Hillary Clinton has yet to formally launch her bid for the White House, but with the email scandal setting her down a rocky road, Democrats may start to reconsider support for the former secretary of state. Yes, Clinton remains the favorite to win the Democratic nomination next year, and she has a better-than-even chance at the White House. Still, Democrats may want other options. Sure, Vice President Biden is toying with the idea of running for a third time, but few believe Biden has a legitimate shot at the White House. The one Democrat whose name is starting to appear in recent stories is that of former Vice President Al Gore.
Before you roll your eyes and sigh — that’s a reference to Gore’s 2000 debate performance for all you kiddos — Gore doesn’t sound like a half-bad idea. While Gore was roundly — and rightfully — criticized for his stoicism and superiority complex when he ran against former President George W. Bush in 2000, much has changed in the last 15 years. Always an environmentalist, Gore went on tour, discussing the dangers of climate change, winning an Academy Award for the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” and sharing the Nobel Peace Prize.
Not half bad for a guy who lost the 2000 presidential election because of a Supreme Court decision. While the right lambasted Gore over his work on climate change, the data indicates Gore was largely right. Anytime it rains in Miami Beach, the roads flood, something that scientists are now attributing to climate change. In recent weeks, scientists at NASA believe the severe drought in California — likely caused by climate change — has left the state with enough groundwater to last just one more year.
Regardless of whether certain conservatives want to acknowledge the existence of climate change, the next president must tackle what the Pentagon considers a national security threat that could foster more terrorism. Gore may not win the presidency and he may not overcome Clinton to win the nomination, but someone with an understanding of climate change and the urgency to act is a must for the next president. If Clinton wins, Gore could at least push her to take action sooner than later by challenging her in the debates and on the campaign trail.
Democrats may be cautious using retreads like Gore or Clinton to maintain the White House in 2016, but there are few other Democrats ready, willing and able to run and win. A Bill Clinton or Barack Obama is not going to miraculously appear in the coming months and lead Democrats to a third consecutive term. Turning to a former presidential candidate can be a scary prospect — hello, Mitt Romney — but a Gore candidacy may not be as completely crazy as it sounds. While the Republicans try to outflank each other on the right, millions of rational Americans want a sensible leader who has the wherewithal to tackle the challenges facing our country.
A proven leader is exactly what the country needs, and the Democrats need multiple proven leaders in the primary to demonstrate why voters should give them another term in the White House. It’s a rarity that the incumbent party holds the presidency following a two-term president, but 2016 could prove to be an exception. Since 1992, Democrats have only lost the popular vote once, and the electoral map remains favorable.
Whether it’s Gore, Clinton or someone else, Democrats need a quality primary that forces candidates to address their solutions to the country’s problems, and prove that despite the right’s rabid hatred of President Obama, Democrats put the U.S. on stable ground following the Great Recession. Gore may seem like a hairbrained scheme, but following a recent upbeat New York Times piece, an article in the Atlantic and Vox’s Ezra Klein publishing a piece urging Gore to run, the support is starting to mount.
Allies of Gore say he’s not running, but when was the last time you trusted a politician? Al Gore can and should run for the presidency of the U.S.
Joel Mendelson is a second-year UF political campaigning graduate student. His column appears on Fridays.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 3/27/2015 under the headline “Al Gore could challenge Hillary for presidency”]
