Gore suggested as 'neutral force' to settle nomination
By Tom Baxter
Southern Political Report
February 16, 2008 — Al Gore has become the Gandalf the White of the Democratic Party. He’s already fallen off the cliff, so to speak. But when the complicated Democratic nomination storyline grinds to a halt, he magically reappears to nudge the plot forward. With the Obama-Clinton struggle heading to a standoff, Gore made another appearance this weekend in the lead story of Saturday’s New York Times, by virtue of having done, essentially, nothing. According to the story by Don Van Natta Jr. and Jo Becker, Gore and “a number of other senior Democrats” have decided to remain neutral in the nomination fight, with an eye on the possibility they may be needed to negotiate a deal that would avoid a divided convention. There are several references to “party leaders” and “party elders,” who include but don’t seem to be limited to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and three Democrats who’ve already dropped out of the presidential race: John Edwards, Joe Biden and Chris Dodd. A number of these party elders have approached Gore as the race has tightened to a stalemate, according to the story, but all Gore is said to have done is counsel Democratic leaders to stay on the sidelines for now. Because of former President Clinton’s partisanship in the race, Gore could play the role of “a more neutral force and an honest broker,” someone close to Gore told the Times. Exactly how much of a “neutral force” Gore could be was called into question by an Eleanor Clift column published Friday on Newsweek’s website suggesting the possibility of a “second-ballot scenario” that might nominate Gore. While that isn’t being considered by Democratic party leaders, Clift wrote, it’s being talked about by “a number of individual high-profile Democrats.” So, thanks to the wizard, the Democratic plot twists through another weekend. |
