2377 comments)
on Sunday, August 19, 2007 at 6:41:59 PM
..like the Constitution, like the principle that oaths taken should be upheld, like in short, the whole idea of the United States of America as being about values and about government of by and for the people.
There is a prima facie case for impeachment and the Democrats have the numbers in the lower house to impeach Bush for the illegal invasion of Iraq.
It is on them if they do not do what they should and on the senators when, if, it is allowed to get to the senate. But the senate never gets tested until the Democrat majority lower house puts them to the test on behalf of the people.
On the public record as part of that prima facie case for impeachment over the illegal invasion of Iraq are the Downing Street memos and statements from the Project for the New American Century. Missing is hard evidence of bad faith and statements from inside the Bush Administration prior to the invasion.
Using impeachment Pelosi and Conyers could show some integrity and leadership and deny the President his power to pardon and prevent him providing political cover and legal immunity for co-conspirators against the Constitution and the rule of law.
Now, when stand up representatives are needed to do no more than to uphold their personal oaths and to support and defend the Constitution the leading Democrats are AWOL in search of a chair.
by
Brett Paatsch (0 articles, 2 quicklinks, 22 diaries, 1041 comments)
on Sunday, August 19, 2007 at 10:37:55 PM
All politics are local. No one, despite their money; despite their notoriaty, including Al Gore, is able to win as a third party candidate in this country until that third party (Green or otherwise) starts winning local elections first.
Until that grassroots foundation is laid, we are stuck with the RepubliCrats. If you truly desire another viable party in the race, get involved, get busy in your local elections: school board, township, county.
by
grassroots (0 articles, 2 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 41 comments)
on Sunday, August 19, 2007 at 2:22:01 PM
In the 2006 election Green Party candidates competed for 374 offices in 38 states, in 66 types of offices. They won 65 victories, but more importantly they ran in all those races, almost all local.
Of course third party politics must grow from the ground up, noone is expecting a winning Senate race just yet, but one is coming. The reason to vote Green, in my opinion ( or any third party for that matter if another represents you better), is that pollsters watch closely where the votes are cast. By voting third party in a state or national contest you do not expect them to win is to send an important message, one that might change the stance of a senator or three.....
No vote cast is a wasted one, only those who fail to vote are wasting theirs.
by
ardee D. (6 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 2377 comments)
on Sunday, August 19, 2007 at 6:48:01 PM
After the verdict, DNC Chair Rendell called Gore to concede: link
79% of Americans wanted Gore to concede should the SC ruling go against him. link
The urban myth "The Gore was cherry picking districts to get more votes." is false. They asked the Bush campaign to join them to request a statewide recount, and the Bush campaign refused. This link explains in detail
Daschle and other senate Democrats had a power sharing agreement with senate Republicans, which was the reason that no Democratic senator supported the protests by the CBC regarding the certification of the election, contrary to the impression left by Fahrenheit 9/11 movie's opening scene. link
Gore fought until no recourse was left and did so despite waning support from the party leadership in later weeks.
That's all we need...another proven loser to run for President.
As you'll find in the synopsis linked above, Gore assumed an 18 point deficit (in 3/99) vs Bush mainly due to the scandal/impeachment circus, and despite:
- continued rightwing noise machine and radical leftist attacks before the progressive netroots emerged to fight back
- mainstream media's lazy and brutal smears
- having to fight on two front (Bush AND Nader) at the same time in a closely divided nation,
Gore won the popular vote and very likely won FL (and hence the election) as well.
As if seeing Hillary and O'Bama every day weren't bad enough.
Don't know whom you support of if you're even a Democrat, but the other candidate in the top-tier failed to put any state over the top for Kerry in 2004 as the VP nominee.
Al, don't do anything rash
Agree. Al, please don't rush. Be methodical and well-prepared before entering the race and time it with surgical precision!
by
NL (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 2 comments)
on Sunday, August 19, 2007 at 2:28:19 PM
Much as I would love to see Al Gore run for president, I paradoxically agree with him that he shouldn't touch it.
Politics, in this country, is corrupted beyond all hope. Elections are fixed, and campaigns are superficial farces, engineered by the (Right Wing) Corporate Media as so much "Prolefeed" (Orwell's apt term for televised distractions of hoi polloi) to distract public attention from anything real by focusing on trivial tripe like John Edwards' haircut, Hillary's cleavage, and whether or not Obama is "black enough." (The rest of the candidates are simply ignored--counted out before a single vote has been cast).
Al has redeemed his reputation, for all time, by his moral leadership on the (very real) global crisis that threatens all of our future; he would sacrifice all of that by subjecting himself once again to the hideous farce of American Media Politics. Let the Controllers play their game, and leave us breathlessly wondering whether it will be Hillary or Obama or Giuliani or Romney--and then after November, let's see who they actually selected for us.
Meanwhile, let Al continue to travel our dying planet, speaking truth to power, and to the general public. There is nothing more--or better--that he can do. But please, let's all abandon the delusion that electoral politics can possibly change anything. The game is fixed. If we want change, we will have to create it ourselves, by taking the "red pill" and unplugging from the Matrix. (A good place to start is to turn off your television, plant a veggie garden, and organize your friends and neighbors).
by
Tom Ellis (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 22 comments)
on Sunday, August 19, 2007 at 4:56:42 PM
As close to hell as some believe our country has slid .. there are sadly, disgustingly, inhumanely other locations on earth that are far closer to a hellish existence.
With that said ~ I've had my vote swayed in prior years to go with the 'one that stood a chance' .. even though my gut was saying otherwise. There are many points made here that are true concerns and there is no need to rehash them.
