# Charles Krauthammer's definition of a Mandate

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charles-krauthammers-definition-of-a-mandate/640529>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Created:** [November 9, 2012, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charles-krauthammers-definition-of-a-mandate/640529 "2012-11-09T22:56:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charles-krauthammers-definition-of-a-mandate/640529/1 "2012-11-09T22:56:45Z")

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This election was a mandate, by Krauthammer’s definition:

> [@](#):
>
> When you have a popular vote majority, which is unusual in our time, over 50 percent. . . and you expand your representation in the House and the Senate, in an election where the president ran on the record. . . you’ve got a mandate.

Yep, he really said it.

Oh, OK. [He said it after the \*2004 \*election.](http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4648) Still, consistency is important.

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**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charles-krauthammers-definition-of-a-mandate/640529/2 "2012-11-09T22:59:01Z")

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> [@bup](#):
>
> Oh, OK. [He said it after the \*2004 \*election.](http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4648) Still, consistency is important.

Kraut Hammer never fails to krack me up. He’s just so… effing pompous.