Category: Uncategorized

• Before long, Michael Cohen’s book, “Disloyal,” will be highlighting, so to speak, the news cycle. Here’s a tease passage from its foreward. “I bore witness to the real man, in strip clubs, shady business meetings, and in the unguarded moments when he revealed who he really was: a cheat, a liar, a fraud, a bully, a racist, a predator, a con man.”
• South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Its endorsement of Joe Biden was the first general election endorsement by a Florida newspaper.
• Facebook just rolled out its Voting Information Center, an online hub for authoritative voting information. Helpful—but still seems like an exercise in trying to rebottle the monetized genie of politically-partisan misinformation.
• “The thing that we treasure in this country is the peaceful transition of power. This is troubling.”—Fox News’ Chris Wallace, on Trump’s orchestration of election scenarios that could provide cover for vote nullification.

• After 24 years announcing Lightning games, Rick Peckam has retired. Appropriately, his last game was that 5-4 OT win against Columbus that clinched the first-round playoff series. What will be missed: his preparation, his enthusiasm, his professionalism. And being an all-around nice guy who was really good at what he did. I still remember his answer to what I thought was a probing media query. After having perceptively noted that hockey is all about quick, sometimes frenetic, back-and-forth action with personnel and puck direction constantly changing, I asked him how he kept track of it all. “I don’t” was his candid, initial—possibly obvious–response. He then went on to explain that he had to convey the bigger picture and not try in vain to mention everything going on. Of course.
• Last week’s Rays-Yankees series included a match-up of Rays pitcher Chaz Roe and Yankees infielder Tyler Wade. That’s right: Roe v Wade.
• For what it’s worth, the Bucs are 4-point underdogs to the Saints in the Sept. 13 NFL opener in New Orleans.

• “I found the best way through pain and loss and grief is to find purpose.”—Joe Biden.
• “We have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it.”—Michelle Obama.
• “At a time like this, the Oval Office should be a command center. Instead, it’s a storm center. There’s only chaos.”—Former President Bill Clinton.
• “Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Trump golfs.”—Bernie Sanders.
• “Outrage fatigue is real. (Trump) has worn us out. … I’ve never seen a candidate so incapable of reaching out to anyone other than his calcified base.”—Former Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill.
• “We need a president who is ready on Day One to begin the hard work of putting back together the pieces of what Donald Trump has smashed apart.”—Former Secretary of State John Kerry.
• “Make no mistake. It didn’t have to be this way. In the early days of the virus, Donald Trump didn’t listen to the experts.”—Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, speaking at the virtual Democratic National Convention.
• “The administration’s failure to contain the coronavirus deserves something akin to a 9/11 commission.”—Michelle Goldberg, New York Times.
• “I struggle to speak, but I have not lost my voice. Vote, vote, vote.”—Former Arizona Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head while meeting with constituents nearly a decade ago.
• “Somebody has to start being willing to break down this tribalism.”—Biden-voting, former Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich, who was a presidential candidate in 2016.
• “There are many people who are voting for Trump who are in environments where it’s politically untenable to admit it because he’s become so toxic.”—Republican pollster Whit Ayres.
• “We used to say racism is dog whistles. Now it’s a fog horn.”—Angela Rye, former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus.
• “The soul of this nation is being sacrificed to assuage the abject terror felt by too many white people in knowing that people of color will outnumber them in about 20 years.”—Leonard Pitts, Miami Herald.
• “They are our most loyal voters, and I think that the black women of America deserved a black vice-presidential candidate.”—Harry Reid, former Senate Majority Leader.
• “We assess with a high degree of likelihood that November’s elections will be marked by a chaotic legal and political landscape. (President Trump) is likely to contest the result by both legal and extralegal means.”—The bipartisan Transition Integrity Project.
• “America deserves better, our men and women in uniform deserve better. … It is in the best interest of the United States to elect Joe Biden as our Commander-in-chief, and I will vote for him.”—Retired Brig. Gen. Remo Butler, former Director of the Center for Command Support, U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill AFB.
• “We have a message for President Trump: Don’t mess with the USPS.”—U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor.
• “I think the American people should be able to vote by mail. I’m going to vote by mail myself.”—Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
• “Joe Biden is the Democratic equivalent of George H.W. Bush—another ambitious vice president who believed in loyalty and decency more than in any particular set of ideas.”—Bret Stephens, New York Times.
• “We expect cases, we expect closures at least of classrooms, and then potentially schools based on the outcomes of our investigation.”—Dr. Douglas Holt, director of the Florida Health Department in Hillsborough County.
• “There’s a vocal group that’s calling for defunding of the police when there’s not a clear understanding of what that means.”—Mayor Jane Castor.
• “Our ability to carry out our mission is truly in a perilous position.”—Judy Lisi, CEO of the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, in making the case to the Hillsborough County Commission that the Center needed an estimated $8.6 million infusion until it can resume revenue-generating ticket sales.
• “Parents are understandably concerned because of the potential for children bringing the virus home. First and foremost, families must have the ultimate authority on whether to send their children back into the classroom.”—Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, dean of USF’s Morsani College of Medicine.
• “All the pieces are in place. That’s why I’m here. … It’s an exciting future for Moffitt, Tampa and the state of Florida.”—Dr. Patrick Hwu, newly named president and CEO of Moffitt Cancer Center.

