I just went to check my email and, lo and behold, I found a correspondence in my inbox from Al Gore.  I figured it would be another email from the We Campaign or about his recent ten-year challenge, but instead it was a fundraising letter on behalf of our presidential nominee.  For those that questioned just how much of a force Gore would be on the campaign trail for Obama, I think we rest assured that he will do everything he can to, in his own words, make sure the Supreme Court does not pick the next President and that John McCain is not the one who picks the next Supreme Court.  For the full email that was sent to Al's massive email list, continue reading.

This is a two-part diary, the first of which is about me and the second of which is about a fellow Kossack's (and my friend's) victory in the CA-24 Democratic primary.  Prior to yesterday night I was an undecided Democratic voter, despite voting for Obama in Florida's primary in January and initially supporting him after realizing Gore was not jumping in - heck, I would've even considered myself a "lean Clinton" for most of the past couple of months.  I have a tremendous amount of respect for the former First Lady, both in terms of policy positions and her tenacity to continue in the face of long odds, calls for her to get out of the race, and tremendously unfair media treatment.

Cross Posted @ MyDD

We are imploding.  The Democratic Party is imploding.  And if we intend to keep it up, we may as well anoint John McCain as the 44th President of the United States.

$4.00/gallon gas?  Get over it.  Almost 4,000 dead in Iraq?  Get over it.  Subprime mortgage crisis?  Get over it.  Unimaginable national debt?  Get over it.  That is what Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia told the American people last week.  I have to reiterate, a Supreme Court Justice, in as many words, gave the finger to those who struggle day in and day out as a result of the policies of George W. Bush. Aren't these supposed to be the most venerable and nonpartisan people in our political system of checks and balances?  Well, theoretically, but we're all too familiar with how much attention the Constitution is paid these days.

I was very cautious to believe the rumor that was spreading like wildfire yesterday that Obama would be announcing the support of fifty superdelegates soon after the March 4th races.  As someone involved in the Draft Gore movement and read every single tea leaf that bubbled up the surface, can you really blame me?  Now though, it looks like we have a confirmation.

I honestly cannot believe some of the presumptive, cocky diaries I have read, many of which have made the rec list stating, among other things, that Hillary has no chance to win the nomination and should drop out, cannot possibly take over the delegate lead and should drop out, etc etc, with the common denominator being that she should drop it.  Well I've got news for you Obama supporters and Hillary detractors (they aren't necessarily the same thing): this race is not over, Hillary can still win the nomination, and, perhaps shocking to those who have read diaries of week past, Hillary can still obtain a pledged delegate lead going into the convention.  And yes, I'm an Obama supporter.

I'm a little disappointed with the front-pagers to be honest with everyone.  For literally months, we were inundated with calls to action on behalf of Democrat Mark Pera - Kossacks consistently opened up their wallet - to the tune of over $57,000 - and those who lived in Chicago undoubtedly gave up their time.  There's no question that we fought the good fight on this one, but I'm equally as mystified (and miffed) that there has been absolutely no mention of the third congressional district primary over the past two days.  None.

It has long been speculated that Edwards' delegates could very well play a large role at the convention come August, especially if neither Obama or Hillary have a majority going in.  He'd obviously have a rather large bargaining chip at his disposal.  Likewise, conventional wisdom has him making a deal with Obama in return for the VP spot or cabinet position.  Well, Robert Novak is reporting today that those close to the Obama operation are quietly passing the word that Edwards will indeed be named Attorney General in a potential Obama presidential administration.

Cross Posted @ MyDD

I have previously written about the increasingly possible scenario of a brokered convention, but today, the mainstream media finally raised the specter of a potential draft of Al Gore at August's convention.  Likewise, South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn also hinted at the possibility that the Democratic nominee may not be someone currently running.  Now, I'm not going to jump any conclusions (or on any bandwagons for that matter), but I think the idea of a brokered convention is something that we as the Netroots should seriously start thinking about.

Based on the title of the diary, I'm sure many of you are thinking, "Yeah, yeah, another Gore supporter who has yet to face reality and concede he isn't running."  Well not quite; in fact, I've moved on and have since come to support Obama (though I very much like Edwards).  That all being said, however, it seems as though it is becoming more and more likely that Al Gore may still become the Democratic nominee come August 2008.  But how can that be, you ask?  Follow me below the fold for an explanation.

Cross Posted @ One Million Strong

Liberal icon and former Senator Bill Bradley is set to endorse Barack Obama according to CBS News. Here's the quick blurb they're reporting:

ABC News' Karen Travers Reports: Former Sen. Bill Bradley will endorse Sen. Barack Obama in New Hampshire on Monday, ABC News has learned.

A source close to the senator said that he has waited until now to endorse because he wanted to give former Sen. John Edwards a shot in Iowa first.

Bradley is a former Democratic senator from New Jersey and ran for his party's nomination in 2000, losing to former Vice President Al Gore.

Cross Posted @ Truth & Progress

Make no mistake: Gore will not - and technically cannot - run in the Democratic primary next year.  The Draft Gore movement has indeed respected his wishes and shut down shop, the latest of which has been DraftGore.com.  But for whatever reason, that has not stopped the speculation and questioning by the media.  He was asked "the question" again in front of millions of national and international viewers during an interview with CNN after accepting the Nobel Peace Prize yesterday.  His answer was a bit more interesting than usual to say the least.

From long-shot to reality: the Ohio special election is now very, very winnable.  The Politico is now reporting that an internal poll conducted by Republican Bob Latta last week showed him trailing Democrat/Netroots Favorite Robin Weirauch by four points.  No need to rub your eyes, you read that right: Weirauch was beating Latta in a Republican internal poll.

Cross Posted @ One Million Strong

What we are witnessing is truly incredible.  With special interests, the establishment, and, among other notables, a popular former President behind her, Hillary Clinton's leads have disappeared across the board.  A new Rasmussen Poll released earlier today shows Hillary leading Obama by a statistically insignificant two points in South Carolina.

Cross-Posted @ One Million Strong

While the full poll has yet to be released, Political Wire has gotten an advanced look at a Strategic Vision poll that shows Obama with continued momentum and subsequently increasing his lead in Iowa to a full seven points over Hillary Clinton and John Edwards: 32%-25%-25%.

With the terrific news still streaming in that is predicting an overwhelming win for the Australian Labor Party (ALP), the implications in that country are obvious and very distinct.  To name a few, Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd will demand that the government and states take a greater role in health administration, phase out many of the adverse effects of WorkChoices, such as the restrictions to collective bargaining, recognize and take on the climate crisis, and implement a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.

A couple of weeks ago I stepped down from the Draft Gore movement when the New Hampshire filing deadline came and passed.  Sure enough, it seems that Al has all but officially decided to not run this go around.

My apologies for such a short diary, but I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere here yet.  Voting for the 2007 Weblog Awards began earlier today; polls are open until November 8th.  Currently, some pretty notorious right-wing blogs are leading the pack in a few categories, and needless to stay, we cannot let that stand.