Category: Media Watch

* “Another year. Another record. The high temperatures we saw in 2015 are set to be beaten in 2016.”–Petteri Taalas, head of the World Meteorological Organization.

* “Germany and America are bound by common values: democracy, freedom, as well as respect for the rule of law and the dignity of each and every person regardless of their origin, skin color, creed, gender, sexual orientation or political views.” Cooperation with the U.S. must be “based on these values.”–German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

* “I want to emphasize to you, Mr. President-elect, that we now are going to want to do everything we can to help you succeed because if you succeed, then the country succeeds.”–President Barack Obama.

* “I very much look forward to dealing with the president in the future, including counsel.”–President-Elect Donald Trump.

* “We owe him an open mind and a chance to lead.”–Hillary Clinton.

* “It’s really important to send some signals of unity.”–President Barack Obama.

* “My operative theory of presidential succession is people always choose the remedy to what they have; they never choose the replica–even when the incumbent is popular.”–Democratic strategist David Axelrod.

* “The electorate that President-elect Trump was able to successfully tap into is one that feels a tremendous amount of economic uncertainty. And much of that they’re blaming on the forces of globalization, fairly or not. TPP got caught up in that.”–Chad Brown, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

* “Democrats need to speak more directly to voter anger. They’ll hopefully remold the party in Elizabeth Warren’s image and have a more authentic message that channels that anger in a more productive direction than Donald Trump’s authoritarian message.”–Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.

* “The early suffragists believed as soon as the vote came in, women would show the same sense of solidarity. But that didn’t prove to be true at all.”–Theda Skocpol, professor of sociology and government at Harvard University.

* “What our country needs now more than anything is civility, kindness and grace in our elected officials.”–Newly elected Congressman Charlie Crist.

* “I cannot remember another president-elect who has been so dismissive of intelligence received during a campaign or so suspicious of the quality and honesty of the intelligence he was about to receive.”–Former CIA Director Michael Hayden.

* “It’s about to get real. Being president is not a reality television show. He’s set exceedingly high expectations and now he’s got to try to produce. It won’t be easy.”–Peter Wehner, senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

* “Who’s going to tell him he’s wrong?”–Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post.

* “I think President Obama will still go down in history as a great and historic president. But a lot of his accomplishments are going to be limited by what happened (last) Tuesday.”–David Litt, former Obama speechwriter.

* “The landscape ahead looks grim to me. While the business model for mainstream journalism is in crisis, these alt-right websites expand as they monetize false “news” that promotes racism and undermines democracy. Worse, they have the imprimatur of the soon-to-be most powerful person in the world.”–Nicholas Kristof, New York Times.

* “I am not willing to compromise about opening up the market, period, full stop. We are going to have a free market system here in Florida.”–State Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, in the aftermath of the passage of (medical marijuana) Amendment 2.

* “When I saw Hillsborough County vote for Hillary Clinton, when I saw Hillsborough County elect a new Democratic state attorney, when I saw those types of votes, I truly believed that if it was on the ballot we would’ve passed it.”–Hillsborough County Commissioner Les Miller, reflecting on how the transit referendum would have fared had it been on last week’s (72 percent turnout) ballot.

* It’s news to no one that daily newspapers have an ongoing challenge–technological and cultural–in this society. That was more than manifest on the day after the greatest World Series finale ever, when the Tampa Bay Times had to feature a front-page, win-or-lose, feature on Joe Maddon because the results of game 7 were not known at press time. (Then the following morning, it had to work around no results from the Bucs-Falcons game at Ray-Jay.)

Sometimes deadlines and press runs and related expenses have to be in play so that morning-after coverage of notable news interest doesn’t look incongruously like yesterday’s news. Print folks don’t need to provide any more rationales for consumers to further forsake their reading habits.

*So the Gawker–Hulk Hogan case has finally been settled. Enough of the disgusting, over-the-top chronicling of voyeur vulgarity that was not about journalism or a legitimate First Amendment issue. Some things you don’t want–or need–to read about–even if they are accorded front-page, above-the-fold status.

*Seasonal signs: Temperatures dipping. Leaves dropping. Halloween trick or treating. Thanksgiving counting down. And mail including GANDERmtn. fliers and gift-card offers to remind us that “The Hunt is On.” Although what you hunt with a semi-auto handgun seems disquieting.

