Electoral Mandate

I think that Barack Obama did have an electoral mandate for this election. The reasoning for this is because of the perception of him and his campaign and the strong following that he had attained throughout the campaign process. After all, his campaign was based on hope and change of all the things that were going wrong with the government in the last couple of years. I am not saying that the last president and his people are at fault. Barack Obama has created the perception that change will be brought with his being elected into office and that better days will be upon us.
I think it is not only about change though as to why Barack Obama had this electoral mandate. Barack Obama had star power. He was big time in the eyes of many Americans. He had the following of some of Hollywood's most powerful actors. Along with that there was also other issues that American's felt had to be taken care of, like the war in Iraq. Many people had been skeptics and opposers of former President Bush because of the stance he had taken on the issue. Even if you aren't a democrat, if you opposed Bush's policies and thought McCain would do the same things that Bush did, you were likely to vote for Obama, because the government would finally go in another direction.
Along with the war, the economic crisis that we are facing today is overwhelming and people look at the previous administrations handling of it in as a sort of failure I think. People always want new solutions to problems, and Barack Obama's stimulus package isn't a solution (we have yet to see the outcome), but it's more than what McCain promised the American people. If the stimulus package doesn't work it could be a thorn in the side of his administration throughout the next few years. What can be said though, is that he is making an effort to try to fix the problems that are facing this country and our crippling economy. I think Obama still does have a presidential mandate, and his numbers (at least from some news outlets) would back that up. What can be said though is that the people's perception of Barack Obama and what he will do is why the voters came out in such a strong numbers and supported him, and I think that is why there is an electoral mandate.