Jimmy Carter would endorse Al Gore

I know that when we talk about Al Gore's political future, we are operating under a never-ending maze of 'what-ifs.'  That is not stopping the recent buzz that Gore might run for president.  Former President Jimmy Carter told George Stephanopoulos this morning that he would endorse Al Gore if he ran:

"If Al should decide to run -- which I'm afraid he won't -- I wouldsupport Al Gore," Carter told Stephanopoulos in excerpts released byABC. "His burning issue now is global warming and preventing it.  Hecan do infinitely more to accomplish that goal as the incumbent in theWhite House than he can making even movies that get -- you know, thatget Oscars." Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," is up for anAcademy Award in the documentary category.

Yes, but is he electable?  Sorry to ruin everyone's fun.  My gut tells me that a Gore presidency would be like a shot in the arm to the military industrial complex.  A clean and independent energy policy would allow our military to divest itself from most Middle Eastern commitments.  While my gut tells me one thing, my head reminds me that Gore has a higher unfavorable rating than even Hillary Clinton.  Many people have already made up their mind on him.  He has scored new progressive support.  But can he win states like Ohio, Iowa, New Mexico and Nevada?

Maybe I am wrong -- and I hope that I am.  But we need to at least be having this discussion about every candidate, from Clinton to Dodd.  Who is electable, and who is not?  Or do we want eight full years of a Sam Brownback administration?

Comments

[George]

By shot in the arm do you mean a bad thing? I think a Gore Presidency would deal a blow the Military Industrial Complex and it's about freakin time. There is enormous engineering talent wasted on the creation of war toys in this country. If that talent was used to create energy alternatives we'd all be better off.

[Administrator: Todd]

I totally agree about how we are using our talent in destructive ways. I worry that if he was elected, his fate might be the same of John F. Kennedy. We know what happened to him when he tried to quell the military industrial complex (as they talk about a lot in the movie "JFK"). Gore would be a great president.

If he only had Obama's ability to campaign effectively, Gore would be unbeatable. It's just that he turns a lot of middle-of-the-road voters off.