Senator Obama continues to show the state of Michigan that he is serious about earning their electoral votes. First with former Vice Presidential nominee John Edwards, and now with former Vice President and Presidential Nominee Al Gore, Senator Obama has made it a point to make these two huge, major endorsements public within the confines of the Wolverine State.
Beyond the fact that Gore is a superdelegate, adding to Obama's total, this endorsement adds particular heft to Obama's credentials. While Senator Clinton has endorsed Obama, you get the sense that there is political obligation to do so as the vanquished candidate. Gore, on the other hand, carries with him a moral gravitas with him, as a result of his 'victory' in 2000, his Oscar, his Nobel Peace Prize, and his general high standing among Democrats. While former President Bill Clinton has spent the primary season undermining and diluting his aura and statesman role in world affairs, Al Gore has remained unsullied by the primary fight and is viewed as an important figure in the Democratic Party.
In classic triangulation, Al Gore's endorsement is the tiebreaker pulling undecided Democrats and disaffected Clinton supporters to the Obama camp. Heck, if the man "who really won the 2000 election" believes Obama is of presidential timbre, why shouldn't I as an average citizen?
There was an interesting point brought up today by David Gergen in CNN's coverage--the idea of Gore as the key player in an Obama administration renegotiating the Kyoto Treaty (which expires in the next four years), and how early publicity for Gore in an Obama Administration would be a boon for the Illinois senator. Gergen enhanced the point to talk about Bill Clinton's status as an international peacemaker, perhaps in the Middle East, and also Hillary Clinton's role in delivering universal healthcare.
The commentators have mentioned how Obama has turned the Democratic Party upside down a bit and has claimed the mantel as the leader of this political party through his amazing victory over the Clinton legacy, his bringing forth armies of new voters registered or affiliated with the Democratic Pary, and his potent fundraising ability. A second point heretofore unmentioned is that by defeating Hillary Clinton and diminishing the Bill Clinton legacy, Al Gore looms even larger in the new generation of an Obama-led Democratic Party, and becomes the defining, most accessible figure of the Clinton Administration in this new Obama generation.
Gore has kept himself on ice politically for eight years, and has instead led the fight against global climate change just before the political groundswell for this topic became current. In the eyes of the younger generation, the Obama generation, Al Gore remains a relevant and an almost mythical leader in this regard.
The Obama victory over Hillary Clinton not only closes the door on the Clinton generation of the party, but reopens the door for Gore to re-enter the scene and re-engage the political landscape as Vice-President or Cabinet Member in the Obama Administration.
Al Gore was left to wander in the wilderness after his epic election struggle with George W. Bush, politically potent but without a post. Now he can come back stronger than ever, and build on his legendary status as the pre-eminent politician in the fight against global warming.
Al Gore and Barack Obama seem to be soulmates in terms of seeing an interdependent, globalized world in which the United States needs to be a leader not only in military might, but also in diplomacy, economics and ethics. Gore makes an eloquent case for an Obama presidency, with the full weight of his moral standing cloaking Obama in the tradition and history of the Democratic Party. When Gore talks about America needing to have "moral courage" to enact change and engage the world, he is speaking in a language that Senator Obama embodies, in a way that the Clintons never could with any genuine feeling. The mutual earnestness of these two men show that eight years separate their political careers, but their hopes and goals are compatible. The concept that we face challenges that should unite us as Americans and as global citizens is something that both men bring to the table.
Might this be the beginning of the Obama-Gore '08 ticket?
Below is Al Gore's ringing endorsement of Senator Obama:
Part 1:
Part 2:
1 comment:
Many US citizens, cities and States are taking action to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and it would be great if the President was putting this high on the agenda as well.
An obstacle to action is the fear it will put the country at a competitive disadvantage and harm the economy. In the European Emissions Trading Scheme business interests played one country off against another to reduce government commitments to emissions cuts, threatening to move investment and jobs overseas.
A way past this is for we, the people, to take the lead in supporting the Simultaneous Policy campaign, agreeing the action that we want taken (Contraction and Convergence is a proposal gaining support) and call on our leaders to pledge to implement these policies alongside other governments. Simultaneous action allows us to go further and to link many global issues in a coherent way.
You can find out more about these ideas at:
http://globaljusticeideas.blogspot.com/
To send a message to the Presidential candidates see:
http://www.simpol.org/voteusa.html
Post a Comment