Category: Media Watch

* Media meister Jim Messina, a former key aide to presidential candidate Barack Obama, is now working for Hillary Clinton. He’s running her super PAC. He explained his role recently on MSNBC: “It’s her turn and her time,” he noted, in what sounded like a 2016 mantra. If so, he might want to think again, as tempting as that alliterative pairing is.

A candidate’s “turn,” even in reference to one so famously familiar as Hillary Clinton, sounds like “entitlement.” Which sounds like a bad idea, one that Republicans have periodically implemented with the nominations of Bob Dole and Mitt Romney.

* Here’s a rule of thumb: If you know who the surgeon general is, it’s likely not a good sign. It probably means there’s a public health issue afoot. In this case, it’s the measles-vaccination controversy. For the record, John Armstrong is this state’s surgeon general. I couldn’t have told you that two weeks ago.

* An official report and victim remembrance on the Sandy Hook massacre has run into an issue of inclusion. Should Nancy Lanza, mother of mass murderer Adam Lanza, be included with the 26 people killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School. She also was gunned down.

Say what? Recall that Nancy Lanza surrounded her troubled son with guns at home, where he also whiled away hours playing violent video games. She also took him–often–to shooting ranges. It’s too late to prevent the Sandy Hook massacre that, arguably, wouldn’t have happened without Nancy Lanza’s enabling. But it’s not too late to prevent a desecration whereby her name is listed among the names of innocent victims.

* “Too often President Putin has promised peace and delivered tanks, troops and weapons.”–Vice President Joe Biden.

* “The purpose of terrorism is to strike fear into the hearts of opponents in order to win political concession. As the shock value wears off and the Western world becomes immunized to any particular tactic, terrorists develop new ones in order to maximize shock and the press reaction upon which they thrive.”–Middle East Quarterly.

* “Hijacked airliners gave way to suicide bombings. Suicide bombings gave way to decapitations and crucifixions and, now, immolations. It’s disturbingly new, but also tragically familiar.”–Terrence McCoy, Washington Post.

* “We are determined to wipe out this terrorist organization.”–Royal Jordanian Air Force Maj. Gen. Mansour Jboor.

* “The opportunity gap is the defining issue of our time.”–Jeb Bush.

* “I think the temptation to grandstand in front of a camera is so huge. … I am moving more closely to saying I think it might be a bad idea.”–U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, on allowing video cameras at the Supreme Court.

* “The gun lobby simply won, you know?”–Attorney General Eric Holder on the inability to enact new gun safety laws after Sandy Hook.

* “The ‘one-and-dones’ don’t go to college, they represent a college.”–John Feinstein, Washington Post, on the rule that allows basketball players to leave school for the NBA after just one year.

* “We never thought we would be talking about measles in 2015, and the reality is we’re in this position because there’s a good tool that’s not being used. And that tool is vaccination.”–Florida Surgeon General John Armstrong.

* “Our attorney general is a total enabler of this governor. … It’s an embarrassment.”–Alex Sink.

* “Clearly, once again, the governor has failed to have a post-election honeymoon. His relations with the Florida press haven’t improved. I don’t know whether it’s a staff failure or an abiding antipathy against him.”–Veteran political operative J.M. “Mac” Stipanovich, chief of staff to former Gov. Bob Martinez.

* “You don’t smoke medicine.”–Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, who opposes smokable marijuana.

* “We applaud Sen. Jeff  Brandes for his recent proposal to expand access to medical marijuana to those most deserving.”–Karen Basha Egozi, president of the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida.

* “Politicians, celebrities, models, comedians and talk show hosts should not be consulted in matters of your health and the health of your community.”–Dr. Mona V. Mangat, immunologist and allergist at Bay Area Allergy & Asthma.

* “The present generation of young people, thank God, are sick of subdivision life. The cities are humanizing and third places (other than home or work ) are certainly helping to humanize them.”–Ray Oldenburg, University of West Florida sociology professor emeritus.

