The Patriot Post® · Thursday Short Cuts

Common Core Math

“This war [in Iran] is estimated to have already cost us $50 billion — $50 billion — which is more money than this country has spent since World War II.” —"The View" co-host Sunny Hostin

Shot/Chaser

“The Trump administration is waging a vindictive campaign against the organizations that safeguard our democracy. Weaponizing the DOJ to indict long-standing watchdogs is a message: if you defend voting rights, fight white supremacy, or protect civil rights, you’re next. This is an assault on the institutions that make freedom real for everyone. They will not succeed.” —Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) regarding the SPLC being charged

“Committing wire fraud to send money to the KKK is an odd way to safeguard democracy, Senator.” —Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT)

Mind-Boggling

“The SPLC was simultaneously funding violent extremists, raising money to fight those extremists, and advising law enforcement on how to arrest those extremists. Insane corruption.” —Christopher Rufo

Reality Check

“The SPLC scandal proves something important: Right-wing racist Nazi LARPers don’t ‘move the Overton Window’ to the Right. They benefit the Left. They benefit the Left so much, the Left was funding them.” —Joel Berry

Belly Laughs of the Day

“The Southern Poverty Law Center is DENYING allegations that they staged hate crimes and is referring all questions to their spokesperson, Jussie Smollett.” —Jimmy Failla

“SPLC has a whole section of their website devoted to me, and yet they never offered me any money as part of their scheme. I’m starting to feel a bit offended.” —Matt Walsh

Political Futures

“Let’s get rid of this investigation so I can support your confirmation.” —Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) addressing Kevin Warsh while referencing the president’s investigation of outgoing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell

“The ‘yes’ vote has won VA’s redistricting referendum — but the legal fight is just beginning.” —former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

“The proper response from Donald Trump to these Virginia shenanigans is to announce that the retrocession of Arlington and Alexandria to Virginia was unconstitutional and that they are and always will be part of the federal district.” —Will Chamberlain

“If a Democrat wins the White House in 2028, the U.S. may well begin to treat Israel less as an ally and more like the equivalent of apartheid-era South Africa.” —Rich Lowry

“Politics has to be more than a power grab. By either party. There have to be rules that everyone follows. Otherwise, it’s all about power and pretty soon there won’t be much left that holds our nation together.” —Ari Fleischer

Re: Iran

“The question is not whether Iran looks worse than in peacetime, but whether it is weaker than the Iran we were otherwise on track to face: near‑weapons‑grade enrichment, hardened sites, ICBMs a tested weapon within a year, and implicitly backed by China.” —James E. Thorne

“The president who took out Soleimani, who hit the nuclear facilities and who launched a devastating attack on Iran is ready for things to end right now. Unfortunately, his frequently expressed sense of frustration appears to have inspired Iran to drag things out for as long as possible.” —Byron York