The prospect that at best, George W. Bush will enter the Oval Office as the first president-elect to lose the popular vote since Benjamin Harrison means both parties emerge from the election in deep melancholia.
Disappointment is intense on each side.
Democratic leaders are furious that enough liberals strayed to Ralph Nader to deprive Al Gore of the presidency and appalled by the failure to win either house of Congress. The GOP establishment wishes Gov. Bush had performed more effectively, but that is nothing compared to the wrath turned on Vice President Gore by his own party. Nevertheless, the Republican sadness seems more intense. In spite of this, Republican expectation for victory was high, fueled not only by the polls but also the Republican base's determination to get rid of the Clinton-Gore regime. Thus, GOP loyalists were stunned by exit polls, leaked to them by the news media, predicting Gore victories in the pivotal states of Florida and Michigan.