Insight

“The most unresolved problem of the day is precisely the problem that concerned the founders of this nation: how to limit the scope and power of government. Tyranny, restrictions on human freedom, come primarily from governmental restrictions that we ourselves have set up.” —Milton Friedman (1912-2006)

“Nothing is easier, or more emotionally satisfying, than blaming high prices on those who charge them, rather than on those who cause them.” —Thomas Sowell

For the Record

“When DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testifies before House and Senate committees that the border is ‘secure,’ and pictures show the opposite, it is akin to claiming American astronauts never landed on the moon. … We have become hyphenated Americans with too many clinging to their native land in language and culture. No nation can be sustained in its character without controlling who is allowed to enter. Other nations have far more restrictive immigration laws and paths to citizenship than ours.” —Cal Thomas

Political Futures

“I am reminded of a headline from the left-wing publication Vox after Trump won the presidency against Clinton in 2016: ‘Democrats Won the Most Votes in the Election. They Should Act Like It.’ That is sage advice six years later for the Republicans in Congress. Don’t be cowardly lions. You have the majority and the support of 52 million voters. Cut deficit spending and get us back to a balanced budget. Reduce taxes that hurt our economy. Stop the Green New Deal. End the Biden war on American-made energy. Put the fraudsters in jail who stole $150 billion by scamming unemployment, Medicaid and other federal programs. Make sure education dollars go to parents and children to attend the school of their choosing. Make Congress great again.” —Stephen Moore

“What made Trump inspire voters in places like central Appalachia is that he recognized their strengths, which had been long ignored and often ridiculed by the cultural elite. The media, the political parties, the corporations, Hollywood and academia looked down their noses at ordinary people who live here and basically anywhere more than 20 minutes outside of major metropolitan areas. These people, however, have their pride. … A lot of them stayed home last Tuesday because of Trump’s decision to make the midterm election results all about him. They worried his picks would be beholden to his every whim rather than what was important to them, and the red wave died on the vine. In short, what Trump started to get wrong is what the media have always gotten wrong about these voters. They do not live by a credo filled with resentment and grievances. Their aspirations are about their communities, families and their future, and that is how they vote. … ‘When the concept of Trump was that he stood for the grievances of the voters, they were for him,’ [conservative strategist Bruce Haynes] said. ‘At some point, it stopped being about the voters, and it started being about his own personal grievances. And that is when he started losing voters.’” —Salena Zito

“The good news for the conservative populist coalition is that it has not fallen apart; in truth, it has grown. It even attracted new Hispanic and black voters. The people the movement will likely peel off are the ones who were infrequent voters before Trump came along; they were the least ideological and more about Trump than the rest of the coalition. He didn’t need to win for them; they just liked him because he was a unicorn in a business filled with suits.” —Salena Zito

The BIG Lies

“Trans women are women. Trans men are men. Nonbinary identity is real.” —National Hockey League

“Here’s what we know: If folks get their updated vaccines and they get treated if they have a breakthrough infection, we can prevent essentially every COVID death in America.” —White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha

Swampthink

“You can decide to trust America’s physicians, or you can trust some random dude on Twitter. Like, those are your choices.” —Ashish Jha

Dumb & Dumber

“Reparations for African Americans could have cut COVID-19 transmission and infection rates both among blacks and the population at large.” —Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee

“Jesus would be the grand marshal at the pride parade.” —"The View" co-host Sunny Hostin

Cognitive Dissonance

“DeSantis is unimpressive outside the right-wing media bubble.” —Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin, October 26

“Beware, DeSantis is as much a threat to America as Trump.” —Jennifer Rubin, November 21

Belly Laugh of the Week

“The Republican activists leading a decades-long assault on affirmative action, which is poised to succeed in the Supreme Court, claim they want to eliminate racism and create a colorblind society. Their propaganda is so persuasive that 73% of Americans, including most people of color, believe race or ethnicity should not be a factor in college admissions.” —LA Times columnist Jean Guerrero