Category: Media Watch

* “Overall, the U.S. role here has been somewhat schizophrenic–pushing coal and dissing science on the one hand, but also working hard in the room for strong transparency rules.”–Elliot Diringer, of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, on the U.S. presence at the UN climate talks in Katowice, Poland.

* “We had a chance to work together during the years of tremendous changes. It was a dramatic time that demanded great responsibility from everyone. The result was an end to the Cold War and the nuclear arms race.”–Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, on his working relationship with President George H.W. Bush.

* “I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Chuck.”–President Donald Trump to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

* “It’s like a manhood thing for him. As if manhood could ever be associated with him. This wall thing.”–House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

* “Tribalism is our problem, and if not corrected, it’s going to take our country down.”–Sen. Bill Nelson, in his farewell Senate address.

* “America is still in a perilous place, and even a weakened Trump can torment migrants, pack the courts, wreck the environment and suck up to tyrants.”–Michelle Goldberg, New York Times.

* “Trump, by becoming president, turned a great many federal employees into the functional equivalent of Michael Cohen.”–Peter Beinart, The Atlantic.

* “(Beto) O’Rourke, who’s shooting up in the polls as a possible Democratic contender, is sunny, friendly, even-keeled. He reminds some Democrats of Bobby Kennedy–soulful, able to see and summon the things you like best in yourself. He even looks like a son of Bobby Kennedy.”–Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal.

* Print may be best for lingering over words or ideas, but audiobooks add literacy to moments where there would otherwise by none.”–Daniel T. Willingham, psychology professor at the University of Virginia.

* “My objective is very clear, and that is, ‘Easy to vote and hard to cheat.'”–State Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, who will lead the Florida Senate’s committee on ethics and elections.

* “(Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis’) consideration of Richard Corcoran as commissioner of education could not be more polarizing.”–Michael Gandolfo, president of the Pinellas County Classroom Teachers Association.

* “We see this as a historic shift that will allow us now to go after significant new customers.”–Port Tampa Bay CEO Paul Anderson, in announcing that Cosco Shipping Lines of China plans to begin sending a container ship a week to Tampa early next year.

* “(The Rays) never had intentions of coming here. It was a ploy to go somewhere else, like Portland, Oregon.”–Tampa City Council member Charlie Miranda.

* “The region is poised to finally accept the fact that we can be great if we just invest in ourselves, and the Rays have to know that this is a region worth investing in. I don’t think that’s lost on them.”–Steve Bernstein, outgoing president of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.

* “You see what this property has grown into. We’re not done yet.”–Seminole Tribe Chairman Marcellus W. Osceola Jr., on the $700 million expansion of the Tampa Seminole Hard Rock & Casino that includes a 15-story hotel tower that’s expected to open in 2019.

* “We had some serious differences in the past. But it has become much more confrontational, at the worst possible moment. We need to stand together as defenders of the liberal order.”–Marietje Schaake, vice chairman of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with the United States.

* “We do not take domestic America politics into account, and we want that to be reciprocated … I say this to Donald Trump and the French president says it too: Leave our nation be.”–French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, in response to a Trump tweet.

* “I believe it will be said that no occupant of the Oval Office was more courageous, more principled and more honorable than George Herbert Walker Bush.”–Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

* “We did not have a common value system. I think (Trump) grew tired of me being the guy every day who told him that ‘you can’t do that.'”–Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

* “I don’t think (Trump’s) capable of sustained focus. I don’t think he understands the system. I don’t think the Congress is on his side. I don’t think his own agencies support him.”–Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

* “Running America isn’t like running a family business. It has to be done by setting broad policies and sticking to them, not by browbeating a few people whenever you see a bad headline.”–Paul Krugman, New York Times.

* “The bigger pardon question may come down the road as the next president has to determine whether to pardon Donald Trump.”–Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, the incoming chairman of the House Intelligence committee.

* “This just confirmed what I thought all along: This all leads up to the crown prince.”–Sen. Richard C. Shelby, R-Ala., after emerging from a closed-door briefing by CIA Director Gina Haspel on the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul.

* “Divisiveness sells. Comity doesn’t.”–James Baker, former chief of staff, secretary of state and Treasury secretary during the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, on the upshot of today’s media.

* “I say there’s no more 24-hour news cycle; it’s down to about two hours.”–NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt.

