Our broken hearts

Posted on by

Calling My Children Home – Performed by Emmylou Harris
(Doyle Lawson/Charles Waller/Robert Yates)

Those lives were mine to love and cherish.
To guard and guide along life’s way.
Oh God forbid that one should perish.
That one, alas, should go astray.

With thanks to Beth Owl’s Daughter for reminding me of this.

Share

Who gets a mandate?

Posted on by

My friend, Peter Meuleners, pulled this info together. Posted here with permission. I think his point is clear.

“I think the real story here is that Obama won, but he’s got no mandate.” – Charles Krauthammer, 2012

“And now that he’s been elected with a large majority, or a significant majority, and with a mandate, I think part of that mandate is to get the right judges, by his likes.” – Charles Krauthammer, 2004

“I earned capital in this campaign, political capital, and now I intend to spend it.” – George W. Bush, 2004

“When you win, there is … a feeling that the people have spoken and embraced your point of view.” – George W. Bush, 2004

“President Bush ran forthrightly on a clear agenda for this nation’s future, and the nation responded by giving him a mandate.” – Dick Cheney, 2004

And then we look at the voting results:

% of pop. vote electoral votes

2000

Bush 47.9 271
Gore 48.4 266

2004

Bush 50.7 286
Kerry 48.3 251

2008

Obama 52.9 365
McCain 45.7 173

2012

Obama 50.6 332
Romney 47.9 206

Or, as David Waldman put it in a tweet this morning:

Share