Category: Media Watch

* “If you surveyed informed Americans, you will hear Pakistanis described as duplicitous, paranoid, self-pitying and generally infuriating. In turn, Pakistanis describe us as fickle, arrogant, shortsighted and chronically unreliable. Neither country’s caricature of the other is entirely wrong, and it makes for a relationship that is less in need of diplomacy than couples therapy, which customarily starts by trying to see things from the other point of view.”–Bill Keller, New York Times Magazine.

* “India is still the only country I know where you can find a billboard advertising ‘physics degrees.'”–Thomas Friedman, New York Times.

* “We, it turns out, are the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. We’ve got a lot of it.”–President Barack Obama.

* “Wealth is not necessarily an impediment to political success. FDR, a Hudson Valley aristocrat, and JFK were men of wealth who did less to earn their money than Mitt did to earn his. But they carried it more easily.”–Patrick Buchanan, Creators Syndicate.

* “Gingrich encourages Republican voters to believe he should be nominated because he would do best in the (at most) three debates with Barack Obama. So, because Gingrich might sparkle during four and a half hours of debates, he should be given four years of control of nuclear weapons? Odd.”–George Will, Washington Post.

* “SouthVest.”–What media have dubbed Rick Santorum’s chartered campaign plane.

* “Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive.”–Vice President Joe Biden.

* “It is important to recognize that there is a distinction between legitimate concerns about Islamic extremism and unacceptable stereotyping. We must not only expose the threat of Islamic extremism but also work to ensure Muslim-Americans feel that they are accepted as full Americans. This is not ‘political correctness’–but the American way.”–Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League.

* “Do we want kids walking around with 50-pound backpacks costing $50, $60, $70 and many of them being out of date? Or do we want students walking around with a mobile device that has much more content than was even imaginable a couple years ago and can be constantly updated? I think it’s a very simple choice.”–Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

* “We obviously know this is an issue for Florida that does not end today.”–Jessica Hoppe, general counsel for Genting’s Resorts World Miami, reacting to the resort casino bill that never made it out of the House committee hearing.

* “There’s never been an operation this size in Florida 10 months out from an election, not for a presidential, not for a gubernatorial.”–Ashley Walker, the Florida director for the Obama campaign’s voter mobilization effort, Organizing for America.

* “Every elected official needs to thoroughly look anywhere where their families may have investments.”–State Sen. Jim Norman.

* “More and more students want to attend UT and live on our dynamic downtown campus.”–UT President Ronald L. Vaughn commenting on breaking ground for a 523-bed dorm for a university that has grown from 4,200 to 6,700 students in a decade.

How ironic.

The lone Republican presidential candidate who won’t prostitute himself for the pro-embargo, anti-travel vendetta agenda of influential Cuban-Americans in South Florida is the one who certainly won’t be nominated: Ron Paul.

So much about libertarianism only works in the abstract. But when it comes to common sense on Cuba–from the geopolitical to the humanitarian to the economic–the 76-year-old physician-politician gets it. Last week’s USF debate was a frustrating reminder.

Paul underscored that the “Cold War” was, indeed, over and that ongoing American policy toward Cuba was “Dark Ages” posturing. Just end the embargo and open up travel to the neighboring island nation, he urged. All this while Mitt Romney preached against “giving in” to a “rogue nation,” Newt Gingrich harangued about “overthrowing the Raul Castro regime” and Rick Santorum peppered his “continue the sanctions” screed with as many “dictator” and “tyrant” references as he could shoehorn in.

We interrupt this column item, which is a variation on a familiar theme about how virtually everything is somehow linked to politics, for a word about priorities. I just untethered myself from my home computer, grabbed a bottle of water and went for a walk in  chamber of commerce January weather. Just for the Dell of it. I said hi to a couple of neighbors and even waved to the guy up the street who I don’t like. Hey, life’s too short.

Then I crossed over Bayshore Boulevard to gaze at something other than Derek Jeter’s sprawling manse on Davis Islands. I saw a pelican and lots of ducks. I also saw no litter–and just two days removed from Gasparilla! Let’s hear it for those higher in the animal kingdom doing the right thing by nature.

Then I was rewarded with a dolphin sighting. Ever notice how each time is the first time? Still mesmerizing. Still smile inducing.

It was too coincidental. I think it was a sign. Change the dynamic. Take in the bigger picture. Remember what’s important. Stay a skeptic; don’t morph into a cynic. Treat yourself to an attitude adjustment courtesy of nature. Perspective counts.

OK, I’m now back. But not, arguably, exactly the same as before I left. So, where was I? Oh, yes, the Three Pandering Amigos effectively canceled each other out on Cuba at that debate.