* “The science shows that we need to move much faster. The growing numbers of climate refugees hit by hunger, poverty, illness and conflict will be a constant reminder of our failure to deliver.”–United Nations Environment Program leader Erik Solheim.

* “On the ordination of women in the Catholic Church, the last word is clear.”–Pope Francis, in underscoring that the Church’s teaching that women cannot be ordained as priests is not likely to change.

* “Political activity is a type of moral activity. It does not claim to settle every problem or to make every sad heart glad, but it can help some way in nearly everything and, where it is strong, it can prevent the vast cruelties and deceits of ideological rule.”–British political theorist Bernard Crick.

* “However great (Hillary Clinton’s) flaws, she is still in the zone of human decency. Trump is not.”–Thomas Friedman, New York Times.

* “I think it (presidential campaign) has affected the way that people see us. They don’t expect that from the United States. We are the people who go and monitor other people’s elections.”–R. Nicholas Burns, former undersecretary of state for political affairs under President George W. Bush.

* “It has been suggested that the Republican Party is motivated today not by political conservatism, but a reaction against contemporary life.”–Sam Wang, professor of neuroscience and molecular biology at Princeton and a founder of the Princeton Election Consortium.

* “In our system, change means legislation. … Change in government is a team sport. … If you wanted to design a personality type perfectly ill suited to be a change agent in government, you would come up with Donald Trump; solipsistic, impatient, combative, unsubtle and ignorant.”–David Brooks, New York Times.

* “It feels as if we’re coming out of this election with four parties: the Paul Ryan Republicans, the Freedom Caucus, the establishment Democrats and the Elizabeth Warren/Bernie Sanders brigade.”–Frank Bruni, New York Times.

* “I still think most Americans are centrists by and large. The political pendulum swings one way and then another before it finally comes back. That is our heritage.”–Tampa Bay auto dealer  and philanthropist Frank Morsani.

* “As technology evolves, the military may need a different type of soldier for certain jobs. The guy with a crew cut is not always the best for the job. Sometimes you need some weirdos on your team to get things done.”–Peter W. Singer, a fellow at the New America Foundation who studies the future of war.

* “We all have our crosses to bear.”–Charlie Crist, in referring to his Republican past at a USF St. Petersburg forum featuring Democratic civil rights legend U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia.

* “It’s an easy airport that’s very close to downtown, and that makes it a winner.”–Conde-Nast Traveler, which ranked TIA third best U.S. airport.

* “This is an incredible opportunity to showcase our community.”–Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan, on the impact of the upcoming college football national championship game at Raymond James Stadium–and the rationale for committing $1 million in bed taxes to help the hosting effort.

* “Nerdistan.”–Term used by renowned urbanist Richard Florida to describe the “nexus of creativity, diversity and urbanity” that is Tampa’s Innovation Alliance District.

* “We’ve yet to determine what our financial capacity is, much less what is politically palatable.”–County Commissioner Ken Hagan, on the challenge of pulling together enough funding for a Rays’ ballpark scenario.

* “I think the most natural, and probably what will be the most successful at least in the short term, is those of us who want to go back and forth in the evenings or on the weekends, whether it’s for a Lightning game, dinner, shopping or museums.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, on the most likely main draw–tourists and locals looking for entertainment options–for the Cross-Bay Ferry.

* “Right now, there is an identifiable problem with poor relations between police and communities. This helps the police officer connect to the families they serve. They’re not going into a neighborhood to make an arrest; they’re going into a neighborhood to form a fond. It helps that young person see the police officers as a friend.”–Pam Iorio, president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, on the organization’s “Bigs in Blue” program that will pair police with youth.

* “Cubstock 2016.”–What Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon dubbed the World Series victory parade and rally.

Among the words–“awesome” was noted earlier–that have undergone devaluation in the culture is icon. Remember when it meant an image–ranging from the sacred and historic to ubiquitous fame. From the Taj Mahal to America’s Founding Fathers.

Just read in the Tampa Bay Times of the death of Pete Burns. I had no clue. I read on. He was the “iconic frontman” of Dead or Alive. Now I know, even if I’m still an alien in my own pop culture.

* Our American friends offer us money, arms and advice. We take the money, we take the arms and we decline the advice.”–The late Israeli leader Moshe Dayan.

