Insight

“It isn’t that they can’t see the solution. It is that they can’t see the problem.” —G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

For the Record

“I noticed that in the general election in November, a bit more than 1.9 million Georgians voted for Walker. In [Tuesday’s] runoff, a bit more than 1.7 million Georgians voted for Walker. It seems reasonable to surmise that roughly 194,000 Georgians were willing to vote for Walker and overlook his flaws if control of the U.S. Senate was at stake, but were less motivated to vote for him once Democratic control of the Senate was assured.” —Jim Geraghty

“Republicans lost the seat much more than Democrats won it (again). At some point, perhaps, they’ll learn.” —Joey Jones

“Don’t beat women, hold guns to peoples [sic] heads, fund abortions then pretend your [sic] pro-life, stalk cheerleaders, leave your multiple minor children alone to chase more fame, lie, lie, lie, say stupid crap, and make a fool of your family… And then maybe you can win a senate seat.” —Christian Walker on his dad’s Georgia defeat

“No RNC Chair in the history of the whole party has lasted as long as Ronna McDaniel without seeing at least one winning election season. She took the job in 2017, and the GOP has lost every election cycle since.” —Erick Erickson

“Trump has no problem being seen as a poor loser. That’s not an image Americans usually like. If someone loses, and especially if they are somehow screwed in the process, Americans are sympathetic, especially if the person takes the loss, doesn’t complain and goes back to work. … Trump has argued that unless what he views as the injustice of the 2020 election is rectified, then there might never be another fair election in the United States. Therefore, 2020 has to be addressed before anything else — before war and peace, before the economy, before immigration, before any issue that might otherwise dominate a presidential election. The problem with that approach is that Trump has never been able to prove that the 2020 election was stolen.” —Byron York

Political Futures

“Democrats consider Biden the safe choice in 2024, since he’s the incumbent and surrounded by flawed alternatives, yet he is actually an enormous risk. Nominating him again would be extremely reckless, both for the party and for the country. It may well be that Biden, even in his enfeebled state, is the best matchup against Donald Trump. He beat him once before, after all, and used him as an effective foil during the midterms. It is to Biden’s advantage that it has proven difficult for anyone to work up a passionate hatred of him, rather than a low-intensity sense of pity or contempt. And he still has a relatively moderate affect and profile — there are limits to how ‘woke’ an 80-something, silver-haired creature of the Democratic establishment can appear, no matter how far left his policies are. There’s no guarantee, though, that Biden will get the former president as his opponent. If he doesn’t, then he’ll be denied the dynamic of one old guy whose record is terrible running against another old guy who frightens people.” —Rich Lowry

Election Denier

“Just because people endured long lines … the rain, and the cold, and all kinds of tricks in order to vote doesn’t mean that voter suppression does not exist. It simply means that you, the people, have decided that your voices will not be silenced.” —Senator Raphael Warnock on the election he just won

The BIG Lie

“Republicans in Congress have decided that they’d rather fight against the health and well-being of our troops than protecting them. … Making sure our troops are prepared and ready for service is a priority for President Biden. The vaccination requirement for COVID does just that.” —White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre

Belly Laugh of the Week

“Canada is a place of free expression, where individuals and communities are free to express themselves openly and strongly.” —Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau