Al Gore 2000 presidential campaign
The 2000 presidential campaign of Al Gore, the 45th vice president of the United States under President Bill Clinton, began when he announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Carthage, Tennessee, on June 16, 1999. Gore became the Democratic nominee for the 2000 presidential election on August 17, 2000.
Al Gore for President 2000
Al Gore
45th Vice President of the United States
(1993–2001)
Joe Lieberman
U.S. Senator from Connecticut
(1989–2013)
Announced: June 16, 1999
Presumptive nominee: March 14, 2000
Official nominee: August 17, 2000
Election day: November 7, 2000
Projected defeat: December 12, 2000
Formally conceded: December 13, 2000
Nashville, Tennessee
Donna Brazile, campaign manager
William M. Daley, campaign chairman
Leadership for the New Millennium
Prosperity for America's Families[1]
On November 7, 2000, projections indicated that Gore's opponent, then-Governor of Texas George W. Bush, the Republican candidate, had narrowly won the election. Gore won the national popular vote but lost the Electoral College vote after a legal battle over disputed vote counts in the state of Florida. Bush won the state of Florida in the initial count and also in each subsequent recount at the time. While a NORC study of uncounted ballots released on November 12, 2001, found that with a full statewide hand recount, Gore may have won Florida under revised vote standards (depending on which standard was used, his margin of victory would have varied from 60 to 171 votes),[2] under rules devised by the Florida Supreme Court and accepted by the Gore campaign at the time, Bush would likely have won the recount.[3]
The legal dispute was ultimately resolved by the Supreme Court of the United States in a 5–4 decision. Bush won the election by 537 votes in Florida, and won the electoral college vote of 271 to 266. One elector pledged to Gore did not cast an electoral vote; Gore received 267 pledged electors. The election was one of the most controversial in American history.[4][5]
Announcement and Democratic primaries[edit]
CNN interview[edit]
Prior to his announcement that he would be running in the 2000 election, Gore participated in a March 9, 1999, interview for CNN's Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer. Gore stated in the interview, "During my service in the United States Congress I took the initiative in creating the internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system."[6] Former UCLA professor of information studies, Philip E. Agre[7][8] and journalist Eric Boehlert[9] both argue that three articles in Wired News led to the creation of the widely spread urban legend that Gore claimed to have "invented the Internet", which followed this interview.[10] This urban legend became "an automatic laugh. Jay Leno, David Letterman, or any other comedic talent can crack a joke about Al Gore 'inventing the Internet,' and the audience is likely to respond with howls of laughter."[11]
In response to the controversy, Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn argued that they didn't think, "as some people have argued, that Gore intended to claim he 'invented' the Internet. Moreover, there is no question in our minds that while serving as Senator, Gore's initiatives had a significant and beneficial effect on the still-evolving Internet."[12]
Gore would later poke fun at the controversy on the Late Show with David Letterman when he read Letterman's Top 10 List, which for this show was called, "Top Ten Rejected Gore - Lieberman Campaign Slogans". Number nine on the list was: "Remember, America, I gave you the Internet, and I can take it away!"[13] A few years later, on June 6, 2005, Gore was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award "for three decades of contributions to the Internet" at the Webby Awards.[14][15]
Announcement[edit]
There was talk of a potential run for president by Gore as early as January 1998.[16]
Gore formally announced his candidacy for president on June 16, 1999, in Carthage, Tennessee.[17] He was introduced by his eldest daughter, Karenna Gore, who was pregnant at the time with her first child.[17] The speech was "briefly interrupted" by AIDS protesters claiming Gore was working with the pharmaceutical industry to prevent access to generic medicines for poor nations.[17] Additional speeches were also interrupted by the protesters. Gore responded, "I love this country. I love the First Amendment ... Let me say in response to those who may have chosen an inappropriate way to make their point, that actually the crisis of AIDS in Africa is one that should command the attention of people in the United States and around the world."[18] In making the announcement, Gore also distanced himself from Bill Clinton, whom he stated had lied to him.[17] In an interview for 20/20 Gore stated, "What he did was inexcusable, and particularly as a father, I felt that it was terribly wrong."
Primaries[edit]
Gore faced an early challenge by former New Jersey senator Bill Bradley.[17] Bradley was the only candidate to oppose Gore[19] and was considered a "fresh face" for the White House.[20] Bradley, in comparing himself with the current administration, argued that "One of the reasons I'm running for president is to restore trust and public service and confidence in our collective will."[19] By the fall of 1999, a number of polls showed Bradley running even with the Vice President in key primary states."[20] Gore responded by switching his campaign headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Nashville, Tennessee, in an effort to further distance himself from Bill Clinton.[21] Gore then challenged Bradley to a series of debates which took the form of "town hall" meetings.[22] Gore went on the offensive during these debates[23] leading to a drop in the polls for Bradley.[24] Gore eventually went on to win every primary and caucus and in March 2000, secured the Democratic nomination.[25]
Aftermath[edit]
Theories[edit]
There were a number of theories connected to Gore's loss. Gore, according to a 2002 NPR article, attributed it to "the economic downturn and stock market slide that began earlier that year."[58] His running mate, Joe Lieberman, criticized Gore for adopting a populist theme, stating that he had objected to Gore's "people vs. the powerful" message, as he believed that it was not the best strategy for a sitting Vice President (Lieberman also stated that he would still endorse Gore if he decided to run for the 2004 election).[59] Other critics attributed Gore's loss in part to Green Party candidate Ralph Nader who garnered 2.7% of the vote, enough of whose votes which they argued might have otherwise gone to Gore to swing the result.[60][61]
Another theory suggests that Al Gore attempted to run a populist campaign but failed to separate himself from the abuses of the Clinton presidency. The public was not able to forget the Campaign fund raising controversy at the Hsi Lai Temple 1996 United States campaign finance controversy. There is also a theory concerning Al Gore's first campaign interviews on CNN.[62]
However, it has been acknowledged that Gore's decision to distance himself from Clinton—whose Gallup approval ratings were well above 50% throughout the year[63]—was a costly mistake for his campaign.[64][65][66]
Television appearances[edit]
A few years later, Gore began to make a number of television appearances in which he displayed a willingness to poke fun at himself, such as in episodes of Futurama and Saturday Night Live.[67][68] Some argued that this was evidence that he was "presenting a whole new side of himself" to contradict the perception of a persona "often associated with stiffness and caution." There was further speculation that it was indicative of a 2004 presidential run.[67]
HBO film[edit]
The election is the subject of a 2008 made-for-TV movie directed by Jay Roach, produced by, and starring Kevin Spacey called Recount. It premiered on the HBO cable network on May 25, 2008.