* “I have argued for some time that it’s very difficult to craft a business model for non-Trump media these days. I do think a lot of people on the right think of conservative media as a safe space for them. There’s a great deal of resentment for conservatives who are going to push back against Trump and Trumpism.”–Charlie Sykes, conservative radio host and contributing editor at The Weekly Standard, which has been getting its share of pushback from Trumpsters.

* “Humor is the universal solvent against the abrasive elements of life.”–Former Wyoming Republican Sen. Alan Simpson.

* “It’s the absentee ballots that are most ripe for fraud. People have been saying that for years.”–Jason Roberts, professor of political science at the University of North Carolina.

* “Through thick and thin, up and down, one thing about elections in America has never changed: You cannot win them without non-political people. It is the undecided masses who decide elections.”–Jesse Kelly, the Federalist.

* “As this country becomes blacker, browner, gayer, younger, more Hispanic and more Muslim, it is increasingly the case that the GOP cannot win if all voters vote. It cannot win, in other words, without cheating.”–Leonard Pitts, Miami Herald.

* “The party is over in crypto world. … During Thanksgiving week alone, bitcoin shed more than two-thirds of its value.”–Jill Schlesinger, CBS News business analyst.

* “Print may be best for lingering over words or ideas, but audiobooks add literacy to moments where there would otherwise be none.”–Daniel T. Willingham, psychology professor at the University of Virginia.

* “We see this as a historic shift that will allow us now to go after significant new customers.”–Port Tampa Bay CEO Paul Anderson, in announcing that Cosco Shipping Lines of China plans to begin sending a container ship a week to Tampa early next year.

* “Arming a teacher with a gun crosses the line of civility and common sense.”–Hillsborough County School Board member Lynn Gray.

* This is the time of year when the best–countdown to Oscars–movies are out. Not just sequels of sequels or big-screen adaptations of comic books and video games. Exhibit A: “Green Book.” It’s a “dramedy.” It’s poignant, historical, humorous, outraging and entertaining. It’s set in America’s “Colored Only,” racial-crucible era.

Spoiler (sort of) alert: It ended the way it should.

* “Trumpaganda: The War on Facts, Press and Democracy.” That’s the name of a journalism course at the University of Illinois. Go, Fighting Illini.

* The Tampa Bay Times certainly made a big deal–via prominent “Editor’s Note”–about the changes coming in comics. (Yes, Blondie and Pickles are staying!) The wait continues, however, for those of us looking for an Editor’s Note announcing that the Times is bringing back some of the editing and proofreading staff that had obviously been jettisoned–and is obviously still missed.

* “Our Human Rights Report is very clear about the concerns that we have not just about North Korea but many countries, frankly, around the world and countries that can do a lot better. Our priority in North Korea, though, right now is denuclearization.”–State Department spokeswomen Heather Nauert.

* “Optimization.”–The preferred Russian euphemism for budget cuts.

* “If Republicans truly want to walk the walk on reducing ‘excessive government regulation,’ there’s plenty for them to do. There are tons of regulations and subsidies that ENCOURAGE use of fossil fuels–and slow down innovation in greener technologies. There are, for instance, the enormous tax breaks and other subsidies for oil and coal. Or Trump’s proposed bailouts for failing coal plants. Or his tariffs on solar panels.”–Catherine Campbell, Washington Post.

* “As to whether or not (climate change) is man-made and whether or not the effects that you’re (media) talking about are there, I don’t see it.”–Donald Trump.

* “Why would I take it off the table?”–Donald Trump on the possibility of a presidential pardon to Paul Manafort.

* “Never have corporate profits outgrown employee compensation so clearly and for so long.”–St. Louis Federal Reserve.

* “The world changed in 2016, and it changed in 2018, and I think the world is going to change again in 2020.”–Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

* “People respond to candidates who speak to the moment.”–Former President Barack Obama.

* “I am not a (2020 presidential) candidate at THIS POINT.”–Former Vice President Joe Biden.

* “It will ultimately be a family decision. And over the holiday, I will make that decision with my family.”–Sen. Kamala Harris.

* “I am very likely to run for president.”–Julian Castro, former HUD secretary and San Antonio mayor.

* “If it turns out that I am the best candidate to beat Donald Trump, then I will probably run.”–Sen. Bernie Sanders.

