The Everyman Economist

Who won the popular vote in 2000 over George W. Bush? Al Gore. Who won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize? Al Gore. Who won a best documentary Oscar in 2008 for “An Inconvenient Truth.” Al Gore. Who is currently the most popular Democrat in America and the most repected American politician throughout the world? Al Gore. And who can beat John McCain in November to become the next President of the United States? Yes, Al Gore.

Let Obama and Clinton continue their slugfest and guarantee that neither will pull enough delegates on the first ballot to win the nomination. Then do the best thing for the Democrat party and the 2008 Presidential election and nominate Al Gore on the second ballot as the party’s favorite son. Al will bring the party together, make everyone forget the months of in-fighting and start a fresh new campaign. What goes around comes around and it’s time the Everyman got the best person for the job and that’s Al Gore.

While Everyman has been led to believe that the #1 issue on the 2008 political agenda is ”the Economy, stupid” (shades of James Carville), the real culprit continues to fly just under the radar screen - OIL. Of course we all know that the price of Oil has been rising faster than a speeding bullet and that we’re paying more at the pump than ever before, but what we don’t appear to realize is that Oil is currently behind every major problem that confronts us. From the economy to inflation to a sinking dollar to global warming to terrorism to Iraq to China and so on, Oil is the spoon that stirs the pot.

Since the early 1970’s when we sat in our cars on alternate Tuesdays and Thursdays and lined up for gasoline, our leaders have done nothing more than pay lip service to this growing burden. And for more than 35 years, nothing has changed. Now, Obama wants to spend $150 billion dollars over the next 10 years and Hillary and McCain want to set up another commission. But nobody wants to take this issue on as the emergency crisis it is NOW! Until we find a way to abandon Oil and move to alternate sources of energy, we will be plagued by these same problems in one form or another and worse, we will be beholden to the countries that are not our friends and that will hold us hostage in the global economy. If we truly want to save ourselves from repeated disasters, it’s time to go to war and the enemy is Oil. Let’s spend whatever it takes to put our Public Enemy #1 in the garbage bin of history. We will solve countless problems, we will create millions of new jobs, we will clean the air we breathe and we will free ourselves of the shackles of dictators and despots. This is America and what we want to do, we can do, so let’s get it on. Abandon the OIL and Save the World!

This exciting political season is rife with predictions. But the most exciting thing about ”Politics 2008″ is just how wrong the oracles have been. They buried John McCain and Hillary Clinton, only to see them rise from the ashes. They assured us of the outcomes in Iowa and New Hampshire, and the outcomes were not exactly as predicted. And they reacted as if the sky was falling with “100 years in Iraq,” “Phone Calls at 3:00 AM,” “Wright was Wrong,” and “Snipers in Bosnia.” So with all that said, I’d like to jump into the fray.

Like my fellow Everyman, I too see the Democrats working hard to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Predictions abound about the destruction of the party and a tumultuous convention. I watch the same TV and read the same articles but I’m not so sure I reach the same conclusion. You see the Everyman electorate is usually focused on the “here and now.” And right now we are awfully far from the real “here and now.” That will take place when only 2 candidates are left standing and the Obama/Clinton feud is behind us. Only then will we know who we want and why we want him or her. In the meantime, however, the Democrat Family Feud may result in a very interesting scenario. At the moment, the big gun among the Democrats is also the quietest and his name is Al Gore. Al hasn’t backed either candidate, although he appears to have closer ties to Obama. But Al lurks in the background. My suspicion is that Al will come out of hiding if one of the two  main candidates becomes the clear victor. If not, Al will be at the convention as a “super-delegate” and he could make an exceptional compromise choice to replace both Barack and Hillary and bring the party together. It’s not a predictable event, but if the chips fall where they may, and the contest does not produce a decisive winner, Al Becomes a very realistic alternative. Wouldn’t that make what’s already a hot political season a real scortcher?