Category: Media Watch

* “The blunt reality is that there will be dwindling appetite and patience in the U.S. Congress, and in the American body politic writ large, to expend increasingly precious funds on behalf of nations that are apparently unwilling to devote the necessary resources or make the necessary changes to be serious and capable partners in their own defense.”–Defense Secretary Robert Gates in challenging NATO members’ priorities.

* “The current (German) deficit-reduction plan includes about 60 percent spending cuts and 40 percent tax increases. It’s like trying to lose weight by both eating less and exercising more.”–David Leonhardt, New York Times.

* “They actually specifically suggested ‘You’ve Got a Friend.’ That’s sort of the theme of the evening.”–James Taylor, who performed at the recent White House state dinner for German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

* “The conservative governor of Texas, Rick Perry, has gone from a no to a maybe (GOP presidential candidate), but his rightward leanings make George W. Bush look like Al Franken, so he’ll have little claim on the center, where the battle against President Obama will be waged.”–Mark Halperin, Time magazine.

* “I don’t use African American, because I’m American, I’m black, and I’m conservative. I don’t like people trying to label me. African American is socially acceptable for some people, but I’m not some people.”–Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain.

* “President Obama said that he designed Obamacare after Romneycare and basically made it Obamneycare.”–Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty.

* “So far this seems to be a nonevent.”–Gen. Peter Chiarelli, vice chief of staff for the Army, on the impact on soldiers trained after the repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”

* “Health care is phenomenally complicated. Providers have much more information than consumers. Insurance companies are rapacious and are not in the business of optimizing care.”–David Brooks, New York Times.

* “Our ability to snap a picture and flash it to the world in a nanosecond has taken instant gratification to new, unimagined levels and enabled the twin temptations of exhibitionism and voyeurism, first cousins to narcissism.”–Kathleen Parker, Washington Post.

* “No child should be able to finish public school, much less college, without a firm grasp of American history. Because history is not dust. Nor is it myths we tell to comfort and acquit ourselves. Nor is it a lever we twist in order to gain political advantage. No, our history is the master narrative of who we are.”–Leonard Pitts, Miami Herald.

* “It is clearly unconstitutional. It’s mean-spirited, racist and we think a court will enjoin it.”–Mary Bauer, legal director for the Southern Poverty Law Center, commenting on Alabama’s tough new illegal-immigration law.

* “The combination of (NFL) revenue sharing and the salary cap means it takes a perverse genius for a team to lose money.”–George Will, Washington Post.

* “The behavior he has exhibited is indefensible, and Rep. Weiner’s continued service in Congress is untenable.”–U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

* “The Puerto Ricans in Florida have changed the ball game. This is very much a political trip for Obama.”–National Institute for Latino Policy President Angelo Falcon on President Obama’s recent official visit to Puerto Rico.

* “When you’re in a campaign spending $5 million a week on TV, you can create your truth, but when you’re not in a campaign cycle, the truth creates itself. It’s very hard to disabuse people of their first impressions and his first impression is horrible. People are seeing him for who he really is.”–Former Democratic attorney general candidate Dan Gelber on Gov. Rick Scott.

* “One of the biggest obstacles to solar is that it is much more expensive.”–Progress Energy spokesman Scott Sutton.

* “If we claim to be the party of progress then we need to deliver on that. Citizens want elected officials with idealistic hearts and pragmatic approaches.”–Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn at last weekend’s gathering of Democratic activists at the annual Jefferson-Jackson fundraising gala in Hollywood, Fla.

He was a Tampa original. There will be no more Tom McEwens. An era, as well as a legend, has passed.

To say that Tom McEwen, who died at 88 on Sunday, had been the sports editor of the Tampa Tribune would be like saying Abraham Lincoln had been a lawyer. Doesn’t tell you much.