* “Two states are not achievable in the foreseeable future. It has become a process about a process, and not real.”–Former Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

* “I know a few things about rigged elections. … I know these things well because I learned them the hard way during my years as a political opposition leader in Mr. Putin’s Russia. None of these things are happening to Donald Trump.”–Former world chess champion Gary Karparov, now chairman of the New York-based Human Rights Foundation.

* “If I were running against another Republican, we’d have our disagreements, don’t get me wrong, and I would be trying to make my case vigorously. But I wouldn’t go to bed at night with a knot in the pit of my stomach.”–Hillary Clinton.

* “One of the mysteries of 2016 is the degree to which Hillary Clinton is reviled. Not just rationally opposed but viscerally and instinctively hated. … She’s not more dishonest than other politicians, and compared with her opponent, she’s George Washington.”–Susan Faludi, author of “Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women.”

* “This is like an 18-wheeler smacking into us, and it just becomes a huge distraction at the worst possible time.”–Donna Brazile, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, on news that FBI Director James Comey disclosed that his agency was looking into a potential new batch of messages from Hillary Clinton’s private email server.

* “Jim Comey forgets that he works for the attorney general.”–Matt Miller, former Justice Department spokesman under Attorney General Eric Holder.

* “I was on the Judiciary Committee when I was in Congress, and I have never seen the FBI handle any case the way they have handled hers.”–Patricia Schroeder, former Democratic Congresswoman from Colorado.

* “We never thought we were going to say thank you to Anthony Weiner.”–Donald Trump.

* “When it comes to pending investigations, federal prosecutors and agents almost always have only two good options: indict or be quiet. Talking publicly about a matter is not an option because doing so offends basic notions of fairness and due process.”–Dan Gelber, former federal prosecutor and Democratic state senator.

* “There’s a lot of noise and distraction, but it really comes down to what kind of future we want.”–Hillary Clinton.

* “Cowed by fear of the party’s far right wing in primaries to come and driven by ambition, or at least by the desire to cling to office at all costs, elected Republican officials have, for the most part, been on an extended moral vacation since Trump clinched the nomination. “–Republican strategist and Tallahassee lobbyist Mac Stipanovich.

* “You have a governor and Legislature that like your current senator (Marco Rubio) doesn’t want to believe the science of climate change.”–Hillary Clinton at Broward College.

* “There is no algorithm that can precisely calibrate how to weigh global instability against the reasons that remain for conservatives to vote for Trump. No mathematical proof can demonstrate that the chance of a solidly-conservative Supreme Court justice isn’t worth a scaled-up risk of great power conflict.”–Ross Douthat, New York Times.

* “In many elections in the last 20 years, Mormons have been neck and neck for the title of ‘Most Republican,’ but that’s not going to happen this time.”–Quin Monson, Brigham Young University political scientist.

* “Florida is checkmate.”–Tim Kaine.

* “I don’t see anything about this merger that would lower costs for consumers or increase choices for consumers.”–Todd O’Boyle, director of the Media and Democracy Project at Common Cause, on the proposed $84.5-billion Time Warner-AT&T merger.

* “The server that houses the election software is not connected to the internet. … By law, it is a standalone server. It is under 24-7 video surveillance.”–Craig Latimer, Hillsborough County elections supervisor.

* “Cuba wants to partner with the greater Tampa area. I believe it will be economically beneficial to the port and our overall economy. … We cannot afford to leave a single economic stone unturned.”–Patrick Allman, a member of the Port Tampa Bay governing board.

* “Uber and Lyft are the ones breaking the rules. Who cares who we use to do a sting operation? Bonnie and Clyde had a big fan club, too, but at the end they were just bank robbers, so let’s not lose sight of where the wrongdoing is here.”–PTC Vice Chairman David Pogorilich.

* “This is special. This is monumental.”–Brian Lamb, USF Board of Trustees chairman, on the unveiling of USF’s $134 million Village residential complex project.

* “I remain positive about the prospects for a (Tampa Bay Rays) stadium derivative of the fact that (Rays owner) Stu (Sternberg) is positive about the prospects.”–Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred.

* “Donald Trump’s closing argument is, ‘What do you have to lose?’ The answer is, everything.”–President Barack Obama at a rally in Cleveland.

