Category: Media Watch

* Chances are the State of the Union speech will continue to be over-anticipated, over-analyzed and over-responded to. The most recent one prompted four separate Republican responses: the official one by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington–plus those by Sen. Rand Paul of Texas, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida. No opposition agendas were ignored. In English or Spanish. That’s the partisan political world we inhabit.

But couldn’t we consider changing some of the dynamics WHILE the president is actually delivering his speech? I know it’s like asking a network to not do reaction shots in the Super Bowl, but it’s worth bringing up because it ultimately will affect both parties.

Approximately 30 million Americans still watch the prime time, SOTU speech. Shouldn’t we try to keep it as unfiltered as possible? Shouldn’t we show it as much respect as possible? Whether it’s being delivered by President Obama, President McCain, President Romney or President Clinton.

I’d love to see virtually nothing but tight shots of the president. Perhaps aided by a furniture rearrangement that would move the vice president and the speaker of the House farther apart and out of backdrop-distraction range.

We don’t need to see Joe Biden and John Boehner applauding or thumb twiddling, standing or sitting as befits their partisan positions. We could do without Biden’s Cheshire cat-grin shout outs and Boehner’s variations on a bored, awkward theme. And we don’t need reaction shots from self-absorbed politicians thinking more about how a given SOTU passage will play in their district than whether it references something worth heeding regardless of party affiliation.

And one final item: A Duck Dynasty VIP guest? But we know that voting bloc.

* Paula Dockery recently reminded everyone why she hasn’t left the Republican Party. That was the upshot of her Tampa Tribune column last week on medical marijuana. She’s not the only opinion shaper to find fault with it, to say the least, but her rationale–and where medical pot will inevitably lead–was Reefer Madness absurd.

“Not only is it the camel’s nose under the tent leading to full-fledged decriminalization of marijuana,” wrote Dockery, “it would likely lead to all drugs being legalized. That’s right–crack, crank and heroin will all be available at the corner store.”

* In a business where the term “craft” is bandied about routinely, Philip Seymour Hoffman personified it. In fact, “craftsman” was a job description for him. What a loss.

* Here’s the part that just doesn’t seem credible on the Chris Christie “Bridgegate” affair. He told the media over the weekend that “I first found out about it after it was over.” He added that he had “no knowledge of the planning, the execution or anything about it.”

I get “plausible deniability,” made famous by Richard Nixon. Minions will do dirty work that they know the boss, even a hands-on sort such as Gov. Christie, would want done but the subject can’t be literally broached. So, no, the New Jersey governor can truthfully say he had no knowledge that something like this was coming down.

But no knowledge until it was an after-the-facto firestorm? This was a gridlock-producing, four-day lane stoppage on the busiest bridge in the world. You’d be able to hear the horns, helicopters and hypnenated-New Jersey invective all the way to Trenton.

* “What is coming out of the presidential palace today, or what President Karzai says today, I don’t know. It changes constantly.”–Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

* “No (Al) Qaeda threat has ever remained exclusively local. They have always eventually crossed borders and become regional in operations and attacks and certainly in fund-raising and recruiting.”–Bruce Hoffman, director of security studies at Georgetown University.

* “Indifference is not an option for Germany.”–Ursula von der Leyen, Germany’s new defense minister.

* “I think the way we have to think about this year is we have a divided government. The Republican Congress is not going to rubber-stamp the president’s agenda. The president is not going to sign the Republican Congress’ agenda.”–White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer.

* “Most people think income inequality is fine–in fact, it’s proper–when one person works harder than another. (President) Obama’s argument isn’t just that the economy has left incomes unequal. It’s that the economy is failing to honor work.”–William Saletan, Slate.

* “(I) found her smart, idealistic, pragmatic, tough-minded, indefatigable, funny, a very valuable colleague, and a superb representative of the United States all over the world.”–Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Hillary Clinton in his book Duty.

* “Cities are taking measurable action to reduce emissions, emerging as leaders in the battle against climate change.”–Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, recent appointee as United Nations special envoy for cities and climate change.

* “Whether they know it or not, (Pete) Seeger’s legacy still rings in the songs that young people sing around the world on behalf of peace and justice and overcoming.”–Steve Paul, Kansas City Star.

