Now, here comes that word about mandates that I promised you all a few days ago. President Bush, fresh off of his election win over Senator John Kerry, stated last week that he is "reinvigorated," and that he had some "political capital" to spend and (more importantly) that he was going to spend it.

And all of this on his "mandate." That he was the first man in 16 years to win a majority of the popular vote is certain. That he won a clear majority of the Electoral Vote is also certain. What is unclear to most, apparently, is that this does not indicate a mandate in any appreciable sense of the word.

Unless, that is, you just go ahead and serve it up to him. That's what Bob Novak wants you to do (http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/11/04/novak.democrats/index.html).

Let me tell you about a mandate. One of the local conservatives here has asked you all to put yourselves in the shoes of the Conservatives in 1936, when FDR was elected President. Go ahead and look at a map of that election (which I will even provide for you: http://www.presidentelect.org/e1936.html). That is a mandate. A measly three million votes in this election is barely enough to say that George Bush deserves a second term. The fact that he only carried about twenty states by a ten-point lead is enough to make one wonder how he, or anyone else, can claim a mandate.

And already the cracks are showing. Even though liberal media are telling you that the House Democrats are falling over themselves to kiss Presidential Ass (because many of them are up for re-election in two years), that the President is hell-bent on more changes like the ones in his first term, and only timidly suggesting that Second Term Presidencies Are As Lame As Their Name Implies. Reagan had his scandals, as did Nixon. Clinton had one of his own. Cracks are already in this administration. Remember, large systems are inherently unpredictable, unstable, and political parties with unsteady alliances at the bottom are no exception.

The cracks are small, for the moment, but there is feeling that not all Republicans have yet decided that Morality is a simple checkbox beside the Big Three (abortion, stem cell research, gay marriage). Senator Arlen Specter is taking heat from James Dobson for stating in an interview last week that an anti-Roe v Wade judicial candidate would likely not make the cut on his Judiciary Comittee in Congress. (http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/11/07/specter.judiciary/index.html} Dr. Dobson is making it clear that he believes he has a mandate to reach directly into Congress and cut Specter's balls off. Are you going to let him have that power?

Now, sure, I have chided almost all of you the past week or so about this election. But now I am laying it straight down on the table for you. Some of you have insinuated that your vote makes you more of a citizen, that you have done your thing and now you just want to go home. Well, fine, but you may be missing the chance to do something strange and wonderful. Stand up and speak out for a Republican who might actually work to save some semblance of decency in your lives. Write letters in support of Arlen Specter. Call your Senator's office. Write them. Petition them.

Losing a battle isn't losing a war, unless you turn it into a rout.