11.03.04
Bush Mandate?
In 1984, Ronald Reagan won with a popular vote total of 54,451,521 votes (58.8% of votes cast) resulting in an electoral count of 525 votes. This compared to Mondale’s 37,565,334 (40.5% of votes cast) with an electoral allotment of 13 votes.
While it seems obvious that President Bush will not enjoy such a broad margin in the electoral college, he has made history in some other areas. With 95% of precincts reporting, the breakdown is thus: George W. Bush (51%) 56,732,387 votes, John Kerry (48%) 53,004,905 votes. Realize what this means: President Bush has received the highest popular vote count in United States history, even more than Reagan in 1984! This is also the first time since 1988 that a candidate has won an outright majority (>50%) of the popular vote (Bill Clinton never broke 50%).
If the Democrats are really interested in the “will of the people” as they often claim, then conceding this election now should be a no brainer.
It’s pushing 2:00am so I’m off to bed. Hopefully Kerry will wake up from his hangover tomorrow morning, come to his senses, and realize that he has no chance at winning this election (legitimately or otherwise).
Jeremy C. Wright said,
November 3, 2004 at 6:31 am
It’s not legitimate if you don’t also win the popular vote? Or is it merely the margin which makes it illegitimate?
I’m not an American and I don’t really care either way, but c’mon, the system is that it’s the electoral votes that count. Since more than 13 Presidents have won the electoral without the popular, should they all have conceded as well?
Jeff Doolittle said,
November 3, 2004 at 7:45 am
Jeremy,
I’m not the one saying it’s illegitimate to win the electoral without the popular. I’m criticizing the Democrats for being the ones who resounded this theme in 2000, but now are silent on the issue.
See my prior post, “Interesting Silence” ( http://www.jeffdoolittle.com/archives/000399.php ).