Charlotte Tea Party Headquarters

From "A Scarlet Stethoscope", http://rnadvocate.blogspot.com/2009/12/lets-unwrap-bow.html

With 1am closing in on me, I am cramming to get as much information as I can about this healthcare bill out there, and unwrap the bow on this abominable Christmas gift that the Senate is trying to put under the trees of the American people. This post is for everyone - in other words, it includes data from non-partisan government offices that have been given the task of analyzing HR 3590.

I’ve said it before – this bill pretty much speaks for itself. The mandates for employers and private citizens are still there – but the public option is gone. Common sense tells me that this bill ends up being an enormous moneymaker for the insurance companies, since there was no removal of the mandates that keep people from buying health insurance across state lines. In other words, everyone has to buy health insurance, but there is nothing in the bill that makes the cost of insurance more competitive for Americans.

What I find interesting is that Congress – on BOTH sides – have assumed that the American people are just going to swallow what they are going to say. They assume that they need to interpret the information for us – I guess they think we’re too dumb to read things for ourselves. I beg to differ. I don’t have a degree in politics. My degree is in nursing and in, of all things, theology. But I’m smart enough to figure things out. And I’m willing to give the American people that credit as well.

So, in this post, I want to put up some posts that have just “cold hard data”. There may be a “hmmm” here and there from me, just because these are things that make me go hmmm…and I have added italics/boldface type for emphasis on things that need your attention - period.

It’s been easy to find opinions on these things from the news media on both sides of the aisle, but to be honest, this particular information (from the Congressional Budget Office and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) was not as easy to find… not nearly as easy as it was to find various opinions about it. But I did find it – the links are included if you would like to go directly to the website and read these analyses in their entirety.

Simply put, I want people to have an opportunity to read it for themselves. So here we go:

The first report is from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, in their report of estimated costs for the Senate Healthcare Bill (which is often being abbreviated as PPACA. This abbreviation stands for “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”, or HR 3590).

You can find the report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services online at: http://enzi.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Files.View&FileStore_id=85899a92-a646-4bca-87b6-81ae629e7533  

“…we estimate that the total national health expenditures under this bill would increase by an estimated total of $234 billion (0.7) during calendar years 2010-2019, principally reflecting the net impact of (i) greater utilization of health care services by individuals becoming newly covered (or having more complete coverage), (ii) lower prices paid to health providers for the subset of those individuals who become covered by Medicaid, and (iii) lower payments and payment updates for Medicare services…”

The CMS’ take on comparative effectiveness research:

“We reviewed literature and consulted experts to determine the potential cost savings that could be derived from comparative effectiveness research (CER). We found that the magnitude of potential savings varies widely depending upon the scope and influence of comparative effectiveness efforts. Small savings could be achieved through the wide availability of non-binding research, while substantial savings could be generated by a comparative effective board with authority over payment and coverage policies…

“…Our interpretation of CER provisions in the PPACA, which allow the Secretary of HHS to use evidence and findings from CER within defined limits in making coverage determinations under Medicare, is consistent with a low level of influence, translating into an estimated total reduction in national health expenditures of $8 billion for calendar years 2010 through 2019…”

Hmmm…

Here’s another doozy from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid report:

“The proposed Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) insurance program would produce an estimated total net savings of $38 billion through fiscal year 2019. This result, however, is due to the initial 5-year period during which no benefits would be paid. Over the longer term, expenditures would exceed premium receipts, and there is a very serious risk that the program could become unsustainable as a result of adverse selection by participants…

“Total national health expenditures in the U.S. during 2010-2019 would increase by about 0.7 percent. The additional demand for health services could be difficult to meet initially with existing health provider resources and could lead to price increases, cost-shifting, and/or changes in providers’ willingness to treat patients with low-reimbursement health coverage.”

