The Patriot Post® · Friday Short Cuts

Insight: “America is another name for opportunity. Our whole history appears like a last effort of divine Providence in behalf of the human race.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Observations: “If President Trump blinks, protestors take to the street. If he yawns, a Starbucks goes up in flames by outraged anarchists. If he tweets, progressive activists burn trashcans and hurl them onto interstates blocking rush hour. There is nothing the president can do to avoid the left-wing outrage. It is exhausting just observing it.” —Erick Erickson

Braying Jenny: “Because I have information about the president doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily a scandal. It doesn’t mean that it’s damning information. If other people leapt to that conclusion without me indicating that it was, that hype is external to what we did.” —Rachel Maddow (So now she’s admitting Trump’s taxes are much ado about nothing? Whew!)

Doubling down: “If you are old and you have no health insurance … and you’re sick, you will die. You may die because you can’t get to a doctor when you should.” —Bernie Sanders

The BIG Lie: “One of the biggest differences between Democrats and Republicans is, we really do want to work in a bipartisan way. We have enough humility about ourselves to think there might be a good idea on the other side.” —Nancy Pelosi

“Should we subject all spending to the harshest scrutiny? We certainly should. And those of us who have advocated for some of it are the harshest critics. … But that’s not what [Trump’s budget] is about. This is systemic deconstruction of the federal government and its role.” —Nancy Pelosi

And last… “In America, once an entitlement is created, it’s extremely difficult to get rid of. It turns out that people like free things. And when they can’t get stuff for free, they like to purchase it at way below true cost. The wrong road comes with amazing subsidies. The right road has a daunting tollbooth.” —Jonah Goldberg