* “I’m even more confused by Republican politicians who still support Donald Trump. Marco Rubio s one of those people. How does that work? How can you call him a con artist and dangerous and object to all the controversial things he says and then say, ‘But I’m still gonna vote for him?'”–President Barack Obama.

* “Whatever one may think of the  relative merits of the two parties, at least this much can be said: In this election cycle, it has been the Republicans, not their opponents, who have worked, and are still working, to hand the country over to someone who they know in their hearts would be a disaster for the nation’s security.”–Robert Kagan, Brookings Institution senior fellow.

* “‘Nasty women’ are tough. ‘Nasty women’ are smart. And ‘nasty women’ vote.”–Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

* “Boy, is Trump giving those of us who study populism, fascism and the erosion of democratic norms ever more to think about.”–Sheri Berman, Barnard College political scientist.

* “The Republican Party will now begin the long process of redefining itself or continue its long national collapse.”–Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal.

* “For the first time in our history, the Arizona Republic will support a Democrat for president. The challenges the United States faces domestically and internationally demand a steady hand, a cool head and the ability to think carefully before acting. Hillary Clinton understands this. Donald Trump does not.”–Arizona Republic.

* “The more Donald Trump opens his mouth, the more people get motivated for Hillary in the black community.”–Tampa City Council member Frank Reddick.

* “Coal production peaked in 1950. What they should be mad about is, we have not done what we should to get people to invest there.”–Bill Clinton at a Safety Harbor rally.

* “We want to create awareness of cyber security in the marketplace. We want people to practice good cyber hygiene.”–Sri Sridharan, director of the USF-based Florida Center for Cybersecurity.

* “Production of our state’s signature crop is down 70 percent from 20 years ago, and the future of Florida citrus depends on a break-through in the fight against greening.”–Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.

* “You can no longer come to Florida and just go to The Villages and talk only about Social Security and Medicare.”–USF political scientist Susan MacManus, on Florida’s changing demographics–most notably the Millennials, who have now replaced Baby Boomers as America’s largest generation.

* “I am extremely comfortable with the openness and the transparency that we go through here in Florida. We’re going to run a very efficient, transparent and accurate election.”–Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer.

* “This is pure nonsense and shame on any American who believes this election is rigged.”–Al Cardenas, former head of the Republican Party of Florida.

* “J&J chose Tampa because of the quality of the people here–people with experience in business services. Smart, talented people. People with multilingual capabilities.”–Erin Champlin, vice president of global services for Johnson & Johnson, on the opening of J&J’s new North America Global Services Center in Tampa.

* “Don’t let the pressure exceed the pleasure.”–Joe Maddon.

* “We’re sending a message. We have the capacity to do it. And it will be at the time of our choosing. And under the circumstances that have the greatest impact. He’ll know it.”–Vice President Joe Biden, on a retaliatory cyberstrike scenario against Russia and a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

* “The election is being rigged by corrupt media pushing false allegations and outright lies in an effort to elect Hillary Clinton president. But we are going to stop it. We are not going to back down.”–Donald Trump.

* “I believe the statements that Donald Trump says are disgusting. Disgusting, period. I have spoken to him multiple times, (and) he believes what he said was disgusting. … As Mike Pence, an evangelical Christian, said … I believe in forgiveness. I also believe in the Constitution of the United States.”–Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.

* “Strong men, men who are truly role models, don’t need to put down women for themselves to feel powerful. … Now is the time for all of us to stand up and say, enough is enough. This has got to stop right now.”–Michele Obama.

* “(Michelle Obama) has honed a talent–rare in Washington–for rising above pettiness.”–Frank Bruni, New York Times.

* “It seems fair to say that, if Trump loses the election, it will be because women voted against him.”–Statistician and election analyst Nate Silver.

* “I will tell you that if the Republican Party does not evolve, the Republican Party is going to die.”–Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

* “Your vote really, really, really counts. You can consider me as an Exhibit A for that.”--Al Gore, at a Clinton campaign rally in Miami.

* “Disloyal R’s are far more difficult than Crooked Hillary. They don’t know how to win–I will teach them.”–Donald Trump.

* “Watched ‘Saturday Night Live’ hit job on me. … Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election.”–Donald Trump.