It was a counterproductive, rhetorical wash. But there was an obvious winner: The Brothers Diaz-Balart, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and David Rivera, most notably. The mess-with-us-over-Cuba-at-your-own-risk formula still, alas, works.

But for some reason, even that onerous political reality–while still infuriating–now seems a bit less difficult to cope with.

Let’s hear it for Adm. Eric T. Olson. He’s a former commander of U.S. Special Operations Command who was in town recently to speak at the Tampa Jewish Federation’s annual President’s dinner. He was intimately involved in planning last year’s mission that took out Osama bin Laden. He was also adamant in not giving details beyond this rationale: “It’s important to keep secrets secret. If we want to retain this capability, we’ve got to not talk about it now. … The people who want to talk about the mission are not the people who were on it.”

How old school. No talk-show circuit. No tell-all book. No WikiLeaks seepage. No end zone choreography. Thank you for what you did–and what you don’t do.

* “Brazil serves as an excellent case study on why government mandates work. Today, approximately 50 percent of Brazil’s motor fuel supply is ethanol as a direct result of ethanol’s mandated use. Ethanol has allowed Brazil to eliminate the importation of foreign oil and become energy independent. Mandates, when used properly, remove uncertainty, provide market stability,  reduce risk and stimulate capital investment.”–Bradley Krohn, president of U.S. EnviroFuels.

* “It’s for that reason that I am here, with my little bag, to actually collect a bit of money.”–Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, indicating that she was at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to ramp up the IMF’s resources by $500 billion to order to help Europe if more lending is needed.

* “And now we possess a technology that removes the last political barriers to war. The strongest appeal of unmanned (drone) systems is that we don’t have to send someone’s son or daughter into harm’s way.”–Peter Singer, author of “Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century.”

* “The people who want to talk about the mission are not the people who were on it.”–Adm. Eric T. Olson, who helped plan the raid on Osama bin Laden’s Pakistan compound.

* “I study the history of climate science, and my research has shown that the think tanks and institutes that deny the reality or severity of climate change or promote distrust of climate science, do so out of self-interest, ideological conviction or both. Some groups, like the fossil fuel industry, have an obvious self-interest in the continued use of fossil fuels.”–Naomi Oreskes, co-author of “Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming.”

*”I don’t see how you can separate faith from moral values. I also don’t maintain that you have to be a Christian to exhibit those characteristics in private life or public office.”–Former President Jimmy Carter.

* “The Republicans absurdly call Obama a European socialist on the stump, but the Obama we saw Tuesday (State of the Union speech) night was a liberal incrementalist. … There was nothing big like tax reform or entitlement reform. … Instead, there were a series of modest proposals that poll well.”–David Brooks, New York Times.

* “The president is a smart man. But if he wins in November, that won’t be the reason. It will be luck. He could not have chosen more self-destructive adversaries.”–Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post.

* “As Republicans our first concern is for those waiting tonight to begin or resume the climb up life’s ladder. We do not accept that ours will ever be a nation of haves and have-nots; we must always be a nation of haves and soon-to-haves.”–Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels.

* “It’s insane that there have been 19 (GOP) debates! They’re all stupid. It’s like you’re tuning in to a car race, you really want to see if there’s a wreck.”–Fox News Network talk show host Chris Wallace.

* “We can’t tax or cut our way to prosperity and jobs. We have to invent our way there. We need more “Made in America and “Imagined in America.”–Thomas Friedman, New York Times.

* “He’s a phenomenal hockey player, and he’s entitled to his views. It just feels like we are losing in this country basic courtesy and grace.”–Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick on the decision of Boston Bruins’ goalie Tim Thomas to snub President Obama who was hosting a White House ceremony for the Stanley Cup champion Bruins.

* “There are potential down-ballot implications with a candidate like Gingrich, who is so well defined with Republicans and Democrats, someone who has such a big gender-gap problem, someone who reminds everybody of the 1990s–and not necessarily in a flattering way”–Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.

* “I could do primaries in Florida all the time.”–Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier.

* “The makeover’s working.”–Brad Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, on Gov. Rick’s Scott’s popularity now polling 43 percent approval.

* “Clearing up the standing inventory is a major factor in moving forward in a housing recovery. At the current pace, the standing inventory of these (Tampa Bay) subdivisions should be cleaned out by mid 2013.”–Tony Polito, Metrostudy housing consultant.

* “Big jolt of energy.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s response to news of the Tampa Jewish Community Center & Federation’s plans to turn the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory into a Jewish Community Center South Campus.

