The Patriot Post® · Monday Short Cuts

Dumb & Dumber

“Today’s apparent assassination attempt comes amid increasingly fierce rhetoric on the campaign trail itself. Mr. Trump [and] his running mate JD Vance continue to make baseless claims about Haitian immigrants in Ohio.” —NBC’s Lester Holt

“Do you expect to hear anything from the Trump campaign about toning down the rhetoric? Toning down the violence?” —MSNBC’s Alex Witt

“Look violent rhetoric is wrong, and has no place. But MAGA pretending they didn’t light this fire is gaslighting to the 100th power.” —former Congressman Adam Kinzinger (IL)

“This really seems to be the confluence of two … very bad things going on in the Republican Party. On one side, the attempts to divide, to enrage the population, to put out false rumors and misinformation. … And then on the other side, we have this complete availability of assault rifles too.” —Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ)

For the Record I

“There’s no leader in the history of America that has been so attacked and has remained so strong and so resilient.” —House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA)

Lack of Self-Awareness Awards

“I have a plan to lower the cost of living.” —Kamala Harris

“It’s time to turn the page. … America is ready for a new way forward.” —Kamala Harris

“[Trump] has, quote, ‘Concepts of a plan.’ … I mean, we’re 54 days from this election!.” —Kamala Harris

“Society works best … when you mind your own d*mn business.” —Tim Walz

The BIG Lies

“On Tuesday night, I talked about issues that I know matter to the families across America, like bringing down the cost of living, investing in America’s small businesses, protecting reproductive freedom, and keeping our nation safe and secure.” —Kamala Harris

“[Trump] intends to cut Social Security and Medicare. And he wants to impose what is in effect a national sales tax.” —Kamala Harris

“As Joe Biden and Kamala Harris fought to bring down inflation to put our country on a path to recovery, [Trump] wants to add a national sales tax to all of us.” —Tim Walz

“Goldman Sachs … has said that my plan would grow our economy and [Trump’s] plan would shrink the economy. That his plan would reignite inflation and send us into a recession by the middle of next year.” —Kamala Harris

For the Record II

“Kamala Harris says the Biden Administration rescued the U.S. economy. The truth is that the Biden inflation has left most Americans worse off than they were before the pandemic. … Real median earnings for full-time workers last year declined 1.6% and even more for high-school grads (3.3%).” —Wall Street Journal editorial board

“The Trump tax reform and deregulation boosted growth, which resulted in a tighter labor market and rising wages — without fueling inflation. Federal spending as a share of GDP averaged 20.5% during the first three years under Mr. Trump compared to 25.8% under Mr. Biden. Never has the government spent so much money only to leave Americans poorer.” —WSJ editorial board

Belly Laugh of the Day

“I will always put country above party. From the courthouse to the White House, I have always fought for the people.” —Kamala Harris

Re: The Left

“I’m sorry, a person can’t just wake up one morning and abandon their entire worldview without an explanation. I mean, they can try, but no sensible person would take them seriously. Sure, politicians have been calibrating and triangulating their positions since Pericles. Most have been compelled to explain their ideological evolution — or have the decency to lie about it. None has ever relied on an army of anonymous campaign flacks to erase a lifetime of positions.” —David Harsanyi

“The debate debacle hosted by ABC underscored why the conservative half of America is hostile to ‘fact-checkers.’ Object to them, and the left decrees it’s because you’re hostile to facts. But what conservatives actually oppose is leftist argumentation that’s poorly disguised as nonpartisan and devoid of opinion.” —Tim Graham

“Harris got the debate she wanted. If she isn’t able to move the needle in the polls at least a little bit, maybe that means the country just isn’t buying what she’s selling.” —pollster Nate Silver

Upright

“[Patrick] Mahomes … intuitively understands something that [Taylor] Swift does not. Americans routinely tune into sports games on their TVs and listen to music on their radios as a distraction from our chaotic news cycles and the political tumult of the day. It is not merely a commercial proposition — that Republicans might also buy Air Jordans, and pro-lifers might also purchase Swift albums. It is certainly that. But it is also a matter of basic decency — of using one’s massive platform in order to assuage, and not exacerbate, the domestic tensions that have brought our politics to a frenzied fever pitch.” —Josh Hammer