Our own Peter Lawler explains that, like Reagan’s victory in 1980, Obama’s "negative landslide" was based upon the repudiation of an incompetent  Republican party as well as his success in presenting himself as intellectually temperate, politically moderate, and generally inspirational. This perception says alot about the damage that has been done to the GOP brand but also demonstrates how feckless McCain’s communication was–most voters expect Obama will lower taxes more than his election opponent. Lawler argues that the popular "mandate" Obama has claimed is greatly exaggerated, especially when you consider how the many African-Americans and Latinos who supported him also supported Proposition 8. Nevertheless, we can expect that Obama will hit the ground running as if his triumph signified a major ideological realignment and his choice of Emanuel as Chief-of-Staff is clearly an indication that he has little interest in bi-partisan compromise. As always, Lawler’s commentary is a must read.