* “They’re a combination of competition, travelogue, politics, cultural panorama and personal drama.”–Sportscaster Bob Costas on what makes the Olympics special.

* “Atlanta, we are ready for the snow.”–Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, hours before metropolitan Atlanta was in weather-caused gridlock.

* “If we’re to maintain our hold as the gateway to the Americas and the financial center for Latin America, we can’t just rest on our laurels.”–Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.

* “Make no mistake: This is not about compassionate medical marijuana. This is about the Coloradofication of Florida, where the end game is a pot shop on every street corner.”–Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel.

* “If we didn’t bring out the cattle prod, they would still be dithering. You have to look at the whole Rick Scott, the governor who has had the worst impact on protecting Florida’s waters of any governor in Florida history.”–Environmental attorney David Guest.

* “Transportation is a vital element to the free enterprise system being successful in this community.”–Bob Rohrlack, CEO of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.

* “We call the flights from Miami the Vatican flights, because God only knows when you’ll arrive.”–Tampa-visiting José  Ramon Cabañas, the head of the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C., on Miami’s reputation–as opposed to TIA’s–for air service to Cuba.

* “The (Hillsborough) county Democratic Party is restructuring and has not focused on recruiting as much as it needs to, especially young candidates.”–Susan MacManus, USF political science professor.

* “I have no plans to retire.”–MaryEllen Elia, 65, Hillsborough County Schools superintendent.

* “This is big. This is bodacious. This is exciting. This will be a game-changer.”–Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn on the proposed West River Master Plan.

* “Too often we hear that ‘nice guys’ lack the necessary edge to achieve at the highest levels. Tony Dungy puts this myth to rest.”–Rich McKay, Atlanta Falcons president and former Bucs general manager.

* “It’s a sad reality that in too many of our classrooms, teachers spend just as much time trying to keep control as they do teaching.”–Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch on the classroom-fight video at Gibbs High School.

* “Spring training still allows for that connection back to the days of when the players didn’t make that much more than the rest of us and were approachable.”–Graham Knight, editor of SpringTrainingConnection.com.

* You can imagine the scrutiny and parsing that the live, pre-Super Bowl interview of President Barack Obama by Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly will be receiving. The (approximately) 4:30 sit-down exchange takes advantage of the gathering massive audience for the mega event.

For those scoring at home, a key indicator will be who prefaces questions with “With all due respect, … ” the most. It’s the oldest rhetorical trick in the book and assures that a big-time “gotcha” question or response is coming.

* Since when is a DUI charge against Justin Bieber a page one, above-the-fold news story?  Even if it’s bylined by your pop music critic. Even if it’s a slow news day. Even if you want to appeal to those who consider it “news.” That was disappointing, Tampa Bay Times.

* “The longer I have spent thinking about this book, the more horror and disgust I feel for nationalism, which seems something akin to bubonic plague.”–Simon Winder, author of Danubia: A Personal History of Habsburg Europe.

* “(Syrian President Bashar) Assad has to decide that he is prepared to put the future of Syria ahead of himself. This is a man who has committed war crimes and still somehow wants to claim legitimacy to be able to govern the country.”–Secretary of State John Kerry.

* “The truth is something few people in the national security establishment are willing to confront: Confusing capability with utility, the United States knows how to start wars but has seemingly forgotten how to conclude them.”–Andrew J. Bacevich, professor of history and international relations at Boston University.

* “I’m still alive and don’t lose sleep for what I did because it was the right thing to do.”–Former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

* “Uncivil, incompetent in fulfilling basic constitutional responsibilities (such as timely appropriations), micromanagerial, parochial, hypocritical, egotistical, thin-skinned, often putting self (and re-election) before country–this was my view of the majority of the United States Congress.”–Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in his book, Duty.

* “I want every young man in America to feel some strong peer pressure in terms of how they are supposed to behave and treat women.”–President Barack Obama.

* “If the Democrats want to insult the women of America by making them believe that they are hopeless without Uncle Sugar coming in and providing them with their prescription each month for birth control because they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system without the help of the government, then so be it.”–Mike Huckabee, former Republican governor of Arkansas, a favorite of Christian conservatives and a Fox News personality.

