When thousands of peaceful, Tea Party protestors came to Harry Reid’s hometown of Searchlight, Nev. last Saturday, you would have thought that the favorite son of this hardscrabble, mining town would garner tons of local support.  Not so.  Members of IBEW Local 357 were called to action to agitate the crowd and, as we’ve previously shown, to hurl eggs at the busses carrying them.

Around 0:18 into the video released last night showing the exploding shell and yolk that came inches from Andrew Breitbart’s face, a loud protestor taunts Breitbart, smiling and mocking his condemnation of the egg-throwing.  “Glad you approve!” he sneers, “Thanks, man!”.

This guy really gets around.  Here he is at a Las Vegas healthcare townhall meeting back in August.

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Over the last several days, old friends and family around the country have contacted me with the same questions: ‘Do they have the votes? What is going to happen?’ Maybe they think that, living inside the Beltway, I get some secret newsletter that can divine what Congress will do. To all of them and you, let me be clear: I have no idea what is going to happen tonight. We have slipped well beyond any rational political thought or calculation. By any traditional analysis, this bill would have been buried long ago. So, while I don’t know what is going to happen, it is worth thinking a bit about what is going on. On that I have something to say.

The Democrats and the White House are lost in a legislative “fog of war” right now. They are focused on twisting enough arms, offering jobs and negotiating specific “deals” (bribes) to get them to 216 votes. Their attention and energy is focused exclusively on a final vote in the House tonight. No one is looking even one minute beyond that horizon. They are like a general who pours all his reserves into taking a symbolic bridge, never realizing that his lines have already collapsed and his flanks have been turned. They may take the bridge and get to 216 votes. (I’ve learned to never bet against Congressional leadership and an Administration united for a single legislative victory. ) But, they have already lost the war. They have deluded themselves that if they can…just…get…this…bill…passed, the public’s anger and attention will subside, they can put health care ‘behind them’ and they can focus on other ‘popular’ measures that will shore up their election prospects in November.

What they don’t realize is that today’s vote isn’t the end, but just a new beginning in the debate over health care. Buckle up, because if they manage to cobble together enough votes to pass the Senate Health Bill today, we’re set for weeks and perhaps months of a constitutional and political crisis the likes of which we haven’t seen in our lifetimes.

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Before there were TEA Party activists, there were Freepers. Through my experience as a long-time Freeper, I learned the value of street activism, and its limitations.

Capitol Confidential, in an essay posted at Big Government Monday, emphatically urges TEA Party activists to stop demonstrating and focus on local politics instead. I strongly disagree.

It is necessary to do both–and in fact it is being done all across the country.

When I was living in Washington, D.C., I helped the D.C. Chapter of FreeRepublic.com and other groups organize hundreds of protests, counter-demonstrations and several rallies. I also was an adviser for the Sept. 12 march on Washington.

Even though we didn’t draw huge crowds like the TEA Parties have this year, during my decade-plus of involvement I have witnessed conservative street activism rack up impressive victories.

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The story of Kenneth Gladney may finally be getting somewhere. County Counselor Patricia Redington, after waiting three months, has been forced to come out and defend her office in emails and in an interview with KMOX, a local St Louis radio station.  We’d say it was quick work, but waiting to look into charges of political violence until after healthcare reform comes to a vote seems to be the plan.  In previous columns, we identified a time difference for assault charges of 3 months versus 2 days.  3 months to start looking if you’re a black man beaten by union thugs and 2 days if you’re a Republican running for Congress against Dick Gephardt.

Redington is now responding to emails saying she is looking into the events, the investigation is still under review, and her office is interviewing witnesses.  This is one of her responses to a St Louis county resident about the affair.

There were several incidents at this event which required police intervention, and our office is reviewing the police report and has been interviewing various witnesses before making a final decision on what charges may be issued.

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