Apparently, the Democrats are firmly convinced that whatever the reason they lost the election, it certainly wasn't because of their ideas. Socialized health care is still right on top of their wish list, including bastardizations like Kennedy's which do an end run around the tax problem by forcing private companies at gunpoint to provide it (the "mandate" is a favorite technique of the Left. "See? This won't raise taxes!")

I leave it to your imagination what would happen to small business in this country if everyone with more than five employees were forced to provide full health care insurance. And these are the politicians who proudly proclaim themselves the "friends of the little guy." Those companies that are crippled by this would have to turn to the government to take over their health care.

But then I've noticed that a lot of their favorite programs (ADA, pollution rules, etc.) have a tendency to cut small businesses off at the knees while the large corporations dump personnel and cash on the new rules and go on without a hiccup. A cynic might think that small independent businesses are actually the targets, and not the beneficiaries, of the Democratic Party. Those of you who, like me, are self-employed already know that the government hates independent contractors.

Apparently, the fact that "universal" health care was defenestrated by a vote of 80-20 percent in Oregon (a state which is not well-known for being wall-to-wall conservatives) did not make an impression on the Democrats.

As always, the Clue hovers over their heads, lost in the fog, looking for a place to land.