* “For $25 million, you don’t do cold calls.”–Joel Momberg, USF’s senior vice president for advancement, who is leading USF fundraising efforts for a new medical school downtown.

* “In 62 of the 100 largest cities, the biggest employer is either a hospital or university. Nothing brings a neighborhood or city back to life like having lots of young people downtown.”–Ed McMahon, Urban Land Institute senior fellow.

* “Can you stand perfectly still and hold this moment open?”–The words of local poet Silvia Curbelo, whose phrase will be featured in the “Uplit” exhibit of illuminated art along the Riverwalk.

* “The mayor and Mr. Auld discussed the development rights issue and the spirit of the discussion, as it has always been, was positive. We look forward to having an agreement that Council can approve before Opening Day.”–Ben Kirby, spokesman for St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, in characterizing the meeting between Kriseman and Rays President Brian Auld.

* “We’ve always felt it was a privilege to live here since 1970 and we had financial success in the community. We feel like we should put some of that treasure back into the community.”–Frank Morsani, after he and his wife Carol received the 2014 “Citizens of the Year” award during the Governor’s Luncheon at the Florida State Fairgrounds.

* “Model homes always sell faster than vacant homes. Everybody wants to buy the model because they’re decorated beautifully. They move themselves in emotionally and that becomes your purchaser.”–Carol Ackerman, who owns the Pinellas and Pasco franchises of Showhomes, a nationwide staging company.

* “If you don’t feel comfortable saying (FSU’s Jameis) Winston is the face of the franchise, I don’t think the difference is enough to sit there and say you don’t take (Oregon’s Marcus) Mariota.”–Former Buccaneer general manager Mark Dominik’s take on the Bucs’ use of the first pick in the upcoming NFL draft.

* “Saudi Arabia has been unusually independent and assertive in its foreign policy in recent years, and that is likely to continue–if only because the kingdom no longer trusts its longtime U.S. protector to defend its interests in the volatile region, particularly against the growing power of Iran.”–Karen Elliott House, Time magazine.

* “I will go anywhere I am invited to make the state of Israel’s case.”–Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

* “Hate is not for humans. Judgment lies with God. That’s what I learned from my Arabic brothers and sisters.”–Japanese journalist  Kenji Goto, who was recently beheaded by ISIS, in a 2010 Tweet from Syria.

* “A misguided effort to mask the brutality of executions by making them look serene and peaceful. … If we as a society want to carry out executions, we should be willing to face the fact that the state is committing a horrendous brutality on our behalf.”–California appellate Judge Alex Kozinski.

* “There is no reason for Cubans to be the chosen people of U.S. immigration policy, with automatic admission, residency and financial benefits, regardless of need or circumstance.”–Phil Peters, president of the Cuba Research Center.

* “Today I can’t use a single dollar of my trade promotion (budget) for our trade with Cuba. It’s 11 million people, a $1.7 billion market, and we really ought to be dominating that market.”–U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

* “We all need to remember this is a prohibition on Americans, not Cubans. We’re simply saying that Americans should be allowed to travel wherever they want unless there’s a compelling national security reason.”–Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., a co-sponsor of the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2015.

* “I do not want to make it more difficult for someone else to emerge who may have a better chance of becoming president.”–Mitt Romney.

* “I’m excited about a Jeb candidacy. Marco doesn’t bring that much more experience than Obama did, and we have to be honest about that if you’re somebody who thinks experience is a qualification, as I do.”–Florida Congressman David Jolly.

* “A report says that legalized marijuana is the fastest growing business in the U.S. Followed closely by pizzerias, ice cream parlors and bakeries.”–Humor blogger Jim Barach.

* “There are a significant number of people who want this and there is a need for it for medical purposes. This should be legislatively driven. We should not be talking about this in 2016.”–Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, on medical marijuana.

* “We do not plan to do anything on Medicaid expansion.”–Florida House Speaker Steve Crisafulli.

