The Patriot Post® · Tuesday Short Cuts

Observations: “There is no pivot. There is no new and improved version. There is just Donald Trump — take him or leave him. Ask yourself this: What successful 70-year-old man — in the immediate aftermath of one of the greatest victories of his life — decides to do things totally differently? The answer is no 70-year-old man, particularly one with the level of supreme confidence displayed by Trump.” —Chris Cillizza

For the record: “I was treated like dirt. I don’t think the Khan family was treated that way. But I was treated like dirt. I was called a liar. [Hillary Clinton] went on TV many times and nodding her head, thinking that she’s so wonderful and she knows everything and I know nothing. … I don’t like her decisions. She kills people!” —Pat Smith, mother of Sean Smith who was killed in Benghazi

Non Compos Mentis: “They put [Jesus] in a grave, and threeee days later! The world knew he wouldn’t.stay.throwed! Now here’s a warning! To those who might be tempted to spend the next fouuuur years trying to knock Hillary Clinton down, you better get reeeaady for a woman who won’t. stay. throwed! They threw her down as the first lady. But she didn’t stay throwed!! They threw her down as U.S. senator, but she wouldn’t stay throwed! They threw her down as a secretary of state, but she wouldn’t stay throwed! They threw her down in this VERY campaign. THIS CAMPAIGN! But she WON’T stay throwed! NO! She won’t stay throwed! She won’t stay throwed! You betta listen to me, I said she WON’T stay throwed.” —Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (Hat tip to the Washington Post for the transcript.)

Upright: “The Supreme Court concluded in 2008 that voter ID is constitutional and doesn’t impose an unreasonable burden on voters. But the recent decisions of three federal courts throwing out voter-ID laws in North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin as discriminatory have put opponents of common-sense election reforms in raptures. These erroneous rulings twist the Voting Rights Act from a law intended to stop racial discrimination into one that transfers the power to determine routine election procedures — which the Constitution delegates to the states — to the judiciary.” —Hans von Spakovsky and John Fund

Inquiring minds want to know: “Honest question: Is there any other situation than voting where requiring a photo id is considered racist?” —Frank Fleming