HMMMM…

These next entries are from the Congressional Budget Office, in an analysis on how this healthcare bill will affect insurance premiums: http://cbo.gov/ftpdocs/107xx/doc10781/11-30-Premiums.pdf

“[A]n estimated 19 percent of workers with employment-based coverage would be affected by the excise tax in that year [2016]. Those individuals who kept their high-premium policies would pay a higher premium than under current law, with the difference in premiums roughly equal to the amount of the tax. However, CBO and JCT estimate that most people would avoid the cost of excise tax by enrolling in plans that had lower premiums; those reductions would result from choosing plans that either pay a smaller share of covered health care costs (which would reduce premiums directly as well as indirectly by leading to less use of covered medical services), manage benefits more tightly, or cover fewer services…

“In reaction to the tax, many employers would reduce the scope of their health benefits. The resulting reduction in covered services and/or increases in employee cost-sharing requirements would induce workers to use fewer services. Because plan benefit values would generally increase faster than the threshold amounts for defining high-cost plans (which are indexed by CPI plus 1 percent), over time additional plans would become subject to the excise tax, prompting those employers to scale back coverage.”

Go to the links; read it for yourself. Right now, most phone lines at Capitol Hill are gridlocked and voice mails are full. I encourage you to communicate over email, fax, and (I can’t believe I’m actually saying this), but over Twitter. If you are in North Carolina, you can reach your Senators over Twitter at the following “callnames”:

Senator Kay Hagan: @SenatorHagan

Senator Richard Burr: @burrforsenate

You can also follow me on Twitter at @RNAdvocate, and see the messages that I am sending to the Senate as this bill is debated.

More to come.

For all of those that are taking the time out of your holiday schedules to participate in our Candlelight Vigil tomorrow night in Charlotte - THANK YOU. The amount of response I have received to this in just a few short days has been overwhelming! Tomorrow night is going to be a great experience for everyone participating - and it is going to send a very clear message to Congress. Have no doubt in your mind - you WILL be making a difference!

Here are some updates about the event:

The office building of 1520 South Boulevard is located at the corner of South Boulevard and Park Avenue. (There is a Carabba's (sp?) Restaurant on the bottom floor of the office building, and a Fuel Pizza, CVS Pharmacy and Einstein Bagel shop in the area, if that rings some bells as to where it is located. I confirmed with the security guard that Kay Hagan's office suite does face South Boulevard.

To avoid parking nightmares: The LYNX line stops at East Boulevard as well as at Bland Street. The building is on South Boulevard, between these two stops. There are Park-And-Ride stations from I-485 up through Scaleybark Road. A round-trip ticket, according to the website, runs $3.00. Here's the website for more info:

http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/CATS/LYNX/home.htm

I think that best place to meet will be at the corner of South Boulevard and Renssealer Avenue (the back end of the building, ACROSS from Einstein Bagels - we will probably want to stay on the same side of the road as 1520 South Boulevard, unless we are asked to move to a different area - if there is a large crowd, it will be difficult for all of us to cross the road without obstructing traffic).

When the clock hits about 7:10-7:15pm, we can light our candles and walk toward the front area of the building. There are a couple of areas we can 'congregate' from the looks of it...it all depends on the turnout!

Thanks again - DRESS WARMLY!!! I look forward to seeing you tomorrow night!

I am making choices with my pocketbook these days and holding on to my bucks when movies or stars or singers tick me off with their wacko beliefs and hypocrisy.  Such is the case with the new movie Avatar.  We saw a 3D IMAX preview a couple weeks ago, and while it was truly awesome, we won't be going to see it.  Why, you ask?  Because I am done with the propaganda.  I am done with the agenda, and I am not going to overlook my values and say, "It's just a movie" anymore.  What's so bad about Avatar? Well, I just saw the preview, but this is what I got:

The US Military is set to destroy peaceful, environmentally neutral and in tune with nature peaceful beings, for the corporate greed of a mineral.  The hero, wounded in some other imperialist, capitalist pig war, has lost a limb, and only when he becomes enlightened by the gentle savage is he a human being worth saving.

Let's get something straight right here and right now - the United States Military is the most honorable fighting force in this world's history.  There has never been assembled a finer body than our military.  The US Military has shed their blood and died to free and protect thousands worldwide, not for money, power, or greed - but for honor.

Secondly, the fact of the matter is any species on earth or in the galaxy without the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ are savages. The illusion of the noble savage is just that; an illusion.  Hollywood has perpetuated a myth of peace loving, earth worshipers; their idea of holy people - when the facts are quite different.  Read Lewis and Clark's accounts of the Lakota Souix, do your research on the Mohawk, or the Camanche; these were brutal wicked people.  Read writings from the early settlers, read writers from the times - not the romanticized drivel we are passed today as history.  The facts stand that past, present, or future a people with a culture that does not include Jesus Christ are lawless, abusers of women, tyrannical, and savage.

