According to this Washington Post
poll, it's much less intimidating than I would have thought.
Asked, "Do you think Obama has a mandate to carry out the agenda
he presented during the presidential campaign, or should he
compromise on the things the Republicans strongly oppose?" more
Americans said he had a mandate, but only by a margin of 50
percent to 46 percent. Given his high approval ratings and
Democratic control of Congress, Obama is pretty much going to get
what he wants. However, this poll reminds us how tenuous the
mandate is even for a tremendously popular president. Obama
understands this, which is why he is eager to get Republican
support that he doesn't need. For Republicans, there's no need to
strengthen Obama's hand by giving him bipartisan cover for a bad
bill that will balloon the deficit without helping the economy.
