"He who controls the agenda controls the outcome"...tell that to the Clintons.

Here's a question that appeared on the midterm exam from my graduate Policy Fundamentals class:  

There’s an old saying:  “He who controls the agenda controls the outcome.” To what extent does this seem accurate?  Explain the importance of problem identification and agenda setting in the policy process.

My response:

He who controls the agenda controls the outcome...Were that even close to true, Hillary Rodham Clinton would quite possibly be President of the United States and the healthcare system employed here would look vastly different than it does today. The rest is after the fold.