* “Bill Clinton was radioactive in the midterms and Hillary was the Ghost of Christmas Past.”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times.

* “We’re in undeniably divisive times right now. We’re all searching for something that everyone can agree on, and dogs are probably about as close to that as we get.”–Filmmaker Glen Zipper, the producer of the six-part Netflix docu-series “Dogs.”

* “Tariffs are not a state-of-the-art smart bomb but an antiquated scatter shot whose collateral damage consists almost exclusively of consumers. Tariffs are a tax on Americans who buy goods, not on the countries that send them here.”–Dave Pearce, president and CEO of Tampa Maid Foods.

* “The 24-hour cable freak-show coverage of campaigns is a totally post-Gary Hart phenomenon.”–John Dickerson, co-host of “CBS This Morning.”

* “In Silicon Valley, ethics, if present at all, tend to be like a vestigial tail, dropped when a company grows past the embryonic stage.”–Christine Rosen, The Weekly Standard.

* “When you’re the chief of police, everybody looks to you for the answers. It’s probably the most emotionally challenging job, the loneliest job and the best job you’ve ever had, all wrapped into one.”–Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan.

* “We’re a building products company. We’re a design company. Being at the heart of a community that was built on historic architecture and design just felt like it was the right place to be.”–Fred Lynch, CEO of Masonite International, which is building its headquarters in Ybor City.

* “I don’t support teachers carrying guns, just as I don’t support security officers teaching students.”–Tamara Shamburger, chairwoman of the Hillsborough County School Board.

* “There is potential for archeological discovery anywhere in downtown.”–Tampa Bay History Center curator Rodney Kite-Powell.

* “Psychologically, we’d take a hit, but economically the city will be fine. That’s a transformative property (Tropicana Field’s 86 acres) with or without a stadium.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.

* “Europe is not only facing Brexit, one country leaving the European Union, but at the same time may also see a Ruxit, that Russia is leaving the European Convention on Human Rights.”–Thorbjorn Jagland, secretary general of the Council of Europe.

* “The European Union was never going to let us leave the club while retaining all the advantages of belonging, any more than a tennis club allows ex-members to use the facilities for free.”–Jenni Russell, The Times of London.

* “I think Europe needs to get a handle on migration, because that is what lit the flame. I admire the very generous and compassionate approaches that were taken particularly by leaders like Angela Merkel, but I think it is fair to say Europe has done its part, and must send a very clear message–‘we are not going to be able to continue to provide refuge and support’–because if we don’t deal with the migration issue, it will continue to roil the body politic.”–Hillary Clinton.

* “Economic tensions are reaching a breaking point.”–Former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, on the increasingly strained relationship between the U.S. and China.

* “There was the belief that over time, (President Trump) would better understand, but I don’t know that that’s the case. I don’t think that he understands the proper use and role of the military and what we can, and can’t, do.”–Col. David Lapan, former spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security in the Trump Administration.

* “It is part of my being to want to respect and support the president as commander in chief. This one makes that very hard for me.”–Retired Gen. James Clapper, director of national intelligence during the Obama Administration.

* “I made a tremendous difference in this country. This country is so much stronger now than it was when I took office and you wouldn’t believe it. Nobody’s done more for the military than me.”–Donald Trump.

* “We may never know all the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi. (The United States) intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia.”–Donald Trump.

* “If for any reason it becomes necessary, we will close our Southern Border. There is no way that the United States will, after decades of abuse, put up with this costly and dangerous situation anymore!”–Donald Trump.

* “A mature nationalism looks for ways to advance a nation’s interest by joining with others to achieve success.”–Eckerd College President Donald R. Eastman III.

* “Trump is not being ‘frank’ about his real priorities, and he is not putting America first. He’s putting his own naked self interest over what’s good for America.”–Greg Sargent, Washington Post.

* “I think he’s sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth. He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves.”–Donald Trump, referring to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

* “We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges. … That independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for.”–Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

* “Brutal and extended cold blast could shatter all records. Whatever happened to global warming?–Donald Trump.

* “There must be decorum at the White House.”–White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

* “In some form, I’d love to have her in the administration.”–Donald Trump, in reference to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.

* “America’s most repulsive public figure.”–Conservative commentator George Will’s take on Vice President Mike Pence.

