Mandate ...

In '04, we broke the Chimp's balls for months about declaring he had a 'mandate' and some serious 'political capital' after his second narrow victory*. Today the great Oliver Willis explains what a mandate to lead really is.

Conservatives, quit trying to say that Barack Obama didn’t kick your asses from coast to coast. McCain lost by 6%, twice Bush’s winning margin in 2004. Also, the margin of victory is near 7 million votes. And you lost by 176 electoral votes (and likely 15 more when North Carolina is officially called).

You lost in the northeast.
You lost in the southwest.
You lost in the midwest.
You lost in the northwest.
You lost in the southwest.

...

Time for the wingnuts to STFU. I've laughed in a lot of faces over the past 24 hours (I work in the reddest county in NY, Nassau, the people of which just re-elected Peter King for the thousandth time) and I look forward to it again today ... and tomorrow ... and again on Monday ... It's so nice to see old white men get apoplectic. Yes, I know I'm being a scumbag, but it feels so good.

*Yes, I know 2000 was a gift as opposed to a victory.