Insight

“Our experience has shown us that in the excitement of great popular elections, deciding the policy of the country, and its vast patronage, frauds will be committed, if a chance is given for them. If these frauds are allowed, the result is not only that the popular will may be defeated, and the result falsified, but that the worst side will prevail. The side which has the greater number of dishonest men will poll the most votes. The war cry, ‘Vote early and vote often!’ and the familiar problem, ‘how to cast the greatest number of votes with the smallest number of voters’, indicate the direction in which the dangers lie.” —Richard Henry Dana, Jr. (1815-1882)

For the Record

“A lot of Democratic Party candidates and strategists have bad judgment because they’ve grown used to a usually friendly media bailing them out of the consequences of their bad decisions. … A campaign does not attempt to fool people into believing that a severe-stroke victim is fine unless it’s convinced that the overwhelming majority of media in the state will be its ally and abandon their traditional role as watchdogs.” —Jim Geraghty

“Just so we are all clear: that was [John] Fetterman WITH weeks of prep and specialized computer assistance throughout. So what you just saw is the very, very best Fetterman can do. Which is terrifying. The only thing that’s more terrifying, of course, is Fetterman’s fetish for murderers.” —Stephen Miller

“The partisanship required to vote for Fetterman at this point should be studied in a lab.” —Josh Holmes

“If they’re lying to us this much about Fetterman, what lies are they telling us about Joe?” —Ben Domenech

The BIG Lies

“Democrats are building a better America for everyone, with an economy that grows from the bottom up and the middle out. Republicans are doubling down on their mega MAGA trickle-down economics that benefits the very wealthy. It failed the country before, and would fail us again.” —Joe Biden

“We the Democrats are the ones that are fiscally responsible. Let’s get that straight now, okay?” —Joe Biden

“Democrats are lowering your everyday costs.” —Joe Biden

Non Compos Mentis

“Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake for it to use a tactical nuclear weapon. I’m not guaranteeing you that it’s a false flag operation yet. I don’t know. But it would be a serious, serious mistake.” —Joe Biden

Swampthink

“I cannot believe anybody would vote for these people [Republicans].” —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Theater of the Absurd

“High turnout and voter suppression can take place at the same time.” —White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre

“Two things can be true: 1) GA GOP tried to suppress Black votes by new ID requirements and changes to laws, and 2) GA voters, especially Black voters, rallied despite these efforts to turn out in droves. Don’t get it twisted. It’s still voter suppression, even when it fails.” —actor George Takei (“Why do you think black voters turned out in droves? It’s because they don’t have an issue with showing an ID! I’m from Georgia. Black votes aren’t being suppressed. Stop victimizing black people!” —Darrell B. Harrison)

“I’m not going to say that the GOP are Nazis at this point or whatever, but it certainly sounds very familiar to what happened in Germany, which is a bunch of citizens — Adolf Hitler gets a third of the vote. Nobody thought it could happen there. They kind of went along because they said he was going to solve the economy and fix inflation. … And then, oh, lo and behold, [a] few years later they lost their democracy, and they’re all like, ‘How’d that happen here?’ That’s my worry. That is my worry. Obviously, the price of a hamburger, the price of milk, the price of gas is concerning, but that is a short-term problem. The loss of a democracy will decimate everyone’s freedom.” —former George W. Bush chief strategist Matthew Dowd

“Do you think it’s time to ask for friends and allies to come over and help us monitor our elections? We used to do that in other burgeoning and threatened democracies.” —MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace

And Last…

“The Democrats have settled on their closing argument: ‘Vote for us so that we can castrate children, use your money to pay for abortions, and put pornography in the schools. If you don’t vote for us then you are a Nazi and democracy will die.’ Fascinating political strategy.” —Matt Walsh