Category: Media Watch

* “Terrorists are being smuggled in, camouflaged as refugees. That is a fact that security authorities must always seek to recognize and identify.”–Hans-Georg Maassen, the head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency.

* “Put simply TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) will bolster our leadership abroad and support good jobs at home.”–President Barack Obama, after trade ministers from the U.S. and 11 Pacific Rim nations formally signed the largest regional trade deal in history–one that now awaits implementing legislation from Congress.

* “Our Chinese friends, or adversaries–take your pick–have learned a lot from us, but they’ve eschewed lectures on democracy, and their Confucian self-image is far from our own.”–Douglas McElhaney, former U.S ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina.

* “You can’t motivate your base and at the same time turn off moderates and independents.”–Republican strategist Matthew Dowd, on Ted Cruz’s general election strategy.

* “The business model of Wall Street is fraud.”–Bernie Sanders.

* “I would choose Trump over Cruz.”–Former President Jimmy Carter.

* “It’s high intelligence in the service of evil.”–Comedian Bill Maher on Ted Cruz.

* “Cruz is to some extent (Rick) Santorum’s second coming, but with more guile, more gall, more money and a better organization.”–Frank Bruni, New York Times.

* “In Washington, Rubio has been privately derided by senators and staff as a show-horse and a lightweight.”–David Corn, Mother Jones.

* “I would turn that (Citizens United decision) on its head if I could. I think campaigns ought to be personally accountable and responsible for the money they receive.”–Jeb Bush.

* “Some people want the country to change dramatically, but a lot of other people want someone who understands the country, understands the competing interests, and will find the illusive third way like Hillary will.”–Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, former Democratic governor of Iowa.

* “A vote in 2002 is not a plan to defeat ISIS. We have to look at the threats that we face right now.”–Hillary Clinton to Bernie Sanders.

* “Experience is not the only point. Judgment is.”–Bernie Sanders to Hillary Clinton.

* “The great majority of African-Americans have shown patience, stuck with Obama … recognizing the real limits within which he has to operate. They have bitten their tongue, not out of complacency, but out of the difficulty he had to face.”–Harvard Law professor Randall Kennedy.

* “They call them carrier surcharges and fees. They just don’t call them fuel surcharges.”–George Hoblea, founder of Airfare-watchdog.com, on fuel fees–introduced when oil prices were rising–that are still being applied, in effect, by airlines.

* “If he was an evil wizard, his power was vastly enhanced by the fact that we all moved into the castle with him.”–Author-financial reporter Diana Henriques, on Bernie Madoff, perpetrator of the largest Ponzi scheme in history.

* “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the committee treated with such contempt.”–Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., referencing the testimony of Martin Shkreli on drug-price hikes to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

* “We’re entering turbulent waters. It’s no longer like a tide coming in. It’s a nursing-shortage tsunami.”–Dianne Morrison-Beedy, dean of the University of the USF College of Nursing.

* “The piecemeal system we now have is a disgrace. It costs too much. Too many people receive no benefits at all, and it is a paper-work jungle.”–The late Congressman Sam Gibbons on the state of health care back in the 1990s.

* “We don’t have any medication, we don’t have any vaccine. And so our only weapon is prevention.”–Beata Casanas, professor in the Division of Infectious Disease at USF’s College of Medicine, on the Zica virus.

* “It’s a backdoor tax increase on citizens who often can’t afford to pay it, and you’re making intersections less safe.”–Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, who is among Florida lawmakers who want to outlaw red-light cameras statewide.

* “We beat expectations. … People will be able to see a doctor or a nurse and get the care they need. … And those who already have insurance won’t have to pick up the tab for other people.”–U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, on the more than 284,000 local residents who chose health insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplace during the recent open enrollment period.

* “We decided it was time to reassess what our mission really is–is it brick and mortar or the children and hospitals so we can provide free care.”–James Lich, first vice president of Egypt Shriners, on the rationale for selling the 13-acre, waterfront A La Carte Pavilion site to David Weekley Homes.

* “Fan comfort and game certainty are two of the most important things for us–no rainouts.”–Melanie Lenz, Tampa Bay Rays senior vice president for strategy and development.

* “I would more or less say I’m heartbroken. I was completely shocked.”–Andy Schlauch, on the theft of a prized glass vessel at the Chihuly Collection in St. Petersburg.

