After turmoil of the past several weeks subsides, Gore may just want to decompress. But should he get back into the public spotlight, a likely occupation would be keynoting. While his charisma may not match Bill Clinton’s, “I think he’s a better speaker than he’s given credit for,” says Carlton Sedgeley, head of Royce Carlton Inc., a lecture-management agency that handles Naomi Wolf and David Halberstam, among others. Gore could pull in somwhere between $60,000 and $75,000 per engagement, guesses Sedgeley. Not bad. Tipper could conceivably add to the household income with her own public speaking gigs, too, Sedgeley says. Gore could also follow Bob Dole’s lead and become a political commentator.
A book deal also seems a natural choice for Gore. After all, Gore’s first job, before politics, was journalism. And his environmental treatise, “Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit” (1992) was a bestseller. “If he wrote a book just on the election, that would be juicy enough,” says Roche. Given the historical relevance and the public sentiment over the whole Florida episode, any book that shared Gore’s insider experiences would likely be in high demand.
Gore’s highly charged political past may not lend itself to corporate work, at least not until post-election politics cool down. “[Corporations] are looking for beige people,” says one insider. Still, both former President Gerald Ford and former Vice President Walter Mondale have served on corporate boards, so it’s not entirely out of the question.
And academia could beckon, too. On election night, a few commentators toyed with the idea of Al Gore as Harvard University’s next president. Yes, Gore is a Harvard graduate. But he’s got no university experience, which makes landing the top job a challenge. Still, that doesn’t mean an academic future is entirely ruled out. Gore could conceivably teach government or political science some day; with his analytical mind and his grasp of the issues, he’d no doubt be perfect for discussing the finer points of the legislation process–although he may want get a few pointers on how to hold students’ attention.
Then there’s the nonprofit world. “Gore’s got great administrative skills, he’s a detail-oriented guy, he knows the labyrinth of Washington,” says Roche. After having spent 24 years in the capitol as Congressman, Senator and Vice President, Gore is brimming with contacts. His experience with environmental and health-related issues, could make a valuable ally for such causes, were he interested.
Not everyone wants him, though. “You might think that an environmental group would be a logical place for Al Gore,” says David Williamson, a visiting fellow at the Aspen Institute, a Washington, D.C. think tank. But left-leaning groups have been critical of the Clinton administration, and Gore in particular, for not having done enough, he says. And moderate groups might worry that Gore’s political baggage could negatively influence fundraising. In the non-profit world, says Williamson, Gore’s best bet would be an active yet apolitical enterprise, like a Red Cross or a YMCA. Gore might also be a good fit for a large, established foundation. “Something with a lot of tech money might be a suitable,” says Williamson, “because of his interest in technology.”
It’s all up to the vice president.