* “There’s a very clear spike in (consumer) sales in the middle of the year obviously driven by the tax cuts, and there’s an equally clear reversal in the second half of the year. It’s the sugar rush, followed by the comedown.”–Ian Shepherdson, economist for the Pantheon Macroeconomics research firm.

* “We estimate sedans operate at a significant loss, hence the need for classic restructuring.”–Citi analyst Itay Michaeli, on the rationale for General Motors cutting up to 14,000 workers in North America as it abandons many of its car models.

* “Managing all the forests everywhere we can does not stop climate change. And those who deny that are definitely contributing to the tragedies that we’re now witnessing, and will continue to witness in the coming years.”–California Gov. Jerry Brown.

* “Come on in, the water’s fine.”–Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in welcoming opponents to the House speaker competition. The floor vote is Jan. 3.

* “As we celebrate the dignity of work, we unify. We do not divide. Populists are not racists. Populists are not anti-Semitic. We do not appeal to some by pushing down others.”–From the re-election, victory speech of Ohio Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown.

* “Just by capturing the House, Democrats achieved one big goal–taking repeal of the Affordable Care Act off the table.”–Paul Krugman, New York Times.

* “Being in the minority is entirely different. It’s much easier. You play critic. This is a major responsibility, and I’ve been struck by the conversations how seriously they’ve been.”–Democratic Congresswoman Kathy Castor of Tampa, on the Democrats taking back control of the House for the first time since 2011.

* “If we allow ourselves to be told that we must learn to compromise, we will end up in an ideological mush in the center.”–New Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes.

* “There’s a baseline percent of the white vote you have to get to win, and you can’t get to it just through young and progressive excitement.”–Florida-based, Democratic strategist Steve Schale.

* “I am in awe of these children, whose powerful message is amplified by their youthful energy and an unshakable belief that children can–no, must–improve their own futures.”–South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, in presenting the International Children’s Peace Prize to Parkland students who created a movement to raise awareness about gun violence.

* “This is a new world for HART financially.”–Jeff Seward, interim chief executive of HART, on the impact of the recently approved transportation sales tax that will boost HART’s yearly operating budget from approximately $80 million to $200 million.

* “(The Lightning) will win (the Stanley Cup) again. I can’t wait. I’ll be here. This town is such a great sports town.”–Marty St. Louis.

* “We now live in a time in which the eyewitnesses of this terrible period (World War II) of German history are dying. In this phase, it will be decided whether we have really learned from history.”–German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

* “Diplomacy cannot be done in tweets.”–French government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux.

* “The biggest problem is the trust issues.”–White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, on trade negotiations with China.

* “Brexsh*t.”–British short hand for the sloppy departure of the UK from the European Union.

* “The inner workings of the Mueller investigation are a total mess. They have found no collusion and have gone absolutely nuts.”–President Donald Trump.

* “At this point, it may be more prudent to view what comes from the Mueller probe as fodder for the 2020 presidential campaign. It may not pave the way for an impeachment conviction by the Senate, but could well pave the way for an electoral ‘impeachment.'”–Charles Blow, New York Times.

* “Business conflicts of interest that violate the Emoluments Clause, obstructions of justice and illegal hush-money payments comprise three ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’ mandating impeachment…. Congress should not condone the president’s crimes. The House is honor-bound to impeach. If the Senate decides to acquit, then the people will have the final word in the elections of 2020.”–Eric Orts, University of  Pennsylvania professor of legal studies and business ethics.

* “There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor.”–Donald Trump.

* “When people get in line that have absolutely no right to vote and they go around in circles. Sometimes they go to their car, put on a different hat, put on a different shirt, come in and vote again. … It’s really a disgrace what’s going on.”–Donald Trump.

* “Believing in massive voter fraud is on a par with climate change denial, and sadly both show the Trumpized GOP’s willingness to depart from reality.”–Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post.

* “There’s no sign of the vast investment boom the law’s backers promised. Corporations have used the tax cut’s proceeds largely to buy back their own stock rather than to add jobs and expand capacity.”–Paul Krugman, New York Times.

* “It’s nothing scientifically proven, but I do feel women legislators have a very different dynamic when they’re working together. I have a network of women members, and when we have ideas we bounce them off each other and no one’s worried about someone stealing credit.”–U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y.

