I've Seen America: If Al Gore Ran In 2008

[Pericles]

By Pericles
(All credits for the title card go to @SargentHawk)​

 

[Oppo]

Subscribed!

 

[Israel]

This looks awesome

 

[Deleted member 96839]

Looks interesting!

 

[Wallet]

YASS

 

[Pericles]

GETTING STARTED

Al Gore's speech at the Academy Awards​

Al Gore had won the Oscar. His An Inconvenient Truth documentary was being hailed across the spectrum. He had come back from his 2000 loss, so close and so hard. He was now hailed as a visionary and a leader in the fight against climate change. But there was another area in which there was still a role for Al Gore. He could have stayed out of politics. But America and the Democratic Party was looking to him. As he received his Oscar, he knew this was not just the end of his successful documentary, but the beginning of something much bigger. That decision had not been made without doubt and careful thought. Yet, it was the time. This was his moment. And so Albert Arnold 'Al' Gore Jr took the stage. As his speech began, Gore turned to the fateful words. Let's do this. "I formally announce my intention to..." the hall paused in anticipation "run for President of the United States!" Cheers and gasps erupted from the hall. "I'm running for many reasons, but foremost in my mind is that America has been let down by this administration. From Iraq to the North Pole, the world is in worse shape because of the Bush administration. I'm running because we need a leader who will revive this country. We need a leader who will take action on the pressing crisis of climate change, a crisis that while ignored by too many of our politicians poses a very serious threat to our planet. We need action and I know that I am up to the task. I am running because we need a fresh start for our country, a better America. We need change, and I am that candidate!"

Al Gore's ill-fated endorsement of Howard Dean​

Gore had had a hard time after his loss in 2000. He had been the winner of the popular vote, yet painfully he lost Florida by just 500 votes. He may have in fact won Florida were it not for the Supreme Court's controversial Bush v Gore decision ending the recount. To many Americans, especially Democrats, Gore was the true winner of the 2000 election. The former Vice-President shifted to the left afterwards, including being a vocal opponent of Bush's Iraq War. Gore also grew a beard and was in a funk. Bush became more popular after 9/11, while Gore was swimming against the tide. Gore flirted with another candidacy in 2004, but decided against it. When he declined to run in late 2002, polls show Bush would have beaten him by 20 points, and that he was unpopular with large segments of the electorate. Gore endorsed Howard Dean, the insurgent left-wing candidate in December 2003 for the Democratic primaries. When Dean bombed soon afterwards, Gore's endorsement looked like the wrong move, and that it may have hurt Dean more than it helped him. To most observers, it was clear that Al Gore's time was over. He was a has-been, a relic of the past. He had his chance and he blew it. The presidency seemed permanently closed to Al Gore.

Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' documentary did much to warn of the threat of climate change​

Al Gore found a new career. He had always been an environmentalist at heart, since 1976 he had been an advocate for the environment. Now, unshackled from politics, he was free to campaign for the issues he cared about. Gore's environmentalism had been ignored by the nation's top politicians. In the 1990s, when Vice-President Gore called on the Senate to pass the Kyoto Protocol to combat climate change they rejected it 95-0. The Bush administration was even worse, doing nothing to combat climate change and instead global warming accelerated dangerously fast. With no international cooperation or action on the issue, the politicians were like frogs in a boiling pot. Climate change, in Gore's view, needed a far bigger share of the political discourse. Gore took it upon himself to advance the cause. He made the documentary An Inconvenient Truth, warning of climate change and the consequences if the government and society did not change. It was released on may 24, 2006. The documentary was a big hit. It turned out to be the fourth highest grossing documentary in US history. Gore's clear message resonated with the public. And that led him to the Academy Awards on February 25, 2007.

SNL's 'President' Al Gore​

At the same time, Americans were coming down with a case of buyer's remorse. By the time Gore announced his return to politics, President Bush's approval rating was in the mid to low 30s. A failed Social Security reform push, the bungled response to Hurricane Katrina, high gas prices and more weighed down on Bush. The main bugbear was the continuing war in Iraq, which four years after its initiation looked more hopeless than ever and still no WMDs had been found. America's reputation in the world was at all-time lows, and increasingly, voters thought the country was on the wrong track. And then there was Al Gore., The people's choice for President in 2000, his warnings about climate change and his opposition to the Iraq War looked prescient now. His criticism of the Bush administration, standing up to its policies far more than other Democrats like John Kerry and Hillary Clinton made him look to many voters as the leader America needed now. Democrats thought bitterly that under a President Gore climate change would have been combated, there would be no Iraq War, there'd still be a budget surplus and America would have avoided the disasters of W Bush. Even SNL did a skit with the real Al Gore, with 'President' Al Gore addressing the nation warning of the challenges ahead, how in their utopian future glaciers were on the attack, Afghanistan was a top holiday destination and American tourists couldn't go to Europe without getting hugged. What might have been. That thought put Gore back in contention for 2008.

