Does Al Gore Wield Power?

So.....according to the media, Al Gore's endorsement of Howard Dean has a great impact to the other candidates' position in the caucus race, right? Wrong! An informal call-in poll through a local television station asked if Gore's support of Dean had any impact on your selection of a candidate. 85% of the respondents indicated that it had no impact.

I decided to conduct my own informal person-on-the-street poll with that same question thinking I might get a different perception. Surprisingly, I did not. I even asked a couple of folks wearing a Howard Dean button if they thought it would impact other's decision. They did not. They were excited, of course, that he had chosen Dean as "his" candidate but they felt it really would not sway others into Dean's camp solely because of the endorsement.

A couple of side statements indicated that Clark's indication that he may ask Hilary Clinton to be his running mate felt it was a "desparate" grasp of trying to gain some supporters. My physical therapist also shared that if it was reversed (Hilary Clinton with Clark as the running mate), now that may have swayed him!