McEwen was a politician with a notepad instead of a portfolio. He knew everybody worth knowing. His foremost priority was loyalty to and progress for the town he loved: Tampa. He worked behind the scenes to help make happen what he would later chronicle and comment on in that signature prose of his–a conversational mix of run-on sentences and Western Union fragments.  From stadiums to an NFL franchise to a Super Bowl to a hockey franchise to Yankee spring training to football at USF. For a city such as Tampa and a region such as Tampa Bay, these became invaluable assets that were instrumental in ratcheting this market into big league status.

Conflict of interest? Of course. But when your calling is can-do booster, hands-on ambassador, hybrid activist, and economic-development catalyst, the rules are uniquely flexible. Especially if you can deliver. Tom McEwen did. The greater good was his goal. He was the perfect antidote for this city’s growing pains. He practically willed Tampa into the big time.

Thought here is. Tom McEwen was a natural resource and a helluva nice guy. This city–and this area–will always be in his debt.

Whether you knew Tom McEwen or not, you have been impacted by him. That’s because he wore the unique hat of sports editor/growth catalyst. The economic ripples — from stadiums and sports franchises and Super Bowls that he helped land — fast-forwarded Tampa into the big time.

He worked behind the scenes to help make happen what he then chronicled and commented on. That era is over, but his legacy lives on.

When it comes to commencement messages, there is no dearth of speakers urging graduates to “seize the moment,” “make a difference” and “follow your dreams.”

Let’s add one more. “Read the minutes of previous meetings.” As in, know what happened yesterday. It’s filled with guidelines and teachable moments.

Americans are notorious for their ignorance of that which is not of contemporary interest or utility. They seemingly revel in it. Well, revel with a cause; Don’t perpetuate it.

* “We believe that we can show those countries who decide to abandon nuclear power–or not to start using it–how it is possible to achieve growth, creating jobs and economic prosperity while shifting the energy supply toward renewable energies.”–Chancellor Angela Merkel in announcing that Germany plans to abandon nuclear energy over the next 11 years.

* “Is there anything less relevant than the prime minister of Israel going to the U.S. Congress for applause and the leader of the Palestinians going to the U.N.–instead of to each other?”–Thomas Friedman, New York Times.

* “I don’t agree with much that the tea party stands for, but I can applaud their vigor, their engagement with the process and their love of country. But as a political tactician, I can also say that if they get to the helm of the GOP ship in 2012, that ship sinks.”–Democratic strategist Bob Beckel.

* “Well, we couldn’t be more excited. Sarah Palin is starting a nationwide bus tour, which I think is a really good way for her to learn all the names of the states.”–Jay Leno.

* “The achievement gap between children from different income levels exists before children enter school. Families are children’s most important educators. Our society must invest in parental education, prenatal care and preschool.”–Diane Ravitch, author and research professor of education at New York University.

* “About 80 million baby boomers are now entering a system designed for a time when people died earlier, unattended by expensive technologies. Demographic shifts and rising per-capita costs require health entitlements to change or collapse.”–Michael Gerson, Washington Post.

* “There’s no question that I’ve done wrong. … But I did not break the law, and I never, ever thought I was breaking the law.”–Former presidential candidate John Edwards.

* “They can protest away, but it doesn’t have to be in everybody else’s face.”–Oregon state Rep. Kim Thatcher on why that state (among 25 so far this year) is considering legislation to shield military funerals from outside groups.

* “When you draft legislation targeting the particular speech of a particular party because you find that speech abhorrent, you run into real risks under the federal and state constitutions.”–Andrea Meyer, legislative director of the ACLU of Oregon.

* “Miami is like Dallas through mescaline goggles: The smells are sharper, the colors brighter, the flora more exotic, the condo towers taller.”–Jacquielynn Floyd, Dallas Morning News.

* “A poll just came out that showed not only does Gov. Scott have an approval rating of less than 30 percent, but the Republican Legislature has a rating of even less than that. Somebody better take notice of this stuff because it should be a wake-up call.” Republican state Sen. Mike Fasano.

