Tuesday, January 16, 2007

"Absolutely nothing new'' (UPDATED)

UPDATE: Matt Stoller comments on "Al Gore's Ex-Politician Behavior":
One of the reasons that I don't think Al Gore is going to run for President is because he's been making a lot of money since he left office, and in doing so, he's been playing footsie with the progressive corporate elite. While the progressive economy, that of Apple, Microsoft and Google, is a nicer place than, say, Exxon, the elites in those worlds are not held accountable for their behavior anymore than elites in any other part of American society. Al Gore is on the board of both Apple and Google. That's not the base of a Presidential campaign, it's the base of a retired political icon.
(snip)
I very much support Gore's work on global warming and his magnificent opposition to egregiously concentrated executive power, but he is in the world of economic elites, and being in that stream of discourse tends to sink a populist campaign, as it did for Gore in 2000. Gore knows this, which is why he doesn't want to run. Running for President is extremely difficult, and there are other avenues to make change. Al Gore has chosen the path of convincing the global elites to work on global warming. It's a useful path, but it's not the path to the Presidency.

Gore spokesman Michael Feldman:
He's been saying the same thing for six years - that he's not running but has not completely ruled it out - and depending on where he is, it's reported differently.

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