Talk Elections

How would you have run his campaign?  What would have been your message, electoral strategy, VP selection, etc.

Considering Gore pulled off a stunning popular vote win and nearly the electoral vote, I think Gore fixed everything he could. Remember, throughout the entire campaign, George W. Bush was the media favorite and clearly had a large edge.

He should not have distanced himself from Clinton. 

Had he took that advice...

()

Gore: 329
Bush: 209

Correct answer. He could run on Clinton's and his record.

Also, he should've contested the FL recount with same maifa-like ruthlessness that James Baker and his GOP cohorts did. Warren Christopher was the wrong man for that job.

Use Bill Clinton in campaign stops and align campaign with the achievements of the Clinton Administration. Dick Gephardt for Veep.

I wouldn't snub my home state. And I'd smash Bush to pieces on all the bullsh**t he pulled.

Run on Clinton's Record, not snub Tennessee.

Exactly

If I were Al Gore's campaign manager in 2000...


He would've won.

I'd make sure he won Tennessee

Zombie voters can't win a real Presidential election.

The Unions and the Religous Right have helped win elections. It's been proven.

Gore would carry Tennessee had he only not take it for granted. And that would be just enough.

Of course not distance from Clinton and use popular President help.

Gephardt or Graham for veep

Just with TN:

()

With Graham:

()

With Gephartd (I guess):

()

Best case at all:

()

Al Gore had a deficit among women.  I would have used Bill Clinton in the swing staes of OH and FL as the campaign winded down.  And picked the VP's of Dick Gephardt or Bob Graham to woe more independent voters than Conn Lieberman did in FL.

Joe Lieberman would not have joined the ticket as v.p.

I'd tell him to pick either Dianne Feinstein or Patty Murray as VP. Also, I'd tell him to campaign more with Clinton. While campaigning with Clinton, I would suggest that Gore and Clinton talk a lot about the good economy (and how Gore helped Clinton make it this good) while making sure to distance himself from Clinton's personal scandals. Finally, I would suggest using the VP (preferrably the two choices I mentioned above) as an attack dog. That way, if Bush would respond to the attacks, immediately call him a sexist.

Don't neglect New Hampshire.

Why not have Gore pick a competent female VP like Dianne Feinstein or Patty Murray? I'm sure that would have helped decrease his deficit among women.

If I were Gore's campaign manager, I'd try to win my home state and go from there. The only reason he was even close is because he ran against governor Bush.

Not ignore Tennessee.

Regardless of what happened in Florida or New Hampshire, he was wrong to disregard his home state, and ultimately that was what did him in.

I'm not sure he would have been able to win Tennessee. He would have needed a 2% swing in his favor. Even if he would have managed to win Tennessee, the campaigning that he would have to do there would have likely cost him several other very close states (IA, NM, OR, and WI) as he would have less time to campaign in those states. Of course, he could have asked Clinton to campaign in those states.

I think that Dianne Feinstein would be too old to be considered for VP. I would have suggested Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, from the swing state of New Hampshire.

Feinstein was 67 back in 2000, which is only one year older than Joe Biden was in 2008. Also Feinstein has a lot of experience, and I doubt her age would have hurt her that much. Jeanne Shaheen might have been a good VP, but she might have been considered too inexperienced as her was only Governor of NH for three years. Of course, Spiro Agnew was Governor of Maryland for only two years before becoming VP, so Gore could have used that argument. I suppose Shaheen would have made a good VP candidate if she didn't make any mistakes/gaffes on the campaign trail (like Sarah Palin did). What do you think about Patty Murray as VP? I think that Feinstein, Murray, and Shaheen were the only three female politicians who were prominent enough back in 2000 to be good choices for VP. I think Gore should have picked one of them since many women wanted to see one of their own become VP (or President) and I think that picking a woman would have allowed Gore to bring many undecided female voters into his column. Gore could have easily achieved a 1-2% swing in his favor if he picked a female VP, in contrast to Lieberman, who added nothing to the ticket.

Campaign in the states he neglected, used Clinton to help campaign, attacked Bush more and picked a better VP like Gephart, John Edwards, or even Bill Bradley as VP.