Insight

“Recent school shootings have lured ill-informed Americans into a war on our Second Amendment guarantees, led by the nation’s tyrants and their useful idiots. … The Second Amendment was given to us as protection against tyranny by the federal government and the Congress of the United States.” —Walter E. Williams (1936-2020)

A Blind Squirrel Finds a Nut

“I suspect I have probably disagreed with [Clarence Thomas] more than with any other justice. That we have not joined each other’s opinions more than anybody else. And yet Justice Thomas is the one justice in the building that literally knows every employee’s name. Every one of them. And not only does he know their names, he remembers their families’ names and histories. He’s the first one who will go up to someone when you’re walking with him and say, ‘Is your son okay? How’s your daughter doing in college?’ He’s the first one that, when my stepfather died, sent me flowers in Florida. He is a man who cares deeply about the Court as an institution, about the people who work there.” —Justice Sonia Sotomayor

Dog and Pony Show

“The Washington Post said Thursday’s [January 6] hearing produced ‘new details and never-before-seen videos and photos.’ NPR said the hearings have revealed ‘new details.’ USA Today said the committee ‘unearthed new details.’ ABC News: ‘new details.’ Politico: ‘new details.’ Reuters: ‘new details.’ New York Times: ‘new details.’ You get the idea. New details about a story you already know. So the hearings are the Democratic Party’s politically motivated productions of previously known material. No wonder Republicans would tune out or never tune in in the first place — especially since voters overall seem to have moved on from the events of Jan. 6.” —Byron York

The BIG Lies

“You could argue whether [the American Rescue Plan] had a marginal, minor impact on inflation. I don’t think it did. And most economists do not think it did. But the idea that caused inflation is bizarre.” —Joe Biden

“I think I can say that I’ve never broken … a commitment.” —Joe Biden (“Did he forget about his promise to not leave any Americans behind in Afghanistan?” —Republican National Committee)

Lack of Self-Awareness Award

“People are really, really down. They’re really down. Their need for mental health in America has skyrocketed… But most of it’s a consequence of … the COVID crisis.” —Joe Biden

Theater of the Absurd

“Because we don’t need to do that. What we need [oil companies] to do is, with the oil that’s out there, we need them to refine that oil.” —White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre when asked, “Why not just drill more here in the U.S. though?” (“She can’t possibly believe what she’s saying. You can’t refine oil that you haven’t gotten out of the ground, and Biden’s made it almost impossible to get anymore out of the ground!” —John Cooper)

“For those of us of faith, I think that we agree, many of us, that there’s nothing about this issue that will require anyone to abandon their faith, or change their faith. It’s simply saying that the government should not have the ability to decide what an individual does with her own body — let her make that decision with her pastor or her rabbi, or whoever she consults.” —Kamala Harris

Projection

“I actually think there is a fair chance we could completely lose our constitutional democracy for a couple of decades if we make bad decisions. I am not naive about this. I have been in a lot of fights. I have lost some and won a bunch. I have been elated and heartbroken. But I have never before been as worried about the structure of our democratic form of government. So far, every time we were faced with our own undoing, our conscience kicked in and we stepped away from the brink. And that is kind of what I think will happen here, but I don’t know when or how.” —Bill Clinton

Race Bait

“Attention white people… Please don’t ask if you can come to the cookout… #Juneteenth is freedom day for Black folks. It should be #Reparations day for white folks.” —California State University Los Angeles professor Melina Abdullah

“As the nation prepares, in only four short years from now, to celebrate 250 years of independence, it is worth remembering that Juneteenth, as much as the Fourth of July, represents American democracy’s true birthday.” —University of Texas at Austin professor Peniel E. Joseph