Let's get some perspective here. This was a huge victory and we need to say so, loud and clear!
In 2004, George Bush beat John Kerry by 35 electoral votes, 286-251. Had the single state of Ohio (20 EVs) voted differently, John Kerry would have won 271-266. Bush got 51% of the popular vote, or 62 million actual votes. This victory was barely a majority in both electoral votes and popular votes.
Nonetheless, the Rove-powered campaign and its allies in the GOP, the mainstream media, and the alternative media immediately portrayed the election as a huge victory. They said they had the most votes for a president in US history -- true in raw numbers only. They talked about having a "mandate" from Americans, they described the extent of their new "political capital," and they framed the win as triumph of conservative policies.
While all of us here know that Bush only won because of 9/11 fear-mongering, gay marriage hate-mongering, and voter suppression, the key point here is that after the slim victory, his people were immediately busy framing the victory as a big one.
Here we are in 2008 and Barack Obama has just defeated John McCain 349-173 in electoral votes (NC is undecided as of this writing). Obama got 52.5% of the popular vote, with record-setting 63.5 million actual votes. Obama won almost every demographic in gender, age, race, and income. Obama raised more money than any candidate in US history, mostly from small donors. And he overcame a long legacy of discrimination and racism toward blacks in America.
And yet, today commentators, pundits, and partisans are asking,
- "Does this victory represent a mandate?"
- "Was this a pro-Obama vote or just an anti-Bush vote?"
- "Is this a repudiation of conservatism?"
- "Isn't this still a center-right country?"
We all know this election represents a mandate, we all know this was a pro-Obama vote, we all know this was indeed a repudiation of conservatism, and we all know damn well this is not, at least anymore, a center-right country.
But we have to say it. We have to say this was a landslide, at least by the standards of the past 20 years. We have to say the country now wants Democrats to lead, wants government to do more, wants the safety net back in place, wants an end to the politics of division (hatred, fear, and bigotry). We have to say the whole country does better when we take good care of our people; that better health, education, and economic security equate to better businesses, better products, better innovations.
We have to say this on the talk shows, at the water cooler, in letters to editors, in blogs and editorials, in emails, in conversations with neighbors. We have to maintain this energy to make sure the framing of this victory reflects the reality, or else the GOP will quickly frame it for us in terms that marginalize it. If they are allowed to do that, enacting the policies that we all voted for starts off with one strike against it.
So congratulate yourselves for a lot of hard work, take a deep breath, and enjoy the moment. By tomorrow we have to get back to work affirming in the nation's collective consciousness that this election was a call for real change, for progressive policies and new leadership.
As President-elect Obama (it felt good to write that) said:
This is your victory.
And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me.
You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime.
We've got work to do.