WASHINGTON, Nov 1 (AFP) - The US presidential election campaign has proved so contentious that reuniting politically divided Americans could prove beyond whoever wins the White House.
Americans are torn apart over "values issues" like abortion, embryo stem-cell research and gay marriage, which have received substantial airing during the contest between Republican President George W. Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry.
Pundits said the polarization could extend for months, particularly if there is a dispute over the outcome of Tuesday's vote.
"The country cannot tolerate two contested elections in a row," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, who worries that some voters might not gracefully accept their candidate's loss.
"The risk is that people no longer see Election Day as the end of the process. They're no longer in control. The election is run by the lawyers and the courts," he told AFP.
Thomas Patterson, an expert on voter turnout, told AFP that the last time Americans went to the polls exhibiting such strong divisions was in 1968, with the country divided over the Vietnam War.
"We haven't seen this kind of energy in a long time," he said. "I think it's safe to say that there's a heck of a lot more passion than we've seen in three decades."
One sign of the depth of emotion is that pollsters predict the biggest turnout in decades with about 120 million voters -- some 60 percent of the electorate -- expected to vote.
Kerry acknowledged the fractious mood of the country in comments aired Monday on NBC television.
"I think it's vital to heal the wounds of this country," he said alluding to the risks of a country bogged down by partisan division.
Kerry vowed that if he wins "I am going to reach out to every single American ... because we have to get things done for our country."
Senator John McCain has also made an urgent appeal for Americans to reconcile after Tuesday's balloting.
"On November 3, we'd better call a truce and stop this and sit down together, no matter who wins, and start talking about national unity," the Republican senator told CBS television on Sunday.
"The enemy's Al-Qaeda," he added. "Not the Democrats or Republicans."
The split has been caused in part by resentment among Democrats who say they were robbed of victory in the 2000 election. The US Supreme Court weighed in to end a legal challenge over the validity of disputed ballots in Florida, giving the White House to Bush.
"As we get closer to Election Day ... echoes of 2000 loom larger," Patterson said.
Observers also cite the recriminations that have characterized this presidential campaign -- with its focus on candidates' personalities and perceived deficiencies.
But Patterson said the Iraq war, and Bush's role in ordering the March 2003 invasion, has created much of the polarization, as increasing numbers of Americans rue the loss of life and economic and political costs.
"What really has stirred the drink is Iraq," said Patterson, a professor at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
"If Bush gets elected -- and it will intensify if he gets elected under anything resembling 2000 -- I think these energies will carry forward," said Patterson.
Opinion polls, he said, underscore the partisan divide, particularly presidential approval ratings of the sort conducted by the Gallup polling organization.
"This is the president who has most split the partisans," said Patterson.
"Almost 90 percent of the Republicans approve of what this president is doing, (while) barely more than ten percent of Democrats do.
"That's almost an 80 percentage point gap -- the biggest ever in the history of the Gallup poll."
Divisions might not be quite so pronounced if Kerry is president, Patterson said, predicting that the Democrat would likely be compelled to take the middle ground on the war.
"Kerry in the short term will have little choice but to do pretty much in Iraq what Bush would have done, so there's not going to be an abrupt change in Iraq policy that would drive the right crazy," said Patterson.
Even if he tries to reconcile a fragmented electorate, Kerry may find it hard to gain the cooperation of resentful Republicans. With Republicans likely to control Congress for at least two years, Kerry would be in for a rough ride getting legislation passed, Sabato said.
"Everyone knows that the Republicans are going to win the House, which means Kerry is going to have a hell of a time," Sabato said.
"He can pretty much kiss his domestic agenda goodbye."
11/01/2004 19:01 GMT - AFP