* “I think to older baby boomer women, (Nancy Pelosi) represents change. To younger (House) members, she represents the status quo.”–Democratic pollster Celinda Lake.

* “Trump is the Democrats’ biggest fundraiser.”–Kathleen Parker, Washington Post.

* “While there is a sprinkling of good professionals in the Trump Administration, they are there by accident, not by intent. Many of those staffing the White House could not get a job in any normal Republican administration, which selected people according to any traditional criteria of excellence.”–David Brooks, New York Times.

* “I expect to see a number of people running (for president) as if this is the Kentucky Derby with 17 stalls to fill.”–Democratic political consultant Jerry Austin.

* “The concentration of young people, poor people and people of color who used to sit on the sidelines because Democrats have not inspired them, will upend the (2020) map.”–Tory Gavito, president and co-founder of Way to Win, a coalition of mostly female donors.

* “Labeling someone as an ‘-ist’ who believes in an ‘ism’ because of the person’s policy preference is just a shortcut to playground-style name-calling, cloaked in political terminology. It’s also generally a good indication that the attacker doesn’t have a solid counter-argument and needs a way to end debate before it has even begun.”–Dan Crenshaw, former Navy SEAL and Republican representative-elect from Texas. He recently appeared on Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” to receive an apology from cast member Pete Davidson.

* “The reality of running a company of more than 10,000 people is that you’re not  going to know everything that’s going on.”–Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive and chairman.

* “I don’t think it’s a huge stretch to suggest that Donald Trump could only get elected in a country that thinks comic books are important.”–Comedian Bill Maher.

* “Humans are generally not good at counting a large number of things. Humans get tired. We’re talking about people who’ve been working, at this point, incredibly long days and for well over a week.”–David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research.

* “We have been the laughing stock of the world election after election, and we chose not to fix this.”–Tallahassee federal Judge Mark Walker.

* “The law is an ass.”–Ion Sancho, former supervisor of elections in Leon County, on Florida law that mandates signature mismatches be “cured” by 5 p.m. the day before an election.

* “Right now a lot of people, and I’m talking Republicans as well as Democrats, see (Ron DeSantis) as an appendage of Trump. We all know very little about him. His platform during the campaign was virtually nonexistent. So I hope he’s serious when he talks about reaching out to all Floridians.”–State Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, D-Coral Gables.

* “You’re never going to win a war of attrition with Rick Scott.”–Democratic strategist Steve Schale.

* “To all Floridians, whether you voted for me or for my opponent or you didn’t vote at all, I ask that you never give up this fight.”–Sen. Bill Nelson.

* “I don’t see any reason why that trend won’t continue at least through the middle of 2019.”–Gus Faucher, chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group, on news that the state added 17,800 jobs in October–with an unemployment rate of 3.4 percent.

* “Everyone wants the actual perpetrator caught and no one wants an innocent person to go to prison. We have an imperfect system. And wrongful convictions, although rare, do exist. And this is why it’s important to have a system in place to fix and minimize wrongful convictions.”–Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren, on his office’s establishment of a Conviction Review Unit.

* “You can’t regulate stupid.”–Tampa City Council member Mike Suarez, on what could possibly go wrong as a result of a proposed ordinance allowing motorized scooters on certain sidewalks.

* “That’s just the tip of the iceberg.”–Tampa Bay Rays 2020 co-founder Ron Christaldi, on the amount of new corporate support–$16 million–pledged for a new Ybor ball park.

* “Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism.”–French President Emmanuel Macron.

* “Europe refuses to allow the U.S. to be the trade policeman of the world.”–French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire.

* “The honeymoon is well and truly over. Trump’s visible contempt for allies over trade and the Iran nuclear deal are humiliating for (French President Emmanuel) Macron. … Trump’s actions have shown that … it is dangerous for any political leader to tie his reputation to the mercurial mood swings of the American president.”–Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

* “They’re apprehensive. They’re wondering what President Trump will do next. He’s already shown his contempt for European leaders, he’s threatened to pull out of NATO, he’s friendlier with Putin. The mood is certainly one of apprehension, dislike, worry.”–Margaret MacMillan, the author of “Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World.”

