He's so right. Since when is the publication of unfounded rumors on an unverified internet site justification for using national airwaves to "push-poll" those same scurrilous whispers?
It's sort of like someone coming up to you saying, "I don't believe it, but the bum that hangs out behind the 7-11 said your girlfriend went down on him." A quick right-cross to the informant's face solves the problem.
Consider this clip Jon Stewart's knockout punch on the media:
This announcement was quite a 'regalo' (anagram for Al Gore) today for Senator Obama in Flint, Michigan. Further taking steps to unify the party and to enhance his legitimacy and stature as the Democratic Presumptive Nominee, Senator Obama rolled out a major endorsement today from the man Democrats believe actually won the 2000 election.
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:
With press interest waning for the remaining delegate news for the Democratic Primary, finding quick and reliable sources for this information is becoming more difficult.
From their site I've been able to find the add-on delegates from Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Vermont from this past weekend.
Pennsylvania was the third of three tests for Senator Obama's case for party unity from the past weekend.
In one test, Kentucky, he was awarded the add-on delegate despite being trounced by Clinton in the primary.
In another test, Texas, he was awarded two of three add-on delegates and was able to engineer a compromise to keep a Clinton supporter, female and labor (AFL-CIO) leader--all wrapped up in one person--on as an add-on delegate and then convince her to support him at the Convention.
The last test, Pennsylvania, did not go as well for Obama. This site shows the complete list of Pennsylvania delegates to the National Convention, and displays the names of the three new unpledged add-on delegates:
John Street Jack Wagner Lynne Abraham
Doing some further research, we can determine that two of these add-on delegates (Street and Abraham) are Clinton supporters, while Wagner is an Obama supporter.
Wagner endorsed Obama in April when Obama was gearing up for the Pennsylvania primary. As a Vietnam vet and Western Pennsylvania figure, Wagner's endorsement at the time was seen as very helpful to Obama's credibility with the demographic base of rural Pennsylvania.
Abraham's loyalties are harder to find but this Pennsylvania blog did post that Abraham was listed as a Clinton delegate on the state convention ballot for delegate selection to the national convention.
A 2-1 Clinton win in Pennsylvania among add-on delegates really was not that surprising given her victory in the state and her ownership of the Pennsylvania political machine, but in the context of Senator Obama becoming the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party, expressing a call for party unity around him as the leader, and needing a victory in Pennsylvania in the fall, it would have been much more fruitful for him to have picked up all three of these delegates as a sign of support for his candidacy.
Minnesota and Vermont add-on delegates will be posted in the next post.
Earlier I had posted that there was a lot of delicate maneuvering in how the add-on delegates from Texas would be apportioned, with the complicating factors of the traditional spot for the AFL-CIO head being amplifed by the fact that this year that head is the first female ever selected for the spot, and also a big Hillary Clinton supporter.
I also cautioned that "Moeller's official vote at the National Convention is not known for sure," because we didn't know the terms of the compromise in place to allow her to go to the National Convention.
Now it turns out that Becky Moeller has embraced the call for unity and has come out clearly for Obama and can be counted as an Obama superdelegate.
BurntOrangeReport deserves a lot of kudos for their outstanding work covering the primary, delegates, caucuses and now state convention.
From Moeller's press statement:
“I am confident an AFL-CIO endorsement in the presidential contest will arrive before long, but today I am personally and independently urging Democrats, union members and open-minded independents across Texas to rally around Barack Obama’s historic campaign for the presidency.”
“Hillary Clinton’s candidacy made a permanent mark on American political history. As a union activist and as a woman who has fought to break glass ceilings in my career, I joined millions of Americans who saw in Hillary the path to a better, more just society. Democrats in both camps worked to our utmost abilities in this campaign, and it is a tribute to Sen. Obama that he became the presumptive nominee against competition that touched a chord with so many Americans.”
“Now is the time to look at the bigger picture and unite. The issues facing our nation are too important and the gap between the candidates too great to let even the greatest of political primary struggles linger. Sen. Obama has shown he, too, can lead us to a better, more just society. I thank Ron Kirk and all the Obama campaign officials in Texas for declaring that from here on, all Democrats are invited to walk together toward victory in November. At this new juncture, I proudly, wholeheartedly and optimistically support Barack Obama for president.”
“A new future is at hand for America. We know the path to positive change and we know the path to more of the same. By coming together around Barack Obama’s candidacy, Democrats will write the next chapter in an election for the ages and in the history of our great nation."