* “Even as the Tea Party has lost popularity nationally after the government shutdown, the fear-of-primary factor has allowed them to influence their more moderate colleagues and thereby punch way above their weight  in matters of policy. Even more than gerrymandering, this has magnified the power of the Tea Party types.”–David McCumber, Hearst Newspapers.

* “I told the team that there is no destination here, that this is a continuous improvement journey. Don’t confuse progress with winning.”–Mary T. Barra, CEO of General Motors.

* “An artist is somebody who produces things that people don’t need to have.”–Andy Warhol.

* “Now that Coloradans can buy recreational pot, the mood has shifted from self-consciously therapeutic, medicating ‘patients,’ to self-consciously scientific and capitalistic, serving consumers. ‘Education managers’ in white lab coats and marketing executives in suits are swarming in.”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times.

* “Why would our president close our Embassy to the Vatican? Hopefully, it is not retribution for Catholic organizations opposing Obamacare.”–Jeb Bush, on the Obama Administration’s decision to move America’s Vatican Embassy into a compound that includes the U.S. Embassy to Italy.

* “Legislating via constitutional amendments doesn’t work in California, and it won’t work here.”–Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel.

* “I’ve spent $4 million, hired the best legal minds in the state of Florida, rallied my army of angels and collected more than 1.1 million signatures in five or six months.”–Orlando lawyer John Morgan, on his role in gathering enough valid signatures for a proposed constitutional amendment on medical marijuana.

* “We want to put things back the way they were. Biggert-Waters is an unjust (flood insurance) law.”–Paresh Patel, CEO of Homeowners Choice Insurance.

* “As a city that is trying to encourage innovation and its creative class, I would suggest we eliminate this prohibition.”–St. Petersburg City Council member Karl Nurse, on reversing the city’s downtown skateboarding ban.

* “This was done to take a baseball team that has the opportunity to be special this year and give it a chance to do so.”–Tampa Bay Rays’ owner Stu Sternberg on the high-profile signing of All-Star closer Grant Balfour.

* “My wife would tell you that it takes one understanding spouse, a loyal dog and one hell of a good goaltender.”–Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper on what it takes for a successful hockey season.

* “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”–Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

* “No one expects China to have an open debate about their surveillance programs, or Russia to take privacy concerns of citizens in other places into account.”–President Barack Obama.

* “China has built up economic imbalances for some years, and they are not sustainable for much longer. The basic problem is that for almost a decade, China’s economic growth has been fueled by cheap credit and government spending–a classic developing-nation problem.”–Fareed Zakaria, Time magazine.

* “They have tried to make it a country of its own. For a while at least, Sochi has been cut away from the rest of the world.”–Mark Galeotti, a New York University expert on Russian security forces.

* “The Constitution gives the power to declare war to the Congress, but Congress has not formally declared war since June 1942, even though our nation has been involved in dozens of military actions of one scale or another since that time. There is reason for this: The nature of war is changing.”–Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

* “War is God’s way of teaching Americans geography.”–Ambrose Bierce, the late American journalist and short story writer.

* “The president is hemmed in by this new industry, interest group capitalism. The unofficial pressure sector dominates the official governing sector.”–David Brooks, New York Times.

* “To me, one of the most fascinating aspects of climate change denial is how deniers essentially never publish in legitimate journals, but instead rely on talk shows, grossly error-laden op-eds, and hugely out-of-date claims (that were never right to start with).”–Astronomer-author Phil Plaitt.

* “As Americans, we once pointed with pride to our country’s high level of economic and social mobility, but we’ve now become one of the world’s most rigidly stratified industrial democracies.”–Robert H. Frank, New York Times.

* “…To really help our kids, we have to do so much more as parents. … Parents have the power to challenge educational complacency here at home. Parents have the power to ask more of their leaders–and to ask more of their kids.”–Arne Duncan, U.S. secretary of education.

* “I would not be in the U.S. Senate today if it were not for Sarah Palin.”–Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

* “I am not a bully.”–New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

* “Most people won’t talk about it because they think he is going to get through this and retribution could be coming.”–Elizabeth, N.J. Mayor Chris Bollwage, a Christie political foe.

* “It’s not meant to be disrespectful. It’s meant to show frustration.”–Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee, on why the Florida Legislature’s 28-member black caucus canceled a meeting with Gov. Rick Scott.