The movie, of course it is big government and big business out to destroy the peace of the earth and civilization to make a buck.

You know what James Cameron, you aren't make your buck off me.  I encourage all you Tea Partiers, Conservatives, Christians, and Supporters of the Military to keep your dollars in your pocket - go seeThe Blind Side instead.  That's a movie that represents who we are -Conservative, God Loving, Hard working folks - put your money where your mouth is folks!

Originally posted at:  http://abigailanddolley.blogspot.com

I know there has been a “lag” between posts…just to update you, it is not from a lack of action! I am still keeping a close eye on what is happening in the Senate healthcare debate, and still am trying to get a response from the junior Senator’s office in my state (with no luck – I feel like I’m in high school again, trying to get a date…and that’s sad). I’m still trudging through the 4-ream pile of steaming…paper…that is the Senate healthcare bill. I’ve been working on my most recent series of posts for some time, wanting them to be “perfect”, hoping that it will be just the shot of energy that everyone needs. This has been a grueling battle for all of us, and personally I have become very fearful that Americans have resorted to a sort of despondency…I am hearing more and more, “it doesn’t matter what we do…it doesn’t matter what we think…they’re going to do what they want.” My answer to that is: "oh, HELL no!" This is not over – it was not over when this bill raced through the house, and the fact that the bill is facing an epic struggle in the Senate is absolute proof to me that this is NOT over – we have not lost this battle, and if we keep up the momentum, we might just win.

I have my moments – quite a few of them – where I’m ready to shut down the computer and say “forget it”. I know that many people who take the time to read and learn from this blog have probably had those moments too, and you are not alone. But the fact that this bill is sputtering as much as it is in the Senate gives me hope for two things: first, there is a glimmer of a chance that this current bill might not make it through the Senate. Second, that opens the door to the possibility that real, useful healthcare reform can be worked on – thoughtful, careful reform that focuses on fixing the problems we have in our healthcare system, and building on what makes us the best healthcare system in the world.

I have my moments – have no doubt. I’ve thought about giving up on this. Then I have to turn the key in my car every morning to go to work, and I remember my patients – and the pledge that I took almost 14 years ago:

"I solemnly pledge myself before God and presence of this assembly;

To pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully.

I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous

and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug.

I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession

and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping

and family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling.

With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work,

and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care."

This is far from over.

Senator Harry Reid has been very outspoken about wanting his bill voted on by Christmas. North Carolina Senator Kay Hagan has been quick to vote “YEA” for every motion related to healthcare reform measures that violate the Constitutional rights of Americans.

It is time for the United States Senate to hear the resounding “NAY” from their constituency.

I know that several people feel that calling on Senator Hagan to vote against this healthcare bill is a lost cause. But a good friend reminded me, very recently, that sometimes lost causes are the ones that are really worth fighting for.

We need a strong showing at this event to draw the attention of the United States Senate – namely, the attention of Senator Hagan. It is for one hour – just one hour – on Wednesday night. Please join us, bring a candle or a flashlight, and don’t forget your warm coats and mittens. We will also have candles available at the gathering.

We will gather at:

The Charlotte Office of Senator Kay Hagan, 1520 South Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28203

(between East Boulevard and Morehead Street)

From 7:00pm to 8:00pm

If you have a protest sign you would like to bring, please bring it along. But most importantly, bring yourself.

The light rail line does have a stop at East Boulevard, just parallel to South Boulevard, if you are concerned about availability of parking for the event. The website for Charlotte Transit LYNX (light rail) is here:

http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/CATS/LYNX/home.htm

Question the wisdom or motives behind congressional legislation and you’ll get the predictable response: read the bill. Alright, let’s try to read Sen. Harry Reid’s healthcare bill, beginning with its 14-page Table of Contents.

There are nine separate Titles containing another 51 Subtitles and 23 additional Parts and Subparts. Underneath those various Parts, Subparts and Subtitles are 365 Sections and Subsections, one for each day in a year. The bill itself is 2074-pages long with each page containing 24 or 25 lines each, a total of nearly 51,000 lines. I won’t even guess at a word count.

