Here Come the Right Wingers!

As we prepare for a new Congress and second Dubya administration, right-wing Republicans are readying to push through many pet pieces of legislation in the new year. Buoyed by their "mandate" from the election, conservative Republicans are even targeting issues on which they disagree with Dubya, like rolling back campaign finance reform (which is probably not that bad of an idea, anyway). My problem is exactly where do they think this "mandate" came from? Yes Dubya rode a wave of "values" (as defined by the GOP) voters to reelection, but further review of the election break-down shows that they weren't as overwhelming a presence as they make themselves out to be. And even if they constitute a larger chunk of Dubya's supporters than they are, that whole group still only adds up to a slim majority. The nation, unlike states in the electoral college, is not a winner-take-all proposition.