Category: Uncategorized

#AloneTogether

* More than 800,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week—roughly quadruple the pre-pandemic level.

* “There are no risk-free choices. A choice not to get a vaccine is not a risk-free choice—it’s a choice to take a different and more serious risk of getting infected from the virus itself.”–Tampa physician Minal Ahson, one of the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

* The national debt: $27.5 trillion.

* “A surge upon a surge.”–Dr. Anthony Fauci’s warning to Americans about a potential jump in COVID cases after the holidays.

* Needle phobia update: According to a study by the University of Michigan, roughly 16 percent of adult patients avoided the flu vaccine because of a fear of needles. And nearly 27 percent of hospital employees passed on the vaccinations for the same reason.

* “It’s time to move on.”–That was sycophantic televangelist Pat Robertson’s belated advice to Trump. He had previously backed Trump’s claims of voter fraud. And lest we forget, Robertson declared before the election that God had told him Trump would win. Either Robertson lied or God needs serious PR help.

* Ultimate holiday gift: “For newspaper editors, cable TV produces and reporters, a moratorium on coverage of the 45^th president—unless he is indicted.”–Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post.

* Sports Illustrated’s “Game of the Year” is the Rays’ dramatic comeback, 8-7 win over the Dodgers in Game 4 of the World Series. The one where Randy Arozarena slid home for the stunning win. Moreover, SI’s “Play of the Year” went to the Lightning’s Steven Stamkos for his highlight goal in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals against Dallas. It was Stamkos’ first—and only—post-season appearance.

* USF women’s basketball: Now ranked in AP’s Top 20. Go, Bulls.

* The NHL will allow advertising on players’ helmets this season, as teams cope with lost revenue. That’s understandable. But, no, it won’t look like NASCAR.

* Bad news that Nikita Kucherov, the leading scorer and a key offensive catalyst in the Lightning’s success, will miss the 2021 regular season. It could be worse. The Bolts should make the playoffs, and Kuch should be ready by then. That could be very energizing. Plus, it’s a lot easier to deal with such a potentially devastating injury when you’re still celebrating the Stanley Cup.

* It wouldn’t be Christmas, arguably, without a full slate—noon to 10:30 p.m.) of (five) NBA games. Don’t players, if not networks and sponsors, deserve better? Speaking of priorities, it’s a reminder that during non-pandemic seasons, the NHL has a policy of no games on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Priorities, such as players and their families, still matter.

* The Associated Press’ male athlete of the year is—for the fourth time—LeBron James. Well-earned—again. Moreover, the honor also honors, more importantly, his high-profile impact off the basketball court. He’s spoken out effectively on behalf of “Black Lives Matter” and his “More Than A Vote” organization brought in more than 42,000 volunteers to work at polling stations in November–and helped some former felons earn back their voting rights.

* “Joe Biden, it seems to me, knows Ukraine better than the previous president.”–Volodymyr Zelensky, president of Ukraine.

* “China is definitely an adversary, but it isn’t really an ideological competitor the way the Soviet Union was. … China’s ruling ideology is much better understood as nationalistic, with bits of oligarchy, aristocracy, racism and imperialism thrown in.”–Jonah Goldberg, The Dispatch.

* We are all in the same boat.”–Pope Francis, in emphasizing unity among people during his Christmas message.

* “This is exciting for Mike Pence, getting vaccinated is the only time mother ever does shots with him.”–Late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel.

* “(Trump) will be astounded at how irrelevant a president becomes after losing re-election. Ask Jimmy Carter. Ask George H.W. Bush.”–Presidential historian Michael Beschloss.

* “The head of the student council in your middle school was elected by a popular vote. I know it’s an old-fashioned notion, but the most fundamental democratic value is that all votes would count equally.”–Harvard historian Alexander Keyssar, the author of “Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College?”

* “This wall is the largest impediment to wildlife movement we’ve ever seen in this part of the world. It’s altering the evolutionary history of North America.”–Biologist Myles Traphagen of the Wildlands Network, in reference to crews working on a border wall section in San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge near Guadalupe Canyon in Arizona.

* “What I know now is that I will not allow the world to make a big difference in me. That’s what’s incredibly important. I’m not going to let the fact that I live in a nation with a bunch of fools make a fool out of me.”–Author and poet Nikki Giovanni.

* “While Republicans have made the political calculation that they must cough up some money while control of the Senate is still in doubt, they’re clearly getting ready to invoke fear of budget deficits as a reason to block anything and everything Biden proposes once he’s finally sworn in.”–Nobel economist Paul Krugman.

* “Trumpism is a specifically American iteration of generic fascism. … ‘America First’ is actually a retread of an isolationist, pro-Nazi slogan from the 1930s. … The truth is fascists are passing as patriots, and they must be challenged.”–Veteran Republican strategist Mac Stipanovich, now a NPA.

