Author: opinionstogo

 

* Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio, who has labeled Trump a “con man” and those who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6 as “unpatriotic,” “un-American” and “low lives,” more recently noted that “God protected President Trump” on the Pennsylvania assassination attempt. Who knew God was a Trumpster?

* Trump won Miami-Dade County by 11 points. Kamala Harris thus became the first Democratic presidential candidate to lose there since Michael Dukakis (who lost to George H.W. Bush) in 1988.

* Flori-duh update: Surgeon General Joseph LaDope-o checked another inexplicable healthcare box. He opposes fluoride in drinking water.

* The largest port in Florida is Port Tampa Bay. According to a report (by Martin and Associates), it generated more than $34 billion in economic value in 2023 to the Sunshine State. That included 35 million tons of cargo and 1.1 million cruise ship passengers. It’s also directly and indirectly responsible for nearly 200,000 jobs.

* Florida-based Spirit Airlines, the biggest U.S. budget airline, has filed for bankruptcy. protection.

 

* Other than faculty and students, everybody seems on board with changes to New College’s mission statement and core curriculum.

* “If we approve this, there’s going to be a war in South Tampa.”–That was Tampa City Councilman Bill Carlson, in reference to a vote to move forward with a major storm water system update in South Tampa, one that includes box culverts along residential streets and on South Howard Avenue.

* Community-police relations and transparency are civically and racially impactful. No surprise, then, that the Free State of Florida would prohibit municipalities from enforcing any ordinance related to civilian oversight of police-misconduct investigations. That, alas, includes Tampa’s Citizen Review Board. It’s imperfect, sure, but important, of course.

* The Onion bought Infowars—with plans to turn it into a parody of itself. Quite the challenge: Making a parody out of a parody.

* NBC News exit polls showed Trump won 55% support from Hispanic men. Whatever the cherry-picking, economic rationale and “anti-socialist” bumper stickers, how ironico that this president-elect is a belittling, nativist, anti-immigrant faux populist.

* “From my point of view, (X) has become basically unusable, overrun by bots, trolls, cranks and extremists.”–Paul Krugman, NYT.

* “Numerous politicians have seized absolute power and muzzled the press. Never in history has the press seized absolute power and muzzled the politicians.”–David Brinkley.

* Turkey-pardoning at the White House: beyond silly. SNL has enough Cold Opening material.

* Qatar officially withdrew from its role as mediator between Israel and Hamas. It cited frustration with both parties’ refusal to negotiate in good faith.

* According to the Council on foreign Relations website, “Puerto Rico is a political paradox: part of the United States but distinct from it, enjoying citizenship but lacking full political representation.” Puerto Rico recently voted (56%) to endorse statehood.

* The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of crimes against humanity. It is beyond ironic that an Israeli leader should be on the wrong side of genocide.

* The Rays will play next season at Steinbrenner Field. Too bad it’s a post-hurricane scenario that ripped off the Trop roof. So this, now, is as close as the franchise will come to relocating to Tampa, the hub of the Tampa Bay market, where it has always belonged.

* BTW, the minimum MLB salary is $760,000. Not everybody hates the economy.

* The school with the most Number 1 NFL draft picks: University of Southern California, 6. Among those with a number one pick: University of Tampa, 1: John Matuzak, 1973.

* Mike Tyson, 58, who hasn’t been heavyweight champion since 1990, recently lost to Jake Paul, 27, a former social media influencer. The bout attracted a huge live audience, including Trump and Elon Musk, and drew some 60 million households on Netflix. That’s where we are now.

* College football and basketball were in a far better place when references were only made to “recruiting”–not “acquisitions.”

* “Keep America Chaotic & Embarrassed.”–Reality slogan for Trump’s early Cabinet nominees.

* It’s hardly surprising or coincidental that Trump’s win has emboldened fringe right-wing influencers, including “Your Body, My Choice” misogynists. BTW, the song that greeted Trump at this summer’s Republican Convention was “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” by James Brown.

* “J-6 Hostages”: How Trump refers to convicted rioters at the 2021 U.S. Capitol insurrection.

* The nomination of anti-vaxxer activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services underscores that America’s choice is seemingly either “Medical Freedumb” or “Nanny State.”

* “Matt (Gaetz) has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!”–Donald Trump, who else?

* Trump said he’d put in place 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports. According to Wells Fargo, this would, for example. push up prices for US-assembled cars by an average of $2,100.

* Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently visited with Trump at Mar-A-Lago to make the case for backing away from those threatened tariffs. He underscored that lumping his country in with Mexico over the issue of drugs and migrants was grossly unfair to Canada. The two borders are vastly different. Obviously.

* “History’s greatest comeback.”–How Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu characterized Trump’s presidential win.

* Trump’s White House press secretary will be Karoline Leavitt, 27, who had been press secretary for his campaign. She doesn’t have a tough Trump act to follow. His previous WH press secretaries included Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Kayleigh McEnany.