* “There’s just a lot of disbelief that Florida, the Sunshine State, has policies that block the sun.”–Debbie Dooley, co-founder of the Atlanta Tea Party and a leader in the effort to push a 2016 amendment to the Florida Constitution that would allow solar producers to sell power.

* “Leadership is more than press releases.”–Republican state Sen. Jack Latvala’s characterization of the response of Florida cabinet members to Gov. Rick Scott’s handling of the ouster of former FDLE Chief Gerald Bailey.

* “This is not a political issue, this is a quality of life issue.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, one of three local mayors pushing “A Healthy Florida Works” program, which would increase health coverage for 1 million uninsured working Floridians.

* “We’re often asked, ‘Are you prepared for Cuba trade?’ Yes, we’re ready. Once the embargo is lifted, I can promise you that we can become the port we used to be.”–Raul Alfonso, executive vice president of Port Tampa Bay.

* “The message I have tried to send to the Rays and Major League Baseball is that we’re ready and we want the team.”–Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan.

* “I know for a certainty that Stu’s (Sternberg) first choice is (for the Rays) to stay in Tampa Bay.”–MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.

* “What our county desperately needs is infill development in older communities near the urban core.”–Hillsborough County Commissioner Stacy White.

* “We’ll have a safe fair. We don’t want a police state. That’s not what we’re going to have. We want everyone to come here and have a good time.”–Hillsborough County Commissioner Les Miller, on ramped-up Florida State Fair security.

*As we know, those State of the Union addresses don’t draw as many viewers as they used to. This year President Barack Obama’s SOTU drew 31.7 million views, down about 5 percent from last year. His first one, in 2009, drew 52 million. It’s not necessarily a comment on the office-holder, but a reflection of viewer habits and how people get their news.

So, in an understandable effort to go where the viewers are, the president–who’s not averse to taking his message to late-night talk shows–even sat for some YouTube interviews. One, however, was with the buffoonish GloZell Green, whose fame claims are her signature green lipstick and a video showing her in a tub filled with cereal. Early on she referred to the First Lady as the president’s “first wife.” It didn’t get any better.

Lest this sound too naive or even Fox-like, President Obama’s ill-advised media sortie was truly beneath the dignity of his office. Embarrassingly poor form–even in the good name of going where the viewers are. In this case, the viewers of GloZell Green.

And let’s not forget, and many in the media inexplicably still do, that Obama sitting down for an online interview with GloZell Green is not the 2015 version of Richard Nixon going on “Laugh-In,” Jimmy Carter giving a Playboy interview or Bill Clinton doing the Arsenio Hall show. They were all CANDIDATES–not sitting presidents–when they strategically deviated from the daily newspaper, nightly news forums.

* By all accounts, the Dalí-Picasso exhibit, including works on loan from more than 20 museums and collectors worldwide, has been a smashing success at The Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Pete. The juxtapositions of the two artists are intriguing and alone worth the artistic pilgrimage.

Also on display: works of Dalí and Pablo Picasso before they became iconically associated with Surrealism and Cubism, respectively. Indeed, their formative years are also revealing.

* “Amos ‘n’ Andy.” “The Nat King Cole Show.” “Julia.” “Sanford & Son.” Racially, American prime time television definitely doesn’t look like it did a generation or two ago when tokenism was the standard.

In fact, according to an Associated Press analysis, in the fall 2014 season, ABC, NBC and Fox now have a higher percentage of (regular cast member) blacks in prime time than there is in the general population (13.2 percent). Obviously, it’s a lot more than “Black-ish.”

* “A territorial, social, ethnic apartheid has spread across our country.”–French Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

* “… Something else is also at work, and it needs to be discussed. It is the struggle within Arab and Pakistani Sunni Islam over whether and how to embrace modernity, pluralism and women’s rights. That struggle drives, and is driven by, the dysfunctionality of so many Arab states and Pakistan. … But you don’t see this in the two giant Muslim communities in Indonesia and India.”–Thomas Friedman, New York Times.