* “Tony Dungy got more out of his team and players than anyone. And once he got the podium, he became the role model for guys who came after him.”–Hall of Fame coach John Madden.

How important was that Iowa caucus win for Ted Cruz and that razor-thin victory for Hillary Clinton? Just ask President Santorum.

For now, it’s about expectations. We’ve heard the spin from the non-winners. New Hampshire will provide context and a degree of clarity.

What Iowa is at its quirky caucus core is a political anomaly, one that is demographically unrepresentative of America. As in largely white, non-urban and evangelically skewed. It’s also known for its dearth of voters, relatively low turnouts and weird rules. Yes, you can caucus in a gun shop. Yes, there are coin-toss tie-breakers. There’s not even a secret ballot for Democrats. Talk about peer pressure.

It’s also a quadrennial stimulus package for the Hawkeye state, which has six electoral votes. This year, upwards of $200 million was spent on political ads.

And every four years–basically since Jimmy Carter’s breakthrough in 1976–Iowa becomes the epicenter of presidential politics. Spotlight on the silo majority.

Regardless of who actually wins, the Iowa caucus is first and foremost a self-indulgent media event. Much more than it is a predictive event. Just ask President Huckabee.

The media plays the role of enabler and accomplice with its saturation coverage and ratings competition. They reference–or create their own–polls, which are suspect snapshots these days because of cell phones and increasingly reluctant participants. They interview candidates, staffers, supporters, waitresses, farmers, Drake undergrads–and each other.

I heard this CNN pundit exchange over the weekend: “So, do you think turnout will be a key factor?”

“You know, Wolf, I do think turnout will be a key factor.”

For once, I’d like to hear someone say: “You know, I doubt very much if turnout will be much of a factor at all. I think doing well in selected polls and preparing statements about exceeding expectations will be the real keys.”

* “Iran is the safest and most stable country of the entire region.”–Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, speaking to a forum of business leaders in Rome.

* “Just as the United States is doing its part to remove impediments that have been holding Cubans back, we urge the Cuban government to make it easier for its citizens to start businesses, engage in trade and access information online.”–National Security Council spokesman Ned Price.

* “The possible links, only recently suspected, have rapidly changed the risk profile of Zika (virus) from a mild threat to one of alarming proportions.”–World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan.

* “Primaries have not become the democratic remedy (Theodore) Roosevelt was hoping for. Yes, voters have much more say now than they did in 1912, but primary contests have often pushed the parties toward their respective extremes, particularly the Republican Party, while the cost and length of campaigns skyrocketed. ‘Let the people rule’ remains more an aspiration than a reality in American politics today.”–Ari Berman, author of “Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America.”

* “Iowa has sent notice that the Republican nominee and the next president of the United States will not be chosen by the media, will not be chosen by the Washington establishment.”–Ted Cruz.

* “We finished second, and I have to say I am just honored.”–Donald Trump.

* “A big sigh of relief.”–Hillary Clinton.

* “Sen. Sanders’ self-described position as a socialist does not work in the general election.”
–Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis of Tampa.

* “New Hampshire voters reset elections. Next Tuesday we are going to surprise the world.”–Jeb Bush.

* “His (Donald Trump’s) campaign rallies are orgies of self-absorption, dominated by juvenile insults of those who criticize him and endless boasting about his poll numbers. He’s a narcissist, a huckster and an opportunist.”–Conservative commentator Cal Thomas.

* “No matter how carefully you choose a celebrity, they’re polarizing. Not everybody loves Justin Bieber.”–Peter Daboll, chief executive of Ace Metrix, on the calculated risk of celebrities in Super Bowl commercials.

* “Our language is stronger than in 2014 and it shows. The people of Florida are compassionate. We will win this election for the really sick people in our state.”–Orlando attorney John Morgan, on news that a constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana had gained enough signed petitions to qualify for the November ballot.

* “Florida–The Future is Here.”–New slogan of Enterprise Florida. It replaces “Florida–the Perfect Climate for Business.”

* “It will enhance the liberty interests of our citizens, and it will ensure that we have safe communities.”–State Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, the sponsor of House Bill 163 that allows gun owners with concealed-weapons permits to carry their weapons openly.

* “We want people to die with the disease (cancer), not from it.”–Dr. Thomas Sellers, Moffitt Cancer Center director.

