This is a rush transcript from "America's Election HQ," March 27, 2008. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
BILL HEMMER, CO-HOST: Do the Democrats need a savior? And if so, is that savior in the shape of Al Gore?
Time magazine columnist Joe Klein is painting a picture where party leaders would arrange to have Al Gore as a nominee this summer and Barack Obama is the V.P.
On the undercard: Larry Haas, former communications director for Al Gore; and Angela McGlowan, Republican strategist, FOX News contributor.
Good evening to both of you.
LARRY HAAS, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR AL GORE: It's nice to be here.
ANGELA MCGLOWAN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Hello.
HEMMER: Larry, what do you think?
HAAS: I don't think it's going to happen and, frankly, I think it would make the problem worse. What Joe Klein is suggesting is that because there would be a loser between Clinton and Obama, that somehow we should stop all the bitterness and get someone else. And the problem is that while under the current scenario, there will be one set of embittered people, under the Gore scenario, everyone will be embittered.
HEMMER: So, nobody's going to be happier. I know, you're dismissing this idea. I'll come to you back in a moment here. Angela, what do you think?
MCGLOWAN: You know, I agree with him that it's going to happen but I disagree, I think it would be a better ticket to unite the party. Here's the deal. If Hillary Clinton steals the nomination from Obama, the black vote is going to stand down. And former Senator Zell Miller said it best, if Democrats don't get 90 percent of the black vote, 40 percent of the white vote, they lose every time.
Case in point: Bush won four more years by winning 16 percent of the black vote in Ohio. So, Gore will help with the working class white men vote and Obama will get the black vote. (INAUDIBLE) I still think McCain will defeat them.
HEMMER: Look, I like Joe Klein. I think he knows his stuff. You know, Larry, I don't know what your opinion of him is, but, you know, I looked at his story and it looked to me like he was trying to get more hits on his blog or something like that.
I just don't see this as a reality, but there is a larger question to this as it goes to Al Gore. What is his rightful place in this debate and how should he assert himself?
HAAS: Well, look, he was a candidate not too long ago. He's a party elder. He's a person of great respect. He should weigh in and at some point, declare his support for one or the other, but declaring your support for one or the other does not give you a constituency to, in essence, steal the nomination. My opponent here is talking about Hillary stealing the nomination. The fact is if Gore got the nomination, that would be really whole so loosening (ph).
MCGLOWAN: I'm not saying that Gore should be the nominee, I think that if you were to do this as a party, not that I'm giving you any advice, Barack Obama should be the nominee and Al Gore should play second fiddle. Why should Al Gore get the nomination? I don't like the article.
Having said that though, you guys have a problem because you're fighting and more than likely, the decision won't be made until August, if it's made until then, while McCain is out there getting very, very good press.
HAAS: Well, I do agree that we need to bring this to a close pretty quickly. My suggestion would be that we play it out through the upcoming primaries, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Indiana. We will be, hopefully, closer to some decision.
But at a certain point before too long, I do agree that the superdelegates are going to have to weigh in as a group, tilt it one way or another, and then, I think if it's done by about May, there will be time for the nominee to unite the party. But I agree, if it goes to Denver, it is going to hurt the party.
MCGLOWAN: Right. And I don't think it's going to be done by May. If Hillary wins Pennsylvania by double digits, then more than likely, we will know something by May.
HEMMER: If Hillary Clinton wins Pennsylvania by double digits, she's going to try and change the headlines, right?
MCGLOWAN: She is going. She's very good at that.
HEMMER: But that's the strategy. She's trying to run the table and convince the superdelegates and all the delegates for that matter that they should back her.
HAAS: Look, she may have a legitimate argument, because at the end of the day, a party is trying to nominate the strongest candidate, and her argument that I have won the big states that Democrats have to win, I think, is a compelling argument. I don't know that it should be the overriding argument, but I think for someone to say -
MCGLOWAN: But from a policy standpoint, Larry, I agree with you, she's a better candidate, but she has found so much (INAUDIBLE) she's made a lot of enemies in the party.
HEMMER: Thank you, Angela. Thank you, Larry. The arbiter issue, Al Gore, it maybe, still. Thanks, both.
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