Speculation of Gore 2008 rose heading into the 2008 primaries​

All this led to speculation that Al Gore would try another run. But Gore was reluctant. Tipper was too, though she refused to say never.[1] Gore was convinced, as late as the end of 2006, that politics was not for him anymore. Yet, many Democrats disagreed, and environmentalists, donors and party leaders made efforts to recruit Gore in the primaries. Polls showed Gore getting into double-digits, though he would face formidable competition. Hillary Clinton was running, and she was regarded as the frontrunner. Gore did not have warm feelings for the Clintons, feeling let down by them in the White House and disdained them as a melodramatic, cynical mess. He knew they would not be beaten easily. The prospect of a Hill-Bill restoration was not one Al Gore remotely enjoyed. Talking to advisers and party insiders, Gore got the sense that he had a path to victory, but it would be narrow. He could run as the liberal candidate, Hillary Clinton was weak with the base, and win the nomination from there. Iowa looked like it would be good, he'd won a landslide there in the 2000 primaries, while New Hampshire was more uncertain. Donna Brazile, his 2000 campaign manager, raised the historical precedent of Richard Nixon. Nixon had lost a bitterly close election, and he had made mistakes afterwards. At a low in 1964, Nixon reinvigorated himself with service to the party and his ideals, and when things went south for the Democrat administration Nixon saw the chance to make a comeback. He was nominated in 1968 relatively easily and won the general election. It could be done again. Potential candidate Senator Barack Obama of Illinois consulted with Gore to gauge his intentions. When Obama left, he thought This guy's actually gonna run. Both Obama and Al knew that an Obama candidacy would have little chance if Gore ran and so Obama would likely step aside this year if that happened. Gore wanted to run, but Tipper was still reluctant. It was a familiar trope in politics. But she came around. They'd done it twice before. Third time lucky. And so that's how Al Gore got to yes.

[1]This is the PoD, that Tipper and Al don't rule it out and they start to warm to the idea.

 

[Wallet]

This is amazing

 

[Pericles]

This is amazing

Thanks!

 

[Pericles]

Subscribed!

This looks awesome

Looks interesting!

YASS

This is amazing

Glad you all like this TL. This will be my main project now, and I hope you like what's to come.

 

[Steve Brinson]

This'll be interesting to watch.

 

[TwisterAce]

I'm instantly hooked. I've wondered what a Gore victory in 2008 would be like, and I'm curious to see how he'll deal with not just climate change, but also the Great Recession, the Arab Spring (probably inevitable at this point), and the potential rise of the Tea Party (which could still emerge), among other issues.

Obama could be a good running mate for Gore. His charisma and relative youth would balance out Gore's perceived dullness and older age.

 

[Indicus]

This is a kickass idea.

Obama could be a good running mate for Gore. His charisma and relative youth would balance out Gore's perceived dullness and older age.

Yeah, but he'd almost certainly overshadow Gore. He's just too charismatic for the vice presidency.

 

[Israel]

This is a kickass idea.

Seconded

 

[Oppo]

Yeah, but he'd almost certainly overshadow Gore. He's just too charismatic for the vice presidency.

Maybe Napolitano or Xavier Becerra?

 

[Indicus]

Maybe Napolitano or Xavier Becerra?

Was Becerra on the map in 2008?

But yeah, those would be good choices.

 

[Oppo]

Was Becerra on the map in 2008?

But yeah, those would be good choices.

Yes, he was a top candidate for House Democratic Caucus Chair in the 110th Congress, and Obama offered him the post of Trade Representative. One downside would be his disastrous 2001 LA Mayor run. He endorsed Obama early on, so I think he would go for Gore.

 

[Beata Beatrix]

Please continue with this.

 

[Indicus]

Yes, he was a top candidate for House Democratic Caucus Chair in the 110th Congress, and Obama offered him the post of Trade Representative. One downside would be his disastrous 2001 LA Mayor run. He endorsed Obama early on, so I think he would go for Gore.

In that case, I think he'd be a good choice to dispel thoughts of Gore being an outdated moderate Democrat.

 

[King of the Uzbeks]

THE MOON EMPEROR RETURNS

 

[Deleted member 87099]

ohmygod yes!