Insight: “The fate of the country does not depend on how you vote at the polls — the worst man is as strong as the best at that game; it does not depend on what kind of paper you drop into the ballot-box once a year, but on what kind of man you drop from your chamber into the street every morning.” —Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Upright: “Saying ‘systemic racism’ is at play actually gives government too much of a pass. The failure has a lot to do with deciding a government in Washington can fix the problems of Atlanta or Chicago or Lake Charles. Then there is the failure of thinking a bunch of politicians are going to truly fix a problem when they could instead let it fester and use that to maintain power.” —Erick Erickson

Political futures: “If Trump loses in November, it won’t be because he pursued a big legislative reform that was a bridge too far politically. It won’t be because he adopted an unorthodox policy mix that alienated his own side. It won’t even be because he was overwhelmed by events, challenging though they’ve been. It will mostly be because he took his presidency and drove it into the ground, 280 characters at a time.” —Rich Lowry

For the record I: “If senators want to kneel for nine minutes as an act of contrition, that’s their choice. It is my choice to be embarrassed for them. There is a yawning difference between having a desire to fix the wrongs of the past and taking responsibility for them. Kneeling in front of your fellow citizens in cult-like displays of self-flagellation, the kind we saw in Bethesda and North Carolina, where white people begged for absolution while washing the feet of their black neighbors, is antithetical to the egalitarian ideals we should be striving to achieve.” —David Harsanyi

For the record II: “Most Americans have historical grievances, or we wouldn’t be here in the first place. … If you have policy ideas that will make life better in African American communities that have been left behind in this country, let’s talk about it. Let’s end qualified immunity. Let’s end the drug war. Let’s end mandatory minimums. Let’s end the power of police unions that protect the worst offenders and teachers’ unions that keep poor black kids in failing schools. Let’s find ways to create more economic opportunities. We can do all of that without condemning our country as fundamentally unjust.” —David Harsanyi

Friendly fire: “You should know: leaving the precinct was not my decision. We fought for days to protect it. I asked you to stay on that line, day in and day out, to be pelted with projectiles, to be screamed at, threatened, and in some cases, hurt. Then, to have a change of course, nearly two weeks in, it seems like an insult to you and our community. … I am angry about how this all came about. I understand that my comments and this message may be leaked to the public, but I’m not concerned about that. I stand by what I’m saying.” —Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best

Grand delusions: “When you defend so-called ‘biological sex,’ you sound scientifically ignorant and you elevate transphobia.” —George Takei

Non compos mentis: “You can’t really reform a [police] department that is rotten to the root. What you can do is rebuild. And so this is our opportunity, you know, as a city to come together, have the conversation of what public safety looks like, who enforces the most dangerous crimes that take place in our community.” —Representative Ilhan Omar

And last… “The president moving the [rally] date by a day once he was informed on what Juneteenth was — that was a good decision on his part.” —Senator Tim Scott