Gore Soliciting DCCC Donations

By Patrick O'Connor

(The Politico)  Al Gore, the former Democratic vice president who last week tried to shift an ongoing energy debate back to global warming, is soliciting money for his party's campaign arm in the House.

Gore sent party faithful an e-mail Tuesday that was distributed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to help boost donations for that political operation.

With Congress locked in a partisan stalemate over domestic energy production, the former vice president minimized his emphasis on environmental initiatives - the hallmark of his post-White House career - telling donors only,"If our candidates are successful, we will have leaders who will no longer trade in fear and failure...who will fight for real action on the climate crisis and achieve progress on health care and jobs."

His e-mail is part of the DCCC's 100 Days of Action campaign, a matching program where lawmakers contribute $2 to the committee for every $1 raised by outside donors.

In the note, Gore - or the DCCC aide who drafted this missive - warns party loyalists that outside groups are planning to spend $300 million in attack ads targeting Democrats.