51% is not a mandate. « it was all one thing

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51% is not a mandate.

November 4, 2004 by will shetterly

51% is squeaking by. 51% to 49% is effectively an even match. Let the 2008 contest begin!

Posted in seeker | Tagged election, seeker | 5 Comments

5 Responses to “51% is not a mandate.”

on November 4, 2004 at 6:48 pm1 Anonymous

So much for no more political posts… ;)

Acutally, it’s not 51%/49%. This election pulled 60% of eligible voters to the polls, a record number to be sure, but still an embarrasing sign that a large number of registered voters remain apathetic about the two party collusion, er… system.

Acutally, only 30.6% of the registered voters tossed their chit to the Bush camp. 29.4% gave their nods to Kerry. 40%, the larger of the three numbers for those with poor math skills, opted to abstain or cast their vote in another direction.

So I ask, which is more effective? To change the minds of those who are entrenched in a broken yet well-supported party; or to provide a single voice for the larger apathetic population? Neither will be easy, but I think the latter leads to the greater reward.

Evo
The Dragon Page
on November 7, 2004 at 4:11 am2 Will Shetterly

Evo, I have a few principles that I hold to without being able to logically defend them. Honesty and democracy are probably at the top. (I’ve heard people make good logical arguments for them, but frankly, I’m willing to be religious on these and not worry whether the logic is good.) One of the things I hate about the Electoral College is that it’s used in dishonest ways, to create an apparent result that does not reflect the people’s opinion. Thanks for pointing out the actual percentage!
on November 9, 2004 at 1:10 pm3 Skizz

Isn’t it to up near 52% now with the military absentee ballots rolling in? Anyways, it IS a mandate when you consider the downright ASS-WHOOPING the Dems got this election year. 5 more Senate seats and 31 more House seats plus gay marriage being voted on and getting voted against 11 to 0. I think it’s a mandate, although I hop Bush governs a little more conservatively than he has the last 4 years by cracking down on spending, the expansion of government, and illegal immigration.
on November 9, 2004 at 5:23 pm4 Will Shetterly

TS, 52% is still a mighty slim margin. I agree entirely with you on the first two of your hopes for Bush, though. It’s pretty funny that the Democrats have become the party of small government and fiscal responsibility, and the Republicans are expanding government and running up the charge card. I also agree with you on the third point, though we may not agree on the means. Bush has come out in favor of making it easier for workers from other countries to work here legally. I live about six miles from the Mexican border. I know what a disaster the attempt to turn the border into a militarized zone has been.
on November 17, 2004 at 12:40 am5 Anonymous

Well, TS,
I hate to disappoint you, but Junior actually turned in a pretty pathetic performance as an incumbent. Even with all the powers of the White House, he barely squeaked through with 137,000 votes in Ohio. As for the Senate, the Dems picked up a seat in a red state (Colorado), while the GOP only picked up five seats, and none of them were in blue states. (By the way, TS, it was 4 seats lost in the House, not 31 as you state.) If DeLay hadn’t gerrymandered 5 seats in Texas, the GOP would have lost a seat. As for Jr. becoming more conservative–well, TS, get used to disappointment.
For more, read Jonathan Raush in National Journal
http://nationaljournal.com/rauch.htm
Blue Jean

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51% is not a mandate.

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