Grand Delusions

“This is a time that we need wisdom and experience. We need a steady hand in foreign policy. We need a steady hand in economic policy. And that’s what Joe Biden is bringing to the table every single day.” —Deputy Biden Campaign Manager Quentin Fulks

“That is correct.” —DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas when asked, “The situation at the border, you’re saying, is not a disaster?”

Cognitive Dissonance

“No.” —Alejandro Mayorkas when asked, “Do you believe that a border wall is part of the answer?” (“There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States.” —Mayorkas in October)

The BIG Lies

“Our administration has pursued a comprehensive strategy to manage this unprecedented migration. Our strategy includes expanded lawful pathways for migration, strengthened consequences for unlawful entry at the border, removing a record number of individuals found to be ineligible for protection under the law, and increased partnership cross the region to curb irregular migration.” —Alejandro Mayorkas

“The president has done everything that he can on his own to try to figure out how do we deal with what’s going on at the border.” —White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre

Non Compos Mentis

“Look, I — I’ve sorta, kinda seen the reporting here and there. I think it was from last week. … I’m just not going to go into specifics on that particular thing.” —Karine Jean-Pierre when asked: “A lot of videos of individuals who have been tearing down signs … of Israelis presently being held hostage in Gaza. There have been some tense confrontations that have taken place there. Is the White House’s view that these actions should be condemned … or that that’s a form of peaceful protest?”

“We don’t necessarily have to be tit-for-tat every single time. We are incredibly strategic about when we decide to take kinetic action.” —Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh when asked about Iran’s repeated attacks on our troops and bases

“[Donald Trump’s] the one who made [women’s] lives a living and breathing hell. He’s the one who made women bleed out outside of operating rooms where they could have been saved. … Why in the world do we have 10-year old girls who were raped by illegal immigrants having to flee the state, having to run for their lives to get an abortion? … Because of the Supreme Court. … Because the buying of the United States Supreme Court that Donald Trump did.” —MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough

“Hitler was duly elected right? And so, all of a sudden, somebody with those tendencies, the dictatorial, authoritarian tendencies, would be like, ‘Oh, OK, we’re going to shut this down, we’re going to throw these people in jail,’ and they didn’t usually telegraph that. Trump is telling us what he intends to do.” —Hillary Clinton

Braying Jennies

“This [Rashida Tlaib censure] resolution is an attack… I spent all weekend in Michigan, this last weekend, talking to all the communities about the meaning of this phrase [‘from the river to the sea’], and there are very strong feelings on all sides. And it’s very clear that people interpret words in different ways.” —Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI)

“The Palestinian movement will continue for liberation!” —Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN)

Village Idiot

“We don’t know what [Hamas] did do. … They are absolutely legally and morally bound to resist the occupation since 1967. It’s an obligation. … The thing was thrown out of all proportion by the Israelis making up stories about beheading babies. … Whether it was a false flag operation or not … we don’t know if we will ever get much of the real story. … They’re calling it their 9/11. What the hell happened on the American 9/11? Nobody knows.” —singer-songwriter Roger Waters

Political Futures

“[Ronna] McDaniel is a loser. There is no way around it and no other conclusion to draw here. She is a loser who was handpicked by Trump to run the RNC and who Trump has continued to endorse, including earlier this year when McDaniel was reelected to her position. McDaniel, like Trump, has overseen election loss after election loss, and yet she is still allowed to remain in her job and run the GOP into the ground.” —Zachary Faria

“The loss in Ohio may mean life is a losing issue. If so, we deserve to lose as a nation. But I think it more likely means Republicans were ill prepared for a post Roe reality they never thought would actually come, and we are fumbling at the goal line now because we have no coherent policy or strategy.” —Jeremy Boreing

“Before you tell me that the pro-life message is a political loser, answer me this: how many Republican candidates fought back hard and effectively on this issue, actively went after the Left, ran ads attacking their opponent for supporting the dismemberment of fully developed infants (which nearly every Democrat does), and actually countered the Left’s pro-abortion narrative with a strong and affirmative pro-life narrative? It seems to me that the pro-life message is being blamed in races where the pro-life message was never even articulated. Has anyone ran an ad saying ‘Here’s what happens in a third trimester abortion. My opponent supports this’? This is the most basic strategy and I’m not aware of anyone who has even attempted it. The strategy is simple: go on offense and tell the truth.” —Matt Walsh

“Every ballot initiative, post-Dobbs, has been a loss for the pro-life movement. As a party, we must not just be a pro-baby party. That’s a great thing. We must also be a pro-mother party. We need a national strategy.” —Kayleigh McEnany