* “Sanctions are the perfect tool for someone like President Trump, who arrived into office with no governing experience and no real relationships in Congress, the bureaucracy or among world leaders. Sanctions let him govern on his own. He just has to write an executive order, and it’s done.”–Adam M. Smith, former senior sanctions official and director of multilateral affairs on the Obama Administration’s National Security Council.

* “Democrats need a focused agenda of quickly actionable items for the first 100 days. After that, they will have at least another 630 days in control of the House–and plenty of time for investigations.”–Ronald Klain, Washington Post.

* “As President Trump continues to accelerate his lawlessness, the new Democratic House majority must initiate impeachment proceedings against him as soon as it takes office in January.”–Tom Steyer, founder of NextGen America and Need to Impeach.

* “(Acting Attorney General Matthew) Whitaker’s public record of aggressive hostility to the Mueller probe disqualifies him from overseeing it. If he does not recuse himself from the role, the Democratic House should immediately move to impeach him. The Senate isn’t likely to convict, but let Republicans own this fiasco.”–Brett Stephens, New York Times.

* “Trump does not do what normal politicians do; his instincts are those of an autocrat. Expect him to hew more to the right–into more conspiracy theories and false threats. And he’ll take real actions on them, with costs to the country and the world.”–Allen Green, chairman of the Stetson University economics department.

* “The tax cuts juiced earnings this year and that’s not sustainable. The market’s starting to say that the glass may be half empty.”–Alec Young, managing director of global markets research at FTSE Russell.

* “(Trump’s) an intentional liar. It’s very different from just being a liar liar.”–Former Trump White House press manager Anthony Scaramucci.

* “MSNBC is awash in nostalgia for Ronald Reagan and W.”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times.

* “Research is endlessly seductive, but writing is hard.”–The late, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Barbara Tuchman.

* “I will not sit idly by while unethical liberals  try to steal this election from the great people of Florida.”–Gov. Rick Scott.

* “The recounts will be nationally watched; (they’re) under a microscope.”–Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner.

* “I think what the history of recounting has indicated is that on the whole, the errors that are unearthed in recounting are innocent errors, and they kind of balance out.”–Charles Stewart III, professor of political science at MIT.

* “The real question is implementation.”–Darryl Paulson, professor emeritus of government at USF St. Pete, on the passage of Amendment 4 that restores former felon voting rights.

* “I want to presume the Legislature and the newly elected governor are going to respect the clear wishes of the people. And that is to automatically restore the rights of voters.”–Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida.

* “The spread (of hepatitis A) is intimately linked to the opioid crisis. The biggest factors to this  spread are IV drug use and homelessness. And now, we’re seeing this spill over into restaurants.”–Jill Roberts, professor of microbiology and environmental health at USF.

* “The same company in Tampa Bay is probably valued at 20 percent of what it would be in Silicon Valley. So the prices here and the valuations of companies are much more reasonable.”–Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, in speaking at the recent innovation summit in Tampa.

* “I’m confident that we will keep the economic pressure in place until such time as Chairman Kim fulfills the (denuclearization) commitment he made to President Trump back in June in Singapore.”–Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

* “(The U.S.) will no longer appease dictators and despots near our shores in this hemisphere.”–National Security Adviser John Bolton, in announcing new sanctions being imposed on Venezuela and Cuba and additional penalties against Nicaragua.

* “Scholars are still struggling to understand what will happen to democracy, whose growth stalled over a decade ago and may now be receding. … We had long thought that democracies in regions like Latin America or Southeast Asia would catch up to those in the West. And maybe they will. Or maybe we had it backward all along.”–Max Fisher, New York Times.

* “The world of inequality, corruption and violence (Central Americans) are fleeing is a world that American elites have helped build. To shrug off the struggles the region confronts today is to deny responsibility for decade after decade of neocolonial meddling.”–Miles Culpepper, Jacobin Magazine.

* “Paul Ryan should be focusing on holding the majority rather than giving his opinions on birthright citizenship, something he knows nothing about!”–President Donald Trump.

* “We’ll go up to anywhere between 10,000 and 15,000 military personnel on top of Border Patrol, ICE and everybody else at the border.”–Donald Trump.

* “In this campaign, fear is what’s on the Republican menu. Peace and prosperity? Mere side dishes.”–Bret Stephens, New York Times.

* “The fake news media, the true enemy of the people, must stop the open and obvious hostility and report the news accurately and fairly.”–Donald Trump.

