Polls also had Dubya winning by 3 points on election day. Oops. Polls register opinion as of a moment in time, and often based on factors that are important as of a moment in time (in this case, happiness at having this behind us) but which may not seem so important in light of subsequent events (as in "oops, I guess it did matter who won after all")
I agree that people are glad to have this behind them, no matter who won. And that they want to give him the benefit of the doubt (on some level, that applies to me too). And that 48% of the voters are glad that he won. That's why "polls" say what they do right now, IMO. But once they see who he really is, and what he can or can't do (and how much he does or does not deviate from the moderate rhetoric that he ran on), people will make judgments -- and one of the things that will help form those judgments is how he became president, what tactics he employed, and so on. So while a large percentage of the public has, for the moment, moved past this, do not be surprised if it rears its ugly head (i) when more becomes known about what really happened in Florida, and (ii) the first time he stumbles (and the second and the third, etc.)
Take care - have a happy holiday. I mean that. |
