Insist on even higher levels of certainty. And be more patient. Gore working, Bush and his minions assuming they had won. Seasoned politicians should know better than to nurture this kind of hubris. Bill Clinton, after losing a gubernatorial race in 1980, always insisted on running as if he were behind.
Voters like to see a candidate grunting and groveling on the hustings.
Perhaps as a result, three out of every four undecided voters flocked to Al Gore during the final weekend of the campaign. He outhustled Bush and eked out a popular plurality. That's an awful tally for a man who could boast of peace and prosperity, and had legions of union workers and activists at his disposal. It is deliberately inefficient. It does not permit leaders to undertake rash actions, and it gives voters regular opportunities to kick out lackluster leaders.