Insight

“Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed.” —Mao Tse-Tung (1893-1976)

Upright

“Much of the chaos we’re seeing in the world today is the result of people who want a society that is fair as opposed to a society that is just. A fair society gives people what they subjectively want, whereas a just society gives people what they objectively deserve.” —Darrell B. Harrison

“The ‘Black Church’ was borne from slavery centuries ago, yet today, it still preaches a hermeneutic of deliverance from ‘Egypt’ (liberation theology). That’s why Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation is so crucial symbolically, because it means progress toward that ‘deliverance.’” —Darrell B. Harrison

Theater of the Absurd

“Republicans such as Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) have congratulated themselves for declining to treat Judge Jackson the way Democrats handled the nomination of Brett M. Kavanaugh. In fact, by the most relevant measures, Mr. Graham and a handful of other Judiciary Committee Republicans have handled themselves worse. A woman credibly accused Mr. Kavanaugh of sexual assault. Democrats rightly asked the committee to investigate. After a superficial FBI review, Republicans pressed forward his nomination. In the end, it was Mr. Kavanaugh who behaved intemperately, personally attacking Democratic senators and revealing partisan instincts that raised questions about his commitment to impartiality. By contrast, Republicans have smeared Judge Jackson based on obvious distortions of her record and the law. … Neither side is blameless in the politicization of the confirmation process. But, particularly after they iced out then-Judge Merrick Garland in 2016, Republicans have done the most damage.” —Washington Post editorial board (“Every Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, plus Schumer, called for Kavanaugh’s nomination to be withdrawn following a totally insane & false serial gang rape allegation from a lunatic liar & her now-imprisoned lawyer. Facially, aggressively insulting garbage from the Post.” —Guy Benson)

Double Standards

“[Amy Coney Barrett’s] whole life was enmeshed in religion. It was beyond just she goes to church on Sunday. She was … on pro-life boards. So when [Democrats] pressed her on religion … it absolutely was necessary … whereas when [Republicans] did it to Ketanji Brown, they’re trolling her.” —"The View" host Sara Haines

Belly Laugh of the Week

“Ketanji reminded me of Obama a little bit because he was also perfect. He had nothing wrong going on.” —"The View" host Joy Behar

Non Compos Mentis Award

“[Republicans] didn’t want to hear about sex crimes when Kavanaugh was being nominated.” —"The View" host Whoopi Goldberg

The BIG Lies

“I wasn’t going to run again. And I mean that sincerely. I had no intention of running for president again. … And then when [Trump] was asked what he thought [regarding Charlottesville] … he said, ‘There are very good people on both sides.’ And that’s when I decided I wasn’t going to be quite any longer.” —President Joe Biden in Brussels

“I did not say that in fact the sanctions would deter [Vladimir Putin]. Sanctions never deter.” —Joe Biden (“The president believes that sanctions are intended to deter.” —National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, February 11 | “The purpose of the sanctions has always been and continues to be deterrence.” —Vice President Kamala Harris, February 20 | “The purpose of the sanctions in the first instance is to try to deter Russia from going to war.” —Secretary of State Antony Blinken, February 20 | “We want them to have a deterrent effect, clearly.” —Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby, February 21 | “Sanctions can be a powerful tool. … Yes, our intention is to have a deterrent effect.” —White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, February 22 | “Sanctions are not an end to themselves. They serve a higher purpose. And that purpose is to deter and prevent.” —Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics Daleep Singh, February 22)

For the Record

“With regard to food shortage, yes, we did talk about food shortages. And — and it’s going to be real. The price of these sanctions is not just imposed upon Russia, it’s imposed upon an awful lot of countries as well, including European countries and our country as well.” —Joe Biden

Race Bait

“It appears the far right has taken advantage of pandemic at-home fitness trends to expand its decade-plus radicalization of physical mixed martial arts (MMA) and combat sports spaces. Earlier this month, researchers reported that a network of online ‘fascist fitness’ chat groups on the encrypted platform Telegram are recruiting and radicalizing young men with neo-Nazi and white supremacist extremist ideologies. Initially lured with health tips and strategies for positive physical changes, new recruits are later invited to closed chat groups where far-right content is shared. … The intersection of extremism and fitness leans into a shared obsession with the male body, training, masculinity, testosterone, strength and competition. Physical fitness training, especially in combat sports, appeals to the far right for many reasons.” —MSNBC opinion columnist Cynthia Miller-Idriss

And Last…

“A number of swimsuits are banned from competition for giving athletes unfair advantage. But today, biological men, who have much more advantage than a suit, are allowed to compete against women.” —Katie Pavlich