I have been witness to quiet conversations that give me hope. Conversations crossing generational lines where the question is being asked: WHO SAYS "this candidate doesn't stand a chance in hell"?? Should we TRUST those persons chanting this two party tripe? Given the trend (no, forgive me, the TRADITION) of the U.S'. shady election results it appears many have been lulled to believe this mantra that keeps the two party system alive. When I hear 18 year olds speaking with 82 year residents and 31s and 48s .. etc. etc. asking these questions and more and more of them coming to their own conclusions that it is THEIR vote and they will vote for the candidate that more closely represents what their individual beliefs are and will do so without any sense of guilt or shame for having gone against the grain ~ then that brings a true energetic sense of doing what's right.
This is a new age. The mainstream media* is acting as the definition below describes and we are awakening to this fact. The net has changed the way we communicate and there is an enlightenment coming from so many searching on their own .. rather than relying (re-lying) on the talking heads. The shift has been slow but from my view is growing exponentially with every new revelation of just how close to hell we may be sliding. We are not in hell....yet.... so until then: Every candidate has a chance... so long as we don't buy into the sell job that we are IN HELL now.. and go ahead and vote our conscious.
Call me naive.. call me any name you wish.. I'm no longer listening to those who wish to brand me as one thing or another. I will walk away from the voting booth with a clear conscious and am glad to be a part of a multi-generational conversation that is shifting our stagnant political selection system.
As for Mr. Gore saving the democrats skin...again, that is the same garbage (albeit recycled) we are expected to believe. I believe our government is best served by many differing points of view.. not those of a handful of Gores,Bushes or Clintons.
*Media: Entomology: a longitudinal vein in the middle portion of the wing of an insect.
(Poly = Many and Tics = blood sucking Insects ~ enlighten this definition.)
by
M. Yeager (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 10 comments)
on Sunday, August 19, 2007 at 8:15:07 PM
but speaking about being closer to hell, if you have the grit to watch, Invisible Children, about the situation in Northen Uganda and the children being abducted for soldiers is pretty close to Hell. This film was made in 2003, and although some progress has been made it's not over yet.
And then there is Iraq! And Palestine!
and many other places...
There was/is much the US could do positively, instead of negatively, for such situations. Some the US is directly responsible for, some indirectly, but most could at least be improved if the US was sincerely interested in peace instead of empire -- and that's imperialism from both parties -- the fascist oligarchy. We need fundamental changes in this country, and the world.
by
Blue Pilgrim (0 articles, 3 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 997 comments)
on Sunday, August 19, 2007 at 9:14:41 PM
Good grief alrady!!! For example, from CFR's own site... ( Link )
A Commentary on the War Against Terror: Our Larger Tasks Author: Al Gore February 12, 2002 Council on Foreign Relations "I am grateful to be back before the Council on Foreign Relations and I want to congratulate Les Gelb and the entire Council – its staff and its members – on the great work you have been doing to deepen our understanding of America’s role in the world."
NOTHING WILL CHANGE until the members of political-industrial-financial mafia organizations like CFR, Trilateral Commission, SPP and so on are removed from office, and not elected to begin with. The wealth of ignorance in this country is astounding, which is why criminal gangs like these are so successful. Geez, at this very moment our soverignty is being sold out in Montebello. "Duuuh... umm... Montebello???" See what I mean.
I gotta get outta here... fast. Scotty, energize transporter beam now. Can't soar like an eagle when you're surrounded by turkeys.
by
Co6aka (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 68 comments)
on Monday, August 20, 2007 at 10:49:41 AM
It seems like most of you guys are all or nothing. Yeah, Clinton tried to get corporate financing, but that's the reality: politics is a money game. To come back and say that the sanctions caused a million deaths is like saying that millions died of lung cancer when Clinton was president. The fact is that Americans will elect a centrist Democrat and that would be far better than Guliani. Why do you call Republicans your enemys? Some of my best friends are Republicans though we'd argue till blue in the face. That's like Bush saying you're either with us or agin' us. I just figure they're brainwashed. As far as Clinton's economic policies they didn't go south till Bush got ahold of them. The country would be Much better off if Gore had been elected. Gore is a good man. A great man. And he was beaten to the ground by an amplified chorus of lies. Now you'll get a mainstream democrat or a war obsessed repuglican, and if you vote 3rd party you get the latter.
by
Pleru (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 10 comments)
on Monday, August 20, 2007 at 6:00:07 PM
I do not know where you get your supposed factoids from but you simply need to do a better job of thinking them through.
Clinton signed NAFTA and GATT into law, he sowed the seeds for CAFTA as well, thus destroying an entire portion of our economy, the manufacturing base. This is a bit far from your insipid "sought corporate money" contention, like Sesame Street compared to Economic Reality in fact.
You believe the Republican Party to be your friends and neighbors? You believe the Democrats to be your savior? The GOp is the 500 or so folks who people all the Boards of Directors of the Fortune Five Hundred companies, not your Aunt Sally. The Democratic Party is Rhamm Emmanuel and Chuck Schumer thirsting after the corporate campaign check and ignoring your registered democratic Uncle Fred.
One principle reason for our nations decline is simply folks like you who, right or wrong, accept platitudes for facts and refuse to burn a brain cell or three researching and thinking about important issues.
by
ardee D. (6 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 2377 comments)
on Saturday, August 25, 2007 at 10:32:17 AM
Darn I hate to agree with you, because I'm convinced that Al Gore is a good man, but I reluctantly have to agree because he has proven himself to not be worthy - he has proven himself to be a true blue democrat - he has proven that he has no backbone...
What good is a "good man" when he hasn't the guts or the wherewithal to stand up for our country when we needed him most? Al Gore's concession was a pivotal turning point for which I will never forgive him.
by
RCG (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 348 comments)
on Monday, August 20, 2007 at 7:04:31 PM
19 comments
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