In fact, the Republicans have something better than an ephemeral “mandate” (whatever that means), they have legislative votes — lots and lots of legislative votes. While any political party should be wary of triumphalism and overreach, the GOP doesn’t have to make the case for a mandate. It merely has to vote.

Again, this isn’t an argument for a national conservative ”cramdown,” where the GOP eschews any efforts at compromise and squanders its majorities in the same way the Obama Democrats squandered their own electoral victories. Prudence is necessary, but the GOP has the votes top to bottom in the American electoral system. That’s not a delusion of grandeur, it’s a statement of blunt electoral fact.