The Patriot Post® · Friday Short Cuts

Insight: “There are, fundamentally, only two causes of the progress of the nineteenth century — the same two causes which you will find at the root of any happy, benevolent, progressive era in human history. One cause is psychological, the other existential — or: one pertains to man’s consciousness, the other to the physical conditions of his existence. The first is reason, the second is freedom.” —Ayn Rand (1905-1982)

The BIG Lie: “Now that people actually know what the Affordable Care Act does for them, there’s overwhelming support for it.” —Tom Perez

Non Compos Mentis: “Reminder: A Win For A Woman Doesn’t Always Mean A Win For Women.” —The Huffington Post’s Emma Gray, who laments, “Having more women in Congress is great, but Karen Handel isn’t pro-women”

Belly laugh of the week: “‘Resistance summer’ is going awesome. It’s going well. The Democratic Party is on the move. We are getting across this country. We are fighting every single day.” —Rep. Keith Ellison

Delusional: “I think I’m worth the trouble. … I am a master legislator.” —Nancy Pelosi

Friendly fire: “You can’t tell people you’re against big money, that you’re fighting for the average American, and then spend so much of your time with PACs and corporate interests and the very wealthy. … If money were the critical factor, we’d be in the majority right now.” —Dem Rep. Beto O'Rourke expressing frustration with Pelosi

Alpha Jackass: “My advice would just be to Republicans who do cozy up to [Trump] — it’s like hugging a suicide bomber. He blows you up in the process with him.” —MSNBC’s Elise Jordan

Village Idiots: “When was the last time an actor assassinated a president? I want to qualify, I am not an actor. I lie for a living. However, it has been a while and maybe it is time.” —Johnny Depp

And last… “[Democrats] want to fantasize about frog-marching [Trump] straight from his impeachment proceedings to the nearest federal penitentiary. But do they want to do the one thing that would make it easier to win tough races in marginal areas, namely moderate on the cultural issues? Not so much. … Stopping Trump is imperative, so long as it doesn’t require the party rethinking its uncompromising stance on abortion, guns or immigration.” —Rich Lowry