A Mandate from the People?

Yeah, I know that the election was a month ago. I haven’t written much about it. I didn’t have much trouble accepting the fact that the Democrats will take over control of the House and the Senate when they reconvene in January. I’m even resigned to inevitability of higher taxes, more entitlements, open borders, a cut and run philosophy in the Global War on Terror and an all out effort to put liberal activist judges on the bench as American spirals down into the cesspool that is Nancy Pelosi’s vision of America. I comfort myself with the thought that maybe two years of trying to get a grab on the porcelain as we spiral downward will convince voters and candidates that the elections in 2008 must have different results.

What I am already sick and tired of is the blatant hypocrisy of our politicians and the antique media outlets. I have had my fill of hearing Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid demand a bipartisan atmosphere in Washington. Where was their talk of bipartisanship the last 6 years when they have been filibustering, obstructing and interfering with the day to day business of Congress? They demand bipartisanship when they are in charge, but when they are not in charge they whine and cry like spoiled children who when forced to share their toys chose to grab a critical part of the game and go pout in the corner with it so no one else can play either.

I am sick and tired of the Democrats thinking that they took over control of Congress the day after the election. But mostly I’m sick and tired of the Republicans treating them like they are already in charge. Our president started out kiss democratic butts the day after the election. Congress reconvened right after the election and the Republicans who should still be in charge until the winter break caved on every issue in favor of the Democratic vision.

Finally what peeves me the most is the unflagging belief by both parties and the media that the last election represented a Mandate from the People of the United States.

Why is it when Republicans won the last two close elections we became a divided nation? But when Democrats win this last close election it is seen as a mandate from the people?

A quick synopsis of several congressional races around the country showed that Democrats had to defeat incumbent Republicans in 15 total seats to take control of the House of Representatives. The Republicans actually lost 29 seats. But it only took 15 to swing control of all Congressional Committees from the Republicans to the Democrats. As shown below 15 of the seats Republicans lost were very close races that would certainly make them anything but a mandate from the people kind of election.

Arizona District 05 – Mitchell (D) defeats Hayworth (R) 73,762 to 67,830 Margin – 5932 votes
California District 11 – McNerney (D) defeats Pombo (R) 88,835 to 78,223 – Margin – 10,612 votes
Connecticut District 2 - Courtney (D) defeats Simmons (R) 121,148 to 121,165. Margin – 83 votes
Florida District 16 - Mahoney (D) defeats Negron (R) 115,832 to 111,415 Margin – 4417 votes
Florida District: 22 - Klein (D) defeats Shaw (R) 108,688 to 100,663 Margin – 8085 votes
Georgia District 08 - Marshal (D) defeats Collins (R) 80,614 to 78,881 Margin – 1723 votes
Georgia District 12 – Barrow (D) defeats Burns (R) 71,651 to 70,787 Margin – 864 votes
Indiana District 09 – Hill (D) defeats Sodrel (R) 110,185 to 100,503 Margin – 9682 votes
Iowa District 02 – Loebsack (D) defeats Leach (R) 107,097 to 101,386 Margin – 5711 votes
Kansas District 02 – Boyda (D) defeats Ryun (R) 111,759 to 104,128 – Margin – 7631 votes
Kentucky District 03 – Yarmuth (D) defeats Northup (R) 122,425 to 116,535 – Margin – 5890 votes
New Hampshire District 01 - Shea-Porter (D) defeats Bradley (R) 100,899 to 94,869 – Margin 6030 votes
New York District 19 – Hall (D) defeats Kelly (R) 94,524 to 90,269 – Margin – 4255 votes
Pennsylvania District 08 – Murphy (D) defeats Fitzpatrick (R) 125,667 to 124,146 Margin – 1521 votes
Wisconsin District 08 – Kagen (D) defeats Gard (R) 141,598 to 134,990 Margin – 6608 votes

Total Margin of Victory in these 15 Congressional seats was 79,044 votes. There were 68,057,591 votes cast in congressional races nationwide. That means that 0.116 percent of the voters determined control of the House of Representatives. In what universe other that the delusional one that our Democratic leaders and the mainstream media live in does little more than one tenth of one percent constitute a mandate from the people.

In an even closer event the control of the Senate shifted from the Republicans to the Democrats on the basis of one lost senate seat. In the Virginia Senate Race - Webb (D) defeated Allen (R) 1,175,606 to 1,166,277. That is a margin of 9329 votes or 0.398 percent. Nationwide, there were 60,727,769 senate votes cast. Which means that the control of the Senate changed parties because of 0.015 percent of the voters.

79,044 votes have been declared a mandate from the people and put Nancy Pelosi a pretzel and a heart attack away from the Presidency of the United States.

So out of 300 million Americans of which less than 70 million voted, 79,044 changed the control of the House of Representatives, 9329 people changed the control of the Senate, and combined those approximately 90,000 Americans convinced the White House to change their focus from winning the War on Terror to appeasing the new Congressional Leadership.

This was not by any stretch of the imagination a Mandate from the People and I’m sick and tired of hearing the Democrats, The media and the White House call it that. It was another close election and we are still a divided nation. Nancy Pelosi needs to learn that almost half the voters in this country do NOT agree with her philosophy and her dreams of America and she does NOT have a Mandate from the People.