* “There is no getting around it: Donald Trump is cheering on a Russian attempt to influence our election through a crime reminiscent of Watergate, but on a more massive scale.”–Clinton spokesman Glen Caplin.

* “A presidential nominee is largely responsible for his own fate, and circumstances were set up this year for a GOP victory. The Trumpians got the candidate and campaign they wanted, and now they have to own the result.”–Wall Street Journal editorial.

* “Donald Trump’s closing argument is, ‘What do you have to lose?’ The answer is, everything.”–President Barack Obama at a rally in Cleveland.

* “Whatever one may think of the relative merits of the two parties, at least this much can be said: In this election cycle, it has been the Republicans, not their opponents, who have worked, and are still working, to hand the country over to someone who they know in their hearts would be a disaster for the nation’s security.”–Robert Kagan, Brookings Institution senior fellow.

* “Donald J. Trump might be the most ostentatiously unqualified major-party candidate in the 227-year history of the American presidency.”–Atlantic magazine.

* “For the first time in our history, the Arizona Republic will support a Democrat for president. The challenges the United States faces domestically and internationally demand a steady hand, a cool head and the ability to think carefully before acting. Hillary Clinton understands this. Donald Trump does not.”–Arizona Republic editorial.

* “It would be better for everybody down ballot if the Republican nominee for president were bringing folks, rather than shedding them like hair on a German shepherd.”–Florida Republican strategist and lobbyist Mac Stipanovich.

* “I am ecstatic that Bob Dylan has won the Nobel. A great and good thing in a season of sleaze and sadness.”–Stephen King.

* “I’m going to serve six years in the Senate, God willing, and I’m looking forward to it.”–Sen. Marco Rubio in his debate against U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy.

* “As a woman and the mother of two teenage daughters, I find Mr. Trump’s comments disgusting. … I am voting for Donald Trump because he is a better choice over Hillary Clinton, but I will admit, he is making it harder and harder for me to continue to do so.”–State Senate candidate Dana Young, R-Tampa.

* “The Legislature has already passed, and Gov. Rick Scott signed into law, multiple bills declaring that marijuana should be available to certain patients here in Florida. The debate now focuses on how medical marijuana should be regulated and which patients should be eligible to receive this treatment.”–Republican state Sen. Jeff Brandes.

* “Production of our state’s signature crop is down 70 percent from 20 years ago, and the future of Florida citrus depends on a break-through in the fight against greening.”–Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.

* “The synergy is perfectly lined up between Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco … if we combine them, we’ll have a win-win.”–Pinellas County Commissioner Janet Long, in calling for a “visionary” plan to consolidate Bay Area transportation agencies.

* “There is politics and there are elections. We run elections.”–Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer.

* “The message we’re sending is so convoluted. I don’t think anybody has any idea what’s going on.”–Tampa City Council member Charlie Miranda, on the DOT’s lack of economic-impact projections regarding Tampa Bay Express.

* “At this time we’re simply not going to expand.”–University of Oklahoma President David Boren, on the Big 12’s expansion decision. USF was among 11 finalists.

* “Don’t let the pressure exceed the pleasure.”–Joe Maddon.

* “Russia and the (Syrian) regime owe the world more than an explanation about why they keep hitting hospitals and medical facilities, and children and women. These are acts that beg for an appropriate investigation of war crimes.”–Secretary of State John Kerry.

* “It’s pretty hard for (prominent Republican leaders) to publicly say ‘Obama’s a perfectly reasonable guy, but we just can’t work with him because our base thinks he’s the anti-Christ.'”–President Barack Obama.

* “Trump’s zest for self-sabotage, his wild swings, his inability to delegate or take advice, are not mere flaws; they are defining characteristics. The burdens of the presidency will leave him permanently maddened, perpetually undone.”–Ross Douthat, New York Times.

* “I have great respect for women. Nobody has more respect for women than I do.”–Donald Trump.

* “And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Whatever you want. Grab them by the p—y.”–Donald Trump.

* “The words are demeaning. Such behavior is an abuse of power. It’s not lewd. It’s sexual assault.”–Vice President Joe Biden.

* “It’s over. The only good news is that in 30 days Trump will be back to being just a former reality TV star like the Kardashians, and Republican candidates across America will no longer be asked to respond to his stupid remarks.”–Terry Sullivan, Republican strategist and former campaign adviser to Marco Rubio.