First things first. There are no perfect candidates. The human condition, let alone partisan politics, assures no less. So, yes, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris is not flawless. Her presidential campaign never got traction. Her record as a prosecutor—not a public defender or defense attorney—is already being cherry-picked by progressives as well as Republicans. And, yes, she had that pre-planned, cringe-worthy “I was that little girl” debate moment.

But Harris, the second black woman elected to the Senate, checks important boxes as a well-informed, quick-study, articulate female of color who could handle the presidency as early as 2024. Yes, she’s a relative centrist, but she has called for an increase in corporate taxes, is against fracking and the death penalty, has introduced the Justice in Policing Act and has teamed with Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) to propose legislation that would establish an Independent Office of Climate and Environmental Justice Accountability. Her Indian-Jamaican-immigrant story could help pull us back from the xenophobic Trump precipice—and inspiringly update “American exceptionalism.”

If you’ve seen Harris, 55, in action as a member of the Senate judiciary and intelligence committees, you’ve seen somebody who knows how to prosecute a case. Ask William Barr. Or Joe Biden. Harris is “best equipped to take this fight to Trump,” Biden pointed out.

If you noticed how suburban women voted for Trump in 2016 and how fewer, post-Obama black voters came out for Hillary Clinton, you’ve seen the bottom-line need to complement Joe Biden, 77, with a feisty, charismatic, generationally-removed partner uniquely qualified to prosecute Trump and win back key swing states. In short, she’s no Tim Kaine.

That all underscores why Trump, the misogynist-in-chief, is already vilifying Harris as “nasty” for being “mean” to his appointees. He, unsurprisingly, speaks more highly of Ghislaine Maxwell than Harris. Then Trump doubled down and referred to Harris as the “meanest, most horrible, most disrespectful” member of the Senate. Poor Brett Kavanaugh. Trump also enabled Obama-esque, birther misinformation about Harris’ presidential-ticket eligibility. And he also knows that if Mike Pence were to stalk her during their upcoming debate, he would live to regret it. Harris’ command of facts and her ability to make a case aren’t masked by that center-stage smile. She can help remake America—not just make history.

Trump knows this nominee is trouble for him. His campaign had been rooting for Bernie Sanders so it could rally the base by hammering home the anti-socialism theme. Biden-Harris nullifies that. Elizabeth Warren gets it. It’s about winning—and “saving America’s soul.”

One other thing: Because of looming scenarios of Trump not conceding defeat, a November win needs to be seen as a mandate, not a mere victory. Having Harris–and her vigorous campaign style–on the Biden ticket is the Dems’ best chance to take back the country. Four years would be a wrenching anomaly; eight years would be a disastrous, authoritarian pivot that will outlast most Americans. Indeed, “It’s all on the line,” as Harris has stated.

You go, Joe and Kamala.

“A Republic, if you can keep it.”

