Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Git Yourself a Mandate
Now that the new Congress has been installed and the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 45th President of the United States looms around the corner, the new favorite buzzword that has surfaced everywhere is “mandate.” No, it’s not about an internet matchmaking site or even good looking but pathetic people who to seek love and attention on a television “reality” show.
It is just the quadrennial revival of the winners and the losers flinging about the word like so much verbal monkey poo to justify their existence. The losers are more vocal about it than the winners, of course. For every proposal made, for every policy hinted at, the losers (in this case, the Democrats) hurl their “no mandate” poo at every available microphone, camera, Twitter account, or old lady writing out her grocery list. And, just to top it off, they add a smattering of “overreach.”
So, what exactly is a “mandate?” I’m no constitutional lawyer (although I have a nifty Law School tee from a certain right-of-center website and podcast) but I can’t find the provision or Supreme Court decision that defines the sliding scale of power assigned to the President and/or Congress based on the margin of victory in the election. As far as I can tell, any margin at or greater than 1 gives you the same amount of power. You still have to count the votes and calculate the political risks but there doesn’t seem to be a limitation that can be assigned in any shape, manner, or form by the opposing party.
As for “overreach,” the winners, of course, feel that there is no such thing. Even to this day, if you were to ask a Democrat if they were guilty of overreach on ObamaCare they would categorically deny it, even though it cost them complete control of both houses of Congress, the White House, and decimated the party on the state level.
But that’s how it should be. Elections should have consequences. So to the GOP I say, “Go big and go bold.” And if you do screw it up, that’s what 2018 is all about.
Published in Politics
Love it, EJ!
Monkey poo being hurled seems apt for almost the entirety of the MSM reaction since the election. Pleasantly their hurls and screams are now in a cage.
Trump feels he has a mandate. MAGA. I don’t think he’s low energy so let’s see where this gets us.
A President’s mandate comes from their ability to get their policies through Congress and/or the Supreme Court.
President Obama had a very accommodating Congress. A less accommodating Congress could have tried to impeach him for executive orders which they felt were contrary to the Constitution. They chose not to. Therefore he had a mandate.
It remains to be seen how much of a mandate President Trump will have.
To quote the late great Jack Germond, mandate schmandate. You won it, you run it. You now will live and die politically by your policy decisions and what sort of support you get for those decisions. Choose wisely or you end up like President Obama with a massive first mid-term loss that costs you the ability to do anything legislatively for the rest of your presidency. Call that an anti-mandate.
A mandate is when a politician justifies his proposal on the grounds that the people elected him for just that reason.
One wonders how they justify the other stuff.
Actually, a mandate is something a politician HAS to do. Because it’s mandatory.
They’re still allowed to do other stuff.
This sounds about right to me.
After watching the democrats cram obamacare down the throats of the nation, laughing while watching us choke, I no longer believe in anything but raw power as granted by the Constitution.
The republicans need to damn the torpedoes and dismantle 100 years of socialist creep while they can. Free us. Watch us thrive.
Sounds right to me!
Two red shirts beaming down as a search party is a “Man-Date”.
When the democrats lost the 60th vote to Scott Brown in MA who ran specifically to stop Obamacare, they still crammed it through. I think the Democrats have never really come to terms with how badly that hurt them. I do think the Republicans can play hardball on Obamacare because the Democrats played hardball first. However, on other issues I think Trump and the GOP should look to get some bipartisan buy-in. This includes immigration and tax reform.
I think the Republicans can get some democratic buy-in on tax reform, but I think immigration will be tough. There is not much one can offer the Dem’s on immigration without creating a de facto amnesty. However, I expect Trump trades The Wall for touchback amnesty for non-felons.
“Git Yourself A Man Date?”
Ummn, no thanks, I’m hetero.
You have the tee shirt, which is a much better qualification than many who sound off as Constitutional experts seem to have.
Or even a man fig?