Election Reflection

The latest from the Political Grapevine:

Election Reflection

A new Gallup poll — taken since Election Day — shows that significantly more Americans say they are optimistic about President Bush's second term, than say they are pessimistic.

Plus, far more Americans believe President Bush will unite the country over the next four years, than believe he will divide it.

However, the President's victory has brought despair to some parts of New York City. At the Park Slope Food Co-Op (search) in Brooklyn, 30-year-old Rachel Priebe ran out the store in tears when she heard John Kerry was conceding, saying, "I'm heartbroken."

In Harlem, writer Emma Starr said, "I'm devastated...we should have two distinct nations. Why should we be forced to live together under the rule of an evil dictator?"

Dr. Charles Goodstein, a psychiatrist at NYU Medical Center (search), says the election has had "a real impact" on his patients, and "There's a sense of hope that's been given up, the loss of an ideal, a kind of pessimistic view of the world."

Deepening Despair?

Despair has also reached parts of Europe. London's Daily Mirror (search) calls President Bush's victory an "election disaster," saying on its front page, "How can 59,054,087 people be so dumb?"

In Paris, a patron at the Cannibale cafe says, "I thought the Americans were going to show the world that they are not completely brainwashed. I was wrong. We're stuck yet again with a dangerous fanatic." Another says, "[Things] will get worse, much worse. Now the neo-conservatives have got carte blanche to do whatever they like."

And in Switzerland, the leftist Social Democrats party says U.S. election results were "a profound disappointment...everyone was hoping for change."

Increase in Inquiries?

Meanwhile, the embassies of Australia, New Zealand and Canada are reporting a surge in inquiries from Americans looking to move to their respective countries.

The Australian Consulate says, "Americans are funny. They don't get their own way, so they want to move."

And a New Zealand official, quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle (search), wants Americans to know his country is picky — primarily welcoming only younger, educated applicants with specific skills.

And Canadian officials say that while they've heard from Americans who are "distraught with the election results," it's too early to tell if that means there will be a subsequent surge in actual applications.

— FOX News' Michael Levine contributed to this report