Rather, it has revealed a corrupted electoral system, feeding wells of anger that will complicate Mr Bush s relations with Congress further. The voters who are up in arms are black. Many blacks believe this effort has been poisoned by clapped-out voting machines, confusion and outright fraud. Whatever the reasons for these lopsided results, they have fostered disenchantment among black voters and an upsurge of support for civil-rights leaders. The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People has asked the Justice Department to look into allegations of fraud.
Lawsuits look likely.
But even before that, the uproar has damaged Mr Bush s claim to be a uniter, not a divider and hurt his claim to be a new sort of Republican, with a multi-cultural agenda. Moreover, the anger among blacks reflects a wider disenchantment. Turnout among union members and Hispanics rose. The success of the left and the anger is an important part of it will not make bipartisan support impossible. The Democratic base wants things like a prescription-drug benefit anyway.