Democratic politicos call it “the center of the action in politics,” and Leisure World retirement community in Montgomery County ? Maryland?s largest single voting precinct with more than 6,700 registered Democrats ? lived up to its name on Monday as former Vice President Al Gore fired up an auditorium of seniors for the entire statewide ticket Monday.
“I used to be the next president of the United States,” Gore said in one of his standard laugh lines. “I don?t think that?s particularly funny,” he added in mock chagrin.
The candidates and audience actually don?t think it?s particularly funny either.
While Democrats wax nostalgic over Bill Clinton?s presidency when “the nation was at peace and the budget was in surplus,” as Senate nominee Ben Cardin said Sunday night at the ex-president?s second visit to Maryland, they absolutely groan over Gore?s razor-thin loss to George Bush in 2002.
“Think of President Al Gore for the last six years, rather than President George Bush,” comptroller candidate Peter Franchot told the crowd.
Gore spent much of his days as vice president focusing on reinventing government and now spends his time as an advocate against global warming.
He portrayed both Bush and Gov. Robert Ehrlich as incompetent administrators and anti-environment.
Repeating charges frequently leveled by Baltimore Mayor Martin O?Malley, Gore said Ehrlich wanted to sell off open space and shut down the office of Smart Growth.
Gore called O?Malley “the single most competent, cutting-edge administrator” among U.S. mayors.
This election “is also a referendum on how things have been going” in the nation, Gore said. “We?ve been going in the wrong direction” on Iraq, the war on terrorism, global warming, the torture of prisoners and giving up our constitutional rights, he said.
Cardin will help restore the checks and balances needed against wrong-headed White House policy, Gore said. “Congress has totally and completely failed to do its job” as an independent and co-equal branch of government, Gore said, and this is “the reason we?re in this mess.”
Taking back control of the Senate “may very well come down to right here” in Cardin?s race against Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, he said.
“If anybody tells you that one vote doesn?t count, tell them to come talk to me,” Gore said. “It counts, it matters.”