* “I’m excited to get back into the game. I think there will be a little more Cuban coffee in the governor’s office.”–Former state legislator Carlos Lopez-Cantera, Gov. Scott’s pick for lieutenant governor.

* “I love the fact he’s Hispanic.”–Gov. Rick Scott.

* “I don’t think it matters, and that holds true for Charlie’s pick too. This is going to be mano-a-mano, Rick Scott versus Charlie Crist. That’s what matters.”–Screven Watson, former executive director of the Florida Democratic Party.

* “One thing’s for sure: the Republicans need to be unified going into March 11. The district isn’t Republican enough to win a seat for the GOP without full party support.”–Nathan Gonzales, deputy editor of the Rothenberg Political Report, on the District 13 race involving Republican David Jolly and Democrat Alex Sink.

* “That is highly unusual. These are slow-moving metrics, and to even get a percentage or 2-point gain is huge.”–Jan Ignash, vice chancellor for the Florida Board of Governors, on USF’s 15-point jump in graduation rate in five years.

* “Kids know about five jobs. A football player. A basketball player. A rapper. A vet. And a doctor. They do not know what is out there.”–Scott Brooks, director of technical and adult education for Hillsborough County Schools.

* “Clearly it doesn’t work in St. Petersburg. That is a failed business model.”–Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, on St. Petersburg as a venue for a new baseball stadium.

* “Of course I like it. I like flat-screen TVs with high definition. I like air conditioning in my 1956 Bel Air. I like computers.”–Tampa Bay Rays’ manager Joe Maddon, on why he likes Major League Baseball’s plans for expanded replay.

* “It’s not in America’s interests to have troops in the middle of every conflict in the Middle East, or to be permanently involved in open-ended wars in the Middle East.”–Benjamin J. Rhodes, a White House deputy national security adviser.

* “The entire political order of the Middle East is being renegotiated.”–Imad Salamey, international relations professor at the Lebanese American University.

* “In recent decades American presidents, confronted with a tough problem abroad, have too often been too quick to reach for a gun–to use military force…Wars are a lot easier to get into than out of.”–Former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates in “Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary of War.”

* “The No. 1 cause of death of Chinese regimes in history is greed and corruption.”–Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times.

* “I think the real vulnerability may not be with the Olympic games themselves but possibly outside this perimeter where you’re going to have a lot of soft targets.”–U.S. House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Tex.)

* “A traitor and no way a whistle-blower. He represents only callow arrogance.”–Former acting CIA Director John McLaughlin, referring to Edward Snowden.

* “We believe the lessons we have learned will make us a stronger company.”–JPMorgan spokesman Joseph Evangelisti on the bank’s agreement to pay a $1.7 billion penalty for its role in Bernard Madoff’s multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme.

* “You certainly want to be respected by those that you’re requiring compliance with securities laws from, and I think we are. … You want to be a powerful force. You want to be able to deter wrongdoing. And so a little bit of fear on top of that respect is not a bad thing.”–Mary Jo White, chairwoman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

* “Its advocates want small government when it comes to regulating firearms, the environment, education, business and taxes. But when it comes to regulating your personal morality, the same people suddenly want government to be the opposite of small. … Thus it is no accident the party of small government is also the party of anti-gay legislation and trans-vaginal ultrasounds.”–Leonard Pitts, Miami Herald.

* “On the one hand, I think he’s got a lot to offer. I think he’s the most able politician since Bill Clinton. On the other hand, you look at these other qualities and ask, ‘do you really want that in your president?'”–Mentor and former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean (R) on Chris Christie.

* “As hugs go it wasn’t anything special … but that simple gesture ended my career as a viable Republican politician.”–Charlie Crist, on his support of federal stimulus and embrace of President Obama.

* “I don’t think legalizing marijuana or even decriminalizing it is the right decision for our country.”–Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

* “Banking is the most urgent issue facing the legal cannabis industry today. … Federal law (under which marijuana remains illegal) needs to be harmonized with state laws.”–Aaron Smith, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association.

* “This is the most talked-about problem in the state. … We’ve paid more into the federal program than we’ve ever taken out. We’ve been mistreated. … We can do better on our own.”–Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, on exploring options outside the National Flood Insurance Program.