Each line, Subtitle, Part, Subpart, Section and Subsection refers to others ad nauseam. In some instances, they reference separate articles of federal law, which must be just as confusing and unreadable as Reid’s healthcare “reform” proposal. Now, in order for us to believe we’re being properly represented we must accept that our Senators have read and understand this bill in its entirety. Sure, and you can see the Pacific Ocean from Lawrence, Kansas.

I’ll make no pretense about understanding this monstrosity. Furthermore, I don’t believe the four Senators whose names appear on the legislation understand it either. Further still, I think it was written that way on purpose.

First, Senators and Representatives need not understand their legislation; they will exempt themselves from it. Second, a bill understandable to them might also be understandable to us. And that isn’t how Washington operates. They prefer ambiguity and legalese that no one short of a Philadelphia lawyer can follow.

Even so, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) explained her vote to begin debate on this behemoth thusly, “It is clear to me that doing nothing is not an option.”

In fairness to Ms. Landrieu her procedural vote doesn’t mean she will support the legislation, and at least I can comprehend what she means. But I have to call her on the “doing nothing” part. Doing nothing can be the better alternative in a host of situations. Let’s examine a couple.

Let’s suppose you awaken in the middle of the night and notice an odd glow outside your window. Your neighbor’s garage is on fire. You call the fire department and, being a conscientious neighbor, out the door you go. The neighbor’s garden hose is close by, but the water isn’t working. Then you notice a gasoline container beside the shed in your neighbor’s back yard. Is it better for you to do nothing? Or, is it better for you to toss the gasoline on the fire?

Let’s try another one.

Black Friday just passed, so let’s assume you were out shopping. The aisles are packed with scrambling shoppers and howling kids. But one kid in particular gets your attention. This little boy just will not behave. He wants an X-box and will stop at nothing to get it.

His mother tries to assuage the situation with the typical “maybe Santa will bring it” line. But if that’s ever worked on a kid it’s news to me. His tantrum continues. Is it better for the mother to give the boy his way and instill in him the idea that his behavior is acceptable and profitable? Or, is it better for her to do nothing, thus letting the boy know that being a brat won’t serve his goal?

Am I exaggerating? Maybe a little. But both analogies illustrate that it can be far better to do nothing than to take actions that make bad situations worse, just for the sake of having “done something”.

Healthcare needs reform, just like the garage needs a fire department and the child needs a spanking. What healthcare doesn’t need is a “do something” fix that adds another layer of bureaucracy to an already bloated system. In regard to Reid’s bill, doing nothing is just what the doctor ordered.

Anthony W. Hager's writing can be found at www.therightslant.com and www.anthonywhager.blogspot.com.

An old joke begins with a rich man in a limousine passing a pretty woman standing on the sidewalk. He tells the chauffeur to stop beside the woman and he lets his window down.

“As you can see,” he says to the woman, “I’m a wealthy man. Would you have sex with me for a million dollars?”

It’s a tempting offer. One million dollars; she’d be set for life. The woman considers the rich man’s proposal, smiles at him and agrees that she would indeed be willing to fulfill her end of the bargain. The man smiles back and asks if she would have sex with him for a hundred dollars. The woman’s smiling face transforms into an indignant frown.

“What kind of woman do you think I am?” she asks.

“We’ve established the kind of woman you are,” the rich man replies. “Now we’re haggling over the price.”

The rich man will have to come up with far more than a million dollars to buy Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA). I’m not saying that Sen. Landrieu would sell herself like the woman in the joke. But she will sell her vote, a vote for a bill with which she has issues, for a barrel of pork spending. In fact, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid proposed at least $100 million of your money to buy Landrieu, and she’s not the least bit ashamed.

“I’m not going to be defensive,” Landrieu crowed to the Washington Post. “And it’s not a $100 million fix. It’s a $300 million dollar fix.”

No matter the price, it’s obvious that the fix is in. Thus there is little difference between Landrieu and the woman on the sidewalk. The woman in the joke was willing to compromise her morality when the price was right. Landrieu has misgivings about allowing the federal government to commandeer healthcare. Yet she is willing to compromise those principles for money. She has sold herself just as surely as any streetwalker.

I’m not the first person to make this comparison. Therefore, I won’t be the first to be tarred and feathered for the analogy. However, no one has refuted the charge to a worthwhile degree. Let’s go to the dictionary.

The usual definition for prostitute involves granting sexual favors in return for money. But a prostitute can also be someone who misuses or compromises their talent, ability, or position for financial gain. Isn’t that what Sen. Landrieu has done? She offered her ability, in this case a vote to move forward on the Senate’s healthcare “reform” plan, in exchange for federal funds earmarked for her state.