 

* “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.”–Winston Churchill.

* “If you don’t say anything, you won’t be called on to repeat it.”–Calvin Coolidge.

* “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision.”–President Joe Biden on the pardoning of his son Hunter.

* “I’m proud to become the first sitting president to visit the Amazon.”–President Joe Biden, who then signed a U.S. proclamation designating Nov. 17 as International Conservation Day.

* “Despite potential setbacks in Washington, there are multiple (climate change) avenues to make headway. The private sector role is crucial, but it’s not the only lever we have. State and local governments also hold substantial power in addressing climate issues.”–Mary Anna Mancuso, spokesperson for RepublicEn.org.

* “They (Russia) are invested in undermining institutions in the U.S., as well as the U.S.’s reputation internationally.”–Melanie Smith, director of research for the Strategic Dialogue’s U.S. division.

* “If a percentage of what the United States spends on war were dedicated to peace and development, that would address the underlying causes of migration.”–Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

* “I think NATO was fine for the Cold War. It made sense.”–Ron DeSantis.

* “Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation and disinformation when it comes to public health.”–Donald Trump, who then nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the anti-vaccine activist, to be HHS secretary.

* “A loss, however painful, is not the end of the world. Every election result is provisional.”–Mona Charen, The Bulwark.

* “The Wild West.” How Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler described the world of crypto.

* “I do not intend to join the 119^th Congress. I think that eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress.”–Matt Gaetz.

* “I like Matt (Gaetz), and I think he would have changed the way DOJ is run.”–Sen. Rick Scott.

* “If RFK Jr. were a Democratic nominee, GOP senators would oppose him as a threat to public health. If they confirm him, they’d better hope they won’t need the cures that won’t be developed.”–The Wall Street Journal.

* “The real worry is that the Florida (education) model goes national.”–Trinity College political science professor Isaac Kamola.

* “It’s a disservice to young people, and it’s morally wrong to abandon the humanities. If we stand by a belief in classical education, students will come.”—New College trustee and author Mark Bauerlein.

* “Permitless carry has already cost lives in Florida. Open carry will make it worse.”–State Sen. Carlos Guilleremo Smith, D-Orlando.

* “The losses for the triple-whammy of Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton exposed our outdated infrastructure.”–U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor.

* “We couldn’t have asked for a more accommodating and gracious organization to help us in our time of need. The Yankees are certainly our on-field rivals, but we are partners off the field, and they extended a hand to us when we were really in dire straits.”–Rays President Matt Silverman, on the team using Tampa’s George M. Steinbrenner Field in 2025.

“I welcome anyone to work with me. I don’t care who you voted for in the last election or who you are going to vote for in the next election.” Obviously, that was not Gov. Ron DisAstrous. It was Vice President Kamala Harris. It’s what should be said by those in authority during times of emergency and stress, regardless of political affiliation or self-interest. It should be a “given.”

Would that this governor’s priorities transcended partisan politics, and he could at least respectfully acknowledge those in power with the wherewithal to help out Floridians, the constituents of any Florida governor. But that’s a reach too far for a governor grasping at post-gubernatorial, 2028 scenarios. A photo with President Joe Biden or VP Harris would not help his self-serving, career-first, partisan, political agenda..

Amid conspiracy and immigrant lies, assassination attempts, better economic numbers, impactful foreign policy scenarios, a one-sided presidential debate and poll snapshots, there is one particularly blunt bottom-line for 2024. Who but sycophantic cult followers, spineless, hypocritical GOPster pols, easily manipulated disinformation targets or KKK descendants could possibly vote for Donald Trump? Seriously. This is not Harris vs. Romney or Harris vs. Kasich or Harris vs. Jeb. This is Harris vs. a deplorable, felonious human being who will Make America Grating Again.

As for those “undecided voters”: What the hell would it take for them to take one for the country, common cause and common sense?

• “History is so clear in reminding us the U.S. cannot and should not isolate ourselves from the rest of the world. Isolation is not insulation.”—Vice President Kamala Harris.
• Swing state billboards: “Jill Stein Helped Trump Once. Don’t Let Her Do It Again.”
• Inflation (2.4%) has reached the lowest point in three years. Also, gas prices are dropping, the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates for the first time in four years, hiring has picked up strongly, the unemployment rate (4.1%) has dipped and wage growth was strong in September. A resilient economy should not be a Republican issue. And, BTW, violent crime is near a 50-year low.
• “Inflation has been quelled, and the economy’s fine—that’s a soft landing.”—Neil Dutta, head of economics at Renaissance Macro Research.
• Future Forward: The biggest super PAC in American politics, which is analytics- and evidence-driven, will spend more money ($700 million) on (Harris-supported) TV ads in the closing weeks of the 2024 race than the campaigns of Harris and Trump combined.
• “Black men and young black men have to think about what they have at stake in the election. Donald Trump tells you that you have nothing to lose. Well, you have health insurance you could lose, you have a job you could lose.”—James Carville.