The Patriot Post® · Tuesday Short Cuts

Political futures: “Here’s what we do know. First, no president since World War II has failed to be reelected when the unemployment rate was below 7.4 percent. Second, the unemployment rate in November 2020 is almost certain to be well below 7.4 percent.” —Paul Mirengoff

A Republic — if you can keep it: “We are exactly where the Framers hoped we would never be when they added the impeachment clauses to the Constitution: in a governing system in which impeachment has been trivialized into a partisan weapon for straitjacketing the incumbent administration, rather than being reserved as a nuclear option for misconduct so egregious that Congress must act, transcending partisan, factional, or ideological considerations.” —Andrew McCarthy

For the record: “The two articles of impeachment [have] no basis in the Constitution. They were a reflection of the comparative voting power of the two parties, precisely what one of the founders, Alexander Hamilton, warned would be the ‘greatest danger’ of an impeachment.” —Alan Dershowitz

What’s your definition of “full and fair”? “To engage a trial without the facts coming out is to engage in a coverup. To conduct a trial without the facts is saying, ‘We’re afraid. We have something to hide.’ To conduct a trial without relevant witnesses who haven’t been heard from, to just rehash the evidence presented in the House, just doesn’t make any sense. If Leader McConnell doesn’t hold a full and fair trial, the American people will rightly ask, ‘What are you, Leader McConnell, and what is President Trump hiding?’” —Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer

A blast from the past: “[Republicans] know that these allegations do not meet the test of the Constitution. They know that there are not impeachable offenses, but they pressed forward because it is really a coup d'état where … they are trying to do with this impeachment what they were unable to do at the ballot box.” —Rep. Maxine Waters during Bill Clinton’s impeachment ordeal — except that Clinton actually committed impeachable offenses

Braying jackass I: “I’m absolutely confident that for two years if every nation on earth was run by women, you would see a significant improvement across the board on just about everything.” —Barack Obama, who prevented Hillary Clinton from winning in 2008

Braying jackass II: “If you look at the world and look at the problems it’s usually old people, usually old men, not getting out of the way.” —Barack Obama, who seems to be working to prevent Joe Biden from winning in 2020

Non sequitur: “The US needs to become an advanced society. That includes establishing healthcare as a right to all people.” —Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who seems to think “rights” are things other people are forced to provide you

And last… “Democrats continue to make the case that if Trump isn’t impeached, he’ll steal the election of 2020. How isn’t that a statement of deep concern over their 2020 candidates?” —Ben Shapiro