* “We have the ways. What we need is the political will to move forward.”–United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, at the global warming conference in Katowice, Poland.
* “We can’t have a rich government and poor people. … For the good of all, the poor first.”–Recently sworn-in Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
* “The United States has an abundance of natural resources and is not going to keep them in the ground. We strongly believe that no country should have to sacrifice their economic prosperity or energy security in pursuit of environmental sustainability.”–Wells Griffith, international energy and climate adviser to President Donald Trump.
* “Our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships.”–Former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis.
* “‘Full and rapid’ withdrawal from Syria is a grave error with broader implications beyond just the fight against ISIS.”–Sen. Marco Rubio.
* “The president wanted the shutdown, but he seems not to know how to get himself out of it.”–From a Nancy Pelosi-Chuck Schumer joint statement.
* “Any time you stand and say, ‘I own the shutdown,’ then you own it.”–Outgoing Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake.
* “Make no mistake, Democrats will honor our constitutional responsibility to exercise oversight of the Trump Administration and get the American people the answers they deserve.”–Incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
* “Trump makes everything personal. Whether it’s a result of his own narcissism, his history as head of a company dependent on his personal celebrity, or his lack of understanding of how government works, it leads to the same place: It’s always and only about him.”–Paul Waldman, Washington Post.
* “The only problem our economy has is the Fed. They don’t have a feel for the market. … The Fed is like a powerful golfer who can’t score because he has no touch–he can’t put.”–President Donald Trump.
* “Things many of us have taken for granted have been called into question, including the endurance of liberal democracy, the political salience of truth and the assumption that it would be a big scandal if a president were caught directing illegal payoffs to a pornographic film actress. Often it feels as if none of the old rules still apply in American politics.”–Michelle Goldberg, New York Times.
* “While Mr. Trump’s case is more complex than (Richard) Nixon’s, the evident dangers of keeping an out-of-control president in office might well impel politicians in both parties, not without controversy, to want to make a deal to get him out of there.”–Elizabeth Drew, author of “Washington Journal: Reporting Watergate and Richard Nixon’s Downfall.”
* “Politics is a feeling. It’s a visceral reaction to someone. Especially when you’re voting for an executive.”–Former New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie.
* “There are three kinds of economist in modern America: liberal professional economists, conservative professional economists and professional conservative economists. (Professional conservative economists) are people who even center-right professionals consider charlatans and cranks; they make a living by pretending to do actual economics–often incompetently–but are actually just propagandists.”–Paul Krugman, New York Times.
* “The lobby is the new public square.”–Aytan Litwin, founder and chief executive of White Space, a company that designs and furnishes hospitality and commercial spaces.
* “As a self-proclaimed ‘constitutionalist,’ Gov.-elect DeSantis should know better.”–State Senate Democratic Leader Kionne McGhee, on DeSantis siding with those who want more time to “implement” Amendment 4. Both DeSantis and Florida Senate President Bill Galvano publicly opposed Amendment 4, which automatically restores voting rights to former felons–and was passed with nearly 65 percent voter approval.
* “Her incredible depth of knowledge in government and the legislative process will be invaluable. He’s going to really come to rely on her.”–Bill Rubin, co-chairman of the Ron DeSantis inaugural committee, on the role that Lt. Gov.-elect Jeanette Nunez will have in the DeSantis Administration.
* “Hindsight is clarity that you don’t have when you’re going through it.”–Former Congresswoman Gwen Graham, reflecting on her “painful,” Democratic gubernatorial primary loss.
* Florida historically has been a small business state. As we go from small businesses into larger privately held businesses and publicly traded companies, we are going to attract much more of the higher-wage jobs.”–Greg Kadet, managing director of (the financial firm) UBS.
* “She’s not stuck in the 1950s as a Polk County cowboy. She is somebody who would make the agriculture cabinet position really relevant, instead of just a rubber stamp for sugar and overseeing carnival rides.”–Attorney John “For the People” Morgan, on incoming Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried.
* “This is going to be a very different place this time next year.”–James Nozar, CEO of Strategic Property Partners, developer of Water Street Tampa.
* “We’re going to go through our blips in the (economic) cycle. The good thing is, the (Water Street Tampa) developers have the wherewithal to withstand those types of cycles. They’re committed to the long-term, 30-year window, not a five-year flip.”–Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn.