Day 1, A.R. = Day 1 after the Republican Party's Demise

When President Bush was reelected in 2004, he and the right-wing media, proclaimed that he had a mandate, political capital, to spend. This was following a loss in the popular vote in 2000, and a 2% win in 04. Today, right-wing pundits are quickly claiming that Obama has no mandate. Interesting. Not only did he win the popular vote by 6%, he doubled up McCain in the Electoral College, and Congress become much more blue. If a dominant victory, coupled with a large majority for Obama's party in Congress isn't a mandate, then what is? With a sitting President who has the lowest approval ratings in the history of such polling, and a clear rejection of the Republican Party across the board, I think that not only Obama, but the entire Democratic Party, has been given a mandate by the American people to change the state of our Nation. Loudly and clearly, we have declared the Republican government of the last eight years a failure, and we have let the Democratic Party know that it is their chance to change things for the better. They will have no excuse if they fail to improve things--a clear majority in Congress, a Democratic President--and if they do fail, a reserves of 2008 probably awaits in 2012. Republicans, Fox News, and other supporters of the right can spin this election anyway they want, but their method of governing has been clearly rejected. It may return, but we are at least 4 years away from that possibility and in the meantime, the Democrats can get to work cleaning up Bush's mess.