* “I think it’s very hard to get back to the way things were. … If you have 70 percent of Republicans thinking that Biden stole the election, that’s a hard hole to dig out of.”–Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney.

* “(Mike Pence) is clearly continuing to try to stay in Trump’s good graces as well as court the GOP’s wing nut base in order to keep his political future alive.”–Joan Walsh, The Nation.

* “The truth is, members of Congress are getting the vaccine because it’s the law. … The very folks who downplayed the virus, partied maskless at the White House and called the coronavirus a hoax created to hurt President Donald Trump are getting the vaccine ahead of front-line and essential workers, and even vulnerable residents in long-term care facilities.”–Petula Dvorak, Washington Post.

* “Leaders eat last; it’s one of the first lessons a soldier learns as early as basic training.”–Florida Republican Rep. Brian Mast, in criticizing members of Congress for cutting in line to get vaccinated.

* “Walmart knew that its distribution centers were using an inadequate system for detecting and reporting suspicious orders.”–Jason Dunn, the U.S. attorney in Colorado, on the Justice Department’s suit against Walmart that accuses it of fueling the nation’s opioid crisis by pressuring its pharmacies to fill even potentially suspicious prescriptions for the powerful pain-killers.

* “The Confederacy is a symbol of Virginia’s racist and divisive history, and it is past time we tell our story with images of perseverance, diversity and inclusion.”–Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, in announcing the removal of a state of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from the National Statuary Hall Collection in Washington.

* “The 2020 (hurricane) season (June 1 to Nov. 30) was the busiest on record, and I’ve urged the federal government to lengthen the season to better capture the increase in activity.”–Florida Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy.

* “The vaccines are going to be targeted where the risk is going to be greatest, and that’s in our elderly population. We are not going to put young, healthy workers ahead of our elderly, vulnerable population.”–Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

* “The few businesses in the community who aren’t good citizens have to be addressed.”–Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, as Tampa code enforcement officers began enforcing the county’s orders on mask use and bans of dance floor crowds.

* “Really? Are we really going to have that discussion? It’s amazing to me.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, in response to those who say they have a right to go dancing.

* I think the history-making nature of this appointment, combined with his 41-year career in the military, makes him the perfect choice for this.”–Former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, on President-elect Biden’s choice of retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin III, the former commander of the U.S. Central Command at MacDill AFB, as secretary of defense. Austin, the first black commander of Central Command, would also be the first black defense secretary.

* “I loved every minute of it. I could do it 24 hours a day. … I had an appointment every 15 to 20 minutes with whoever wanted to come. We got so much done.”–Former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco, reflecting on his City Hall years.

“A Republic, if you can keep it.”

* If you’re not a feckless GOPster pol or part of a deplorable basket, you appreciate a diminished public presence by this self-aggrandizing, insolent, in-your-face president. That said, it’s still, ironically, no time for an unused bully pulpit, one that is critically necessary to help lead America through pandemic-vaccination logistics and one that is needed to help call out the Russians for cyberattacks. Speaking of the latter, Trump has defended the Russians, blamed the Chinese and disagreed with his own cybersecurity agency and secretary of state. “The Cyber Hack is far greater in the Fake News Media than in actuality,” unsurprisingly declared Trump.

In other words, Trump continues doubling down on his sore-loser, Odious Office departure. The election was still “stolen” or “rigged.” And Vlad Putin is still his handler, regardless of how the relationship undermines national security and international repute. The bottom line, even for this unprecedented president, should be to do everything possible to protect the American people. Whether it’s the Great Depression, Pearl Harbor, a missile crisis, a presidential assassination, 9/11—or a pandemic and cyberattacks. Trump is underscoring that his narcissistic priorities—and those of most Americans—are irreconcilable.

We can only wonder what kind of Trump-directed counter programming will perversely juxtapose the Inauguration. What is certain is that Chuck Schumer’s hope that Trump might “end his term with a modicum of grace and dignity” is a pipe dream.

* So, Mitch McConnell has finally recognized Joe Biden’s win and even congratulated him. It only took six weeks and a number of long-shot, sore-loser, legal defeats. Hell, Vlad Putin acknowledged Biden’s win before McConnell did. Now the Senate Majority Leader gets criticized—by Trump and his base—for giving up so soon, for not having had a bit more acolyte allegiance. He’s even been contemptuously labeled a “Rino.” That’s what recognizing–however unconscionably deferred–reality gets you in the era of Trump Republicanism: being thrown under the disloyalty bus.

Well, too bad Mitch, but you’ll find some familiar, former Trump enablers under that bus with you. You’ve all earned it. Regards to William Barr and Jeff Sessions.