* “A good cold snap lowers the acidity in oranges and increases sugar content, sweetens the fruit.”–Frankie Hall, policy director for the Florida Farm Bureau Federation.

* “We’re on pace for a third consecutive record year of tourism. If you’re on that kind of pace, there are two things you can do: You can sit back and enjoy the ride or you can double down and redouble your efforts to build on that momentum.”–Visit Florida President and CEO Will Seccombe.

* “We’re not going to have the federal government telling us how to do our education system.”–Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

* “I am looking for partners who recognize Ybor’s history and want to help fulfill its potential.”–Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn in announcing proposals from two developers for a hotel and apartments in Ybor City.

* “We have an awful lot of work to do. There’s still a lot of people that don’t really understand or don’t know anything about the plan.”–Ronnie Duncan, chairman of the Tampa Bay Regional Transportation Authority, on the Greenlight Pinellas plan that will be up for a vote in November.

* As a news junkie, I still watch my share of network news as well as some cable-babble shows. I also go in cycles because of the formulaic network focus on anchor celebs, human-interest pieces, weather overkill and blatantly self-serving teases for same-network shows. Recently I’ve started replacing that early evening network news slot with Al Jazeera America.

While it sounds like an anti-American propaganda vehicle–“Al Jazeera” means “peninsula,” not “struggle” or “martyr”– it’s hardly that. It’s headquartered in New York and has a dozen U.S. bureaus, among its 70 worldwide. Al Jazeera is after ratings and sponsors–and its approach is obvious: Be a more informative alternative to network fare.

The talent is professional–and more than a few reporters are recognizable from previous stints as network correspondents. A David Shuster here, a John Seigenthaler there. The segments are a lot longer and far more detailed. If you can get by the name, look in sometime. It’s not the Diane Sawyer, Scott Pelley, Brian Williams or Erin Burnett show. It’s a more in-depth news look via an international television channel that’s also an online news desk, one that wants to be taken seriously in the world’s most coveted market. By the way, it’s channel 128 on Bright House Networks.

* I’ve seen several lists of the top 10-12 movies of the year and been utterly taken aback by the absence of “Philomena.” I thought “Philomena” and “Blue Jasmine” were the top two movies of 2013. I also felt that “Nebraska,” where ennui-meets-tedium on the way to Lincoln, was the most overrated. And I thought Jared Leto was incredible in “Dallas Buyers Club,” as was Christian Bale in “American Hustle.”

But, then again, I’m not a movie reviewer–and am constantly reminded why.

* Here are two names that you would never otherwise see in the same sentence: Linda Saul-Sena and Bubba the Love Sponge Clem. Just so happens that the progressive preservationist, columnist and former Tampa City Council member is on the same side of the effort to save the historic Jackson Rooming House as the sleazy shock jock. They both have agendas that overlap on the two-story Jackson House getting a wrecking-ball reprieve.

Saul-Sena, a fiercely feisty preservation advocate, is urging City Council to seek a 60-day demolition reprieve. She has bona fides and credibility on such matters–from neighborhoods to iconic buildings to public art.

The raunchy, controversial Clem, meanwhile, has been trying to recruit 102.5-FM listeners to volunteer time, money or construction-related skills to help rehab the house. A best case, Clem scenario: Jackson House would be stabilized, purchased and restored. Moreover, it would mean that Clem had succeeded where Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who once referenced Clem as a “complete moron,” had little success.

While Saul-Sena’s and Clem’s personal agendas may differ, they both pragmatically want the same Jackson House result. That’s all that matters.

* I still think Time magazine wanted to go with Edward Snowden in its ad-packed, “Person of the Year” issue–instead of Pope Francis. Something tells me advertisers were more comfortable with full-page ads in a magazine’s thickest, most hyped (annual) issue–which still has newsstand visibility and cachet–that depicted the Pope instead of a punk.

Snowden blew up the NSA metadata gig, alerted the world to 1984 implications, gifted China and Russia with technological and propaganda coups, served as a catalyst for eroded American relations with allies and partners–from Germany to Brazil–and negatively impacted American security. Pope Francis was a candid breath of fresh, compassionate air. But the softer tones didn’t result in hard line, doctrinal change.