* “The alternative would be massive U.S. deployments in perpetuity, which would create its own blowback and cause probably more problems than it would potentially solve.”–President Barack Obama, on the role of U.S. drone strikes to take out terror targets.

* “We need more boots on the ground.”–Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

* “He expects us to stand idly by and do nothing while he cuts a bad deal with Iran. Two words: ‘Hell no!’ … We’re going to do no such thing.”–House Speaker John Boehner’s response to President Barack Obama’s threat to veto any new Iranian-sanctions legislation.

* “More than two decades after the presumptive end of the Cold War, Russian spies continue to seek to operate in our midst under cover of secrecy.”–U.S. Attorney Preet Bharra, after three Russians in New York were charged with spying.

* “According to a new poll, nearly six out of 10 Republicans want Mitt Romney to run for president. So do 10 out of 10 Democrats.”–Conan O’Brien.

* “In a Republican primary, every candidate is going to say, ‘I’m the most conservative guy who ever lived.’ You know what? Talk is cheap.”–Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

* “Climate change is real and not a hoax.”–Wording of a measure drafted and introduced into the U.S. Senate by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., which was passed 98-1.

* “It’s basically a 20-percent-off sale on the whole Eurozone for Americans.”–Adam Goldstein, CEO of airfare search site Hipmunk, on the impact of a plunging euro on American tourists.

* “Caution: Walk in large groups. We (heart) N.O.P.D. We just need more.”–New signage throughout New Orleans’ French Quarter.

* “It’s a beautiful day, let’s play two.”–The mantra of the late Ernie Banks, known as “Mr. Cub.”

* “I’m really bullish about the U.S. economy and bullish about the economy for Florida looking forward.”–Scott Brown, chief economist with Raymond James Financial.

* “China will be in our future. Within five years they will be the dominant source of travelers in the world.”–Susannah Costello, vice president of global brand at Visit Florida.

* “Overall, the Tampa Bay (housing) market continues to see strength in sales in light of increased employment figures, the press given to the downtown (Tampa) district and the increased interest in Tampa Bay by foreign investors.”–Kurt Gleeson, managing broker of the South Tampa office of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty.

* “I don’t think they have a prayer, not a chance of being re-elected after this.”–Jan Platt, former Tampa City Council member and former Hillsborough County commissioner, on the prospects of school board members who voted to fire Superintendent MaryEllen Elia.

* “We have to think about bringing jobs in, but also have to invest in infrastructure with light rail.”–Chuck Sykes, president and CEO of Sykes Enterprises.

* “A seamless city calls for blurred lines. In fact, it is a requirement. And I am pleased to see lines and boundaries throughout the city being eliminated at a rapid pace.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.

* “You just think of what even one more day can bring. You’re talking upwards of 1,000 people a day possibly that we’re bringing here.”–Kathy Greif, The Salvador Dalí Museum’s marketing director, on the impact of extending the current Dalí-Picasso exhibit another week.

* “Congress should be aware that if this diplomatic solution fails, then the risks and likelihood that this ends up being at some point a military confrontation is heightened–and Congress will have to own that as well.”–President Barack Obama, in warning Congress not to slap fresh sanctions on Iran.

* “What needs to happen is that the Muslim elites who are representative of the broader Muslim population in all its diversity must speak out. We cannot have an opposition between the Islamized part of the population and mainstream society.”–Olivier Roy, political Islam expert at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.

* “What we are seeing here is a terrorist outbidding, where ISIS and al Qaeda are under pressure to outdo each other.”–Shadi Hamid, author and fellow at the Brookings Institution.

* “In the security services, it’s been known for a while that it was only a matter of time before all hell broke loose. Paris was the moment it happened.”–Magnus Ranstorp, Swedish National Defense College .

* “It’s a testament to the brittleness and fragility of ideologies like the thuggish cult of North Korea and the more homicidally literalist sects of Islam that they respond to art most Westerners regard as silly and trivial: dumb comedies, crude cartoons.”–Cartoonist and author Tim Kreider.

