A case can be made for saying that Al Gore's running mate in 2000 kept Gore from getting to the White House, and someone has already done so, therefore I won't claim this is my original idea at all. But this individual basically said that Al Gore"s number two man got in the way of Gore making it to the White House by all too constantly contradicting Gore when he said anything that seemed even slightly liberal or progressive, even though have may been only symbolic language rather than any specific liberal or progressive stand. The phrase "I'm fighting for the people . . ." readily comes to mind. Just about as soon as Gore would get that out of his mouth, up would just his running made to say he couldn't agree, and tell everybody how he really was all for Wall Street not main street and that was that. If anyone doubts how that could have hurt the national ticket in that campaign, just consider how this looks to the liberal and progressive base of the party when Gore gets contradicted by his running mate constantly about these ever so slightly liberal to progressive remarks. After a while the base figures, "Where are the Democrats in this campaign"? "Is this just going to be about voting for the Republican of your choice"? "If so, just count me out!" Then this leads to a significant drop in Democratic voter turnout which always favors the GOP. Now is the picture beginning to become clear? Almost surely it is. Moreover, just think of the impact of this on what was a very cloose contest and which went right down to the wire in New Hampshire, which could have put Gore over the top in the electoral vote. Nevada also wasn't that strong for W, and a campaign there better targetted at the party's base might well have given that state's elelctoral votes to Gore. Of course, with just New Hampshire, Florida wouldn't have mattered anyway.

Throwing away the party's base can be absolutely politcally hazardous and often politically fatal!

For those who really would like to have avoided the current "wonderful" administration, all of the above isn't just academic, but instead is all too tragic!