Al Gore's name began trending on Twitter this week after a senior Democrat told Buzzfeed that operatives for the former vice president were "getting the old gang together" and considering a possible run for 2016.
By Friday, however, Gore spokeswoman Betsy McManus had poured cold water on the possibility,
telling Politico, "There’s no truth to it. He’s laser-focused on solving the climate crisis."
Even if a nascent Gore machine is just blowing smoke while it scrambles to assess whether current front-runner Hillary Clinton really is damaged goods and what kind of opening that's created for Gore, here are seven of probably many reasons why he likely wouldn't run again.
1. Climate Change a Low-Ranking Issue — With the release in 2006 of his famous global warming movie, "An Inconvenient Truth," Gore became one of the most prominent voices in the environmental movement.
Nearly a decade later, however, polling from the Pew Research Center shows that Americans rank climate change nearly dead last among top issues facing the U.S. — and have for years. That means that while Gore may be popular among liberal environmentalists, he and his cause may not win over independent voters, a key group for any presidential hopeful.
Plus, compromise is part of the art of politics and it's hard to compromise on an issue you've already set in concrete.
2. Separation from Tipper Gore — Gore and his wife Tipper enjoyed four decades together – much of it in the limelight – before announcing their separation in 2010. She still has many fans on both the left and the right because of her charity work and her fight against profanity in music. Gore broke a lot of hearts when he walked away from her.
Without down-to-earth Tipper by his side, the former vice president could have a tough time convincing Democrats that he's a solid replacement candidate for the nomination. In modern history, no unmarried or separated man has ever won the White House.
3. Al Jazeera Controversy — Gore was a major stakeholder in Current TV, and he was widely criticized and called a hypocrite when he sold it to Qatar-based media conglomerate Al Jazeera, which at the time was seen as more of a mouthpiece than a news network.
"The crusader against climate change is taking petrodollars from an empire built on oil, the bete noire of environmentalists,"
CNN wrote in 2013. Additionally, "detractors have slammed Gore for hypocrisy because, while he has advocated higher taxes on the rich, he tried to get the Al Jazeera deal done by December 31 to avoid the Obama tax hike."
"There is something unsettling about Gore making off with such a big payday from a government-subsidized channel after making such bad television. Nice work if you can get it," the piece concluded.
4. Apple Stock Really Widened His Equality Gap — Not long after netting himself a reported $100 million windfall with the sale of Current TV, Gore made headlines for making another $30 million windfall by exercising his option to buy Apple stock.
While many admire his adept, capitalist moves, populists in the Democratic Party — the type who've rallied around Sen. Bernie Sanders — might not want to get behind someone perceived as too close to Wall Street.
5. He's Already a One-Time Loser — Gore won the Democratic presidential nomination in 2000, but ultimately lost to Republican George W. Bush. Enough said about all that. But having lost once before, for whatever reasons, Democratic strategists are unlikely to get behind another Gore bid.
6. His Age — While he's the same age as Hillary Clinton, 67, Gore's age would likely become an issue in 2016. The older a candidate, the more pressure there is for releasing health records to prove they are healthy enough to hold the presidency for eight years; once someone finally gets to the Oval Office, four years may seem like a short time.
7. Flying Into Hillary's Headwinds — Although Clinton has stumbled in the polls due to her ongoing email scandal, she is still the Democratic front-runner, and she has significant campaign money and infrastructure in place. It's one thing if an interloper finds the path forward suddenly cleared, but another if he has to fight for every inch. At what point would Gore know if Clinton's ready to fold, or seriously wounded? Even Vice President Joe Biden may not decide to take on Clinton because of her political momentum.
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