North Star Writers Group

While watching Al Gore detail in the Oscar-winning documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” the effect humanity is having on our planet and why we must act, I had a thought that likely occurred to many who saw the film: What a different place our country - indeed our world - would be if Al Gore would have won the 2000 presidential election.

Eight years after Gore’s tragic defeat, the right person at the helm could redeem the global and local transgressions that occurred at the hands of our current leader. Unfortunately, the ideal candidate has repeatedly declared that he has no intention of running. While Al Gore chooses in his interviews to not completely rule out any chance of a presidential run, his occasional ambiguous phrasing does not erase his declaration that he’s done with politics. But, just in case, here are seven reasons why Al Gore should run, and why he could win it all this time:

1. He’s ahead of the curve. Gore, unlike Democratic frontrunners Clinton and Edwards, was against Iraq from the beginning and was vocal about his disapproval. Though he is often chided for his “I invented the internet” comment – which he never even said – Gore understood the power and importance of the Internet before it became a daily staple in American life. Also, Al Gore has not recently jumped on the global warming bandwagon; he has been a proponent of measures to combat this “planetary emergency” since his college years.

2. He has a heart. In recent years, specifically since “An Inconvenient Truth”, Gore has come into his own as not a pandering politician but a man who is passionate about a global issue that could affect all of us. He often cites this newfound ability to dedicate himself to the issue of global warming as a deterrent from another presidential bid. Tipper Gore, reacting to political pundits and the media who say Gore has become more charismatic and, well, likeable since 2000, says that he is the same Al Gore she’s always known. It’s his release from political shackles that have caused his outlook to change even as the man remains the same. However, Gore also acknowledges that, as president, he would have the power to do even more than he currently is and on a scale that is unreachable otherwise. If Al could run with this same passion and purpose, he could go far both in the election and in the White House.

3. And he has a brain. Passion without intellect and intellect without passion often fall flat. Our current president is an example of the former; Al Gore in 2000 an example of the latter. His new book, “The Assault on Reason” discusses the flaws in American democracy – namely how impressions, rather than reason, have begun to dictate the moves our government makes and how the politics of fear, the politics of faith and our transition from print to televised media has caused us to stray from what our founders intended. His criticisms are not empty. He also outlines a plan to fix the flaws.

4. He’s more than a politician. If he joins the race in October as some have speculated, his freshness will be of benefit to him. Right now, he’s not spewing clichéd lines about improving our country from the perspective of someone vying for office, but of someone who truly cares about America. He won’t even discuss the 2000 debacle, not even in his book, because he doesn’t want Americans to lose faith in the system. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have been calculating politicians since we’ve come to know them. Even Clinton as the First Lady was exceptionally political. If Gore enters the race, he will have bypassed the early maelstrom and name-calling to emerge an unscathed candidate.

5. He can afford it. Despite having missed out on early fundraising, Al Gore has no shortage of supporters (over 150,000 people have added their names to grassroots online petitions imploring Gore to run), plus stock in Google and Apple, to whom he lends his intellectual prowess.

6. He has experience. Eight years as vice president. Enough said.

7. He could win. With the other Democratic candidates, there are reservations. Each seems to not quite get it right. Polls have Al Gore beating out the frontrunners if he were to run. As it is now, he ties John Edwards on various polls without even stepping into the race. Democrats are biting their nails a bit about Obama and Clinton. Sure, they could win the primaries, but could they win it all? Al Gore just might be the surest thing the Democrats could get. Americans love a good comeback story, and an Al Gore run might be the happy ending we so desperately need.

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