* “Can’t believe how badly Fox News is doing in the ratings! Fox News is dead.” That was the outgoing president tweeting on Fox’s refusal to validate Trump’s ongoing assertion that he would have officially won the election had it not been “stolen.” Chances are Fox also disagrees with Trump’s ratings-spiral obit for the network. Fox is still, alas, the top-rated network, and, no, it’s not fake news that Fox led all cable news stations in the last round of Nielsen Ratings. Like Trump, it’s still here. Unlike the president, reality can occasionally trump fealty.

* “A growing number of Florida Republicans are urging me to challenge Marco Rubio in the Republican primary.” That was the unpardonably sleazy Roger Stone, reminding us that just when we think we’ve heard it all here in “Flo-RED-a,” we have not. Trump baggage, in its various manifestations and iterations, will be with us for a while. Just ask Ivanka.

* It’s the longest of long shots, but there is some insider talk about President-elect Biden considering Judge Merrick Garland for attorney general. It won’t happen, but the karma-and-poetic-justice crowd would love seeing Barack Obama’s partisanly-derailed choice for the Supreme Court, a man synonymous with fairness, in charge of the post-Sessions/Barr Justice Department.

* “May you be like mixologists at trendy gastropubs: behind bars.” Gotta love Trump-targeted, Yiddish humor, even if Bibi Netanyahu and Sheldon Adelson aren’t laughing.

* Amid all the ego-driven drama and chaos accompanying the Trump-Biden transition during a pandemic, it’s easy to overlook the priority that Biden has given to climate policy. No, it’s not the “Green New Deal,” but it’s nothing like the denialism and disingenuousness of the fossil-fueled Trump Administration that has eroded EPA regulations and pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord. The Biden tone was set with the appointment of former Secretary of State John Kerry, a major international player, as special presidential envoy for climate. Besides an obvious worldwide signal of commitment, the Kerry selection means that for the first time, the National Security Council will include an official dedicated to climate change as an urgent national security priority. “We literally have no time to waste,” underscored President-elect Biden.

Moreover, by nominating Janet Yellen, former Federal Reserve chair and onetime head of President Bill Clinton’s Council on Economic Advisers, as Treasury Secretary, Biden can graphically connect job creation with environmental goals. Yellen, new National Economic Council director Brian Deese and Neera Tanden, the nominee to head the White House Office of Management and Budget, are preparing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate clean energy production into the economic stimulus legislation that the incoming Administration is crafting.

It’s a sobering reminder that being motivated to protect lives and save the planet is not reason enough to take a strong stand on climate change. No, it also requires pragmatic, bottom-line economic context. The word “jobs” will be Rick Scott-ubiquitous and on a constant loop in search of bipartisan support for financial regulations that could further speed up the deployment of wind and solar energy, electric cars and other initiatives to reduce emissions. The Biden White House won’t be pushing an either/or–tree huggers or fossil fuelers—agenda. This will be 21^st century jobs growth that also addresses the ultimate existential threat to our way of life and our planet. Too bad it’s still a partisan issue for too many.

* “I think China is waiting to see what the Biden Administration will announce and can deliver on. They are trying to signal that they’re going to continue to move forward on climate action domestically but they’re also holding back.”–Jack Schmidt, managing directorof the Natural Resources Defense Council’s International Program.

* “Among the myriad challenges inherited by the incoming Biden Administration will be not only ending our nation’s longest war, in Afghanistan, but also defining what ending a war actually means.”–Elliot Ackerman, author of “Places and Names: On War, Revolution and Returning.”

* Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia has sponsored a bill that would require ambassadors-to-be to disclose their country knowledge and language skills in detail, along with any political contributions given or bundled over the previous decade. It hasn’t gotten a lot of national buzz, but you can bet the incoming Biden Administration is well aware of the downside of ambassadorships for sale.

#AloneTogether

* “I didn’t feel a thing—well done.”–VP Mike Pence, after being vaccinated on live television.

* “We need at least several more vaccines if we are to get enough doses to vaccinate the overwhelming majority of the country … and get a good umbrella of immunity.”–Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

*According to the CDC, drug overdoses have accelerated during the pandemic: 2020 will become the year with the highest number of overdose deaths on record.

* “How can we come to terms with all this when people are living in separate informational realities?”–Kate Starbird, associate professor and misinformation expert at the University of Washington.

* Approximately 22 percent of regular hospital beds and 18 percent of adult intensive care unit beds were—as of last weekend—open statewide. The numbers in Tampa Bay were 23 percent and 16 percent, respectively.

* Visit Tampa Bay announced that its tax collection on overnight stays was down 45 percent in October compared to the same month last year.

* According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction employment in the Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater metro area declined by 5 percent or 3,900 jobs, across all forms of construction between October 2019 and October 2020.

* 25: the approximate percentage of the inmate population in the Tampa Bay area’s largest state prison facility (Zephrhills Correctional Institute) that has tested positive for COVID-19.