* “We’ve been given the opportunity to participate in Hillsborough County, but the overriding goal for all of us is to keep the team here. We’ll put our best foot forward, but when it’s all said and done, if they were to choose Pinellas after being allowed to look, that would be a regional decision.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn on the Rays stadium-site search.

* “Tampa Bay just opened a chapter that could be really positive in that (stadium search) process.”–MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.

* “(Open carry) threatens public safety, tourism, economic development, job creation and our quality of life. Moreover, I believe it is a foolish and ineffective solution to the gun violence epidemic sweeping our nation. More guns do not equate to safer streets.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

* “Bring it on, Gilligan!”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn to Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla Capt. J. Rex Farrior III.

* “It would afford amazing views of the water and the bluff, and because of that I think it would be both a transportation and tourism activity.” Whit Blanton, executive director of the Metropolitan Planning Organization, on preliminary talks about a gondola transportation system to carry beachgoers straight over the congestion on the Clearwater Memorial Causeway.

Primary season seems like a good enough reason to ponder media coverage–as in saturation and show-biz optics–and the evolution of the political media industrial complex. Spoiler alert: This won’t make you feel better about America as a paragon for informed, participatory democracy.

The media is everywhere, and it’s seemingly everybody who wants to play. Wonder if any First Amendment-enshrining Founding Father saw this one coming: A society so egalitarian that impactful bloggers can be their own editor, fact-checker, publisher and libel attorney.

We’ve obviously witnessed a sea change in technology with 24/7 internet news. And it’s accompanied by a change in culture. Reading, per se, can be so, you know, passé. Watch the network news? Why wade through current events on your parents’ medium when you can cut to the ideological chase. Why bother when you can cherry pick the news sources–online, talk radio, cable TV–that will validate you. From Breitbart to Rush Limbaugh to Rachel Maddow.

Politization of the news: We both like it and loathe it. Ours and theirs. How did we get here again? In short, there was a market for it. For something other than the status quo. There always is. And market, to be sure, is part of American exceptionalism.

There have always been newspapers with different editorial takes–from the New York Times to the Washington Times. But the rest of it was pretty mainstream. Tabloids of the left and right satisfied appetites for sensationalism and smart-ass headlines.

TV’s role was to provide images. It was a headline service with immediacy. As to meaning, that was the purview of newspapers with op-ed pages for pondering readers.

It used to be that network news was a loss leader. It was 15 minutes and a John Cameron Swayze talking head. More public service than profit center. Comedian Ernie Kovacs once defined TV as “a medium: neither rare nor well done.”

But as TV gradually took hold on the culture–especially after the Kennedy assassination and Vietnam–it became indispensible. Its assent helped define the “Mad Men” era.

It would develop serious marketing, savvy sponsors and brand-name anchors. Howard K. Smith, David Brinkley, Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw. There was also an early incarnation of Barbara Walters, much to Harry Reasoner’s displeasure. But she represented “demographics”–not just viewers. Change was imminent.

Then came Ted Turner and CNN. News coverage seemed as ubiquitous as the news itself. What a concept. Everybody had to up their game.

And then came Fox. There was a right-of-center market.

* “The Obama administration has cleverly understood that its island neighbor is in the middle of a generational transition. A well-timed engagement policy before the final retirement of the Castro brothers would open relations with the new post-revolutionary elites with a clean slate.”–Arturo Lopez-Levy, a lecturer at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley.

* “I wouldn’t use the word ‘collapse.’ The rate is really changing, the rate is volatile, but it’s far from a collapse.”–Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for Vladimir Putin, on the state of the Russian ruble, which has been hitting historic lows against the dollar.

* “It seems ironic that in the run-up to the global financial crisis we were worried about oil prices being too high in 2007 and 2008. Now we’re worried about them being too low.”–Julian Jesson, head of commodities research with London-based Capital Economics Ltd.

* “Rarely has a party so passively accepted its own self-destruction. Sure, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are now riding high in some meaningless head-to-head polls against Hillary Clinton, but the odds are the nomination of either would lead to a party-decimating general election.”–David Brooks, New York Times.

* “The GOP planned a dynastic restoration in 2016. Instead, it triggered an internal class war. Can the party reconcile the demands of its donors with the interests of its rank and file?”–David Frum, political commentator and former speechwriter for President George W. Bush.

