Originally Posted by NJblue

That's the mistake that every majority makes - thinking that they won a mandate on every single issue. That is simply not the case. Many people voted Democratic because of the war, others because of the economy, others because they were disillusioned with deficit spending by the Republicans, others because of social issues, others because they didn't like Palin, etc., etc. If health care had been the single major issue of the campaign, then the Dems would be correct in assuming that they had a mandate. It was not and they do not. If they were astute they would look at the polling data to see that the public is not behind their position.