Mr. Gore: What We Expect...

Dear Vice President Gore:

To me, you sounded like a winner, a far different person than we all saw during the elections. You seemed to be full of what some folks down home seem to call gumption. In any event, you got me off my seat hooting and wailing for you.
But that isn't enough Mr. Vice President. There is apparently a lot of water under the bridge. And no matter how many great speeches you've made, and I am willing to mark them all great!, I have to say that many are not willing to forgive or forget.

I know how they feel, Mr. Vice President. I was there at the beginning when we couldn't muster enough people to carry all of the signs we had made up.
When the freepers were coming by and giving us the arms and elbows and shouting us down with unseemly epithets. We hung in there, Mr. Gore and would have wished that you did too.

For us, we were unhappy with a lot of the things that happened. Your organization was pathetically amateurish. Why? Couldn't you have gotten a bevy of pros together. Your delayed responses to charges even though you know that's what killed the previous democratic candidate gave an unfair advantage to the 'other guy.' Your campaign manager who didn't listen to outside advice was in my personal opinion a disaster waiting to happen. . ANd a program that was short on support, failed to ignite the media and was generally disappointing. To make matters worse, you picked a vice president who was cold and calculating and insincere--who didn't carry his weight and spent too much time playing up to the opposition. We were flabbergasted!
Worst of all, you didn't identify with Clinton--you couldn't have made a bigger mistake in my estimation!

In spite of it all, we stuck by you. We raised your banners, marched the marches, talked the talk. And you quit on us...
We know it wasn't all you, Mr. Gore. We know that you got bad advice. And you were being hammered on by the pros not to mention Florida's governor and staff and the Supreme Court.
But you should have hung in there. You should have fought Florida's decision to end the recount. We could have made a case of it.

And that's why a lot of us are angry.

At the same time, Mr. Gore, you have been the only one to ignite the fire of passion in someone like me. I was on Dean's Team for awhile and he blew it. $55 million spent foolishly before Iowa. Then I joined Kerry's team and I got disgusted with his failed attempts to communicate coherently and to explain his involvement with the war. He still hasn't clarified his position to anyone. There is also Hillary, who's got lot's of money in her war chest but she's been playing it so safe debating whether it is alright to burn the flag that I am ready to give up on her.

Only, you have stuck to the principle issues engaged here. Only you have illuminated the violations of the Constitution and the abuses of Democracy. Only you have called their acts illegal and that there should be a prosecutor to probe everything that this cabal has done to bring down our democracy and erect an autocracy of the worst kind.

i am going to send this letter out, Mr. Vice President, and I hope that it will raise a lot of questions and I hope that it will get people thinking about you again as our beacon of hope.

We don't want to be let down again, Mr. Vice President, we don't think the country or the world can afford it. So, if you decide to pick up the standard, we expect you to be there for the long haul and hang tough. And we are going to play hard-ball if you do.

That's all I have to say except that this letter will be read by literally thousands of people and they will mostly feel like I do and they will expect answers from you on all their questions.
Thank you, Mr. Vice President,

With all my respect and best wishes,

I remain,

Les Aaron