‘Mandates’ aren’t real, but majorities are—and Clinton wants one in Congress:

You know what would really undermine Hillary Clinton? A Republican majority in Congress.

The notion that presidential candidates can earn a “mandate” is a hoary concept premised on the absurd idea that if everyone agrees that a particular contender’s victory can be attributed to a particular message, lawmakers on Capitol Hill will cower before the occupant of the Oval Office and do her bidding, lest they provoke the wrath of the same voters who provided this mandate in the first place. But do you really think Republicans give a damn how Clinton wins?

Of course not, and that’s why Clinton is trying to take advantage of Trump’s unique toxicity to run up the score as never before. Clinton doesn’t need to do this—after all, a win that puts her in the White House is still a win. But there’s a very good reason why she’s doing it: The bigger her margin at the top of the ticket, the more Democrats she’s likely to sweep into Congress on her coattails.

And that is how you advance a progressive agenda: with Democrats holding power at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Exactly. Go read the whole thing. It’s short and worth it.