The Patriot Post® · Wednesday Short Cuts

Insight: “Considering the natural lust for power so inherent in man, I fear the thirst of power will prevail to oppress the people.” —George Mason (1725-1792)

Political futures: “In 2016, Trump flipped the Great Lakes ‘blue wall’ states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin due to the pull of cultural and economic concerns. No state embodied that shift better than Wisconsin. If security concerns in Kenosha persist, Nov. 3 may not shape up to be a good night for Democrats.” —Salena Zito

For the record: “No. … I want to leave it to law enforcement. But my supporters are wonderful, hard-working, tremendous people. And they turn on their television set, and they look at a Portland, or they look at a Kenosha… They’re looking at all of this, and they can’t believe it.” —Donald Trump when asked whether he wants his supporters to “confront” left-wing protesters

Nailed it: “You could wear a Biden hat [in] any city in the country [and] no one would do anything. That’s the difference. That’s the double standard. … These are not conservatives doing this. They are Joe Biden voters burning down their cities.” —Donald Trump Jr.

Observations: “There will be less violence if Joe Biden’s campaign stops bailing violent rioters out of jail.” —Senator Tom Cotton

Braying jackass: “Fear is a good motivating factor. This president knows it. But this is the dangerous thing: In exploiting people’s fear and anxiety, what he’s doing is possibly going to cause a civil war in this country, and I don’t necessarily mean a violent one. That certainly can happen. Actually, I think we’re in the middle of one right now, where we can’t agree on anything.” —CNN’s Don Lemon

Um, what? “COVID has taken this year — just since the outbreak — has taken more than 100 year — look, here’s — the lives, it’s just, it’s just, I mean think about it — more lives this year than any other year.” —Joe Biden

And last… “So Pelosi gets a blowout in a hair salon (without a mask), but YOU are not allowed. That’s all you need to know about the politicians wrecking our economy in the name of COVID-19.” —Liz Wheeler