It's solved! Democratic race prediction: Neither Hillary Clinton nor Barack Obama will win

OK, here's what's going to happen in the messy Democratic presidential race: Neither one of your favorites is going to win. They're gonna tear each other apart to no successful end.

It'll stay stalled into the convention in late August, while John McCain and Condi Rice raise money and get the Republicans united and organized.

In Denver, the Democratic superdelegates, like the unelected elites they are, will gather in great worry, maybe after an inconclusive first round of general balloting.

And these big names will pick not the best candidate nor the one with the most delegates or, actually, any delegates or any popular votes.

To solve this self-destructive stalemate, they'll pick someone who denies even being a candidate, the least-worst candidate, somebody hardly anyone can really object to, except the Clintons.

They'll pick one of their own superdelegates, Al Gore, Mr. Party Elder, Mr. Nobel Prize, Mr. I-Got-Screwed-Out-of-Victory-Last-Time and Mr. Trust-Me-the-Globe-Really-Is-Round-and-Warming and I'm finally gonna get a chance to do something about it from the White House. The Draft Gore folks will be ecstatic and the Democratic blogosphere is already excited.

To keep the Obama zealots in the tent, Gore in turn will pick Barack Obama as his vice presidential running mate with the silent understanding that Big Al will ....

bow out after one term and the then-51-year-old, totally experienced Illinois guy can inherit the wind, while Al gets back to his lectures and slide shows for even larger fees as an ex-president.

Hey, it's not any stranger than all the other things that are happening this cycle. And it saves Gore all the expense, travel, fatigue, fundraising, phony handshakes and hassle of actually competing in primaries. Let's hear your scenarios below.

Sure, Gore had his own Bosnia sniper moments by inventing the Internet and everything else Ben Franklin didn't patent. But Hillary Clinton can go back to the Senate's sniping and shove Harry Reid out of the way as majority leader. 

Until all that happens -- remember, you read it here first -- Gore, the Democrat's ill-fated nominee for president in 2000 who won the popular vote but lost the balloting that counts in the electoral college, is now contending that global warming doubters remind him of those who think the moon landing was fake or the world is as flat as it looks on a map.

This is the sort of stuff you'll hear this Sunday evening when the 2000 loser appears on "60 Minutes." Gore, who's on the other flat side of the Earth at a climate conference in India this week, says he'll give the profits from his book and film, "An Inconvenient Truth," to support a $300-million global advertising campaign to boost awareness of global warming.

Gore, who waffled a long while about another run at the White House and then repeatedly ruled it out, which we don't believe, still answers the perennial question as the current campaign drags on over minimal policy disagreements.

To try to make some news, the "60 Minutes" reporter tells Gore that some prominent people, including the man who succeeded him as vice president, remain unconvinced that global warming is man-made.

Gore replies: “You’re talking about Dick Cheney. I think that those people are in such a tiny, tiny minority now with their point of view, they’re almost like the ones who still believe that the moon landing was staged in a movie lot in Arizona and those who believe the world is flat. That demeans them a little bit, but it’s not that far off.''

Some of the ads that Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection will air will feature an ecumenical odd couple, the Rev. Al Sharpton and the Rev. Pat Robertson, as well as odd political bedfellows Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich, and a pairing of singers who flank both sides of the country music dial, Toby Keith and the Dixie Chicks.

-- Andrew Malcolm and Mark Silva

Mark Silva writes for the Swamp of the Chicago Tribune's Washington bureau.

Photo Credit: Raveendran/AFP/Getty Images

Comments

[akrob]

What a fair game !! An excellent demonstration of how America's major "export product" works. What will Americans say if Mugabe did the same?

[zammy]

Goodness gracious Mr. Malcolm...

With all that has developed within the Democratic campaign, it is difficult to detect whether this article holds validity or not.

Had this been posted say about 4 months ago, I would of dimissed it as pure sarcasm.

However, the current scenario may prove that you and Mr. Silva may not be too far from the truth. Should this occur, then the L.A. Times seemingly have two potential prophets on its staff and didn't even know it.

All I know is, I read it here first...we'll see what happens.

[Adrian]

There aren't enough superdelegates to elect Gore... even if all of them vote for him. You still need 2024 to be the nominee.

He'd be a great vp for clinton though.

Everyone would forget about Obama in a week

[grant]

Adrian,

Another Clinton-Gore ticket? And, Bill Clinton, the potential first gentleman?

Then Hillary's theme of convincing America's voters to rally for "change" even becomes more believable, right? Were you born yesterday?

Wake-up Toto, you aren't in OZ !

[fortnoy amestoy]

Al Gore the Nominee with Barack his VP?
STOP TEASING ME!