* “The media and establishment want me out of the race so badly–I will never drop out of the race. … I think a lot of people underestimate how loyal my supporters are.”–Donald Trump.

* “Conservatives who are sticking with this guy at this point have made a deal with the devil.”–Republican consultant Rick Wilson.

* “…This is who Donald Trump is and the question for us, the question our country must answer is that this is not who we are.”–Hillary Clinton.

* “In the spirit of patriotism … let’s make Election Day a federal holiday (or at least a company holiday). In the spirit of nouns over verbs, call it Voter Day.”–Adam Grant, author and professor of management and psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.

* “I am not going to extend it. Everybody has had a lot of time to register. On top of that, we have lots of opportunities to vote: early voting, absentee voting, Election Day. So I don’t intend to make any changes.”–Gov. Rick Scott.

* “The warmer ocean temperatures surely helped fuel Mathew.”–David Zierden, Florida’s state climatologist.

* “The truth is, this is not about Iceland. This is about the connectivity Iceland has to Europe and on to Florida.”–Pinellas County tourism director David Downing, on the impact of TIA adding IcelandAir to its overseas lineup.

* “From a transit perspective, the streetcar’s a gem. Not because it’s cute, but because it’s an instant sense of place. You have a track, you have a station. You have a somewhere.”–HART CEO Katharine Eagan.

* “Every large urban school district I’ve ever worked in–Charlotte, Orlando, Chicago–it’s been a challenge to get experienced teachers at your high-needs schools.”–Harrison Peters, Hillsborough County School District’s new chief of schools.

* “Pressure lives in the future, not the present tense. If you can live in the moment, then you can enjoy the pleasure of it.”–Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon.

* “He thinks it’s his ticket to greatness. I think it’s his ticket to oblivion.”–CIA Director John Brennan, on the role of nuclear weapons to North Korean leader  Kim Jong Un.

* “He could stand in the other guy’s shoes, and he was determined to let the future bury the past and not let the past bury the future.”–Thomas Friedman, New York Times, in reflecting on the death of Israeli leader Shimon Peres.

* “For those few people knocking me for tweeting at three o’clock in the morning, at least you know I will be there, awake, to answer the call!”–Donald Trump.

* “Climate change is real. Florida knows that. My opponent thinks it is a hoax created by the Chinese.”–Hillary Clinton.

* “I want this election to be about something, not just against somebody.”–Hillary Clinton.

* “Without the corrupt mainstream media, she wouldn’t have a chance.”–Donald Trump.

* “He actually bragged about gaming the system to get out of paying his fair share of taxes. …    Who goes around criticizing every institution from health care to education, our vets. But he probably hasn’t paid a penny to support our troops, or our vets, or our schools, or our health care systems.”–Hillary Clinton.

* “You can call us wrong. You can call me a fool. You cannot call us weasels.”–FBI Director James Comey, in defending his position not to prosecute Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server when she was secretary of state.

* “I would feel terrible if Trump gets elected, but I’ll also feel terrible if Hillary gets elected. This is a perfect storm for a voter revolt.”–Green Party candidate Jill Stein.

* “(Hillary Clinton’s) election alone is what stands between the American nation and the reign of the most unstable, proudly misinformed, psychologically unfit president ever to enter the White House.”–Dorothy Rabinowitz, Wall Street Journal.

* “I don’t get a sense that folks are as excited about the first woman president. We ought to be as excited to support that, but I  don’t see it yet. They really need to ramp up the grass roots.”–Florida state Rep. Darryl Rouson.

* “I don’t want to help or hurt anybody by giving them an endorsement.”–Lloyd C. Blankfein, chairman and chief executive of Goldman Sachs.

* “Everybody was aware of who the potential beneficiaries were, but nobody really had focused on the downside in terms of our international relationships.”–Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, on the Congressional override of President Obama’s veto of a bill to allow families of the Sept. 11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia.

* “It would be an absolute shame if this legislation, in anyway, influenced the Saudi willingness to continue to be among our best counterterrorism partners.”–CIA Director John Brennan.

* “Modern media realities make everything intellectually thinner, shallower. Everything moves fast. … The need to say something becomes the tendency to say anything.”–Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal.

