Tuesday Short Cuts
Insight: “Political history is far too criminal and pathological to be a fit subject of study for the young. Children should acquire their heroes and villains from fiction.” —W. H. Auden (1907-1973)
For the record: “Hoping to defeat Ronald Reagan, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) invited the Soviets to interfere in the 1984 election. Barack Hussein Obama spent eight years appeasing Russia. How can anyone take seriously the notion that the party of Bernie Sanders and Maxine Waters is suddenly losing sleep, worried that Russia might get away with something under Donald Trump?” —Gary Bauer
Braying Jackass: “While it has gained some popularity within conservative circles, originalism, I believe, remains outside the mainstream of moderate constitutional jurisprudence.” —Sen. Pat Leahy
Non Compos Mentis: “Judge Gorsuch has … stated that he believes judges should look to the original, public meaning of the Constitution when they decide what a provision of the Constitution means. This is personal, but I find this originalist, judicial philosophy to be really troubling. In essence, it means that judges and courts should evaluate our constitutional rights and privileges as they were understood in 1789. However, to do so would not only ignore the intent of the framers, but the Constitution would be a framework on which to build. But it severely limits the genius of what our Constitution upholds. I firmly believe the American Constitution is a living document, intended to evolve as our country evolves.” —Sen. Dianne Feinstein
The BIG Lie: “If these judgments when combined do not constitute super precedent, I don’t know what does. Importantly, the dozens of cases affirming Roe [v. Wade] are not only about precedent. They are also about a woman’s fundamental and constitutional rights.” —Dianne Feinstein (The “super precedent” isn’t a “right” to an abortion, it’s the fundamental right to life.)
Late-night humor: “Hillary Clinton is reportedly still considering a run for mayor of New York City. And, weirdly, this time she IS campaigning in Michigan and Wisconsin. Fool me once, right?” —Seth Meyers