why did bush perform so poorly in new york?

[WalterMitty]

..and no it wasnt guns.  sadly the american people have shown they dont care for gun control.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

In 2000 it was indeed gun control. Support for it was higher in the past, especially in the Northeast/urban areas.

[Mechaman]

In 2000 it was indeed gun control. Support for it was higher in the past, especially in the Northeast/urban areas.

I know gun control was an issue in the 90's and in the 2000 election, but 60%?!
There is certainly more at play here.  Gore was an objectively worse candidate than Clinton, but he somehow did better in New York (despite having the exact same gun views as Clinton did).  Methinks there was more at play here than triggerlocks and whether or not some psycho can get an assault rifle in Queens County on a Sunday and shoot up some Unitarian Churches.  Hell, Bush pretty much had the same views on AWB as Gore did, the differences between them on the gun issue are highly exaggerated.  Besides, the most important issue at the time seemed to be about
A LOCKBOX-
Shut up Al.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

..and no it wasnt guns.  sadly the american people have shown they dont care for gun control.

Around here it was.  Look at New Jersey.  Slap Nader's 3% onto Gore's total and you get just shy of 60% for Gore in NJ in a close election.  Bush couldn't even crack 50% in Ocean County... McCain hit 60%.  The former was in a national tie and the latter was in a near landslide for the Dems.

NY was Gore 2nd best state, and NJ was his 5th.  Gun control was huge in central/north NJ and NYC that year.  

Gun control is an issue that the U.S. has actually moved backwards on in the last several years.  It might not seem like that now.    

[nclib]

Bush was also more culturally repulsive to the urban Northeast than Dole was.

[WalterMitty]

Bush was also more culturally repulsive to the urban Northeast than Dole was.

but he was less culturally repulsive in 2004?

[Mechaman]

Bush was also more culturally repulsive to the urban Northeast than Dole was.

^^^^
This.

Up to that point the GOP had never nominated a candidate for President who was much into the marble-mouthed weasel toothed culture of the Redneck Folk.  OKay, granted Bush was born in Connecticut and was raised with somewhat of a sliver spoon in his mouth.  However, he did really well in completing his transformation to where, by comparison, he would be a good ole country bread boy compared to his old man and other Republican figures (like the aforementioned Bob Dole) who just always came out as sounding too crusty WASP.  Something that really helped the GOP in the South and the Plains states but hurt them considerably up north.

Again, Gun Control was a major issue of the time.  However, I do recall it being talked about as a major campaign issue maybe 10% of the time at most.  All I remember about the election was something about A LOCKBOX and how to spend the so-called "surplus".

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Bush was also more culturally repulsive to the urban Northeast than Dole was.

but he was less culturally repulsive in 2004?

The only part of the country that decided cultural issues mattered one iota in the 2004 election was in the Heartland.  Everywhere else, especially the Northeast, voted on 3 things: the economy, the War on Terror, and the War in Iraq.  The opinion of GWB on these 3 issues was not all that bad in 2004 in the Northeast.  Look at Jersey, CT, and NYC.  Hard trends to Bush nearly everywhere that saw a particularly high numbers of residents or those close to them die/suffer injures on 9/11.  Monmouth County, NJ had a couple towns hit especially hard with loss of life.  Everywhere else in the Northeast saw uniform swings.  Pennsylvania and Maryland shifted exactly as the notion did, Delaware just a little more towards Bush.  New England went with their hometown boy. 

Interestingly enough, Manhattan trended to Kerry.  Why?  **** if I know. 

[Jackson]

Nader 2000 voters coming back to Kerry.