The Patriot Post® · Monday Short Cuts

Insight: “We in government should learn to look at our country with the eyes of the entrepreneur, seeing possibilities where others see only problems.” —The Gipper

Upright: “[Donald Trump’s] rise is not due to his supporters’ anger at government. It is a gesture of contempt for government, for the men and women in Congress, the White House, the agencies. It is precisely because people have lost their awe for the presidency that they imagine Mr. Trump as a viable president. American political establishment, take note: In the past 20 years you have turned America into a nation a third of whose people would make Donald Trump their president. Look on your wonders and despair.” —Peggy Noonan

The BIG Lie: “Today, we’re often told that Medicare and Medicaid are in crisis. But that’s usually a political excuse to cut their funding, privatize them, or phase them out entirely — all of which would undermine their core guarantee. The truth is, these programs aren’t in crisis. Nor have they kept us from cutting our deficits by two-thirds since I took office.” —Barack Obama (Both programs are nearing insolvency, and it’s easy to cut the deficit when you quadruple it first.)

Dezinformatsia: “One of the loudest opponents of Medicare was actor Ronald Reagan, who was then the Donald Trump of his time, a celebrity with no governing experience and very forceful opinions about government.” —Lawrence O'Donnell

Oh the humanity: “The problem [with cutting federal funding] is, in my state and many others, Planned Parenthood is the primary provider of women’s health services in certain parts of my state. So I don’t know how you would ensure that all of the patients of Planned Parenthood could be absorbed by alternative care providers.” —Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who opposes cutting federal funding

Late-night humor: “Hillary also said today that her greatest strength is her passionate commitment to helping people. For instance, there was that time in 2008 when she helped a young black man from Chicago become president.” — Seth Meyers