* “The supreme quality for leadership is integrity.”–Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
* The development and execution of any plan that contemplates a time horizon longer than a couple of cable television news cycles must await a president other than Trump, who is the avatar of impulsive and reckless improvisation.”–Mac Stipanovich, long-time GOP strategist who now varies his voter registration with the election cycle.
* “Absolute chaotic disaster.”–How former President Barack Obama characterized the Trump Administration’s response to the pandemic.
* “Speaking truth about this dangerous president is not ‘classless.’ It is compulsory–for all of us, not least (Trump’s) predecessor.”–Ruth Marcus, Washington Post.
* “What makes Trump’s (Obama) attacks so egregious in contrast to his predecessors is how he simply concocts scandals out of thin air, cooking up conspiracies that have no relation to historical fact.”–Presidential historian Matthew Dallek.
* “The panic caused by Obama’s presidency fueled Trump’s own electoral victory. Racism has been Trump’s alpha and omega.”–Jeet Heer, the Nation.
* “Inconsistent and incoherent national response.”–That’s how the iconic medical journal ‘Lancet’ described the Trump-directed response of America to the novel coronavirus.
* “People complain: ‘Why isn’t Joe on TV more? He’s ceding the public arena to Trump!’ Yeah, how has Trump done having the public arena to himself?”–Ed Rendell, former Pennsylvania governor and a longtime Biden supporter.
* “States that have adopted universal vote-by-mail have shown it can be done securely. They have very strong track records.”–Richard Hasen, law and political science professor at the University of California, Irvine and the author of “Election Meltdown”
* “I don’t want everybody to vote. As a matter of fact, our (Republican) leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down.”–Paul Weyrich, co-founder of the Heritage Foundation.
* “We are bailing out liberal politicians who cannot live within their means.”–Sen. Rick Scott, in arguing against Congress providing an additional round of stimulus funding.
* “As someone who experienced the 2008 budget cuts, I can tell you, it’s going to be painful. When you’re talking about billions in shortfalls, everything’s on the table.”–State Rep. Evan Jenne, D-Dania Beach, the House Democrats’ incoming co-minority leader.
* “If you have a team in an area where they just won’t let them operate, we’ll find a place for you here in the state of Florida.”–Gov. Ron DeSantis, in his message to professional sports teams.
* “The American people never signed up for a perpetual shelter in place.”–Gov. Ron DeSantis.
* “Vote by mail is really the way to go in 2020.”–Craig Latimer, Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections.
* “Just because we’re getting some green lights or even some yellow lights in terms of re-opening, that’s not a pass to just go out and act like we were pre-COVID.”–Dr. Craig Levoy, regional medical director for Bayfront Health Medical Group.
* “They are still interested, for sure.”–Developer Darryl Shaw, on whether the Rays still regard Ybor City as a possible stadium site. Shaw owns approximately 30 acres at the northeast corner of Adamo and Channelside Drives.