"Run, Al, Run" Street Rally

NY Draft Al Gore will be holding its biggest street rally yet on Thursday, May 24, when Gore will be appearing at the 92nd St. Y for a public interview with Charlie Rose. Two days before the interview, Gore will publish a new book, The Assault on Reason. It is likely (though not yet confirmed) that the Y will also be the site for a public book signing. If so, those who take part in the rally can line up to meet Gore and get a signed copy of his new book. The rally will begin at 6:00 PM, the interview at 8:00 PM, and the book-signing (assuming it is held) after that.

This interview and book-signing may mark a new chapter in the effort to nominate and elect Gore as the next president of the United States. Last January, top-level supporters of Gore, including Elaine Kamarck, his former domestic policy advisor, met to organize a Draft Gore movement of their own. Now we learn that, on May 8, 20 former Gore fund-raisers and supporters, associated with his presidential campaigns in 1988 and 2000, will meet for a ?reunion;? see
http://thecaucus.blog.... In neither case has Gore made an effort to stop the political activity of his top-level supporters (just as he has made no effort to stop the activity of all of us, his supporters at the grassroots). Finally, Gore?s new book, which is likely to address issues beyond global warming, is exactly the sort of book that declared presidential candidates publish in connection with their campaigns. The sense of most draft Gore organizers is that events are now moving more rapidly toward a declaration by Gore himself.

So our "Run, Al, Run" rally on May 24th will be intended both to celebrate and accelerate the momentum toward a Gore candidacy. We must make a maximum effort to show grassroots support for Gore in New York City (where his first campaign in 1988 began). We will advertise our grassroots support in the street outside the Y and (hopefully) in the book-signing line inside the Y, all of us showing our Gore for President buttons to the man we want to lead us.

I am in the process now of finalizing plans for the rally, including the rally's street space and the arrangements for the (probable) book-signing. For now, I ask you to set aside the date for your participation and begin spreading the word for others to participate as well. The date (May 24th) and time (6:00 PM) are firm; I will be sending out further announcements as other aspects of the plan become firm as well.

Stephen Cohen
NY Draft Al Gore Organizer