At least if she were walking the streets Harry Reid would have to use his own money to acquire her services. But since she’s a senator whose vote Reid needs, he can use our money to have his way with her. Just as in the joke, we have established the type of woman Mary Landrieu is; we are simply haggling over her price. And she drives a much harder bargain than our sidewalk lady.

Landrieu defenders will argue that this is just business as usual. It’s how politics works, Washington in its purest form. I don’t doubt that’s true. More is the pity. The nation’s future is being shaped by people who willingly sell their principles and their constituents to the highest bidder. Such people have no place representing a free and thinking population.

However, can we truly blame Sen. Landrieu for selling her vote to Harry Reid? Not really. Which do you think will sell better to her constituents come reelection time? Will she win favor for having stood on principle and voted her conscience? Or, will Louisianans more readily reward her for bringing home $300 million in pork? Sadly, I think the later.

Anthony W. Hager writes www.therightslant.com and The Right Slant blog, www.anthonywhager.blogspot.com.

Callling Them Out - Harry Reid

I can't stand a liar, so today, I am calling one out.  (Originally Posted at http://abigailanddolley.blogspot.com/ )  Abigail and Dolley readers will find this amazing, but for much of the last decade I completely tuned out of news and politics, I just couldn't take the lies.  My philosophy was that I knew what I stood for, I knew the party that lined up with my beliefs, and being involved did nothing other than raise my blood pressure.  That was of course a different time and a different world.  I find that I can no longer siton the side lines and do nothing, so here we are.  Anyway, I digress, I really do hate a liar.

Check out the first few seconds of this Fox News video

http://video.foxnews.com/12029542/more-cheerleading?category_id=c985e69916535a2170b2b18ab0ab7eb60401f9bb

It it Harry Reid, the Democratic Senate Majority Leader makes a statement that is absolutely untrue.  The consequences to our Country are dire if this lie is allowed to become law.  

Lies he tells:

• Our Program saves lives - LIE - their program will cost lives by fundamentally changing the greatest health care system in the world.  Ask the Brits and the Canadians, hell for that matter ask those living under Romney care in Massachusetts.
• Our Program saves Money - At a 2 TRILLION dollar cost for the first 10 years (of which benefits are only paid for 5 but fees and taxes are collected for the full 10) this is a LIE.  The government has not historically been very good contemplating the long term cost of things, check out original estimates of Medicare - we are now 2000%higher than estimated, can we afford another entitlement?
• Our Program saves Medicare - This is another joke - Medicare is broke, this healthcare debacle cuts Medicare payments and moves everyone to the government DMV style healthcare.
• The Republicans don't have a plan - this is so blatantly untrue that any reasonably informed American knows this is a LIE.  I have seen the Coburn-Burr legislation.  Republicans have offered over 800 amendments that have all been rejected.

The days when all Americans got their news from the direction of the NY Times of over, Harry.  We know you are lying to us, SHAME on YOU, HARRY REID.

Harry Reid - Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

Fox News today is reporting that some GOP leaders are proposing a litmus test to determine if a candidate should receive funds for the upcoming elections.  There are 10 questions and a candidate running as a Republican has to agree with 8 of the 10.  These are 10 major tenants of the party and I see no problem asking folks who are running under the party banner to state that they agree with their party on these issues.  Of course, the RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) are squawking because they should not be called Republicans and have never been in accordance with the conservative core of the GOP.  The Democratic strategist interviewed for the story was purportedly chomping at the bit with excitement stating that it would turn away potential independent and liberal voters. 

As is always the case in politics, you have to move beyond the rhetoric and actually look at historic outcomes.  One must also recognize that when your opponent wants you to do something, you would be well pressed to do the opposite.  In this case, what happens when the GOP runs candidates that adhere to conservative principals and don't try to act like "Democrat Light"?  The GOP wins.

Had such a litmus test been in place, would we have had a Dede Scozzafava in New York?  Would we have a Lindsay Graham, Olympia Snow,or an Arlen Specter (who of course has now switched parties)? For that matter, would we have a John McCain?