* What would Jesus say about churches struggling to accommodate parishioners during a pandemic? It’s beyond presumptuous to even guess, but here goes: “First things first; protect yourselves and others. When in doubt, stay home and continue to live a principled, faith-based life. I’m good with virtual worship.”

* Digital news site Axios recently announced plans to expand into local markets with a daily (morning) newsletter. “There is an audience—and real revenue—in cities,” noted Axios co-founder Jim VandeHei. As a result, there is now Axios-Tampa Bay. Ben Montgomery, author and former enterprise reporter for the Tampa Bay Times, will be the sole writer of five (roughly 300-word) stories a day–from business to education to health care to sports–culled from local media. It’s called “smart brevity,” says Montgomery, or helping readers “to connect the dots” and “know what you need to know.” So, thanks to Axios, presumably, no more unconnected media dots in this market. Other national markets that will also be debuting Axios newsletters: Denver, Minneapolis and Des Moines.

*Wi-Fi friendly: “The intent of these is to have wayfinding and messaging, and they can all be customized immediately.”–Shaun Drinkard, senior director of public programming and operations for the Tampa Downtown Partnership, whichis helping install 30 free digital touchscreen information kiosks around Tampa in 2021.

* “Soon the (Trump coverage) party needs to end. The news media needs to go cold turkey on Trump.”–Margaret Sullivan, Washington Post. Indeed. To the extent possible, the media should try to undo some of the damage done by all the free publicity provided to an obviously unhinged, uninformed, reality-TV celebrity.

* Merry Christmas, everybody. Thank you for your readership.

* “This town changed when we got an NFL franchise. People said, ‘Wait a minute, if they have an NFL franchise, there’s got to be something going on there.’ And when we got the Super Bowl, people understood that we were big enough to host the Republican Convention and any other event that came along.” That was Leonard Levy, who chaired the Tampa Bay committee that successfully pursued NFL membership in the 1970s. It’s a reminder that for areas such as this one—burgeoning with potential but hardly a major-market magnet—landing an NFL franchise can have a catalytic impact. It did. Such events transcend sports. Ask any economic-development fan.

* Remember the “ThunderDome?” It’s back. Sort of. “ThunderDome” is what Tropicana Field was known as—before baseball and after its original Florida Suncoast Dome appellation. The expansion Lightning used it between the Florida Fairgrounds debut home rink and what is now Amalie Arena. The current “ThunderDome” has nothing to do with hockey. It’s a marketing tool that highlights the venue now being used by the WWE through March for its wrestling showcase broadcasts and pay-per-view events.

* “(Trump) has a fairly large base of support within the United States, and, as far as I understand, he is not going to depart from the political life of his country.”–Russian President Vladimir Putin.

* “(The Trump Administration) has fallen far short in holding the Kremlin accountable.”–David Simon, cybersecurity expert and former Defense Department special counsel.

* “Trust is the coin of the realm.”–George Schultz, former U.S. secretary of state, treasury and labor.

* “Since the election, it has become more apparent how moderate Biden really is. There is not a single super-progressive among his Cabinet and senior staff picks. … If Biden holds the line against the most progressive elements in his party, ex-Republicans might find themselves surprisingly comfortable in a Biden Democratic Party.”–Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post.

* “(Trump’s) going to be the college freshman who hangs out in the high school parking lot during winter break, wanting to recreate the magic. … I look forward to 2020 ending, some time in early 2025.”–Matt Gorman, Republican strategist who worked on Jeb Bush’s 2016 presidential bid.

* This is the light at the end of the tunnel. But it’s a long tunnel.”–New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as the biggest vaccination campaign in U.S. history kicked off.

* “Housing remains a bright spot in an otherwise weak economy, seeing a bounce from strong demand and low mortgage rates.”–Rubeela Farooqi, chief U.S. economist at Hight Frequency Economics.

* “What we did see in middle and high schools was students who were at home were two times as likely to have a D or F.”—Kevin Hendrik, Pinellas associate superintendent for teaching and learning.

* “The few businesses in the community who aren’t good citizens have to be addressed.”–Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, as Tampa code enforcement officers began enforcing the county’s orders on mask use and bans of dance floor crowds.

* “Really? Are we really going to have that discussion? It’s amazing to me.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, in response to those who say they have a right to go dancing.

* “I think the history-making nature of this appointment, combined with his 41-year career in the military, makes him the perfect choice for this.”–Former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, on President-elect Biden’s choice of retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin III, the former commander of the U.S. Central Command at MacDill AFB, as secretary of defense. Austin, the first black commander of Central Command, would also be the first black defense secretary.

* “I loved every minute of it. I could do it 24 hours a day. … I had an appointment every 15 to 20 minutes with whoever wanted to come. We got so much done.”–Former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco, reflecting on his City Hall years.