Nixon is back! Well not really, the Moose is referring to the comeback of Al Gore, the Democrat's version of the Phoenix-like Republican of '68. The remake of the former Veep is in overdrive. The lefties realize that Al is their true heart-throb.
No doubt, the Veep is reading Six Crises and consulting with the Old Nixon men. Like Tricky Dick, Al can wave the "Bloody Shirt" of a stolen election. And after eight years in the wilderness, Gore can mobilize the base because he has been "right" on everything dear to the left.
Let's put to the side the fact that Nixon was historically the worst threat to American democracy in the history of the nation and that Al Gore is genuinely decent man and public servant with an impeccable record.
The historical analogies between a Gore run in 2008 and Nixon's run in 1968 are striking:
(1) Minority party (GOP, Dems) reverses years of exile from the White House with a charismatic, moderate president (Ike, Clinton)
(2) Despite popularity of policies of outgoing president, less charsimatic VP (Nixon, Gore) stumbles against a young, inexperienced but up-beat challenger (Kennedy, Bush).
(3) Dramatic event rallies divided nation around incumbent party (Cuban Missle Crisis, 9/11)
(4) Majority adminsitration gets mired in war, corruption and overreaching of its cultural fringe.
(5) Former VP (Nixon, Gore) returns to public stage to rally demoralized party (post-Goldwater GOP, post-Kerry Dems) and present himself as both an stateman with experience and outsider who can clean up the mess of the majority party.
Wouldn't it be great if the parallels continued. A 2-term Gore presidency beginning in 2008 (which since Al Gore would never bug his opponent's phones would last its full 8 years)?
Anyway, the Moose is panicking a bit too much from Gore's rhetoric. After all, Nixon's actual policies while in office were surprinsingly moderate.
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