Frankly, you seem to be quite believably misinformed.

Steve Benen strongly rejects the caution by Doug Schoen that “This election is not a mandate for Democratic policies. Rather, it is a wholesale rejection of the policies of George W. Bush, Republicans, and to a lesser extent, John McCain.”

Of COURSE he does.
(sigh)

Frankly, James, I stopped taking Benen seriously some months ago.

Are you really asking this?

The unions have been pressuring for this since the democrats took over congress, and there are a lot of congress members who support it and it is on Pelosi's agenda to pass at some point.

You are just unbelievably misinformed. Are you talking about some kind of mandated union membership or something? That is so completely preposterous that I can't even imagine where you are hearing this kind of looney idea. You have no idea what you are talking about. Believe me when I tell you that mandatory union cards aren't on ANYONE's so-called agenda.

Perhaps if you widened the scope of your reading material you would not only benefit yourself, but you would not be further discrediting your Republican Party as the party of the willingly misinformed and intentionally obtuse.

Are you really asking this?

The unions have been pressuring for this since the democrats took over congress, and there are a lot of congress members who support it and it is on Pelosi's agenda to pass at some point.

The question is if Obama is given a bill does he sign it? And will it be wise? Actually I think that is the real question-what kinds of bills will his democratic congress send him and what is he going to veto because it is too far to the left? My bet is he pulls a GWB and loses the veto pen.

"Suppose Obama wins 350+ electoral votes and 53% of 170 million votes, plus the Dems pick up 7-8 seats in the Senate and 20 in the House.

Will that constitute a mandate, or will you reiterate Schoen's spin?"

Wow, talk about missing the point. If a Republican won 53% of the vote, would you proclaim that a mandate? Or would you point out that 47% of the voters were against said Republican? I suspect you'd do the latter.

My God man. Where do you rightwingers get this stuff? No serious politician, including Obama, is proposing anything remotely like "nationalizing healthcare." For two long years the discussion has been about extending health INSURANCE and how to do that; health INSURANCE through existing private health INSURERS, mind you, providing health care through private health PROVIDERS. Even Medicaid and Medicare do that.

And WTH is this "card check"? Where the hell do you get this kind of looney crap?

Conversely, if John McCain were to shock the world and win tomorrow night...

Legal challenges will spring up in courts all across the country.

Yet another Democratic presidential candidate who was a lock will be heard to say, "How can I have lost to this guy?"

Celebration parties all over the capitol will become dirge like.

Heads will explode at MSNBC.

Conspiracy theories will spring up at the Daily Kos that make Oliver Stone blush.

"Some" celebrities will threaten to leave the country. Again.

It will be Selma all over again. Or Vietnam. Or something.

Senator Obama can go back to his day job. At least until he starts preparing for 2012.

There are high fives all around at the Clinton compound. At least until she starts preparing for 2012.

Blood will flow in the streets.

Yada.

Yada.

Yada.

I think the real mine field is figuring out just which things there is a mandate on, and which things there aren't. The biggest mistake Obama can do is take office and pass something like card check-or even a sweeping legislation that nationalizes healthcare. One of the things that hurt Clinton when it came to 1994 was his move with regards to gays in the military and Hillarycare-because while a lot of voters wanted Clinton to do something about healtchare, they didn't want Clinton to do what Hillary's committee was proposing.

2.4% of 121,069,054 votes is a "comfortable margin," but nothing Obama can do would result in a "mandate," because those don't exist anymore.

Suppose Obama wins 350+ electoral votes and 53% of 170 million votes, plus the Dems pick up 7-8 seats in the Senate and 20 in the House.

Will that constitute a mandate, or will you reiterate Schoen's spin?

I know you're not a real political scientist, James, but seriously. Watching you mangle polls and shill for McCain these last couple of weeks has done you little credit.