* “There’s an old saying in coaching: ‘Until they know how much you care, they don’t care about how much you know. When they know you care, they’ll run through a wall for you.'”–New Bucs coach Greg Schiano.

*Who besides Newt Gingrich knew before South Carolina that there was an effective “mistress card” to be played?

*When it comes to moderating a presidential debate, I’ll take NBC’s Brian Williams over anybody else. But I still miss Tim Russert.

*Let’s hear it for enforcing the “no applause” rule during debates. It won’t prevent pandering, but it keeps a presidential debate from morphing into an unseemly side show unworthy of the process.

*What was with that supersized headline in last Thursday’s Tampa Tribune informing us that there was, drum roll please, such a thing as The No Name Group in our midst? The point size was worthy of V-J Day. Trilateral dining in downtown?

Turns out that folks such as Tom James, Rhea Law, Jeff Vinik and Sandy MacKinnon get together over lunch from time to time and typically talk about more than families, sports and the weather. Of course they would. If there’s a story here, it would be that in a market such as Tampa Bay, with all its moving parts and key players, there were no such group.

* “One of the pleasures of Russia at the moment is the new flowering of political satire, often savagely funny–an echo of a similar blossoming in the last years of Soviet power. Today YouTube bristles with comic Putin put-downs, including a mash-up of Russian politics and the movie ‘Titanic,’ with Putin and Medvedev as the doomed lovers–and Russia in the role of the sinking ship.”–Scott Shane, author of “Dismantling Utopia: How Information Ended the Soviet Union.”

* “This outcome is one of the scenarios we anticipated.”–TransCanada CEO Russ Girling explaining that TransCanada would reapply for a presidential permit on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would carry Alberta crude oil to Texas refineries.

* “What did the rest of America see that we Texans didn’t?’–Editorial comment from the Dallas Morning News on Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s “suspended” presidential campaign.

* “I like a good political philosophic debate as much as the next columnist. Give me a soy latte and a libertarian, and I’m set for the night.”–Michael Gerson, Washington Post.

* “It’s a real possibility. Right now I’d say it’s 50-50. … The process could go all the way to Tampa.”–Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele assessing the chances of an open GOP convention this summer.

* “Some of the fundamental ingredients for a sustained recovery are now in place. You have stronger confidence; you have stronger corporate profits; and the housing market depression is unwinding.”–Mekael Teshome, economist with PNC Financial Services Group who tracks the Florida market.

* “It is irresponsible and reckless for this entity affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution to act as a travel agent for a brutal dictatorship which is a declared enemy of the United States.”–U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., criticizing travel programs to Cuba offered by the Smithsonian.

* “I don’t want to see students that have less of an income not be able to enter a field that they’re talented in. So as long as we can cover that level, then I have no problem with the market-based (approach).”–USF President Judy Genshaft on a key aspect of market-based tuition proposals for STEM courses.

* “Tropicana Field, and whatever its deficiencies, never came up.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster on his recent conversation with Tampa Bay Rays’ owner Stu Sternberg.

* “One of the things they like to do is break glass. … It’s sad, but that is their goal.”–Hillsborough County Fire Chief Ron Rogers on what to expect from some anarchist groups coming to Tampa for this summer’s GOP convention.

I don’t take in that many movies. They’re an investment in logistics and money and often an exercise in audience roulette. And not enough are worth it. But I’ve seen three great ones in the last year: “The King’s Speech,” “Midnight In Paris” and “The Artist.” Thank you, Tampa Theatre and CineBistro, venues matter when you want the experience.

Now I’m a looking forward to seeing “The Iron Lady.” Actually, I’m looking forward to seeing Meryl Streep. She can absolutely channel a character, and given that this one is the remarkable Margaret Thatcher makes it irresistible.

But I’m also aware, of course, of the movie’s critical reviews. Great performance, decidedly less than great movie, seems the consensus. A descent into dementia is tough to pull off. Story line by flash back can be jolting; lives, including extraordinary ones, are lived linearly.

Well, I’ll be seeing for myself, but I’m always intrigued by the media endorsements that accompany newspaper movie ads, even those with less-than-sterling reviews. For “The Iron Lady” there is this laudatory shout out from Al Neuharth of USA Today: “A Movie You Really Need To See!” It’s right under where it says: “The Most Controversial Woman of Her Time. The Most Celebrated Actress of Our Time.”

But, of course, Neuharth said more than is shown. Is it dishonest or disingenuous or just movie PR 101 to self-servingly quote out of context for promotional purposes?  Sort of like that super PAC ad quoting Mitt Romney saying “I love the opportunity to fire people.” Seems to go with the trickster territory.

