Prospects for revote in Palm Beach Many fissures ran through the voting population. Vice President Al Gore by 12 points with women.
Some numbers reflect different perceptions of the state of things in America.
Gore was favored by 74 percent of those who think the government should do more and Bush by 70 percent of those who think the government should do less. Like Serbia choosing between freedom and repression or Nigeria between dictatorship and democracy. In fact, in real terms the two major American parties tend to cling to the center, where the increasingly important independent voter dwells, and differences over domestic and foreign policy are less sharp than advertised. If the genuine gravity of this election never appeared during the campaign, it won't take long for our new president to find he faces a changing international environment. Only a decade ago, America celebrated victory in the cold war and prepared to lead a global parade to free markets and democracy.