Last time I checked the split was about even, with Gore having a tiny lead in the popular vote. But this is a half-full/half-empty approach, and misses the point that I made. I said that a big chunk, perhaps even half of the population is fairly conservative and self-righteous and will vote for Bush because the personifies qualities they admire, AND there is another segment of the population that, while hating the "cowboy" image, will nonetheless vote Republican, because their believe that Repugs better represent their interests (lower taxes, cheap gas, smaller welfare state). Together, these two groups form a majority.
BTW, Clinton won, because he also could be made into a hierophany, a flamboyant saxophone playing homeboy who made it to the top. Even the Monicagate was to his advantage, as getting a blowjob on the job was something that many, perhaps, most lower class males looked upon with envy and approval.
I doubt that Kerry can be turned into a hierophany other than a gold digger (dumping his #1 in less than honourable conditions and marrying a Heinz fortune). He almost certainly cannot be a Vietnam era hierophany because he doubles crossed the lines - being a war criminal (which puts the ex-hippies off) and later a "Fonda Jane" supporter (which turns the vets and military off). He probably cannot be turned into the father-of-the-nation hierophany, because he is not sufficiently arrogant and self-righteous and too brainy. As to Clintonesque flamboyance - its appeal is gone with the "new economy" bubble. In this time of national security scare - being a bunker-head dick like Bush is beautiful.
I will still vote for the guy, but I have no illusion about what this country and a big chunk of its population stands for. A couple of days ago, Kelley posted a rant how much out of place she feels in Florida because of self-righteous christers. Now, if a person born here and thoroughly familiar with this country folklore feels out of place, what can a European immigrant with education, international travel experience, and left (by European standards) political orientation say?
Wojtek