What do you think is the number required in the election for the new president to have a serious mandate? Any win is a mandate, but considering we live in the era of the thisclose election, my guess is that to have a modern equivalent of FDR's control the number would have to be 52%.

Recent margins between the two parties:

2004 - 2.4%
2000 - 0.5% (with the vote winner not getting the presidency)
1996 - 8.53%
1992 - 5.6%
1988 - 7.8%

It's so amazing to me that Bush and Republicans had the Presidency, House and Senate and thought: Let's privatize social security, that's a good idea.