If that number ever dips below 40 percent, Gore is in real trouble. Because then it starts cutting into his base. Gore has said the polls don't matter because this is a legal issue. But public opinion does matter because the legal process may not resolve the issue. What happens then is that politicians take over, as provided by law.
Politicians are extremely sensitive to public opinion.
The public understands two big things. One is that there is no such thing as an error-free count. Whether it's by hand or by machine, the margin of error in the count is likely to be greater than the margin of victory. The other is that this election could have gone either way. Most people would not see it as an outrageous injustice for either man to be declared the winner.