* “This can be the biggest economic opportunity the state has ever had if we do it right.”–Al Austin, chairman of the 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee for the Republican National Convention.

* “Creating a better bus system with some bus rapid transit is low-hanging fruit and a necessary short-term fix, especially since bus ridership and gas prices are up. A multimodal system (including light rail) is the only (long-term) solution.”–Brian Seel, TRANSITion Tampa Bay chairman.

* “It would be absolutely devastating to us.”–Russ Bond, Renaissance Vinoy and Golf Club general manager, on the impact on his hotel of a Tampa Bay Rays’ relocation to Tampa.

* “This is a very good sports town and a very good hockey town. … We have a long-term plan, and I feel great about where we’re going.”–Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik.

* “Sientate!” (“sit down” in Spanish)–What Cuban-born, Alonso High star pitcher Jose Fernandez used to yell to opposing batters from the mound before he learned to be less demonstrative.

* “Perhaps, the argument goes, these nations (Brazil, China, India) represent the future, and the time for our (U.S-Europe) leadership has passed. That argument is wrong. The time for our leadership is now.”–President Barack Obama.

* “(Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s ostensible acceptance of the principle of a Palestinian state itself is so ringed about with riders and conditions that critics at home and elsewhere question his sincerity.”–The Economist.

* “Netanyahu sees Obama as more sympathetic to the Palestinians and less so to Israel than any president since Jimmy Carter, and he, Netanyahu, would like to see Obama replaced by someone more like the born-again, pro-Israel Christian George W. Bush.”–Patrick Buchanan, Creators Syndicate.

* “We need to be honest with the President, with the Congress, with the American people, indeed ourselves, about what those consequences are: that a smaller military, no matter how superb, will be able to go fewer places and be able to do fewer things.”–Defense Secretary Robert Gates on the implications of likely defense spending cuts.

* “The British political system gives the majority party much greater power than any party could hope to have in the United States, but cultural norms make the political debate less moralistic and less absolutist.”–David Brooks, New York Times.

* “Right now this (negotiations to raise the $14.3 trillion federal debt ceiling) is all theater. I think the vast bulk of Congress understands it completely. I think there are some people pretending not to understand, who think there is leverage for them in threatening default. I don’t understand that negotiating position.”–Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

* “A party that used to range from moderates to Reagan conservatives now ranges from Reagan conservatives to tea party conservatives.”–Michael Gerson, Washington Post.

* “In my view the factor most responsible for philandering in public officials is a predisposition for risk taking, which also happens to be an essential quality for politicians. … Another factor in the frequent infidelities of politicians is the fact that they are often surrounded by acolytes–adoring followers, campaign workers, office staffers–all focused on pleasing the politician. That adoration can stand in stark contrast to, say, a wife back home who resents that she’s now the only one to take out the garbage, walk the dog and ferry the kids to soccer practice.”–Frank Farley, Temple University psychologist and former president of the American Psychological Association.

* “Our drive-through culture, which applies to relationships as well as mealtimes, is the real enemy of fitness and health.”–Kathleen Parker, Washington Post.

* “When black men degrade gays, we are hypocrites. We cheapen our own history and struggles. It remains stunning to me why more African-American athletes don’t understand this. When a slur is aimed at us, we feel the impact. So why wouldn’t gays?”–Sportsline.com African-American columnist Mike Freeman.

* “Today, South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint is the closest approximation of a Republican kingmaker, because since 1980 the candidate who has carried his state has won the nomination, and because the tea party trusts him.”–George Will, Washington Post.

* “The party of Sam’s Club, not just the country club.”–Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty on what he says the Republican Party really stands for.

* “If you looked up boring in the dictionary, that’d be more exciting than listening to Tim Pawlenty.”–Comedian Seth Meyers.

* “If (Gov. Rick) Perry finally announces his (presidential) candidacy, he would fit right into a GOP field that’s already treaded by aspiring celebrities hawking books and reality TV shows.”–Texas Democratic Party spokeswoman Kirsten Gray.