But Neuharth said:

“I wouldn’t have believed it unless I had seen it for myself! Here’s 20th century giant Margaret Thatcher, the UK’s first–and only–female prime minister and the one who returned Britain to the realm of the great powers, depicted as addled. Conversing with her late husband. It borders on blasphemy! Thatcher deserves better, and so does the audience. Arguably, we don’t need to be dolefully reminded of what inevitably can become of greatness, but at least give greatness its due. That’s a reach too far when milestone moments are relegated to flash-back interludes, when biological demise trumps powerful, political precedent. What a missed opportunity to underscore greatness, not just reference it.

But don’t take my word for it. This is a movie you really need to see for yourself. Ponder what was left on the cutting room floor. Consider what a better focused, chronological treatment would have yielded: a poignant but powerful rendering of an incredibly special person on an historic journey–not a plaintive shell. If you wanted to do justice to Ronald Reagan would you use his Alzheimer’s stage as the reference point?”

And speaking of fair, no, Neuharth didn’t say it quite this way. But he could have.

One other notable point on “The Iron Lady.” I caught an interview with Meryl Streep who was commenting on what she had learned from researching the life of Margaret Thatcher. She said she was surprised at how much England’s top Tory approved of national health care and that she was pro-choice.

Not unlike Reagan, Thatcher wasn’t the embodiment of all things contemporarily conservative.

* “There you have Egypt today–a four-way power struggle between the army, the rising Islamist parties, the smaller liberal parties and the secular youth of Tahrir Square. All of them will have a say in how this story plays out.”–Thomas Friedman, New York Times.

* “After years of cold-war competition over the Middle East and North Africa, it is now France and Turkey that are vying for lucrative business ties and the chance to mold a new generation of leaders in lands that they once controlled.”–Soner Cagaptay, senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

* “Our invitation to the IAEA to come to Iran proves that our nuclear activities are transparent, that we have nothing to hide and that our approach with the IAEA is based upon goodwill.”–Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast.

* “It is apparent time and again that U.S. ratings agencies (notably Standard & Poor’s) pursue very much their own goals.”–German Vice Chancellor Philipp Roesler.

* “As one prominent party strategist laughingly reminded me this week, Ronald Reagan allowed a dozen tax increases by some counts and measures; put Sandra Day O’Connor, an eventual disappointment to conservatives, on the Supreme Court; and signed the Simpson-Mazzoli immigration reform act, which gave amnesty to three million illegal immigrants. The liberal in Obama must be green with envy.”–Frank Bruni, New York Times.

* “Capitalism has unleashed more human potential than any other system in history. But we need a tax system that essentially takes very good care of the people who just really aren’t as well adapted to the market system but are nevertheless doing useful things in society.” Warren Buffett.

* “Quelle horreur! One of the uglier revelations about President Obama emerging from the Republican primaries is that he is trying to turn the United States into Europe. … Look out: another term of Obama and we’ll all greet each other with double pecks on the cheek.”–Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times.

* “My goal as president will be to create a Cuban Spring that is even more exciting than the Arab Spring.”–Newt Gingrich.

* “Romney faces a serious problem, and it is one that dogged Al Gore. Voters do not connect with him.”–William McKenzie, Dallas Morning News.

* “(Ron) Paul won’t quit before the Republican convention in Tampa. His goal is to have the second-most delegates, a position of leverage from which to influence the platform and demand a prime-time speaking slot–before deigning to support the nominee at the end. The early days of the convention, otherwise devoid of drama, could very well be all about Paul.”–Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post.

* “The arguments in favor (of a Hillary Clinton vice presidency) are as simple as one-two-three. One: It does more to guarantee Obama’s re-election than anything else the Democrats can do. Two: It improves the chances that, come next January, he will not be a lame duck with a gridlocked Congress but a rejuvenated president with a mandate and a Congress that may be a little less forbidding. Three: It makes Hillary the party’s heir apparent in 2016.”–Bill Keller, New York Times.

* “The bottom line is that job growth was expected to rebound significantly after the recession and its aftermath, independent of any governor’s actions. There’s no evidence his (Gov. Rick Scott) policies are creating jobs.”–Alan Stonecipher, Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy analyst.

* “If defending social services does not make you a conservative, then call me a liberal, because you cannot eliminate poverty by chasing the poor out of the city. They are our responsibility.”–Miami’s Republican Mayor Tomas Regalaso.

* “St. Petersburg’s walkability and wide range of entertainment and services is driving buyer demand.”–Smith & Associates Real Estate owner Bob Glaser on why Smith is opening a major office–staffed by about 50 agents–near downtown St. Pete.