* “We’re seeing a significant acceleration in the past few decades. It’s concerning for cities along the U.S. East Coast.”–Harvard geophysical researcher Carling Hay, on the faster pace of sea level rise from melting ice sheets and shrinking glaciers triggered by man-made global warming.

* “It’s time for the Obama Administration to loosen the hold that Wall Street banks have over economic policy making. Enough is enough. Sure, big banks are important, but running this economy for American families is a lot more important.”–Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

* “Keep in mind, 2016 could be a do-or-die moment for our party.”–Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus.

* “He would be a wonderful president. But there’s just something that the public doesn’t like.”–Former Florida House Speaker Allan Bense on Mitt Romney.

* “When you die and get to the meeting with St. Peter, he’s probably not going to ask you much about what you did about keeping government small, but he is going to ask you what you did for the poor.”–Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich.

* “I support the right of people to believe what they do and say what they wish–in their pews, homes and hearts. But outside of those places? You must put up with me, just as I put up with you.”–Frank Bruni, New York Times.

* “This is art; this is a movie; this is a film. I’m not a historian. I’m not a documentarian.”–“Selma” director Ava DuVernay.

* “We need to start talking about it as a cancer vaccine, instead of a vaccine for sexually transmitted disease.”–Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, on a new approach to HPV, a common, cancer-causing virus that is sexually transmitted.

* “The manner in which it was handled was not known to me and was not at all how it should have been handled.”–Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, on how Gov. Rick Scott handled the ouster of FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey.

* “I know that my constituents will not support rail or a sales tax. You’re unlikely to get them to walk away from their cars.”–Hillsborough County Commissioner Stacy White.

* “They’re talking about how this actually could reset the dynamic of higher education in this country. It’s a recognition that community colleges are steppingstones to an improved quality of life. … It could be a game changer.”–Ken Atwater, president of Hillsborough Community College, reacting to President Barack Obama’s proposal to make two years of community college tuition-free.

* “My preference is to promote from within. I think it sends the right signal to the troops that there is upward mobility and if you do a great job, there are opportunities for you.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, on choosing a successor to retiring Police Chief Jane Castor.

* “We need some new blood on council.”–Tampa City Council member Mary Mulhern.

* “You have to get into the playoffs to get to the World Series, and we were solidly in the playoffs this time around.”–Rick Homans, CEO of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp., on Tampa being a finalist for the Mercedes-Benz U.S. headquarters’ relocation that ultimately went to Atlanta.

* “Anything that makes travel to Cuba easier benefits us.”–TIA CEO Joe Lopano.

* “We’ve done our homework. We know the spending power that exists in the LGBT community. They like to travel; they like unique experiences. “–Visit Tampa Bay President and CEO Santiago Corrada, on the strategy of launching a series of national print and digital ads aimed directly at same-sex couples looking to marry.

* “What should be a concern … is that for too many teachers, the evaluation process feels demeaning or unfair, even with teachers who fare really well in this evaluation process.”–Hillsborough County teachers union president Jean Clements.

* “Bring on the expectations.”–New Cubs manager Joe Maddon at a welcoming reception in Chicago.

* The following major-media staples are not newsworthy–let alone worthy of prominent print and electronic coverage: the annual Epiphany celebration and the annual announcement of candidates for Florida Strawberry Festival queen.

* It might not happen, but doesn’t it speak volumes about our Legislative and educational priorities that there have been two bills filed–one in the Florida House and one in the Senate–that would mandate that all 8th-and-11th-grade students view the film “America: Imagine the World Without Her.” It’s by Dinesh D’Souza, one of right-wing America’s favorite brown-skinned polemicists.

I’ve seen it. It’s partisan revisionism that ultimately pivots into the bad-mouthing of both Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama. It’s unconscionable, even for Florida, that legislating ideologues would deign to dictate what goes on in a classroom.

Frankly, the only condition under which it might conceivably be shown is in an honor’s course on propaganda–along with “Reefer Madness.”

