Tuesday Short Cuts
Notable quotables from Ben Domenech, Bernie Sanders, Jim Treacher, and more.
Free speech fight: “Internet activists hear about people like Steven Crowder. What you don’t hear about is the local realtor who put a Trump sign in their lawn, and because of that, the neighborhood listserv and Nextdoor app filled up with people campaigning to nuke their Google mentions, respond to their Facebook page with constant harassment, and deface their ads in the neighborhood, calling them a white supremacist. That is not a major story. It is not even a minor story. But it is the sort of story that radicalizes a church, a community, a group of likeminded people… and then you start looking for politicians who take this issue on.” —Ben Domenech
For the record: “There are similarities … with regard to Watergate. In both, an administration was seeking to illegally spy on another candidate. In both, people were hired to attempt to gather evidence that could be used against a candidate. In Watergate, the Committee to Reelect the President hired burglars to break into the DNC headquarters. In Watergate, administration officials tried to find ways to use federal dollars to pay for their criminal spying.” —Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX)
Braying Jenny: “[I have] absolutely no doubt that [President Trump] has committed high crimes and misdemeanors. … [But] I think there may be just a bit more that we can do to make sure that we are traveling with the American people to that destination.” —Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
Demo-gogues: “[Illegal immigration] is a serious problem, but it is not the kind of crisis that requires demonization of desperate people who in some cases have walked a thousand miles with their children. … The issue of climate change, the issue of tens of millions of Americans not having any health insurance, the fact that half of our people are living paycheck to paycheck — those are more serious crises.” —Sen. Bernie Sanders
Delusions of grandeur: “We [2020 Democrat candidates] are all a part of being The Avengers. The Republicans in 2016, that was ‘The Hunger Games.’” —Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
And last… “The same people who insist against Jack Phillips’ right to refuse service are condemning YouTube for refusing to ban [Stephen] Crowder. Businesses have the right to make these decisions for themselves, except when they don’t. That’s the great thing about authoritarianism. You don’t need principles when you can just silence anybody who disagrees with you. Hypocrisy is… well, it’s baked into the cake.” —Jim Treacher
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