* “We can’t tell airlines where to put their new airplane, but we need to control the message. …In a sense, it’s a good time to be meeting airlines that have orders for new airliners in the next few years.”–TIA CEO Joe Lopano.

For Dick Greco, it was like old times. Put it on schmooze control and keep it topical and conversationally affable. The actual occasion: His new gig as host of the weekly News Hour with Dick Greco that airs Mondays at noon on AM 820 News. Co-hosted by producer Dan Maduri, the News Hour broadcasts from Malio’s Prime Steakhouse.

This week’s debut show with Mayor Bob Buckhorn as guest went well. Mayor Bob is a wonk on details but not so wonkish in talking about them. He’s good copy, as they say. He was the ideal “get” for Greco, Tampa’s four-time mayor who was edged by Buckhorn in last year’s mayor’s race. Respect was apparent, continuity underscored.

How, well,  refreshingly civil in an era when anything political is typically steeped in ratings-driven conflict. Where high-decibel, interrupted conversation is the communicative norm.  Where partisan talk-radio and cable-TV hucksters and yammer-meisters dominate the spectrum.

“Politics is just so negative today,” pointed out Greco. “It’s so angry. So divisive. Nobody’s explaining things. It’s who looks best by making the other guy look bad. No wonder people hate the word ‘politics.’ No wonder we have 20 per cent turnouts for municipal elections. We need more civil forums. We don’t need any more ‘chicken coops’ with people yelling over each other. Hopefully, this can help.”

For Greco, the News Hour is really an extension of the folksy Mayor’s Hour television show that he and co-host Jack Harris debuted in the ’90s. Greco wants the radio iteration to be high interest but low key. And no call-ins to interrupt the conversational flow or introduce unwanted dynamics. He can wax casual and wing it because he’s been there, done that. More than once. Especially with Buckhorn, who grabbed the lion’s share of air time.

“Bob was great,” said Greco. “It was normal for me. I enjoyed it. It was also a way of saying: ‘See, the system works.'”

For his part, Mayor Bob ranged from the personal to the political. Some outtakes:

* “Thank you for the advice that ‘this job will eat you up if you’re not careful.’ I’m a father first and a mayor second.”

* “We’re looking at another $35-million (budget) hole. But you can’t cut your way out. You can’t get blood out of a turnip. You have to grow your way out of it (deficit).”

 

* “This (Republican National Convention) is not a political event to me. This is an economic development opportunity…And the pictures shown to the entire world are the pictures we want shown. And the message conveyed is the message we want.”

* “It (master plan for downtown) will be the blueprint for our future for the next 25 years…We’re looking to change the culture with new software programs. Streamlining the permitting process. Developers want predictability.”

* “You can’t force the marketplace. But you can help set the table.”

* “This restoration (of the old federal courthouse into a boutique hotel) will breathe new life into downtown. They’re (Tampa Hotel Partners LLC) not asking the city for virtually anything–probably a very long-term lease.”

* “The CAMLS (USF’s downtown Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation) project is going to generate 30,000 room nights per year.”

* “As for (St. Petersburg) Mayor (Bill) Foster, we have far more that we have in agreement than disagreement; 99.9 per cent of things we interact on, we’re in lockstep. As for the Rays, they’re a regional entity. I will give my best effort to see that they stay here, wherever here is.”

* “The political process has been denigrated to the point where you’re not getting the best and brightest…It can be a rough, rough business. But, you know, the really good ones don’t care. It’s a true calling to do good. The greater good outweighs the short-term pain.”

* “What would keep me up at night? Hurricanes. You can’t control it. And the convention. Ways to expose the city in a positive way.”

* “The (strip club) ‘six-foot rule’ took on a life of its own. It was about quality-of-life crimes and issues. I wasn’t born in a boy scout uniform–but Tampa is so much better than that. I would do it again.”

So what does Greco do for an encore? Next up is African-American attorney Warren Dawson to discuss themes appropriate for Martin Luther King day, followed by St. Pete Mayor Foster and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. Former Gov. Charlie Crist is likely on deck. And don’t be surprised if President Barack Obama and the Republican presidential nominee make the Malio’s scene in 2012. A Tampa political icon and I-4 media exposure in the nation’s pre-eminent battleground state? Hardly a long shot.

Greco says he won’t shy away from those associated with controversial issues, but only if they understand the rules of engagement.

“I said during the campaign that I was neither liberal nor conservative–but ‘reasonable,'” stressed Greco. “We have enough negativity. You could pave the streets with gold, and somebody would say they don’t like the glare. Well, good things are happening too. Let’s talk.”