Voters are understandably satisfied with the direction of the country and want things to continue.
This is a condition that normally re-elects the party in power. Voters are looking for a way to do just that. The anecdotal evidence hints at it everywhere. Voters want to re-elect the party in power, but they also want to be able to listen to the nightly news with their children without hearing about the latest Clinton era scandal. As Bush moved to the center at his convention, differences between the candidates blurred and the Texan was looking enough like the Democrat people want.