MSNBC's ratings are in the tank so little damage was done today when pup reporter/host David Shuster reported there was a tea party like protest going on in front of Sidwell School today. If you are not familiar, Sidwell School is where the Obama children attend.

We are a nation of consumers. Every day we make choices: what outfits to wear, which route to take to work, should I call that person back or wait until tomorrow? These are the mundane freedoms of our daily life; each choice is made freely and can have a variety of effects. One year ago, voters across the country made a choice for new leadership in Washington. Last week, voters in Virginia and New Jersey did the same but for opposite reasons.

The real fight is still to come, and we're going to win.

I won't sugarcoat it: We lost tonight, and it hurts. It was down to the wire, but Nancy Pelosi's outrageous trillion-dollar-plus budget-busting, tax-hiking Washington takeover of health care passed the House tonight.

But keep it in perspective, because this defeat gives us great hope for ultimate victory.

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