* “What should concern Republicans is whether he’s going to be a drag on the ticket in 2012. I can’t imagine the Democrats won’t run a campaign linking Republican candidates at all levels to Gov. Scott.”–Dan Smith, University of Florida political scientist.

* “It’s much harder to watch than play.”–Shawn Thornton of the Boston Bruins.

* “There’s a love affair that’s been revived here.”–Tampa Bay Lightning CEO Tod Leiweke on the captivating playoff run that has resulted in an energized fan base and a surge in season-ticket sales.

You know what we haven’t seen? Any recent photos of U.S. Rep. Gabriella Giffords, who was shot in the head and gravely wounded in that Tucson rampage in January. Nor should we have, of course, given the nature of Giffords’ highly-publicized brain injury.

But she has traveled for rehab and twice flown to Kennedy Space Center for Space Shuttle Endeavor launch attempts commanded by her husband, Captain Mark Kelly. Given all the cell phone cameras and the nature of the paparazzi beast, I didn’t think an embargo on Giffords’ photos would hold up. 

Maybe it’s just good media self-discipline. And a good protective security cocoon. Whatever the reason. Good. Didn’t think it was possible just because it was so obviously the right thing to do. There’s hope.

* “My goal in coming here was not to apologize for what I consider to be a triumph against terrorism of unprecedented consequences.”–Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., on his trip to Pakistan to discuss the killing of Osama bin Laden with top Pakistani leaders.

* “A stable Afghanistan is not essential; a stable Pakistan is essential.”–The late Richard Holbrooke, who had been the Obama Administration’s special envoy to the Af-Pak region.

* “Fragile and reversible.”–Gen. David Petraeus’ assessment of the security situation in Afghanistan.

* “The biggest challenge to governance (in Afghanistan) is that they do not have that tradition of noncorrupt government. They are recruiting honest brokers to participate, but corruption is going to continue to be a big issue.”–U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa.

* “Newt Gingrich is in deep trouble with the Republican base for stating the obvious on Sunday (with David Gregory on NBC’s “Meet The Press”), when he called the signature Medicare proposal of his party ‘right-wing social engineering.’ But that’s exactly what it is: a blueprint for downward mobility.”–Timothy Egan, New York Times.

* “I appreciate Newt Gingrich appearing on all kinds of different platforms. He’s always willing to sit down and answer questions and say what he thinks. Not every politician is willing to do that.”–David Gregory.

* “Had to monitor Fox for a story. Can’t. Deal. With. The. Blathering.”–Recent U.S. Secret Service tweet, which was hurriedly taken down.

* “Given his admirable handicap of Minnesota niceness, (former Gov. Tim) Pawlenty’s attempts at partisan outrage can seem awkward. He could get a ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ tattoo and still not secure a majority of tea party support.”–Michael Gerson, Washington Post.

* “The federal government is basically an insurance company with an army.”–Paul Krugman, New York Times.

* “In the November elections, if you said ‘tea party,’ that was fabulous. But the tea party’s sex appeal, for lack of a better term, may not be as strong today.”–Associated Industries of Florida Senior Vice President Chris Verlander in the wake of the election of African-American Democrat Alvin Brown as mayor of Jacksonville.

* “Florida has always been a state that has been open in having access to voting for legal residents. This bill reduces that access.”–Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, on the signing of the controversial elections bill (HB 1355) by Gov. Rick Scott.

* “Florida has a tough time attracting new physicians and retaining our homegrown physicians because of the state’s dangerous medical liability climate. Florida ranks among the worst states in the nation for paid malpractice claims and payouts. Our medical malpractice premiums are by far the highest in the nation. … In Florida the average liability premium for an OB/GYN is $200,000 per year.”–Dr. Madelyn E. Butler, M.D., president of Florida Medical Association.