* According to a Q&A in Parade magazine, Seth Rogen’s motivation for “The Interview” came from the realization that “journalists have access to some very dangerous people. … Like Barbara Walters could kill Osama bin Laden. That’s where it came from.”

While a Walters/bin Laden scenario keeps it Rogenian light, maybe his inspiration for another low-brow comedy was a bit darker. There’s basis in actual fact if you reference recent history.

Recall the “journalistic” hit-squad that did in Ahmed Shah Massoud.

He was the charismatic, influential, CIA-backed Afghan nationalist and commander of the “Northern Alliance.” And no friend of the Taliban. On Sept. 9, 2001–two days before 9/11–he was assassinated by al-Qaida suicide bombers posing as a television crew. So, there’s actual precedent for a media/assassination plot–not just a dark-comedy wish list.

* “France is not finished with this threat.”–French President Francois Hollande.

* “It is a war against terrorism, against jihadism, against radical Islam, against everything that is aimed at breaking fraternity, freedom, solidarity. … There needs to be a firm message about the values of the republic and of secularism.” –French Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

* “I have the impression that this is a war of jihad against the West, whose targets are journalists, the liberty of expression and Jews.”–Roger Cukierman, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France.

* “‘Respect for religion’ has become a code phrase meaning ‘fear of religion.’ Religions, like all other ideas, deserve criticism, satire, and, yes, our fearless disrespect.”–Novelist Salman Rushdie.

* “It is we who forgive, not Muhammad.”–Gerard Biard, editor-in-chief of Charlie Hebdo.

* “One nation cannot by itself hope to forestall the possibility of terrorism, even within its own borders.”–U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

* “It’s fair to say we should have sent someone with a higher profile.”–White House spokesman Josh Earnest, on the U.S. being represented at the Paris march by its ambassador to France.

* “They talk about Russia like it’s the worst place on earth. Russia’s great.”–Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who has been living in Moscow since the Russian government granted him asylum more than a year ago.

* “It’s beginning to nag some people that there could be a deflationary component to the economy.”–Jim Vogel, debt markets strategist for FTN Financial, on implications of tumbling oil prices.

* “Move to Florida! We want you to keep more of the money you make.”–Gov. Rick Scott’s inaugural-address invitation to those in northern states.

* “I do not believe that there is a U.S. constitutional right to same-sex marriage. Now as I’ve said before, states have a right to change their laws. I don’t believe it’s unconstitutional. I just don’t believe  there’s a constitutional right to it.”–Sen. Marco Rubio.

* “Take a pyramid of power where a few people make the decisions, push it down, spread it out.”–Florida Republican Congressman Dan Webster, on his dissent over the re-election of John Boehner as Speaker of the House.

* “Western politicians, Muslim leaders and intellectuals everywhere should point out that blasphemy is something that does not exist in the Koran and should not exist in the modern world.”–Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post.

* “Floridians have a right to choose where they are going to have their energy coming from.”–Tory Perfetti, who heads Conservatives for Energy Freedom, on a 2016 Florida initiative that would allow those who generate solar energy to sell the power directly to other consumers.

* “The voters of Florida clearly want a medical marijuana law and we intend to pass one, whether in the Legislature this session or on the ballot in 2016.”–Ben Pollara, campaign director for United for Care.

* “Loving couples getting married across Florida overshadowed the inauguration. It was poetry.”–Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida.

* “We have a chance to do a re-write so we can ensure that we are not overtesting our children and ensure that we provide a road map to the districts about how to do this.”–Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, on preparations to improve the state’s assessment program.

* “You have to get into the playoffs to get to the World Series, and we were solidly in the playoffs this time around.”–Rick Homans, CEO of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp., on Tampa being a finalist for the Mercedes-Benz U.S. headquarters’ relocation that ultimately went to Atlanta.

* “We’ve done our homework. We know the spending power that exists in the LGBT community. They like to travel; they like unique experiences.”–Visit Tampa Bay President and CEO Santiago Corrada, on the strategy of launching a series of national print and digital ads aimed directly at same-sex couples looking to marry.

