Al Gore turns up on the list of potential Democratic presidential hopefuls

Democratic voters should forget about Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Vice President Joe Biden. That’s what one analyst says.

“It’s time to draft Al Gore: If Democrats want to win, it’s clear neither Hillary nor Sanders is the way. Hillary’s flailing. Biden’s grieving. Bernie’s a longshot. Gore bridges the party’s establishment, progressives,” writes Sean Illing, a political theorist for Salon who has 10 reasons why he believes Mr. Gore is a viable alternative.

“Enter Al Gore: the one person on the left, apart from Clinton and Biden, with the cachet to bridge the establishment and progressive wings of the party,” summarizes Mr. Illing.

“Gore may not be new, but his candidacy would feel that way. His political life seems a distant memory at this point, but his activism and business savvy have kept him in the public consciousness. As with most politicians, moreover, the freedom of not having to run for office has done wonders for Gore’s image,” Mr. Illing says.

The proposal has attracted gleeful reactions, from among others, Powerline - which quipped, “Run, Al, run!” - Newsbusters, the Legal Insurrection blog and PJ Media, which summarizes the trend this way: “Anybody but Hillary!”

Rumors about Mr. Gore’s potential presidential bid have circulated for about a year, along with reports that he was now a vegetarian. The former vice president has denied any interest and busied himself with climate matters and “Live Earth - Road to Paris,” a mega-sized, media-infused concert to promote “climate action” with singer Pharrell Williams and other artists, scheduled for September 19.

But there has been a ripple. When asked directly, Mr. Gore himself declined to back Mrs. Clinton for the White House during an interview at an advertising awards symposium in France in late June, remarking that it was “too early” to weigh in.