11/25/08:TWD's Agenda For The Day- "I Don't Think There's Any Question That We Have A Mandate"

TPM's Greg Sargent reports today:

An interesting moment at Barack Obama's presser on the economy today: He declared in more direct terms than I've heard before that his "decisive" win has unquestionably given him a "mandate."

"We had, I think, a decisive win, because of the extraordinary desire for change on the part of the American people," he said in response to a reporter's question. "And so I don't think there is any question that we have a mandate to move the country in a new direction, and not continue the same old practices that have gotten us into the fix that we're in."

But Obama also tempered his claim to a mandate by acknowledging that he needs Republican help to succeed.

"I won 53 percent of the vote," he said. "That means 46 or 47 percent of the country voted for John McCain."

If most in the media declared that Bush had a mandate four years ago despite over 49% of the country voting against him, then only the fools would call what Obama said today "arrogant" or on a beginning power trip.

The Agenda's P.S. is in the comments section. And just like yesterday, there probably won't be that many posts today.