The Patriot Post® · Friday Short Cuts

Upright: “A conservative can fight for tax reform, celebrate military victories over ISIS in Mosul, and applaud Trump’s judicial appointments while also condemning Trump’s vile tweets and criticizing his impulsiveness and lack of discipline. A good conservative can even step back and take a longer view, resolving to fight for the cultural values that tribalism degrades. Presidents matter not just because of their policies but also because of their impact on the character of the people they govern. Conservatives knew that once. Do they still?” —David French

Observations: “We should all be concerned that the president seems very distracted by his war on the American press at a time North Korea, Russia, China, Iran, ISIS and more seem emboldened. But let us not pretend that the current hostility towards the American press is undeserved. People have finally had enough of the media’s liberal biases. The media’s response is to whine, play victim and engage in the same whataboutism and tit for tat they decry others engaging in.” —Erick Erickson

For the record: “It’s not fair to a working-class person who’s struggling to put food on the table for the federal government to double their premiums trying to work an indirect subsidy for others who are ill. Far better to have it through direct tax revenue.” —Ted Cruz

Alpha Jackass: “You find out in all these investigations that Jared [Kushner] was opening up a tunnel to Moscow so he wouldn’t have to deal with the State Department. So the son-in-law — you know, one good thing Mussolini did was execute his son-in-law.” —Chris Matthews

Late-night humor: “According to new research, a press-on patch for the flu vaccine works just as well as the flu shot. You just remove the adhesive backing and place it firmly over your co-worker’s mouth.” —Seth Meyers