* “What should be a concern … is that for too many teachers, the evaluation process feels demeaning or unfair, even with teachers who fare really well in this evaluation process.” Hillsborough County teachers union president Jean Clements.

* “We don’t open stores. We create never-seen-before experiences.”–Gary Friedman, chairman and CEO of Restoration Hardware, which announced that it will open one of its palatial “Restoration Hardware Galleries” later this year at International Plaza.

* “These trades are difficult, but they’re a necessary part of how we operate. That doesn’t take away the sting.”–Matt Silverman, Tampa Bay Rays president of baseball operations, on the trade of the popular Ben Zobrist.

* Whether it’s Doonesbury Classic and references to Vietnam and Iran or it’s the Sunday version riffing on the ironies of a failed Iraq policy, Gary Trudeau’s strip continues to belong on the editorial page–not with Beetle Bailey and Garfield.

* The Tampa Bay Times–via its aggressive, singular PolitiFact–is planning to live fact-check and annotate President Barack Obama’s 2015 State of the Union address as well as the GOP response. The Jan. 20 fact-checks, according to the Times, will be implemented through a live blog that will include video and text.

Now that’s ambitious. And labor intensive. And apparently a bit of a budget-buster. The result: PolitiFact is launching a “Kickstarter” campaign to raise $15,000 from the public to pay for it.

But the quid pro quo goes beyond knowing one has helped the Times sort out the truth in politics and deliver a rapid-fire, analytical journalism coup. Donors will also be eligible for a PolitiFact coffee mug and a limited edition “Pants on Fire” button. And for $100, donors will be allowed to pick a claim for fact-checking.

Call it an outside-of-the-box approach. Or even entrepreneurial chutzpah. But also call it another sign of the challenging, pragmatic, print-journalism times we live in.

* Media have been talking of a “fresh start” for Gov. Rick Scott. Sorry, but this is one pol who doesn’t deserve a reset button.

Not when there’s no reset on the $2.4 billion in federal dollars–that have gone elsewhere–that he turned down for high speed rail. Not when he still refuses to lobby for Medicaid expansion dollars for the nearly 1 million Floridians who are still uninsured. Not when he insultingly continues to perpetuate the con job of job creation that’s at blatant odds with his own 2010 campaign promises. Not when he’s added his clueless, ideological voice to those in the Cuban-exile community who resist overtures to finally end the counterproductive Cold War with Cuba.

And that’s for starters.

* Bubba the Love Sponge Clem is, alas, back. He held a press conference Monday morning in Tampa to formally announce the details of his return to the Tampa Bay airwaves. The lemmings always turn out.

* A new year always conjures thoughts of the passage of time. Remember when 1984 was George Orwell’s dystopian novel–and not an iconic date now 31 years in the past? Remember all the computer uncertainty associated with Y2K?

I looked at a newspaper headline on Christmas morning and couldn’t possibly conceive of something like this being reality just a few years back: “California Puzzles Over Safety Of Driverless Cars.” Actually, I still can’t conceive of it–let alone that it’s news that anyone, even now, would be “puzzled” over safety concerns.

* If change-of-venue doesn’t apply to the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, accused, as it were, in the Boston Marathon attacks, where would it ever apply?

* It turns out that the first college football playoff semifinals–Oregon-Florida State and Alabama-Ohio State–drew the two largest audiences in cable TV history. Both averaged more than 28 million viewers.

*Even as the FBI continues its investigation into the cyberattack against Sony Pictures Entertainment, these steps underscore that we will employ a broad set of tools to defend U.S. businesses and citizens, and to respond to attempts to undermine our values or threaten the national security of the United States.”–Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, in announcing new, targeted sanctions against North Korea.

* “Our commitment to Afghanistan endures. … We are not walking away.”–Gen. John Campbell, U.S. commander of the outgoing International Security Assistance Force combat mission, as the 13-year NATO combat mission in Afghanistan formally ended. Gen. Campbell will lead the new NATO “support mission” that technically began Jan. 1.

