The Democrats' Clean-Energy Mandate:

"Now that the mid-term elections are over -- and the votes counted -- the Democrats step into power in both the House and Senate.
May the Democrats take their new mandate and turn it into a vision for positive change. The world is waiting!
The election results were predictable, though not guaranteed. Most Americans finally tired of a mismanaged war; Karl Rove's smear tactics, lies and corruption; and sex scandals that tainted the ruling party. And Bush's approval rating, somewhere between 30 and 40 percent, didn't help his party.

So where do Democrats, the victors, go from here? And what do they do with their new mandate?

Interestingly, I recommend that they look no further than a Republican -- California's Arnold Schwarzenegger -- for some ideas and inspiration.

One of a seeming handful of Republicans to come out victorious on election night -- Schwarzenegger turned around his prospects for winning by embracing a number of innovative clean-energy policies and initiatives. Back in late 2005, Schwarzenegger's prospects for winning re-election were dismal, to say the least. But he was able to turn that around by bringing on a new Chief of Staff (a former Democrat), changing his tone, partnering with Democrats and, I believe most importantly, becoming the leading governor on clean-energy issues. Under his guidance the state passed the Million Solar Roofs initiative, which will result in tens of thousands of homes and businesses installing solar modules; the nation's first state-mandated global greenhouse-gas legislation to curb CO2 emissions; and signed into law a tough emissions standards on automobiles to curb one of the greatest contributors to pollution and greenhouse-gas emissions. Under his leadership, California has become a shining li"