But meaningful, overdue change may yet happen. And if so, then Pope Francis will likely be the first “POTY” repeat winner.

* Speaking of Time, its media conglomerate parent, Time Warner, hopes to spin off the magazine later this year. An orphaned Time will struggle even more in the marketplace. Layoffs had already been projected.

And this just in: Time will be asking its news-side employees to report to the business side. In the publication business of serious professionals, this is journalistic separation-of-church-and-state sacrilege–akin to John F. Kennedy telling the Baptists a half century ago that the Pope would, indeed, be weighing in directly on what crosses his Oval Office desk.

This will do nothing positive for Time’s credibility. Be on the lookout for “Person of the Week” cover stories later this year.

* “It’s no secret that newspapers have been under the technological-generational gun for some time. There are mergers and partnerships as well as downsizings, layoffs and closings. Typos-R-Us is more the rule than exception. Seemingly un-proofed copy all too common. Is it “its” or “it’s,” “who’s” or “whose,” “were,” “we’re” or “where”? Etc.

Not to pick on the Tampa Bay Times, but this was blatant. Here’s the lead from a bylined story that appeared prominently on page 3 of last Friday’s Local section:

PINELLAS PARK–A man who shot and killed his mother’s fiancé and then himself inside a hotel room Wednesday night has died, police said.

Again?

* Some stuff you can’t make up. This from the parallel universe that is the world of reality TV. Now we hear that more than 1,000 men and women from around the world have been selected out of 200,000 applicants to move on to the next round in the Mars One competition to see who will be the first folks from Earth to move to Mars in 2025. You read that right.

The group will be further whittled down in 2014, but details of the process are unsettled due to ongoing negotiations with media companies for the rights to televise the selection process.

Mars One then wants to get down to a manageable group of 40 over the next four years. Those then selected will train for seven years as teams. A global audience will vote on which group gets to go–one way–to Mars in 2025. But, no, nobody from the cast of “Jersey Shore” is involved.

* “It is time to consider a future for Syria without Bashar al-Assad’s ouster, because it is overwhelmingly likely that that is what the future will be. … Assad will probably get most of the country back, inch by bloody inch. But do we really want the alternative–a major country at the heart of the Arab world in the hands of Al Qaeda?”–Ryan C. Crocker, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait and Lebanon.

* “I know that you’re committed to peace. I know that I’m committed to peace. But unfortunately, given the actions and words of Palestinian leaders, there’s growing doubt in Israel that the Palestinians are committed to peace.”–Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

* “That’s my New Year’s resolution–to do everything I can, every single day, to help make 2014 a year in which more of our citizens can earn their own piece of the American Dream.”–President Barack Obama.

* “Of course there will be problems implementing the Affordable Care Act. But if we’re determined to create a system that’s cheaper and more effective at keeping Americans healthy than the one we have now–and, in truth, we have no choice–we have every chance of succeeding.”–Robert Reich, former secretary of labor in the Clinton Administration.

* “I’m not against having unemployment insurance. I do think, though, that the longer you have it, that it does provide some disincentive to work and that there are many studies that indicate this.”–Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

* “In ancient Sanskrit, the word ‘pundit’ meant ‘wise man’ or ‘religious sage.’ In modern English, it means ‘often wrong, rarely accountable.'”–Ross Douthat, New York Times.

* “We took extraordinary measures to meet extraordinary economic challenges and we had to explain those measures to earn the public’s support and confidence.”–Ben Bernanke, outgoing chairman of the Federal Reserve.

* “Government can set the stage, but it can’t be the play.”–David Brooks, New York Times.

* “We build big houses for rich people.”–Gray Homes’ owner Harry Gray on the business of building “esteem level homes.”

* “But it’s not a sustainable number in terms of where we are revenue-wise. But we felt like we had a really good chance to be great next year. That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing.”–Tampa Bay Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman on the Rays 2014 payroll, which is projected to be higher than the franchise record of $72 million (in 2010).

* “Nineteen years. I love this franchise.”–Mark  Dominik, after being fired as the general manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Comedian Will Ferrell has said the inspiration for his Ron Burgundy “Anchorman” character is Mort Crim, a major-market, network-affiliate anchor in the 1970s and 1980s. Among those markets: Philadelphia, where Crim anchored the award-winning, ratings-leading NBC-affiliate,  KYW-TV in the ’70s.