* “I am convinced if this president could confiscate every gun, he would.”–Marco Rubio.

* “It’s all strategy … (it’s) what’s selling right now. Rubio is trying to communicate that ‘I can run as a conservative but I can be a lot more appealing.’ If he can get it into a three-way race (with Trump and Cruz) he may turn back to the more optimistic stuff.”–Brad Coker of Mason-Dixon Polling.

* “It certainly is surprising that two people, who I would deem as being among the conservative wing of the Republican Party … have been swallowed whole by the tea party and the extremists have taken over.”–DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, on the prospect that neither Jeb Bush nor Marco Rubio will win the Florida primary.

* “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, okay?”–Donald Trump on the loyalty of his supporters.

* “In the debates, she (Hillary Clinton) has shined, and while conventional wisdom says they offer no upside to a front-runner, she would benefit from more.”–Democratic strategist Carter Eskew.

* “The reality is, if Mrs. Clinton loses Iowa and New Hampshire, that could create new and real problems for her here.”–Rep. James E. Clyburn, D-S.C.

* “Bernie’s appeal is powerful and it resonates with a certain lane of the Democratic electorate for sure, young voters, independent voters. But it’s ultimately not a winning general election message, it’s a protest message. It’s difficult to see it grow to the point it becomes a real threat to Secretary Clinton’s campaign.”–Democratic strategist Steve McMahon.

* “Mike Bloomberg for president rests on the not-impossible but somewhat unlikely circumstance of either Donald Trump or Ted Cruz versus Bernie Sanders.”–Edward G. Rendell, former governor of Pennsylvania and past chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

* “I just think women in general are better listeners, are more collegial, more open to new ideas and how to make things work in a way that looks for win-win outcomes.”–Hillary Clinton.

* “We’ve been fighting the War on Poverty for 50 years now. And I don’t think you can call it anything but a stalemate. … Today, if you were raised poor, you’re just as likely to stay poor as you were 50 years ago.”–House Speaker Paul Ryan.

* “I have always been bullish on Florida.”–Bill Marriott, chairman of Marriott International.

* “Ludicrously unfair.”–Jean Clements, president of the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association, in assessing a controversial state program that gives substantial bonuses to teachers based on their ACT and SAT results from high school.

* “I’m a child of the ’60s, and one of the concerns I have is separate-but-equal. … I keep going back to those cities that have greater financial resources will have the better schools.”–Rep. Larry Lee Jr., D-Port St. Lucie, commenting on a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow citywide school districts, instead of the countywide oversight the Florida Constitution requires.

* “The science does not yet exist to determine impairment levels.”–Jodi James, executive director of the Florida Cannabis Network.

* “We don’t have any illusions that we’re going to be Singapore or Shanghai. But you know what, there’s half a million containers out there with our name on it.”–Wade Elliott, Port Tampa Bay’s vice president of marketing and business development.

* “(Open carry) threatens public safety, tourism, economic development job creation and our quality of life. Moreover, I believe it is a foolish and ineffective solution to the gun violence epidemic sweeping our nation. More guns do not equate to safer streets.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

* “There are means in place to keep the public safe. We met with state and federal agencies, and there is nothing on the radar to indicate a possible threat to Tampa.”–Tampa Police Chief Eric Ward, on Gasparilla security.

* “This really is going to be something that sets us apart from other universities in the state and out of state.”–USF COO John Long on approved plans of Publix to build a supermarket on the USF Tampa campus.

* “The state of St. Petersburg is strong and sunny.”–Mayor Rick Kriseman during his state-of-the city address.

* “We’re going to do what we have to do to sell ourselves.”–Kevin King, Mayor Rick Kriseman’s chief of staff, on an upcoming community campaign to help draft a plan to convince the Rays to build a new park in the same Trop location.

* “It’s going to be exciting to get back in there come spring training and see everybody. Much more high-fiving and hugging … rather than shaking your hand and introducing yourself.”–Tampa Bay Rays second-year manager Kevin Cash.

* “We understand this marker alone will not wipe away all the concerns the world has rightly expressed about Iran’s policies in the region. But we also know there isn’t a challenge in the entire region that wouldn’t become much more complicated, much worse, if Iran had a nuclear weapon.”–Secretary of State John Kerry, on the formal lifting of international sanctions on Iran.