• Of all the seemingly countless arguments–domestic to global–that can be summoned to summarily vote Trump out of office, nothing should matter more than this: Fewer Americans would be dead had it not been for Trump’s utter incompetence in handling a pandemic.
• Imagine, Trump’s version of a pandemic relief project does not include emergency money for the U.S. Postal Service. More than ever, Americans, including this president, will be voting by mail. For many Americans, it’s a pandemic safety measure. There’s no masking the worst health-risk reality in a century. Not to help an already underfunded, understaffed USPS is to further fray a lifeline that America’s democracy must have in this hour of utter peril. No, this isn’t your basic Republican voter-suppression gambit; this is the democracy-damning, narcissistic Trump version.
• “I want to make the post office great again.”—Donald Trump, trying out another hat theme.
• $3 trillion: the expected deficit for this fiscal year, according to the Treasury Department.
• “You inspired me to run and fight to Save America and Stop Socialism!!”—That was Marjorie Taylor Greene, responding to President Trump’s congratulatory tweet for her win in the Georgia Congressional Republican primary. It’s noteworthy, so to speak, because Greene is an outspoken, (anti-Muslim, anti-black, anti-Semitic) video-posting supporter of QAnon. Yes, that QAnon,the one that is centered on the belief that Trump is waging a secret campaign against enemies in the “deep state” and a—no, you can’t make this up—child sex-trafficking ring run by satanic pedophiles and cannibals. What’s not to congratulate?
• “George Washington would’ve had a hard time beating me before the plague.” Who knew that plagues could have an upside?
• Among Trump’s economic advisers: Arthur Laffer—of “Laffer Curve” renown. Indeed, we’re seeing ripple effects on the economy.
• “I have every reason to believe Trump will not go quietly into the night if he loses.”—Hillary Clinton.
• Again, how did we get here? There have always been populists and nationalists and racists, some less nuanced than others. They’re well chronicled throughout America’s eclectic, democratic history. But contemporary times brought us an inflection point in 2008. Republicans putting the manifestly uninformed, reality-TV wannabe Sarah Palin on the ticket was the outrageous precursor to a charlatan such as Trump. When the bar for a presidential ticket is that subterranean, anything can happen. And it did eight years later. Then add the other perfect-storm elements: a less-than-involved electorate, one that could be inordinately influenced by rapidly morphing social media—domestic- and foreign-based—and a pop-culture, media savant who only reads tabloids and authoritarian playbooks. The regrettable result: demeaning the media; playing up white nationalism; scapegoating elites and liberals; and getting Donald Trump elected. Once.
• “(Trump) is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment.”—Michelle Obama, at the virtual Democratic convention.
• “Compassionate conservative.” Remember that? Maybe George W. Bush still does.

#AloneTogether

• The U.S., with 4 percent of the world’s population, accounts for nearly 25 percent of coronavirus infections—and 22 percent of the deaths. That should not be part of “American exceptionalism.”
• “Eat Out to Help Out”: A British initiative that offers customers 50 percent discounts at restaurants and pubs between Monday and Wednesday in August.
• 30 million: The number of Americans now collecting unemployment benefits.
•  Grocery stores are doing better than most enterprises, as Americans increasingly dine at home.
• Florida is one of four states (California, Minnesota, North Dakota) plus the city of Philadelphia that will participate in a COVID-19 vaccine pilot program with the federal government.
• $5.4 billion: Budget deficit facing Florida over the next two years.
• TIA passenger traffic in July was down 68 percent from the previous year.
• Weekly positivity rate averages: Polk County, 10 percent; Hillsborough County, 7 percent; Manatee County, 6 percent; Pasco County, 6 percent; Pinellas County, 5 percent.
• AMC Theatres expects to open two-thirds of its more than 600 U.S. theater locations by Sept. 3—including five in the Tampa Bay area.

• Joe Biden: “Is anyone surprised Donald Trump has a problem with strong women across the board?” Is anyone surprised that’s a rhetorical question? Ask Hillary Clinton. Or Elizabeth Warren. Or Angela Merkel. Hell, ask Carly Fiorina or Megyn Kelly.
• The Biden campaign raked in $48 million–$39 million of it online–in 48 hours: the 48 hours immediately following the formal announcement of the Biden-Harris ticket. The fund-raising haul included 150,000 first-time donors.
• “It will energize black voters because they can now see themselves in the ticket.”—That was NAACP President Derrick Johnson, weighing in on the selection of Kamala Harris for vice president.
• “Conscience. … It was necessary to do this, and I felt it’s the right thing to do. I believe Biden can bring us together.”—Former Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich—a 2016 GOP presidential candidate—on accepting a speaking role at the Democratic National Convention. And we won’t be shocked if Presidential Nominee Biden announces another—permanent—role for Kasich to play in a Biden Administration.
• As we know, the Dems need a net gain of only three seats to take back a Senate majority if Joe Biden wins. The chances are more than do-able—starting with the top targeted states of North Carolina, Arizona and Colorado. Plus, it’s even money right now in Georgia, Iowa, Maine and Montana. Hell, Lindsey Graham could be ousted by Jaime Harrison in South Carolina. Even Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is feeling heat in Kentucky. According to the non-partisan Cook Political Report, it’s advantage Dems less than three months out from the election. And then there’s this telling-assessment memo issued by Kevin McLaughlin, the executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, to mark the 100-day countdown to the election. “From 30,000 feet, things look pretty bleak.” Too bleaking bad.
• No surprise that the 300,000-member National Association of Letter Carriers has endorsed Biden for president. But will they be voting by mail?
• It couldn’t hurt if Bernie Sanders, the avatar of democratic socialism and the lodestar of American progressives, didn’t just caucus with the Democratic Party, endorse its presidential nominee and speak at its virtual convention–but formally joined it. Call it the ultimate loyalty pledge—and a politically-pragmatic signal to his rabid base that it’s got to be all in to take out Trump.
• “We do not agonize; we organize.”—House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

