The Patriot Post® · Thursday Short Cuts

Insight: “Nations that have pursued equality, like the Iron Curtain countries, I think have finished up with neither equality, nor liberty. Nations, which like us, in the past have pursued liberty, as a fundamental objective, extending it to all, have finished up with liberty, human dignity, and far fewer inequalities than other people.” —Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013)

This: “Trumpism, as destructive as it is, is also unsustainable. It’s not to say the 2016 revolt isn’t real; it’s a genuine reaction to discontent. But surely Pat Buchanan and Ross Perot also imagined they had enduring movements on their hands. Trump isn’t going to erect an infrastructure for a lasting party. He will not be recruiting or cultivating lower-tier Trumpian candidates. He won’t be spending millions furthering a set of ideals, because he doesn’t have any to offer. Apple will not assemble phones in Milwaukee. There is no Trump after Trump.” —David Harsanyi

Observations: “The prospect of a Trump-Clinton matchup … remains very real. That at this moment, with the country struggling to come to terms with its 21st-century circumstances, the two parties would reach for two 70-year-olds to save them from the future — both of them intensely unpopular, reckless with power, blinded by nostalgia, and devoid of vision — is awfully discouraging. And it leaves me wondering if the baby boomers, as voters and leaders, will ever stop wrecking the country.” —Yuval Levin

Upright: “I hope she does [go to prison]. If I’m gonna believe, and I don’t have any reason not to believe, that she gave classified information on hundreds if not thousands of emails on a public server after what happened to General Petraeus, she should buried under a jail somewhere.” —former MLB pitcher Curt Schilling (No word yet on how long ESPN will suspend him this time…)

Braying Jackass: “Right after this came out, it was massive news for three days, he jumped 10 points in the polls. … It didn’t hurt Donald Trump.” —David Duke

Faint praise: “I have some degree of respect for [Ted Cruz] because he believes in something. He has a set of values.” —Harry Reid

Late-night humor: “Hillary Clinton’s childhood cat was named ISIS. This is the most shocking political pet news since Jimmy Carter revealed his childhood cat’s name was Ayatollah Katmeini.” —Stephen Colbert