* “The United States of America is the most powerful nation on Earth. Period. It’s not even close.”–President Barack Obama.

* “We granted asylum to Mr. (Edward J.) Snowden, which was far more difficult than to do the same for (Syrian President Bashar) Assad.”–Russian President Vladimir Putin.

* “Will we respond to the changes of our time with fear, turning inward as a nation, and turning against each other as a people? Or will we face the future with confidence in who we are, what we stand for, and the incredible things we can do together?”–President Barack Obama.

* “We see it as a double standard. It’s a policy that allows one set of migrants to be treated in a privileged manner and another set of migrants in a discriminatory fashion.”–El Salvador Foreign Minister Hugo Martínez, on the flow of America-bound Cuban migrants through Central America.

* “Savage capitalism.”–Where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro placed blame for his country’s economic woes and the prompting of an economic-emergency declaration.

* “The United States of America, right now, has the strongest, most durable economy in the world.”–President Barack Obama.

* “The issue isn’t just that immigrants are arriving (in Europe) in the hundreds of thousands rather than the tens of thousands. It’s that a huge proportion of them are teenage and twentysomething men.”–Ross Douthat, New York Times.

* “During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. We must resist that temptation.”–Nikki Haley, Republican governor of South Carolina.

* “Trump should deport Nikki Haley.”–Conservative talk show host Ann Coulter.

* “Drop Dead, Ted.”–New York Daily News front-page headline in response to Ted Cruz’s reference to “New York values.”

* “Whether (Donald Trump) is nominated by the Republican Party or simply disappears into the long line of discredited demagogues, he has already left his mark. Just listen to what some of his fellow Republican candidates are saying.”–Dan T. Carter, author and professor emeritus of history at the University of South Carolina.

* “He has the ability to imagine what the other party wants him to be and then be that person. He presents the Trump that will work in the moment.”–Michael D’Antonio, author of “Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success.”

* “I’ll start at the kitchen table. We’ll see how it goes from there.”–Hillary Clinton, on what role Bill Clinton might play in her administration.

* “He’s the wrong guy at the wrong time. If this had been four years ago, he’d be president.”–Republican pollster Frank Luntz, on the candidacy of Jeb Bush.

* “I don’t have a plan to influence the weather.”–Marco Rubio.

* “Nationally, climate change–with the exception of some regions in the country, like ours–is an abstract issue. Here in South Florida, where we have chronic flooding and where we live essentially at sea level, it’s not.”–U.S Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a Miami Republican.

* “You know it’s bad when there are more black people in the running for the Republican nomination for president than for the Academy Awards.”–Jimmy Kimmel.

* “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”–Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

* “Under current rules, the largest banks must have enough equity to absorb only a 5 percent net loss. That’s more than before, but hardly adequate to prevent the kind of distress that can damage the economy.”–Bloomberg View.

* “Certain segments of the petroleum industry have really made it a top priority to eliminate renewable energy policy and carbon policy.”–Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe.

* “I call the governor of Texas, Rick Perry, and tell him once a month we’ve beat him in job growth. He does remind me he’s no longer the governor.”–Gov. Rick Scott.

* “By allowing the team (Rays) to explore future stadium locations in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, we’re increasing the likelihood that the team will remain in our city or region.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.

* “For the entire region, it was the right decision.”–Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, on the vote of St. Petersburg City Council to let the Rays look elsewhere for a new home.

* “We want to build the first of the next generation of baseball stadiums.”–Tampa Bay Rays President Brian Auld.

* “The goal is to make Channelside a cool and fun place to come back to, and to rebrand it after a few years of neglect from the previous owners. Since there are no finalized plans for redevelopment yet, we’re in a holding pattern.”–Adam Vosding, general manager of Channelside Bay Plaza.

* “It has to be all religious organizations. It has to be secular. And there cannot be proselytizing.”–Hillsborough County School Board Chairwoman April Griffin, on the issue of church involvement in public education.

* “The two most important people in an organization, besides the one who writes the checks, are the quarterback and the head coach. We’ve got the right union.”–Buccaneers’ General Manager Jason Licht.

* Sunday’s “Doonesbury” was a black-humor, national-security riff on martyr-recruitment by ISIS. It referenced American access via refugee posing or by U.S. tourist visa application. It worked. It was also another reminder that “Doonesbury” really should be on the editorial page.

