I would like to submit the attached comment as a Letter to the Editor for Newsweek. Can you tell me how to do this? gschwager@aol.com
The media and the Democratic party are missing an obvious solution to the Clinton Obama stalemate; Al Gore for Vice President.
Clearly, the greatest challenges facing our country cannot be addressed without greater cooperation between the interested parties. These parties include not only the Democrats and Republicans, but also corporate interests and the public's welfare. Bill and Hillary Clinton would bring very impressive credentials back to the White House, but the sad truth is that Hillary's presidency would result in continued devisiveness and gridlock. Much of the Republican base would happily support their Representatives' efforts to undermine the Cllintons and a recent survey shows Hillary Clinton's popularity is at the lowest level since the campaign began. In spite of Obama's ten years in elected office and unselfish devotion to important causes, he has been labeled as lacking experience. With Gore as his Vice President, an Obama-Gore ticket would be virtually immune to criticisms about lack of experience. Furthermore, Al Gore has readily admited, on numerous occasions, that he is "not very good" at being a politician.
Barack Obama, on the other hand, has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to motivate and lead. Only by creating a broad coalition of support, can a president force legislators to find common ground in tackling our debt, social security, healthcare, environmental national security, education and economc challenges. The youth obviously recognize we are passing a myriad of problems on to their generation and they rightly want to do something productive about these challenges now. We should not undermine the democratic process by recruiting Al Gore for President, we should recruit him for Vice President, where he can more effectively pursue his environmental cause. Over the past four administrations, the Vice Presidency has been more import than any other time in our history. Without question, Al Gore would be in a position to negotiate his responsibilities is he ran with Obama as Vice President. Is Al Gore really too important to serve as the second most powerful person in the world, especially when given the latitude to write his own job description?
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What If There is No Back Room?
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The two contested nominations of the modern era—Kennedy-Carter in '80 and Reagan-Ford in '76—offer clues as to what may lie ahead. In each case, the candidate with the most pledged delegates going into the convention won the nomination. Each then went on to lose the general election. Clinton backers point to the Reagan model. Governor Reagan stayed in the fight all the way to the convention. He had a hundred delegates fewer than Ford, roughly the same deficit Clinton has today. Reagan helped insure his party's defeat but nailed the nomination four years later.
With the lines hardening between the Clinton and Obama camps, neither is inclined to yield. "They both have such a strong claim on the nomination, it would be dumb for either one of them to give up," says the Clinton adviser, predicting that for the first time in the modern "reform" era, the Democrats may select a nominee on the second ballot. Who it will be is anybody's guess.
© 2008
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