How did Gore not win comfortably?

[Boris]

This is sort of unprovable, but my thesis is basically that many of those that would have favored Gore with a gun to their head didn't vote while Bush's supporters among the religious right were more motivated with the hypothetical chance to overturn Roe v. Wade and "restore moral authority" to the White House. Although obviously the DUI hurt Bush and Gore's GOTV operations were superior to Bush's (or the polling right before election day just sucked, whichever). Gore's unlikability was probably the largest cause of this...voter ambivalence. I think the conventional wisdom between 2000-2004 was that higher turnout favored the Democrats; needless to say, most of us were stunned when Bush was able to win as many votes as he did in 2004.

The turnout was really low as it is among voters (which is what happens during times of stability I suppose) anyway. It was, what, only a couple points higher than 1996?

true, clinton had high approval ratings,but his personal approval ratiings were in the toilet.  people actually believe bush would 'clean up the white house'

http://www.pollingreport.com/clinton1.htm

Some polls had him at about +10 during the fall campaign, some polls have him at about even. *shrug* They should have at least used him more in Arkansas or something

[Boris]

while Bush's supporters among the religious right were more motivated with the hypothetical chance to overturn Roe v. Wade and "restore moral authority" to the White House.

They weren't that motivated. The Bush 2004 campaign harped on the depressingly low Evangelical turnout of 2000. They made sure that they wouldn't see a repeat of that.

These sort of things are hard to (dis)prove but Gore received only 3 million more votes than Clinton did three years earlier while Bush received about 11 million more votes than Dole did. Those votes had to come from somewhere. IIRC Bush won about 60% of 1996 Perot voters (according to exit polls) yet that only amounts to about 5 million votes. The term "that motivated" is relative. Obviously not as motivated as they were four years later, but certainly much more motivated than they were in 1996 and 1992. Which was, at the time, what mattered.

Gore probably also helped by trying to throw the thing away. You know...the sighing and walking up to Bush during the debates.

I remember watching that moment and thought Gore was going to punch Bush or something. Bush's nod was pretty funny. Good times, good times.