Please cut the nonsense, Democrats:
A New York Times reporter actually wrote “Mr. Bush no longer has to pretend that he possesses a clear electoral mandate. Because for the first time in his presidency, he can argue that he has the real thing.”
Wow. 51-48=mandate. They sure do lower the bar for jr.
First off, the vote is now 52-47%, so you could start by getting your facts straight. 52-47% of the vote is not a whopping majority by any sense of the imagination. However, taken in context, Bush has a clear mandate. he is the first President to win a clear majority of the popular vote since 1988. He gained 5 seats in the Senate. He gained seats in the house. The Republicans, once again, control the Executive and Legislative branches.
This is as clear a mandate as possible, particularly when you compare the majority vote and control of both houses to the plurality and loss of control of the Senate and House during the Clinton years.
*** Update ***
The numbers changed again. It is back to 51-48.
Josh
Now take 15% off the dems side and that is a pretty big victory.
Or even just 5%
Ken Kelly
I’m sorry – where does anyone
get 52-47? Last I looked, Bush’s
lead was still 3.5 Mil.
Francis W. Porretto
Um, 3.5 million out of a total of about 116.5 million cannot be a 5% edge.
Dubya won. He won clearly and convincingly. That’s enough for me. A larger margin would have been nice, but what really matters is that he won.
Sandi
Actually I belive it was 4.7 million.
The Truth Hurts
By the way, if Bush “has no mandate” with 51%, then what the hell did Clinton have with 49% in his sencond term.
Or is it only a “mandate” if a Dem wins?
JPS
John and The Truth Hurts:
I seem to recall a George Will column from late 1984 titled, “The Great 49-State Non-Mandate.”
In it, he analyzed arguments made by liberals in the media that, despite winning 49 states plus (IIRC) 59% of the popular vote, Ronald Reagan had been given no mandate by the voters.
Now, Clinton, on the other hand, clearly had a mandate. That’s different. As a friend of mine explained to me yesterday, a lot of people didn’t vote that year, but Clinton was overwhelmingly popular with them and had their mandate.
In short, Republicans simply do not win mandates. Democrats do. I trust I have been of some help here.
Thomas J. Jackson
The public has spoken. Bush has his mandate and has his majorities. Now will he deliver by cutting spending, taxes, reigning in an imperial judiciary, and building up the military?
shark
You know what equals a “mandate”?
1 more vote than the other guy.
Period.
Republicanas Maximus
Democrats have contempt for American values. They have sold out the blue collar union Joes who depend on them on trade issues, etc. in favor of a left wing policy which advocates the right of men to wear dresses, the assassination of viable babies near birth and moral relativism in world affairs. The “leaders” of the Democratic party are pond scum who identity with gutless Hollwyood socialites like Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and the other man-children who stink up the silver screen.
—Republicanas Maximus
Kimmitt
Bush has a mandate, and may God help us all.