* “Denigrating the media diminishes an institution that is critical to democracy, both here and abroad. As a political tactic, it may be brilliant, but it comes with a larger cost to the cause of freedom.”–Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee and current Senate candidate from Utah.

* “(Presidents) heal. They unite. They inspire. … It’s not in Donald Trump’s software to do this.”–Historian Michael Beschloss.

* “The president is trying to heal the country.”–White House counselor Kellyanne Conway.

* “Being in (Trump’s) orbit, I think, has been good for me and good for him. … I enjoy his company. I’ve spend more time talking to him than any president–all of them combined.”–South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham.

* “It is now impossible to have intellectual integrity and a conscience while remaining a Republican  in good standing. … Those who remain are either fanatics willing to do anything in pursuit of power, or cynics willing to go along with anything for a share of the spoils.”–Paul Krugman, New York Times.

* “One election won’t eliminate racism or sexism or homophobia … but it will be a start. And when you start down that path, momentum starts to build.”–Former President Barack Obama.

* “One unintended effect of Donald Trump is that has alleviated fears of people who thought they were unqualified for office.”–Sayu Bhojwani, founder of New American Leaders.

* “Our debts are growing faster than our means to discharge them. It strains credulity to think that our creditors are unaware of the fact. Some of us fret about foreign hackers tilting American elections with lies. We should all spare a worry about hackers causing a bond-market crisis by spreading the truth.”–James Grant, Weekly Standard.

* “The economy is roaring, but the mood is so sour. It’s a very sad time in this country.”–South Florida Republican Congressman Carlos Curbelo.

* “The key distinction is the number of people per vehicle. Without pretty radically increasing the number of people per vehicle, autonomous systems will increase total miles traveled.”–Transportation planner Jerry Walters.

* “Cyber. Could be banks. Could be transportation systems. Could be communications systems. It’s going to happen.”–Former senator and presidential candidate Gary Hart on what he thinks will be the next major threat.

* “I voted for Andrew Gillum. The reason is simple: It’s because I’ve served with Ron DeSantis.”–Former Florida Republican Congressman David Jolly.

* “Drinking and driving in the Tampa Bay area is a public health epidemic.”–Larry Coggins, executive director of the West Central Florida chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

* “Without a dedicated funding source, we’ll never break gridlock.”–Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill.

* “This next phase, we hope, is going to be a bridge (between) a seasonal service and a permanent ferry service that connects our communities.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.

* “What’s clear is that the only options on the table now from the prime minister are a bad Brexit deal, or no deal whatsoever.”–London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who joined some 700,000 people taking part in London’s “People’s Vote March.” Britain is scheduled to leave the EU this March.

* “Empires often think they can make some little mistakes … because they’re so powerful. But when the number of these mistakes keeps growing, it reaches a level they cannot sustain.”–Russian President Vladimir Putin, in reference to the U.S.

* “Sadly, it looks like Mexico’s police and military are unable to stop the Caravan heading to the southern border of the United States. I have alerted the Border Patrol and military that this is a national emergency.”–President Donald Trump.

* “The Saudis satisfy American greed, deftly playing their role as dollar signs in robes.”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times.

* “You have never participated in an election that is as consequential as this election nationally and locally.”–Former Vice President Joe Biden, at a Democratic rally in Las Vegas.

* “If you want to protect America’s laws, borders, sovereignty and even your dignity, you need to go out today and vote.”–Donald Trump, at a Republican rally in Elko, Nevada.

* “It’s very simple–November 6, up or down vote. Up or down vote on the impeachment of Donald Trump.”–Former Trump chief strategist Steve  Bannon.

* “Fear is not a proper motivator. Hope wins out.”–Former First Lady Michelle Obama.

* “It depends on where Republicans are going low. If they’re going low in North Dakota, you offer to build a bridge to bring them back. If they’re going low in Brooklyn, New York, you hit them on the head with a two-by-four.”–Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

* “The only problem with a president who talks too much is that he might make his ignorance obvious. That’s why presidents get briefed, rehearse talking points, do practice sessions before facing the media and generally never do what Trump does, which is to wing it.”–Mike McCurry, former Clinton Administration press secretary.

* “(Trump) lives in the eternal now–no history, no consequences.”–Michael Gerson, former speech writer for President George W. Bush.

