Worth Noting

(But not gloating)

President Bush:

*** Became the first President to be re-elected while gaining seats in the House and Senate since 1936 and the first Republican President since 1924 to be re-elected while re-electing Republican House and Senate majorities.

*** Became the first President to win a majority of the popular vote since 1988

*** Received 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 seven 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 four percent increase in John Kerry's home state, Massachusetts.

Via the indespensible Corner

Meanwhile, in a story very much downplayed in US media, the voter turnout was the largest in 30 years

And, in spite of some early claims to the contrary, youth voters turned out in record numbers too.

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Early press reports, including one by the Associated Press, claiming that 2004 was not a "breakout" year for young voters are being refuted by Declare Yourself, the national nonpartisan, nonprofit youth voter movement. Based on analysis of national exit poll data by CIRCLE (The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement), the facts are as follows:

* 21 million Americans under the age of 30 voted in 2004, an increase of
4.6 million from the 2000 election

* The percentage of eligible young people who voted also increased, from
42.3 percent in 2000 to approximately 51.6 percent yesterday

* In the ten most contested battleground states, youth turnout was
64 percent, up 13 percentage points from 2000

The surge of young voters at the polls has been obscured by an overall increase in turnout for all voters. In fact, youth voter turnout was the highest it has been in more than a decade, and four percentage points higher than its 1992 peak year.

Since "Exercise Your Right We Fight For" has been our motto here the past week or so we offer all those who did so our humble thanks.