* Seen on Facebook: “Last week I was listening to Natalie Cole tunes, and the next morning I found out she had died. Last night I was listening to some old David Bowie stuff, and this morning I find out he has died. I think I’ll put on some Ted Nugent tonight.”

* Beyond the big screen, Sean Penn is known for his social activism and for acting on his curiosity to see newsworthy events first-hand. That would explain, for example, why he drove into the thick of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles in 1992 and why he traveled to Cuba and Venezuela to interview Raúl Castro and the late Hugo Chavez, respectively. We get that.

But sitting down with Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the world’s most hunted criminal–a notorious cartel kingpin with blood on his hands–is a reach. An enabling reach playing perversely to two outsized egos.

* “Strategic patience (regarding North Korea) has led to acquiescence. What a contrast to the effort and creativity the administration put into the Iranian case.”–Author Robert Litwak of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

* “This responsibility has been given to us and we have been active from the early moments to lessen tensions to prevent a disaster from happening that could affect the entire region.”–Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, in proposing mediation between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

* “We are not telling them not to come. But we are telling (refugees) them that this is not paradise.”–Jorma Vuorio, director general of Finland’s Migration Department.

* “Ransom payments lead to future kidnappings, and future kidnappings lead to additional ransom payments. It all builds the capacity of terrorist organization to conduct attacks.”–David Cohen, former under-secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the Treasury Department.

* “I follow Allah. I pledge my allegiance to the Islamic State, and that’s why I did what I did.”–Edward Archer, on his motivation for ambushing a Philadelphia Police officer.

* “…Continue to drag out this political charade closer to the 2016 presidential election, and the American taxpayers continue to pay the price.”–Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-MD, on the agenda of the House Benghazi Committee. Cummings is the committee’s senior Democrat.

* “Hillary Clinton will have her (Sen. Elizabeth Warren) come where she’s needed. No one is more forceful and more articulate on issues with the progressive community.”–Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid.

* “I think there is a question. … I don’t think it’s illegitimate to look into.”–Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain, on the scrutiny of Ted Cruz’s “natural born citizen” status.

* “We’re in a bit of a panic attack–we’re high anxiety because, you know, the left has really had a pretty good run.”–House Speaker Paul Ryan.

* “They market name-calling as truth-telling, pettiness as boldness, vanity as conviction. And their tandem success suggests a dynamic peculiar to the 2016 election, a special rule for the road: Obnoxiousness is the new charisma.”–Frank Bruni, New York Times, referring to Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.

* “A senator can help shape the agenda, but only a president can change the agenda.”–Marco Rubio.

* “A recession is not imminent. But the probability has gone up.”–Sean Snaith, director of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Competitiveness.

* “I just got back from China and India. It was an eye-opening experience. We’re absolutely digging our own ecological grave.”–Actor/environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio, who is partnering with Netflix on documentary and docu-series projects on the environment.

* “I take no pride in keeping secrets that may be perceived as protecting criminals.”–Sean Penn.

* “Let us always remember that God rejoices more when one winner returns to the fold than when 99 righteous people have no need of repentance.”–Pope Francis.

* “Elected officials who oppose constitutional rights will have a reckoning to contend with from their constituents at election time. The right to bear arms is a primary issue to most gun owners, and gun owners vote at a much higher rate than other segments of the population.”–Sean Caranna, executive director of Florida Carry Inc.

* “They hold the same extreme views; they’re just not as active.”–Ryan Lenz, editor of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Hate-watch blog, on Florida “militias.”

* “My hope is the 2016 (Legislative) session will get back to normalcy–as we call normal around here.”–Florida House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island.

* “He does not feel a need to work with the Legislature and that is going to be a problem. … The governor has bragged about being singularly focused on jobs but by being singularly focused, he neglects everything else. The chicken is coming home to roost, and now we’re not able to provide services to the people of Florida.”–State Sen. Oscar Braynon, of Miami Gardens, the incoming Senate Democratic leader.

* “This will turn the Senate into the House.”–The prediction of Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, regarding the impact of term limits on the Florida Senate–as former House members pursue Senate seats this fall.

