Biden's Victory Was Huge And It Gives Him A Mandate

If you just listen to some talking heads on cable news, you might have the impression that Joe Biden won the presidency by a narrow margin. That is simply not true!

He received more votes than any other president ever received. He got the largest vote percentage against an opponent since 1932 (when Roosevelt defeated Hoover). He got a bigger percentage of the popular vote than any president since 1988. And he beat his opponent by over 7 million votes.

It was a historic win against an incumbent opponent!

Here is part of how Jennifer Rubin describes Biden's win in The Washington Post:

The refusal by Republicans to acknowledge President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory is remarkable in its contempt for democracy and defiance of reality. But while much time has been spent trying to get Republicans to admit that Biden won, very little time has been spent impressing upon them the magnitude of the victory. That matters as we begin Biden’s presidency.

Biden not only received a majority of the popular vote, but also cleared 51 percent — the largest vote percentage obtained against an incumbent president since 1932 and a bigger percentage of the popular vote than any Republican president since George H.W. Bush in 1988, when Bush was essentially running for a third Ronald Reagan term. In the process, Biden amassed the largest total number of ballots in U.S. history. He pummeled Trump by more than 7 million votes (and exceeded Barack Obama’s 2008 vote total by more than 11 million). That margin is bigger than Massachusetts’ entire population; in fact, only 14 states have a population of more than 7 million. Biden’s popular vote margin by percentage (4.4 percent) far surpasses Obama’s 2012 victory over Mitt Romney.

Why is it important to emphasize the magnitude of Biden’s victory? Because, far from narrow, it represents the overwhelming verdict of the voters. If there is such a thing as a mandate, Biden has one. He has been explicit about the things he intends to do: preserve and expand Obamacare, pass child-care and sick-leave legislation, pursue police reform, push through a massive infrastructure bill and tackle climate change. . . .

Biden famously promised to reach across the aisle. If he does so effectively, more power to him. However, if the transition is any indication, he is going to be met with stonewalling, obstruction and bad faith. That is his cue to go out to the voters — both who voted for him and who did not. Perhaps the voters in turn can remind their representatives that they chose to end the Trump era and to give Biden a shot at righting the ship of state.