[Vision2020] Al Gore bows out... Comments from the DLC FYI
Linda Pall
lpall@moscow.com
Mon, 16 Dec 2002 10:35:11 -0800
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Dear Visionaries and Democrats,
I thought this was well stated. And, indeed, progressive politics is =
about the future.
All the best for the holidays,
Linda Pall
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
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THE NEW DEM DAILY, 16-DEC-02
Political commentary & analysis from the DLC
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[ New Democrats Online: http://www.ndol.org ]
Gore Bows Out
Swiftly and with good humor, former Vice President Al=20
Gore took himself out of consideration for the 2004=20
Democratic presidential nomination last night.
The reason he gave for his decision was the best one=20
possible: "I think that a campaign that would be a=20
rematch between myself and President Bush would=20
inevitably involve a focus on the past that would in=20
some measure distract from the focus on the future=20
that I think all campaigns should be about."
Al Gore knows better than just about anybody the kind=20
of accomplishments the country was poised to make after=20
the 2000 elections on a broad array of challenges ranging=20
from climate change and suburban sprawl to affordable=20
health care to lifelong learning --challenges the Bush=20
Administration has largely ignored. The forgotten middle=20
class would be better off if the popular will of the=20
American people in the 2000 election had prevailed. But=20
throughout his career, Al Gore has also understood better=20
than just about anybody that progressive politics is=20
always about the future.
Gore seemed to say last night that 2004 would have been=20
his last shot at the presidency. Since he's now 15 years=20
younger than Ronald Reagan was when he was first elected=20
President, that's a premature assessment.
But for now, he's earned the respect of all fair-minded=20
Americans, and the particular gratitude of New Democrats,=20
for his impressive record as a visionary member of the=20
House and Senate (during which he was also a founding=20
member of the DLC), and by far the most successful Vice=20
President in history. At crucial crossroads throughout=20
the Clinton-Gore Administration, the Vice President was=20
a calm and persuasive voice for the national interest as=20
opposed to special interests, and for the long-range=20
objectives of the Administration rather than for short-
term political concerns. The economic boom of the 1990s,=20
the emergence of the New Economy, work-based welfare=20
reform, the most thoroughgoing effort to date to=20
"reinvent government," the post-cold-war reorientation=20
of NATO, and U.S. and allied military action to stop=20
genocide in Bosnia and Kosovo -- all these accomplishments=20
and more owed a lot to Al Gore's sound judgment and broad=20
policy expertise.
And Al Gore still has a distinction that cannot be taken=20
away by any of the swaggering triumphalists in the White=20
House or the Republican Party: second only to Ronald=20
Reagan in 1984, he won more votes than any other=20
presidential candidate in American history.
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Dear =
Visionaries and=20
Democrats,</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I thought this was well stated. And, =
indeed,=20
progressive politics <EM>is</EM> about the future.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>All the best for the =
holidays,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Linda Pall</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT face=3DArial =
size=3D2></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT face=3DArial =
size=3D2></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"=20
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THE NEW DEM DAILY,=20
16-DEC-02<BR>Political commentary & analysis from the=20
DLC<BR>=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
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[ New Democrats Online:=20
</FONT><A href=3D"http://www.ndol.org"><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"=20
size=3D3>http://www.ndol.org</FONT></A><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" =
size=3D3>=20
]<BR><BR>Gore Bows Out<BR><BR>Swiftly and with good humor, former Vice =
President=20
Al <BR>Gore took himself out of consideration for the 2004 =
<BR>Democratic=20
presidential nomination last night.<BR><BR>The reason he gave for his =
decision=20
was the best one <BR>possible: "I think that a campaign that would be a=20
<BR>rematch between myself and President Bush would <BR>inevitably =
involve a=20
focus on the past that would in <BR>some measure distract from the focus =
on the=20
future <BR>that I think all campaigns should be about."<BR><BR>Al Gore =
knows=20
better than just about anybody the kind <BR>of accomplishments the =
country was=20
poised to make after <BR>the 2000 elections on a broad array of =
challenges=20
ranging <BR>from climate change and suburban sprawl to affordable =
<BR>health=20
care to lifelong learning --challenges the Bush <BR>Administration has =
largely=20
ignored. The forgotten middle <BR>class would be better off if the =
popular=20
will of the <BR>American people in the 2000 election had =
prevailed. But=20
<BR>throughout his career, Al Gore has also understood better <BR>than =
just=20
about anybody that progressive politics is <BR>always about the=20
future.<BR><BR>Gore seemed to say last night that 2004 would have been =
<BR>his=20
last shot at the presidency. Since he's now 15 years <BR>younger =
than=20
Ronald Reagan was when he was first elected <BR>President, that's a =
premature=20
assessment.<BR><BR>But for now, he's earned the respect of all =
fair-minded=20
<BR>Americans, and the particular gratitude of New Democrats, <BR>for =
his=20
impressive record as a visionary member of the <BR>House and Senate =
(during=20
which he was also a founding <BR>member of the DLC), and by far the most =
successful Vice <BR>President in history. At crucial crossroads =
throughout=20
<BR>the Clinton-Gore Administration, the Vice President was <BR>a calm =
and=20
persuasive voice for the national interest as <BR>opposed to special =
interests,=20
and for the long-range <BR>objectives of the Administration rather than =
for=20
short-<BR>term political concerns. The economic boom of the 1990s, =
<BR>the=20
emergence of the New Economy, work-based welfare <BR>reform, the most=20
thoroughgoing effort to date to <BR>"reinvent government," the =
post-cold-war=20
reorientation <BR>of NATO, and U.S. and allied military action to stop=20
<BR>genocide in Bosnia and Kosovo -- all these accomplishments <BR>and =
more owed=20
a lot to Al Gore's sound judgment and broad <BR>policy =
expertise.<BR><BR>And Al=20
Gore still has a distinction that cannot be taken <BR>away by any of the =
swaggering triumphalists in the White <BR>House or the Republican Party: =
second=20
only to Ronald <BR>Reagan in 1984, he won more votes than any other=20
<BR>presidential candidate in American=20
history.</FONT><BR><BR></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>
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