As a native Philadelphian, I remember Crim–as well as co-anchor Jessica Savitch, weatherman Bill Kuster and sportscaster Al Meltzer. It’s still the best newscast team I’ve ever seen. Journalism trumped optics. But I don’t see Crim in the Burgundy character. Former WFLA co-anchor Bob Hite, maybe, but even that isn’t fair to Bob. Sure, he had the great pipes, the polyglycoat hair and the occasional faux pas. But he was also an unaffected professional and a nice guy.

I still say, however, if you want to see a great TV-news parody–not buffoonery and silly-assed slapstick that is a pop-culture staple–then rent “Broadcast News.” It still resonates. It still entertains. It’s still a classic.

* “True peace is not a balancing of opposing forces. It’s not a lovely facade which conceals conflicts and divisions. Peace calls for daily commitment.”–Pope Francis.

* “The United States on the eve of 2014 is still the world’s strongest power, but it is not as powerful as it once was. Uncomfortably aware that it may have few reliable friends and many potential enemies, America is now considering a return to a more isolationist policy. Is America now reaching the end of its tether, as Britain did before it?”–Margaret MacMillan, author and warden of St. Antony’s College, Oxford.

* “There is no Fourth Estate. And as a matter of fact there is no Second or Third Estate. There is just the First, just the presidency. That’s the way things are today in Russia.”–Vladimir Posner, prominent Russian television journalist.

* “The choice of the U.S. is never between doing nothing and sending in the Marines. How do we use a host of tools at our disposal?”–U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power.

* “For me, in terms of personal satisfaction, the mission’s already accomplished. I already won.”–NSA leaker Edward Snowden.

* “The government learned from its (pre-2001) mistake and adapted to confront a new enemy: a terror network capable of orchestrating attacks across the world. It launched a number of counter-measures, including a bulk telephony metadata collection program–a wide net that could find and isolate gossamer contacts among suspected terrorists in an ocean of seemingly disconnected data.”–Federal Judge William Pauley II in ruling that the NSA’s massive collection of domestic telephone data does not violate the Fourth Amendment.

* “The fundamental fiscal challenges we identified in the 2010 report of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, and the need for reforms of entitlement programs and the tax code, go unaddressed.”–Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, who co-chaired the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.

* “Early retirement is in retreat.”–Robert Samuelson, Washington Post.

* “Before the Affordable Care Act, hospitals and other providers were paid almost solely based on how much work they did, not on how well they did.”–Jonathan Blum, deputy administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

* “Preserving the majesty of the high court is the core of the argument against cameras, but the idea that the court as an institution requires insulation is wrong. … The U.S. Supreme Court is now one of the last major institutions of Western civilization that has not entered the 21st century technologically.”–Maureen O’Connor, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio.

* “FAMU is at a critical point to move forward in creating more diversity in the student body.”–Former state Sen. Al Lawson, who recently applied for the Florida A&M University presidency.

* “The current (Scott) administration is not receptive to the rights of the individual. There’s so much at stake this election, you’ll see trial lawyers participate at a very significant rate.”–Lance Block, former chairman of the Academy of Trial Lawyers.

* “The only sure outcome of (Kathleen) Peters and (David) Jolly spending their time and their cash trashing each other is that independent Pinellas voters will undoubtedly be turned off by both of them.”–Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman David Bergstein.

* “The truth is this flood insurance problem is affecting people with very modest incomes, and nobody can really prove otherwise. What’s going on in Congress now is just not right.”–Pam Dubov, Pinellas County property appraiser, on the impact of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012.

* “Our future years look stronger and stronger. If Bollywood can deliver the way it’s supposed to deliver … we’re projecting a very good year.”–Visit Tampa Bay CEO Santiago Corrada on Hillsborough County’s rebounding tourism.

* “I think that all of that land around there is generally going to become more valuable. Money follows money in real estate.”–City economic opportunity administrator Bob McDonaugh on developers’ interest in land near Encore Tampa.

* “I’m not happy with the delay. But when it’s all said and done, I care more about the outcome than I do about the process.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn on the federally required historic review process that is delaying city plans for the Bro Bowl in Perry Harvey Sr. Park.