Insight

“It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.” —Mark Twain (1835-1910)

Political Futures

“[Stacey] Abrams has been widely celebrated in the years since her first run for Georgia governor in 2018 which she, of course, lost. … The narrative about her has been that she’s fighting a righteous battle against the voter suppression that denied her rightful victory, and — as a charismatic figure of unbounded talent — she’s heading for bigger and better things than narrow defeats in statewide elections. As it happens, she may be headed for an even less narrow defeat in exactly the same statewide election. She’s trailing in almost all the polls in her rematch with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Although it’s not out of the question that she mounts a comeback, she’s a decided underdog. Come November, she may look more like Beto O'Rourke than Barack Obama.” —Rich Lowry

For the Record

“You don’t have to be anti-immigration to believe in national borders. Countries need borders. It’s a fundamental aspect of national sovereignty. It’s crazy to have to write down something so obvious. Every normal person knows this. But our border policies are not being run by normal people. They are being run by left-wing ideologues with views completely outside mainstream political thought. The result has been catastrophic for America. … The transport of migrants to elite northern towns has broken the bubble. Suddenly, Washington, D.C., New York and even Martha’s Vineyard have a problem. Now, not surprisingly, everyone’s interested. … By America 2022 standards, that’s progress.” —Neil Patel

“What exactly is the sane half of America that actually wants a secure border supposed to do? Beseeching the administration to stanch the bleeding has simply not worked, so hard-headed action is needed. Such a state-level urge to secure itself against unwanted intruders is entirely justified, both morally and constitutionally.” —Josh Hammer

“[Fentanyl] starts in China and comes across our border. Do you realize it’s killing 300 Americans every day? It’s like an airliner crashing each day. If that happened three days in this country, we’d say it’s a crisis and we’d change it. But the White House tells us, ‘It’s secure.’” —House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy

Huh?

“It’s all his fault that we’re spending $6 billion in taxpayer money this month to help AIDS, fight HIV AIDS.” —President Joe Biden, with his arm around Elton John

“We go back a long way. She was 12, I was 30.” —Joe Biden making a “pedophile joke” after recognizing a woman at a teachers’ conference

Letting the Cat Out of the Bag

“When I talk about MAGA Republicans, I’m not just talking about Trump. I’m talking about those folks who have a different view of how the institutions should function.” —Joe Biden

Spin Doctors

“Remember seeing all those food lines? People in nice looking automobiles waiting for an hour, hour and a half, just to have a box of food put in their trunk?” —Joe Biden

“It’s easy to forget that when Joe Biden came to office, we’d turn on the TV at night, people were in line in football stadiums, looking for a box of food. The unemployment rate was nearly 10%. We had 20 million people out of work and businesses closed and schools closed. So we needed an economic response that addressed that.” —White House Chief of Staff Ronald Klain

Swamp Doctor

“[Closing schools] was a right decision at the time.” —Anthony Fauci

Non Sequitur Awards

“That’s what’s so interesting to me that there are so many Latinos that vote Republican, because they vote against their own self-interest. If you really are interested in these types of issues, then you’re a Democrat.” —"The View" co-host Sunny Hostin

“Solidarity with the courageous women and allies in Iran protesting for their freedom. Mahsa Amini was senselessly murdered by the same patriarchal and autocratic forces repressing women the world over. The right to choose belongs to us all, from hijabs to reproductive care.” —Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

And Last…

“A single female protester in Iran is braver than all of the women who attended the Women’s March in America combined.” —Tim Young

“The stock market has dropped below 30,000 for the first time since 2020 & is now down substantially since Joe Biden took office, inflation is at a forty year high, & mortgage rates are now over 6%. Biden is a disaster. 46 days until the midterms. It’s the economy, stupid.” —Clay Travis