The unique perspective and provocative opinions of Joe O’Neill
Quoteworthy
“Space Force all the way!”–President Donald Trump.
“The fake news hates me saying that they are the ‘enemy of the people’ only because they know it’s true. I am providing a great service by explaining this to the American people. They purposely cause great division and distrust. They can cause War! They are very dangerous and sick!”–Donald Trump.
“Exposing Mr. Trump’s lies seems to play right into his hands. We rarely consider the possibility that the president’s supporters want a scoundrel, as long as he’s their scoundrel. Great con men feed off accusations of dishonesty.”–Emily Ogden, author of “Credulity: A Cultural History of U.S. Mesmerism.”
“Donald Trump is a demonstrable authoritarian in terms of his rhetoric, in terms of whipping up his base. Nixon did not do anything similar to that.”–Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein.
“If we think of fascism as a wound from the past that had almost healed, putting Trump in the White House was like ripping off the bandage and picking at the scab.”–Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
“I think there is going to be a return to normalcy in the Republican Party, and I think there’s an opportunity for somebody or some people to come along and put it back on the right track. I don’t see this continuing beyond this presidency.”–Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.
“He’ll get confirmed. It won’t be a landslide, but he’ll get confirmed.”–Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, on the upcoming confirmation hearing on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
“We are a nation of less and less impulse control. … Communicating in a language that lacks precision ultimately means having to justify your words to people exercising their own agency in deciding what they want to hear.”–J. McCullough, National Review.
“It’s now clear that Facebook will remove a dangerous hatemonger if a lot of people demand it. It’s not clear, however, if it will swiftly remove a figure of (InfoWars’ Alex) Jones’ ilk without a larger campaign.”–Alex Shephard, New Republic.
“Corporate boards and managers need to wake up to the reality that sexual harassers, no matter how important they seem, do incredible harm to their companies. They desiccate a culture, draining employees’ motivation. They push qualified employees to leave. … It’s stupid, financially, to keep those men around.”–Bryce Covert, The Nation.
“Every November the nation’s eyes turn to Florida. What happens in Florida is so much bigger than just Florida.”–U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III, D-Mass., and grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, at a St. Petersburg rally underscoring the differences between Republican and Democratic health care policy proposals.
“Here in America, health care is a right; it’s not a privilege for the wealthy few.”–U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa.
“Stand Your Ground has no place in a civilized society.”–Tallahassee mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum.
“Why aren’t we effectively monitoring waterways so we can predict when an (algae) bloom is occurring?”–Calusa Waterkeeper chief scientist John Cassani.
“Good pay is important, but if you look at the reasons people are leaving education, pay ranks about sixth because they aren’t being respected. They need a leader who understands their issues.”–Adam Putnam.
“We plan on having a very robust discussion of the issues in the general election.”–Brad Herold, campaign manager for Ron DeSantis.
“There are a lot of people who thought medical marijuana would be available in a certain manner when they voted, and it hasn’t turned out that way. I wouldn’t blame them if they felt like this was some kind of bait-and-switch.”–State Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg.
“As we see major new hotels and exciting new attractions come on line this fall and into 2019, we can expect to see our success as a destination continue to grow.”–SantiagoCorrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay, in announcing that hotel bed taxes—a 5 percent surcharge on overnight stays—have set records in nine out of 10 months so far this fiscal year.
“Because the economy is strong, voters are more likely to accept marginal tax increases if the (transit) initiative is seen as legitimate and beneficial.”—Stephen Neely, USF School of Public Affairs.
“The level of activity here and growth is pretty extraordinary.”—Tim Schar, SunTrust Bank president for Tampa Bay and southwest Florida.
“What people need to realize is that I’m not here to run out. … Once people see I’m here to run this program, we can build on it. I really am happy to be here.”—USF head football coach Charlie Strong.