* “There is a very real possibility that we will not pass a compact this session.”–Florida Senate Majority Leader Bill Galvano, on the $3 billion gaming deal negotiated between Gov. Rick Scott and the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

* “Any school grade scale or model that arbitrarily stigmatizes kids, families, communities and their schools cannot help kids.”–Tom Grady, Florida School Board of Education member.

* “The mission of the partnership is to have a very high bar in terms of identifying projects of regional significance. … We should not be Hillsborough competing with Pinellas competing with Pasco. We should be Tampa Bay competing for big projects with South Florida and Central Florida for funds in Tallahassee–in a friendly way.”–Tampa Bay Partnership CEO Rick Homans.

* “Truthfully, we’re already on the clock. We hope to make our home town shine like never before. We think it will be the coming out party for the Riverwalk. … We think it’s going to leave a lasting impression for all the visitors.”–Rob Higgins, executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, on the impact of next year’s College Football Playoff championship at Raymond James Stadium.

* “Doing this doesn’t make us any less anti-drug, but it’s a realization that the penalties that have been imposed have done more damage to the trajectories of young peoples’ lives than the offenses have warranted.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

* “People are ready for this to be resolved. There is a lot of interest in that property.”–St. Petersburg City Council Chairwoman Amy Foster, in reference to the 85-acre Tropicana Field site.

* “Connecting our two downtowns is the right thing to do. I just think that we have to take a good hard look at the numbers. … I am open to the idea.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, after meeting with St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman about a proposed cross-bay ferry service.

* “MOSI should consider that bigger isn’t always better. Many museums that have overbuilt are getting smaller.”–Among the points made by the consultants, Museum Management Consultants Inc. and ConsultEcon Inc., advising MOSI as it weighs a move from north Tampa to downtown.

We should all be able to agree on this premise: Shoot-first, rogue police actions against a non-threatening African-American are beyond intolerable. From Staten Island and Baltimore to Chicago and Ferguson. This is, we are too often reminded, decidedly not “post-racial America.”

We also know this: Given the “Black Lives Matter” movement, there is inevitable hypocrisy because of cherry-picking. An unconscionable number of black youth die from black-on-black violence, often the by-product of a dysfunctional sub-culture rife with weaponry access. That tragic, blunt reality is not, however, a focus of BLM’s agenda. Not even, inexplicably, in Chicago, a city now synonymous with black gang-related homicide.

But guns and gangs and no-snitch cultures need to be as acknowledged as much as police profiling and racism–especially from within the black community. That’s why the real-world perspective of the Tampa Tribune’s Joe Brown and the Tampa Bay Times’ Bill Maxwell are so needed. As black journalists, they know what’s up; they have forums; and they call it both ways. We’re fortunate to have their invaluable input. And that’s why Spike Lee’s latest movie “Chi-Raq,” a graphic portrayal of black dystopia, is so important. Context must matter.

This can’t be the white establishment knee-jerk reacting to current events and ad hoc, societal anger. And it can’t be a black community playing nothing but the victim card. That’s what we always do–and we’re still here: seemingly teetering on a Watts sequel.

This has to be all stakeholders, i.e., all Americans, in the conversation–and involved in a resolution. That doesn’t happen until we all agree that there’s plenty of societal blame to be shared, too much societal benefit to leave unrealized and not much time to finally fix it.

By all accounts–including a recent criminal one–Bill Cosby’s predator, creepy-sex past has caught up with him. But whatever the ultimate legal outcome, two scenarios will remain in play.

First is the welfare of his victims. Call it strength and assertive self-image in numbers. Finally.

Second, for all of Cosby’s unconscionable, moralizing hypocrisy, his societal message shouldn’t be condemned as well.

As a stand-up comedian, he was chided for not using street language like Richard Pryor or Eddie Murphy. Basically, he wasn’t black enough. “The Cosby Show” was criticized for lulling white households into a false sense of civil-rights success. Basically, he didn’t traffic in racial stereotypes. He was neither a race hustler nor an Uncle Tom.

He later railed against gangsta rap, teenage pregnancy, gang allegiances and even pants worn below the butt. Because of his conservative prescriptions for black America, Cosby was lambasted by critics of both races.

He deserved better. Now, ironically, he likely deserves much more punishment than can ever be meted out. But his message of personal responsibility in America’s racial cauldron, however undermined by hypocrisy, remains valid.