[Mark P]

Draft Al Gore is the same thing I wrote to CNN
and the DNC a few months ago.

It is my understanding that the elected
delegates are "'locked in" and pledged
to their candidate ON THE FIRST CONVENTION
BALLOT ONLY.

All the so called "Super Delegates have to
do is to abstain from voting on the first ballot.

Then ,when it becomes obvious that neither candidate
has enough delegates to win the nomination outright
on subsequent convention ballots,
then all the elected delegates and "Super Delegates"
become free agents who may vote for whomever they
choose--even so called "non candidates" .

Gore-Obama '08 OR

Gore-Seibus '08 (sp?)
(Kathleen Seibus the Governor of Kansas)

would both be great tickets that
could beat MCain and the Republicans.

MCain would just be a third term of George W Bush
(more of the same and complete denial on Iraq
and on the bad economy).

The Clintons are showing themselves to be
very poor sports and very sore losers.

They are using the Karl Rove playbook to
try to destroy Obama.

Their "sense of entitlement" to the White House
is the height of arrogance.
(And , I voted for Bill Clinton 2x so I am not a Clinton basher).

The Clinton's had their chance in the 1990's
and they did not accomplish anywhere near what they
wanted to accomplish, but it was their own fault.

It just proves to me how overrated they were/are.
If they were so smart, then they would have run
a better, more efficient campaign and not arrogantly
expected a coronation of Hillary as the nominee.

They spent (wasted) an ungodly and record amount of money
and they had no organization in 40 of the 50 states?

And, they knew or should have known exactly what the
delegate rules were and how to run their campaign.

Alternatively, if the Clintons are so smart then why did they
not work to have the delegate rules changed back to
"winner take all" in many of the states like the Republicans did?

They had eight full years to lobby for delegate rules changes
yet they did not even see it as a possible issue,
which again proves my point that they think they are smarter then
they really are.

And, the Media constantly builds the Clintons up as being such savvy politicians.

I do not buy it and it looks like the majority of Democrats and Republicans do not buy it either.

[Gorefan]

Al Gore has already ruled out a vp spot. He recently said the only elected posiotion he would ever accept is the presidency.

If Obama doesn't win by the third ballot, he could be convinced to accept the second spot on the ticket behind Gore. Then he could request that his pledged delegates and superdelegates vote for Gore/Obama.

It won't be Gore/Clinton because that might alienate the supporters of Obama . Especially if they feel Obama has been screwed over. Obama's biggest supporters are new voters and African Americans, two groups the Democrats need to win in November.

Gore/Obama 08 experience and Judgement

(Nobody's talking about Gore for VP here.)

[jim sparks]

I suppose that if there was a Clinton/Gore ticket, they could recycle all of those bumper stickers and posters from 1992.

[James]

Gore never claimed to have invented the internet. That was a false GOP talking point. Is all your information that accurate?

[Joseph]

Oh come on, now. All you have to do to debunk the "Al Gore invented the Internet" nonsense is check Snopes:

http://www.snopes.com/quotes/internet.asp

This seriously calls your credibility into question.

[Gabrielle]

Be still my heart. Gore/Obama has been my dream ticket for more than a year! I am an independent. Though there is nothing that would make me vote for John McCain, I am no fan of Hillary Clinton either. If she is the nominee, I may have to stay home on election day. I have never stayed home on election day! Obama is a good choice but there are still many in America not ready for him. VP would give him the experience but also give some of our citizens a chance to be eased into what I see is a step forward for our nation.

Gore/Obama '08!

[dave]

when the curtain parts, to some it will seem like ron paul appeared out of nowhere.

[Phil Jamison]

This is a big country with lots of moving parts. We don't need any more complications. The Domcrats will have their delegate soon enough and that will be plenty of time.

[EuroTrash60]

Why this story is getting airtime is beyond me. This will never happen in a million years: Al Gore doesn't want the job, and #2 millions of American voters will rise up in the streets should the party elders even TRY to strip Barack Obama of his well-earned nomination.

[F]

I think you're onto something here -- Gore/Obama after the third ballot. I also think McCain's health will fail under the strain of the campaign, and either Romney or Gingrich will step up to the plate, so it is Gore/Obama vs. Gingrich/Rice.

But Hillary go back to the Senate and take Reid's seat? No way. The Democratic caucus doesn't want her any more than the US voters her. She'll go back where she's wanted and appreciated: governorship of NY.

Them's my predictions. F

[KSM]

McCain/Rice? Now there is a ticket I would support.

Obama is a blank slate that people project their fantasies onto. Clinton is, well, you know.....

Gore is a fabulist. His policies would wreck our country, almost as badly as Obama's.

We need adults in the White House, not power hungy children.