* “We’ll be investing in basic science research with the goal of curing disease.”–Dr. Priscilla Chan, who along with her husband, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, is investing at least $3 billion over the next decade toward fighting diseases.

* “NAFTA politics are as complex south of the border as they are in the north. Its advocates see it as a cornerstone of Mexico’s opening to the world; its detractors, as a neo-liberal tool of imperialist gringos.”–Ioan Grillo, author of “Gangster Warlords: Drug Dollars, Killing Fields and the New Politics of Latin America.”

* “Our job is not stenography, but truth-telling. … Let’s remember that to expose charlatans is not partisanship, but simply good journalism.”–Nicholas Kristof, New York Times.

* “We’ve been targeting a project in downtown Tampa for many years. We just thought it would be a great opportunity to make a significant investment in downtown Tampa.”–Thomas Leonhard Jr., president and CEO of New Orleans-based HRI Properties, the winning bidder for a city-owned block next to City Hall. HRI plans call for a 21-story, $120 million, residential tower.

* “We are not only profoundly disappointed, we are troubled by the rationale provided in your letter.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, in response to Tampa being eliminated from those competing for federal grant money to use in the redevelopment of the West River area.

* “There is a difference between public service and public office. I feel I can better drive change through being a business leader.”–Brian Lamb, regional president for Fifth Third Bank and chairman of USF’s board of trustees.

* “We’re in a (financial) situation where we’re in dire straits.”–Chris Farkas, Hillsborough County School System’s chief operating officer.

* “You are part of the problem.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, referring to those who don’t lock up their guns, cars and homes.

* “He’s the same guy. And he’s made it fun for everybody, I know that.”–Former Ray Ben Zobrist on the impact of manager Joe Maddon on the Chicago Cubs.

* Clinton-Trump: Candidate vs. caricature. Debater vs. performer. It was billed as the “Super Bowl of Politics,” with as many as 100 million viewers expected to tune in. It was the ultimate reality “show,” not a Kennedy-Nixonesque “debate” in a studio. Speaking of, anyone else increasingly nostalgic for that 1960 showdown, when optics meant a youthful-looking John F. Kennedy and a 5 o’clock shadowed Richard Nixon–not bluster, cartoon expressions and barstool interruptions?

The most memorable Trump line: “My strongest asset is my temperament.” It begged a question,  one not asked by Clinton. “If your strongest asset is your temperament, is your next-strongest asset your ignorance of all the things a presidential candidate has to know?”

The most memorable Clinton line: “You know what else I prepared for? I prepared to be president.” Zing.

Moderator Lester Holt told the audience to hold it down for the sake of decorum. Too bad he couldn’t direct those comments to one candidate in particular.

* Crist-Jolly: Congressman David Jolly comes across as a moderate Republican in an era of partisan crazies. He’s running to keep his congressional seat against the ideology-challenged Charlie Crist in a district that still leans Democratic. His debate performance against Crist could have sealed the deal against his chameleon opponent. But it didn’t. Here’s why.

He was over the top on “Chain Gang Charlie” and those racial Alabama dynamics. He couldn’t just agree to a flat-out ban on assault weapons, but could nuance his answer with “due process” rhetoric and Second Amendment reverence.

And he’s still equivocating about supporting Donald Trump. He said he isn’t right now, but certainly wouldn’t be voting for Hillary Clinton.

Here’s an answer that could have been a game-changer: “First, let me say this about Donald Trump. I don’t support him, and I will not vote for him. Period. The reasons are as obvious as his pathological temperament, his self-serving ethics and his frightening knowledge gaps about America and the rest of the world. There is a reason why his disapproval rating is the highest of any presidential candidate ever.

“Second, for me it’s about country first. That will never change. So, not unlike former President George H.W. Bush or former Secretary of State Colin Powell and other Republicans who have served, I will vote for Hillary Clinton. Not because I like her, not because we agree across the board. It’s because I want to avoid at all costs a Trump presidency that would be a threat to my country, the global economy and strategic geopolitics. This transcends some skewed-priority, perverse definition of party loyalty.

“Like many of you, I’m not exactly pleased with our two viable choices for president, but I’m sure in hell not going to do anything to promote what is not in the best interest of my country. I won’t sit it out. I won’t go third party. I will remain a Republican and vote for America by voting for Hillary Clinton.”