* “We put it out to bid. They bid. They won the bid. Their money’s green and spends like everybody else’s.”–Pinellas County Commissioner Neil Brickfield on plans to sell five downtown Clearwater buildings to the Church of Scientology.

* “I really feel like the local market can bear another half marathon. I’m comfortable with it. I wish it could be further away from Gasparilla, but it won’t be, so we all have to deal with it.”–Gasparilla Distance Classic organizer Susan Harmeling on the announcement of the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll St. Pete Half Marathon on Feb. 12, 2012.

* “And I know I ran as a fiscal conservative and promised to be a budget hawk. I really agonized over this one.”–Hillsborough County School Board member Stacy White on the board’s decision to spend about $900,000 (in federal grant money) for Apple iPads for every student and teacher at (the new, single-gender magnet program) Franklin and Ferrell middle schools.

* “Tampa has one terrific owner (Jeff Vinik). He’s a hockey fan, he’s smart, he’s a good business person, he has the resources, he has the commitment, he knew what he was getting into and hires the right people.”–NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

As we know, virtually all facets of the Navy SEAL operation to take out Osama bin Laden were flawless. Except for that abandoned (and destroyed) helicopter, but no one was even injured. And except for that morning-after press briefing that featured as much speculation as fact.

And speaking of that fog-of-war media session, what was notable was the sub-par performance of White House press secretary Jay Carney. Fog-of-war meets deer-in-headlights. Carney, who replaced Robert Gibbs a couple of months ago, seems over his head in the early going.

He seems overly scripted, as if he’s not confident in his own paraphrasing.  As if he isn’t a true insider with the ultimate access. If so, that’s a problem. Especially with a president having his image continuously scrutinized. The press secretary might not be channeling the president, but he speaks for his Administration.

Ever since Stephen Early, who was the White House press secretary under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the rule of thumb for effectiveness at the PS post has been access, as in unfettered. The position calls for more than an ex-newspaper hack trained as an on-message parrot. It calls for knowledgeable, articulate, fast-on-their-rhetorical feet sorts with insider gravitas.

Carney’s predecessor, Robert Gibbs, had it, although his welcome with the Washington press corps had been waning by the end of his tenure. So did Tony Snow and Ari Fleischer under President George W. Bush. As did Mike McCurry under President Bill Clinton. Same with Marlin Fitzwater under President George H.W. Bush.

What they had in common was packaged credibility. And, yes, it helped to have senses of spontaneity and humor. The self-important, often preening Washington press prefer a working relationship with some professional give and take. They want to feel that they are participants, not just recipients. They respect those who understand their “gotcha” game.

It also helps if the press secretary has some history with the president. Gibbs, for example, had been communications director of Obama’s presidential campaign. And Stephen Early was Roosevelt’s advance man when FDR ran as vice president on the James Cox ticket in 1920.

Carney, a former reporter with the Miami Herald, was a very well-regarded journalist. He became Time magazine’s Washington Bureau chief and was a regular on ABC News’ “This Week With George Stephanopolos.” He later worked as Vice President Joe Biden’s communication’s director, which may have been a double-edged sword. 

Maybe Carney, 45, will grow into the job. But frankly there are certain jobs–and ones at the highest levels of government come readily to mind–where hitting the ground running should be a requisite.

And as we all know, there are no retakes on first impressions. Just ask Tim Geithner.

Both major daily newspapers, the St. Pete Times and the Tampa Tribune, made the same journalistic call last weekend. They both prominently played up a major New York Times piece about Donald Trump.

The upshots:

            *The photo-complementing layouts were an unwelcome reminder of the Trump Tower Tampa that was to rise on what is now an unsightly, fenced-in riverfront parcel at Ashley and Brorein streets.

            *The lengthy piece was also an unflattering reminder of Trump’s self-promoting, brand-name dealings and how he has morphed from real estate developer to highly compensated licensor.

            *A further reminder of what his money can’t buy. Integrity. Class. Trust. The Oval Office.