Any time in the last 30 years, when the GOP ran under the full banner of conservative principals of limited government and lower taxes, they win.  The problem with the Republican Party is that they have not delivered.  They have become a party of big government, just like the Democrats.  People do not rally under an ambiguous banner.  They do not become passionate supporters of moderates.  They do not see much difference between the parties as they existed in the 2008 elections other than the fact that John McCain ran the worst campaign since Walter Mondale. 

Enter the Tea Parties.  Fired up every day Americans who work hard and play by the rules and say "Enough is Enough!"  Tea Parties will force the GOP back to its roots or it will run its own candidates and split the electorate.  This ultimately hands elections to the Democrats, which while painful, is the price the GOP must payf or failing to govern.

I say to the leadership of the GOP, do not be afraid of a litmus test -be afraid of not having one.  The price of continuing along the moderate middle of the road, stand for less government than the Democrats is the road to failure for your party and ultimately for our country.  The Lord Himself finds middle of the road, lukewarm disgusting, ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." Revelation3:15-16.

What's it going to be GOP?

Originally Posted at Abigail and Dolley:  http://abigailanddolley.blogspot.com/

People who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. For example, collectivist policies have invariably produced poverty and misery. Yet they are routinely resurrected, each time with the empty promise that results will be different. Such is the circle we call history. It is simultaneously completed and renewed in an endless repetitive cycle.

However, this lesson appears lost on Bill Clinton and any congressional Democrat who heeds his latest advice. Or, it could simply reflect the arrogance of the megalomaniacal politician who thinks historically proven absolutes will change for them.

The former president had several interesting instructions for Democrats during a recent luncheon. On the topic of healthcare reform, he called it “an economic imperative” that even the coldest of hearts should support.

I suppose that’s true for the allegedly progressive mind. If government’s role doesn’t increase that might mean individual liberty will flourish. We certainly can’t have that, can we? This is also where Mr. Clinton loses his historical perspective.

Nationalized, socialized, centralized--whatever term you choose--medical care isn’t a magic potion that will conjure Utopia. Nations with collectivist healthcare practices experience longer waits for standard procedures than do Americans. Treatment is rationed, at least to a degree, and care standards are generally lower.

Meaningful healthcare reform means decreasing the government’s role, not expanding it. There’s more than enough government in healthcare and insurance right now. It is beyond naïve to think that another layer of bureaucracy will reduce costs a single penny. What it will do is shift escalating costs to a shrinking number of payers.

What will reduce healthcare and insurance costs are market forces and comparative shopping for health insurance and treatment. Voluntary exchange produces more and better goods and services, at a lower cost, than does government manipulation.

Clinton has chosen to ignore this history, or he has conveniently spun it out of context. He has also ignored the history of his own first term. He reminded Democrats that failing to “reform” healthcare in 1993 led to the Republican Revolution in 1994. But that’s only true in part. Healthcare reform was a piece of the GOP’s winning formula, just for a different reason than Clinton admits.

It wasn’t the administration’s failure to socialize medicine that sent congressional Democrats down in flames. It was their desire for socialization and the manner in which it was attempted that helped fuel the voter rebellion. But the prime reason for the Democrat’s 1994 destruction was gun control, from the Brady Bill to the so-called “assault weapon” ban. And Clinton himself blamed the NRA for the election results.

Clinton also claimed that the tea party protests are signs that Democrats are advancing their agenda. “The reason tea-baggers are so inflamed is because we are winning,” said Clinton.

First of all, “tea-bagger” is a perfectly vulgar description of a sex act, which makes it apropos for someone who has conveniently forgotten his own personal history, like Bill Clinton. However, while Democrats have won recent elections, is their agenda really advancing?

Democrats are losing ground on Rasmussen’s generic congressional ballot and both Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have high unfavorable numbers. Despite their majority status, Democrats aren’t moving their agenda much, if at all. Look at healthcare, cap and trade, Iraq and Afghanistan, or immigration. For a party with such sizeable congressional majorities they have precious little momentum.

Bill Clinton has ignored the history of his own administration and, in doing, has advised Democrats to repeat their 1994 implosion. That wouldn’t be a bad thing. But the question then becomes whether or not Republicans will repeat history and revisit their own free spending, big government ways.

I’d bet the farm on it. If there’s one thing at which politicians are adept it is ignoring and repeating history.

Other columns from Anthony W. Hager are available at:

http://www.therightslant.com/

http://anthonywhager.blogspot.com/