Top White House and Bush-Cheney campaign aides today were quick to claim that President Bush has won a mandate to rule and that the president had proven that he has recreated the Republican movement in the country. Talking points handed to chief campaign surrogates for media appearances chart the victory.
A summary provided to the Bulletin and U.S. News reads: "Last night, President Bush became the first president to get reelected while gaining seats in the House and Senate since 1936 and the first Republican President since 1924 to get re-elected, while re-electing Republican House and Senate majorities; Won a majority of the popular vote for the first time since 1988; Received more votes by any candidate in history: President Bush got 57.4 million votes–more than any other candidate in history. He broke President Reagan's 1984 mark of 54.5 million. (96% reporting); Increased the popular vote by 7 million votes since 2000–more than twice Clinton's increase from 1992 to 1996. Improved his percentage in every state except four (MD, OR, VT and WY). This includes a 4% increase in John Kerry's home state, Massachusetts. The historic victory was due to President Bush's leadership and vision. And, the tremendous grassroots organization–1.2 million volunteers nationwide, 7.5 million e-activists, 18 million voters contacted by our volunteers in the final days." –Paul Bedard, U.S. News
