>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 08/07/04 2:11 AM >>> >>... and make the next POTUS John Kerry a weak president without a >>big mandate at the same time.) > >Is there a subtle flaw here? If either Kerry or Bush is elected >they will have a big mandate. It just won't be from the people, but >the corporate purchasers. I fear the "people's mandate" can no >longer be given through the present electoral process. > >Dan Scanlan
The larger the shares of popular votes for the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, the bigger the next POTUS's mandate will be, though the mandate is more apparent than real, as you say. Yoshie <<<<<>>>>> notion (hesitate to call it theory) of presidential mandate is myth, of course, myths can have powerful influence... some occupants of white house start terms with more 'political capital' than others (i.e., lbj began first full term with deep reservoir following '64 landslide victory, gerald ford, on other hand, had little after becoming prez because of 2 resignations - as if to confirm latter's precarious position, reps loss of seats to dems in '74 congressional elections was large enough to result in smallest congressional minority for sitting prez in 20th century *and* ford had largest percentage of vetoes subjected to congressional override in country's history)... prez attempts to claim mandates are part of pseudo-democratization of office, reagan claimed mandate following '80 election even though he received just over 50% of 'popular' vote by pointing to number of states he won and - more importantly - number of electoral college votes he received (about 495 if memory serves), 'winner-take-all' distribution of ec votes in 48 states gives some prez winners opportunities to claim mandates by transforming small 'popular' majorities into 'super' ec majorities... michael hoover -------------------------------------------------------------- Please Note: Due to Florida's very broad public records law, most written communications to or from College employees regarding College business are public records, available to the public and media upon request. Therefore, this e-mail communication may be subject to public disclosure.
