McCain received a higher percentage of the vote than Clinton did. The population is thus irrelevant.
Obama got the higher electorals because he won the areas with the greatest concentrated population — the cities, so that is not irrelevant.
My point, which you seemed to have missed or decided to overlook, is that Obama’s win is not an electoral “mandate” as Clinton tried to make out of his win. The country is still very much divided between “conservatives” and the leftists who voted for Obama, and Kerry, and Gore, each of whom purported to have a different message. Thus, the core of conservatism has not changed, while the ‘core’ of liberalism is hollow. They simply want to win power.
I don't consider Obama’s win to be a Tsunnami in the ideological sense mainly because he hid who he truly is in order to win.
But hey, feel free to join in with all the RINOs who are heaping praise on Obammie the Commie and trying to make nice so that they feel like they fit in with the ‘change’ that is taking place.
Personally, I don't think that the future success of conservatism is aided by pretending that Obama has some massive mandate to enact socialism or in playing to the center.