* “In many segments of American Jewry, one is free to disagree with the president of the United States but the prime minister of Israel is sacrosanct. How patently absurd!”–Daniel Zemel, liberal Zionist and head rabbi of Washington’s Temple Micah.

* “I like what Obama did. … He took an economy in crisis in 2009, intervened, relaunched growth and created jobs, all things that Europe has not succeeded in doing.”–Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

* “We’re now the No. 1 producer of oil in the world. We’ve surpassed Saudi Arabia.”–Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

* “The only real threat to American democracy comes from Americans themselves. If our politicians continue to yield to pressure from extremists not to compromise and remain mired in gridlock, the majority of decent Americans may in frustration come to view an authoritarian government as a lesser evil that has to be tolerated.”–Jared Diamond, author and UCLA geography professor.

* “I haven’t used the veto pen very often since I’ve been in office. Now, I suspect, there are going to be some times where I’ve got to pull that pen out.”–President Barack Obama.

* “There’s no obvious wind for him in the state. There’s nothing to make people say, ‘Hey, he’s really doing something.’ Voters in New Jersey know that the guy’s got other things on his mind.”–David Radlawsk, director of the Rutgers-Eagleton Institute poll, on the declining popularity of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

* “Those who judge a Bush-Clinton (2016 presidential) race to be a tired retread or disturbingly dynastic should consider the more novel and dynamic alternatives. A Warren-Cruz race would be less of an electoral choice than a national trauma.”–Michael Gerson, Washington Post.

* “The opposition to it was really either political or ideological. I don’t think that holds water against real flesh and blood and real improvements in people’s lives.”–Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich, on why his state accepted federal Medicaid-expansion funds.

* “If Scalise is going to be crucified–if Republicans want to throw Steve Scalise to the woods–then a lot of them better be looking over their shoulders.”–Former KKK leader David Duke in warning Republicans about their reaction to a 2002 speech that House Majority Whip Scalise (R-La.) made to a white nationalist group.

* “She is a central banker who believes that it’s O.K. to talk about unemployment as much as you talk about inflation.”–Jon Faust, economist and former special adviser to the Federal Reserve board, on Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen.

* “I think we should be very careful about artificial intelligence. If I had to guess at what our biggest existential threat is, it’s probably that … We are summoning the demon.”–Elon Musk the co-founder of Tesla Motors and the founder of SpaceX.

* “A lot less rhetoric and a lot more dialogue.”–What New York Police Commissioner William Bratton called for to defuse the tension between police officers and the population they protect.

* “If I don’t run, it won’t be because Jeb is running.”–Sen. Marco Rubio.

* “The Republicans become introspective after presidential year losses, and we become introspective after off-year election losses.”–Former Democratic State Sen. Dan Gelber.

* “I am ecstatic. I was really waiting for this to happen and hoping it would happen.”–The reaction of Hillsborough County Clerk of Court Pat Frank to U.S. District Judge Robert Hinckle’s decision that all 67 Florida counties may issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

* “When future historians of Tampa set out to write a history of  Cubans in Tampa, they will discover that Tampa history is Cuban history.”–Gary R. Mormino, professor emeritus of history at USF St. Petersburg.

* “We’re going to go full blitz into marketing the destination as an events capital.”–Hillsborough County tourism chief Santiago Corrada.

* “It’s pretty much the same old story that we’ve been trying to get people to pay attention to. But for some reason, driving impaired seems to be a socially acceptable way of dying in our state.”–Hillsborough sheriff’s DUI Sgt. Troy Morgan.

* “As this market grows, that becomes increasingly more important.”–Wade Elliot, vice president of marketing and business development at Port Tampa Bay, on the impact of the year-old I-4 connector.

* “…It’s because they want the rest of downtown for expansion. I think that’s their purpose.”–Pinellas County Commissioner Pam Seel’s take on why the Church of Scientology would work behind the scenes to oppose the Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s plans to move to downtown Clearwater.