Political Futures

“Biden seems mired in a world in which about 40% or less of voters approve of the job he is doing and about 55% of voters disapprove. How could it be otherwise? With prices rising 8.6% on an annualized basis in May — the price of groceries up 11.9%, gas up 48.7%, used cars up 16.1% — voters by far say that inflation is the most serious problem facing the nation today. And now the Federal Reserve, in a bid to bring inflation under control, has raised interest rates three-quarters of a percentage point, the biggest increase in almost 30 years, which greatly increases the risk of a recession. That affects Americans in every area of their lives. … Not a good place for a president to be.” —Byron York

For the Record

“President Biden doesn’t have to travel to Saudi Arabia to bring down gas prices. Instead, he should travel to places like Midland, Texas. The American energy industry can pump just as much oil, and this will make America independent, not dependent.” —former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

“An unprecedented 239,416 illegal immigrants were caught at the southern border in May — another month of the highest in DHS history. A 300% increase from the average May number under Trump.” —Republican National Committee

Observations

“The current insane language of the Left is that it is ‘gender-affirming therapy’ to tell a little girl that she is a little boy, but ‘conversion therapy’ to tell a little girl that she is a little girl. Which makes a mockery of language, science, and logic.” —Ben Shapiro

“Dear America, The government shut down your job, destroyed the value of your dollar, made you wear a useless mask, stopped any alternative treatments of COVID, and told you to take the ‘vaccine’ or be fired. And you didn’t get mad until gas prices got high. You’re the problem.” —Jesse Kelly

Inquisitive Minds Want to Know

“[Thursday] I asked Fauci a simple question: Are there any studies that show a reduction in hospitalization or death for children that take a booster? His answer: No. Then why is the government recommending it?” —Senator Rand Paul

A Trip Down Memory Lane

“When people are vaccinated, they can feel safe that they are not going to get infected.” —Anthony Fauci, May 2021 (“A year later, after four covid shots, Fauci got covid. Whoops!” —Clay Travis)

Friendly Fire

“There’s no question that in some big ways, this administration — including the president and some of his closest economic advisors — got inflation wrong.” —CNN White House Correspondent MJ Lee

The BIG Lies

“There’s war happening right now in Ukraine … which is why we’re seeing these hikes in gas prices. … So, we know where to put the blame: on the war. But oil companies, they have — oil refineries, they have a responsibility too. What they have been doing is taking advantage of the war. … We are calling on them to do the right thing, to be patriots here, and not to use the war as an excuse … to not do the capacity that is needed out there … so that the prices can come down.” —White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (“They think you’re stupid. Those same ‘greedy’ oil companies were operating in 2020, when gas prices weren’t nearly as high as they are now. I wonder what happened? (rhetorical question).” —Darrell B. Harrison)

“If [inflation is] my fault, why is it the case in every other major industrial country in the world that inflation is higher? You ask yourself that? I’m not being a wise guy.” —Joe Biden (“The latest figures on inflation … indicate the following: Germany at 7.9%, France at 5.2%, Japan at 2.5%, India at 7.04%, Canada and Italy at 6.8%, and Saudi Arabia at 2.2%. Meanwhile, data released last week showed that U.S. inflation rose in May to a four-decade high of 8.6%.” —Fox News)

Dumb and Dumber

“I don’t have to tell you about the ultra-MAGA agenda attacking families and our freedoms. Three hundred discriminatory bills introduced in states across this country. In Texas, knocking on front doors to harass and investigate parents who are raising transgender children. In Florida, going after Mickey Mouse for God’s sake.” —Joe Biden

“Politicizing [abortion] I think is something uniquely American and not right. Other countries — Ireland, Italy, Mexico — have had initiatives to expand a woman’s right to choose. Very Catholic countries. I’m a very Catholic person and I believe in every woman’s right to make her own decisions.” —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

“It is a violation of human rights when government intrudes into medicine and impedes access to safe, evidence-based reproductive health services, including abortion and contraception.” —American Medical Association

“Ya know what’s not a problem for kids who are seeking a good education? Drag queens. Okay? Let me say this: Drag queens, not only are they not hurting our kids, drag queens make everything better. Drag queens are fun. Drag queens are entertainment. … I say this: a drag queen for every school! That is what would be fine for a kid and lift them up when they’re having emotional issues.” —Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel

Non Compos Mentis Awards

“The way many judges and conservatives interpret the Second Amendment is a total con job. And, as wildly misinterpreted today, it is, for all intents and purposes, a license to kill as many people as you want with as many guns as you want. The only effective way to deal with the Second Amendment is to repeal it — and then replace it with something that makes sense in a civilized society.” —leftist pundit Bill Press

“Elon Musk is not a leader. He’s just another Republican billionaire who supports white supremacy and authoritarianism because he doesn’t want his workers to unionize or to pay his fair share in taxes. The GOP just tried to end democracy and now he’s supporting them.” —Congressman Jamaal Bowman (“When you think an African American immigrant voting for a Mexican-American woman is ‘white supremacy,’ it might be an indication your brain is broken.” —Congressman Dan Crenshaw)

“I think that people need to start caring about [democracy], because inflation will go away. What’s the other thing that they’re worried about? The gas prices? Those will change, because that’s really on the oil companies.” —"The View" co-host Joy Behar

And Last…

“We spend an inordinate amount of time in what was supposed to be a free country worried about what small groups of unelected government officials are going to say, from the Federal Reserve to the Supreme Court. None of this was supposed to work this way.” —Ben Shapiro