[Thomas]

Flat earthers? A tiny, tiny minority? How ignorant are we, actual scientists with degrees more advanced than Mr. Gore, who dare to objectively examine conflicting data and come to different conclusions?

Does Algore not read the news, or is he just so isolated and deluded that he has no view of the outside world?

Many, many people are skeptical about global warming, and there is growing evidence that the earth isn't warming, and if it is, man is not the cause.

Algore's entire life and legacy are consumed with global warming. In an absolute vacuum of objectivity, he witch hunts those who dare to disagree with him. One cannont have an honest opinion that disagrees with him and not be treated as a liar and/or an idiot.

Remember this: in the late 18th century, the brightest scientific minds believed that blood letting was the standard of care for most ilnesses. George Washington died this way. Metaphysicial certitude is dangerous in science.

It is my belief that the global warming issue will appear very differently by the end of the year. Algore's carbon credit interests will be exposed for the scam that they are, and he will go down in infamy.

The end will be brutal, swift, and unsympathetic.

[Scotsw]

"Sure, Gore had his own Bosnia sniper moments by inventing the Internet and everything else Ben Franklin didn't patent."

Ha, ha very not funny. Is this a political blog written by reporters for one of the nation's highest-profile "serious" newspapers, or a bad conservative opinion rag from a medium-sized community college.

While a reliable laugh line for the far-right, the Internet canard was long ago disproven. The man never claimed to have invented it and he DID, in fact, write key legislation for its development. Reporters with any care for the facts should not be mindlessly regurgitating RNC press-release fodder as fact -- and that's exactly where this urban legend started: RNC headquarters.

Unless, of course, you're trying out material for a stand-up gig at the Republican Convention. They think that crap is hilarious.

[BR]

The snopes quote reads that Gore said "I took the initiative in creating the internet." I've never seen how the word creating is a whole lot different the inventing. There is a subtle difference obviously, but both cause something that wasn't there to be there afterward. Additionally I believe the quote was about a bill sponsored by Gore that led to standardizations in the Web. While the web is all most people ever see of the internet is it only port 80 of 65,534 possible ports. A more responsible quote from gore should have gone something like this "I gave some of your tax dollars to some guys that were instrumental in developing an early web browser called Mosaic that no one actually uses anymore." If you compare the quote Gore made in the snopes reference with what actually occurred it is a much larger difference then the definitions between "created" vs "invented." Which is why I am one of the people who take a little liberty and when referring to Gore and that quote, I paraphrase and say he invented the internet, because the word invented is much closer to what he said he did, then what actually happened.

[riverdan1900]

Been posting this same info. everywhere, trying to get everyone prepared! It often ends with discussions on trolls, Fox talking points,blah, blah... people need to understand, neither Hill or O are electable!!

[bruce]

"I think that those people are in such a tiny, tiny minority now with their point of view..." Let's see. That would be the Al Gore who made Ds in science in college, and who has increased his net worth by a factor of 50X since getting into the "carbon credits" racket, and who refuses to debate any of the fully credentialed atmospheric scientists who are skeptical about his doom scenarios. Yes, I'm very impressed.

[buddy larsen]

Wow, one can only imagine what Gore-for-prez would do, in the general election campaign, to the 'man-made global-warming' issue.

[Mojo]

1844: the Democratic convention, unable to decide on a nominee after the front-runners slaughter each other, begins to coalesce around a Tennessee senator named James Polk...

History repeating itself? Except I don't see Gore serving only one term. He's young enough to go the distance. And if he's the Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread, Obama would be happy to serve eight years as the Apprentice and be the first African American President in 2016. --that is, assuming that you honestly believe Gore is so super-special that he can win two terms.

[Sagar]

Interesting idea; the more people say it, the less crackpot it sounds!

John Derbyshire at NRO has been beating this drum for several months now - so, even if this happens, people have heard it elsewhere first ...

[Edna]

A brokered convention with Gore emerging as the nominee is very unlikely...yet NOT impossible! Not only would the delegate stalemate have to continue all the way to the convention (which seems likely), but also both Obama and Clinton would basically have to self-destruct as candidates to the point that the party consensus deems neither one electable (which seems less likely, yet not beyond the realm of the imaginable). THEN Al Gore certainly could ride on and save the day. I, for one, pray that this DOES happen. I have been a Gore aficionado since way back in 1988 and he has only continued to impress me more and more since then. The country, the world, our species and our planet desperately need his vision, integrity, brilliance, leadership and imagination at this crucial juncture in history. Again, I pray that the unlikely scenario of a brokered convention with Gore winding up on the top of the ticket WILL come to be. He could be the cure for a huge chunk of what ails us!!!