Dropping a [Para]digm

It seems the bipolitical guns of the bought and paid for power structure, dulled by the contrived theater of bushian hoopla, are not yet fully appreciating some of the more delightful political nuance yet unfolding from Albert Gore’s not yet fully enunciated but still paradigm-shattering and real political masterstroke begun this morning at the National Black Theater in Harlem, NY.
Seemingly underplayed, I thought, by the media (even C-SPAN’s Journal oddly exited the event midway through Gore’s remarks completely missing the Vice President’s most severe criticism of Iraq), several key themes scattered throughout the, perhaps purposfully, low-key event teased the game altering nature of Gore’s remarks and hinted at some of the Republican political internal organs cumulatively affected by his master sword thrust.
Dean, first addressing the crowd, referred to Mr. Gore as the “elected President of the United States” and closed the event by restating Andrew Jackson’s leveling promise to “open the doors of the White House” to the American people come January, 2005.
Gore, promising thunder later today in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, described Dean as the only candidate to inspire passion at the grassroots level and to have correctly judged the prewar Iraq situation:

I'm very proud and honored to endorse Howard Dean to be the next president of the United States of America…We need to remake the Democratic Party and we need to remake America to take it back on behalf of the people of this country…Our country has been weakened in its ability to fight the war against terror because of the catastrophic mistake the Bush administration made in taking us to war in Iraq.

CBS News is reporting “sources close to the campaign” saying:

The former Vice President believes Democrats have fought themselves for too long, that he is "unhappy" with the tone of the campaign - and believes his best move is to endorse Howard Dean and do it now.

With clear slaps at the Clintonian centrism so artfully parroted by Republicans, the former Vermont governor, medical doctor and neopopulist thanked Gore and implied a continuing major role for the former Vice President in the campaign and in a Dean administration:

We have needed a strong steady hand in this party and I appreciate Al's willing(ness) to stand up and be one.

Similarly burdened with a candidate lacking a previous national popular mandate, I’ve understood Mr. Rove desires, no matter the ugly historical ramifications for zero year presidencies, to replay 1896.

Wm Jennings Bryan delivering 'Cross of Gold' speech

This morning I accept Rove’s self-serving parallel without, necessarily, the 1896 outcome.
For, this morning in Harlem, I saw the outlines of a victorious post millennial Cross of Gold and heard, with new strength, the echoes of William Jennings Bryan:

My friends, in this land of the free you need not fear that a tyrant will spring up from among the people. What we need is an Andrew Jackson to stand, as Jackson stood, against the encroachments of organized wealth…Changing conditions make new issues, that the principles upon which Democracy rests are as everlasting as the hills, but that they must be applied to new conditions as they arise.
Conditions have arisen, and we are here to meet those conditions…there are two ideas of government. There are those who believe that, if you will only legislate to make the well to do prosperous, their prosperity will leak through on those below. The Democratic idea, however, has been that if you legislate to make the masses prosperous, their prosperity will find its way up through every class which rests upon them…Having behind us the producing masses of this nation and the world, supported by the commercial interests, the laboring interests and the toilers everywhere…You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.

Photos: AP, HistoricalVoices.org
- posted by Sean @ 1:13 PM