I have listened to the new Democratic leaders of the House and Senate, and their claims of a MANDATE from the people for their pet causes.

They seem to think the nation flocked to the poles to support more social spending programs, more diversion of monies from those who earn it to those who need it ( in the governments opinion), citizenship path for the millions of illegal aliens already present in our country, and of course anti war.

It is sort of understandable. They did after all win the election in many places they had lost before.. BUT I wonder how long it will take for those political operatives who are planning the "08 campaigns to notice the statistical anomalies. Maybe they already know but do not want to admit;

The Republicans LOST the election, the Democrats did not WIN it!

The Democratic base was turned out to vote, the Republican base was also, but the deciding factor in most elections the people who vote the candidate rather than pull the straight party lever, stayed home..

They did not support the Democrats, they simply refused to again support the Republicans.

Conservatives were elected to make the government smaller, and instead grew the government at a record rate.

Conservatives were elected to bring the invasion of millions of illegal aliens to a halt. The Congress got it, but the Senate (also Republican led), and the executive did not.

Conservatives were elected to impose change but the only thing it was perceived that they had changed was who's friends were getting the most from the never shrinking federal budget!

Conservative were elected to infuse governance with values of middle class main stream Americans.. and instead they allowed child molesters to run for reelection, and got caught with their hands in the payola cookie jar as often as the other party... They did not enforce the immigration laws.

The revelations of sexual misconduct brought out just before the election ( although they were known a year before hand) was the October surprise of this election and did have a major effect on those independent voters... They stayed home in disgust by the thousands and changed the course of government..

Mandate? No the Democrats took away no mandate. They simply won by slim margins using a political tactic that had been used against them effectively in the past..

But the American independent middle class still feels they are paying too many taxes because of too much theft and fraud.

The American independent middle class still thinks the agency that should help the poor overcome poverty has been proved by history NOT to be the federal government and the welfare state.

The American independent middle class. stayed home.. but they didn't give a mandate. and they will return to the polls only when a candidate of perceived QUALITY is offered by one or the other of the parties.

The American independent middle class is of the opinion the war in IRAQ was the wrong battle to fight, but they are not suicidal. they do understand America is in real danger.. They will turn out to the polls for a candidate that lays out a plan to actually make America safer.

Forget color coded new bureaucracy levels.. forget new cabinet level supervisors over the same old partisan bickering agencies each determined to be more important than the others.

The Candidate that shows an understanding of the danger and a path toward lessoning of that danger. They will get a mandate from the people who decide every election!