* “Intelligence is all about context … (Trump) gives weight to data based on who told him, not the evidentiary stack underneath it.”–Michael V. Hayden, former CIA director under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

* “Trump’s edge over everybody: He can do no wrong because he’s all wrong. He never really shocks because he’s a perpetual shock.”–Frank Bruni, New York Times.

* “I took the (DNA) test and released the results for anyone who cares to see because I’ve got nothing to hide. What are YOU hiding @realDonaldTrump? Release your tax returns–or the Democratic-led House will do it for you soon enough. Tick-tock, Mr. President.”–Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

* “The one disappointment of this Congress from a Republican point of view. … We’re not satisfied with the way ‘Obamacare’ is working.”–Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

* “(Mitch) McConnell and (Paul) Ryan represent Wall Street interests that for years have been salivating at the prospect of using privatization schemes to get their hands on so-called ‘entitlement programs.'”–John Nichols, the Nation.

* “For most Americans, climate change has always been something that might happen in the future, but it hasn’t happened yet. That reality is changing. … Voters deserve lawmakers who would rather protect them from disasters than protect them from the truth.”–Emily Atkin, New Republic.

* “It’s highly targetable. It’s inexpensive. Until we screw it up, it’s the Holy Grail.”–Republican political consultant Alex Patton, on the increasing use of campaigns sending huge numbers of unsolicited texts to voters with the assistance of new apps and programs.

* “What ‘stand your ground’ has done is taken an unnecessary killing and made it into a justifiable killing.”–Bob Dekle, retired assistant state attorney and former University of Florida law professor.

* “(Funding education) should not be a partisan issue. Our environment should not be a partisan issue.”–Debra Bellanti, Democratic challenger to Republican Rep. Jackie Toledo for Florida’s District 60 House seat.

* “Looking at the month-to-month numbers, we are seeing continuous improvement in the Florida and Gulf Coast economies with solid job gains.”–PNC chief economist Gus Faucher. The state’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.5 percent in September. Tampa Bay’s rate plunged to 2.9 percent–with  Hillsborough County at 2.8 percent.

* “A huge win. Baker McKenzie will bring great prestige to Tampa and help fuel our increasing momentum.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, on the announcement that Baker McKenzie, a global law firm, would be opening a new business services center in Tampa with more than 300 new jobs.

* “This is more than just a transportation issue. It’s an economic prosperity issue and a competitive issue.”–Craig Richard, CEO of Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp., on the significance of passing the sales tax for transportation upgrades.

* “Compared to Miami and Sarasota, Tampa Bay offers tremendous value.”–Bob Glaser, president and CEO of Smith & Associates Real Estate.

You don’t have to be a journalist to be worried about America’s eroding First Amendment and “enemy of the people” demonization of the media by this unprecedented president. Attacking and scape-goating the press are on every authoritarian’s bucket list. Always have been.

Too bad “American exceptionalism” doesn’t preclude autocracy. There was a day when we could criticize, sans hypocrisy, the usual cast of right-wing strongmen: from Russia and the Philippines  to banana republics and Middle East “stans.”

No longer.

Now, attacking the U.S. media–with certain sell-out and alt-Reich exceptions–is an MO for governing and keeping a Trump cult-following base stoked.

We’ve seen the domestic impact of the Oval Office avatar of “fake news” on our democracy in the era of “alternative facts.” Ask Jim Acosta what it’s like to cover a race-baiting, isolationist-promoting, mainstream media-bashing, Trump rally. George Wallace never looked so polished and presidential.

It has even impacted foreign relations.

Anyone think that the ratcheting controversy over the suspicious disappearance–if not dismemberment–of Saudi Arabian-born, Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi from the Saudi consulate in Istanbul is coincidental to what has been happening here at home?

You’d have to be clueless to think that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the imperiously despotic “reformer” who doesn’t suffer critics, didn’t see some signals he liked from the Trump Administration. Most notably, arms-sales money talks and dissenting media opinions walk–if they’re ambulatory. Besides, who can account for “rogue killers”?

The United States is not a macro version of Las Vegas. What happens here doesn’t stay here. The rest of the world–from the Moscow puppet master to the Saudi Prince of Darkness–take it all in.  And play Trump–and America–accordingly.