• Sobering reality: In June and July, Fox News was the highest-rated TV channel in the highly-prized, 8-11pm time slot. Not just on cable—all of television.
• Expect a big spike in sales of “The Truths We Hold,” Kamala Harris’ 2019 memoir.
• Birtherism Update: Newsweek has apologized for an op-ed written by a conservative attorney that questioned Kamala Harris’ citizenship—and VP eligibility. The apology specifically noted that the op-ed was “being used by some as a tool to perpetuate racism and xenophobia.” Even for an erstwhile media icon trying to stay relevant, this was unconscionable.
• “The press must look past the campaign coverage that was and embrace its role as a safeguard of democracy.”—Kyle Pope, Columbia Journalism Review.

• 5 overtimes! That’s how long the Lightning’s Game 1 win over Columbus took. That has to change–sudden-death, NHL playoff tradition notwithstanding. That’s about 25 innings in baseball—only hockey is a physical, contact sport. The common opponent is injury-enabling fatigue.
• “Unlike professional sports, college sports cannot operate in a bubble. Our athletic programs are part of broader campuses, in communities where in many cases the prevalence of COVID-19 is significant.”—Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott, after the Pac-12 and Big Ten conferences announced there will be no fall football.
• When the Big Ten pulled the seasonal plug on football, the economic implications were serious. To wit: According to the U.S. Department of Education, Ohio State University football brought in $115 million in the 2018-19 fiscal year. 

• “The United States is becoming like Lebanon and other Middle East countries in two respects. First, our political differences are becoming so deep that our two parties now resemble religious sects in a zero-sum contest for power. … And second, as in the Middle East, so increasingly in America: Everything is now politics—even the climate, even energy, even face masks in a pandemic.”—Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times.
• “It falls on all of us, regardless of our race or station—including the majority of men and women in law enforcement who take pride in doing their tough job the right way, every day—to work together to create a ‘new normal’ in which the legacy of bigotry and unequal treatment no longer infects our institutions or our hearts.”—Former President Barack Obama.
• “Trump and (Steve) Bannon took a low-rent strand of conservatism—class-based, ethnic nationalism—that had always been locked away in the basement of the American right, and overturned the Reagan paradigm.”—David Brooks, New York Times.
• “For the Trump campaign to turn Joe Biden into 2020’s Michael Dukakis requires the president to make Mr. Biden, not himself, the campaign focus.”—Republican strategist Karl Rove.
• “(Harris) is going to be a great motivator for this ticket.”—Democratic South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, the House Majority Whip.
• “I still hope, especially with Kamala on the ticket, that the coverage of women running for president or vice president will be less sexist, less sensationalist and less trivializing.”—Hillary Clinton.
• “Harris is American melting pot meets American dream.”—Ruth Marcus, Washington Post.
• “Congratulations on being the Democratic Vice President nominee … All love and respect from the future president. It’s an honor to run against you.”—Kanye West.
• “We are focused strictly on talking about how (Harris) completes the radical leftist takeover of Joe Biden.”—Tim Murtaugh, Trump campaign communications director.
• “It’s not inconceivable that in 2024, America could have to choose between (Kamala) Harris and (Nikki) Haley for president. Which will it be, the Tamil Brahmin or the Sikh?—Tunku Varadarajan, executive editor at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.
• “A disappointment to conservatives.”—Vice President Mike Pence, on SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts.
• “A payroll tax cut is the hydroxychloroquine of economic policy.”—Paul Krugman, New York Times.
• “Alarmingly, across the nation we see the devastating effects of the president’s campaign to sabotage the election by manipulating the Postal Service to disenfranchise voters. … In a time of pandemic, the Postal Service is Election Central.”–Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in calling House lawmakers to return to Washington to block Postal Service changes that could make it harder for millions of Americans to vote by mail.
• “I don’t know of any evidence that voting by mail would increase voter fraud.”—Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney.
• “I feel like the Titanic. We have hit the iceberg, and we’re trying to make decisions of what time should we have the band play.”—Dr. Carlos Del Rio, infectious disease expert and member of the NCAA COVID-19 Advisory Panel.
• “Having declared a state of emergency for the entire state on March 9, Gov. Ron DeSantis could sign an executive order, allowing mail ballots placed in the USPS mail stream prior to Election Day to be counted, even if they arrive after Election Day.”—Daniel A. Smith, chairman of the political science department at the University of Florida.
• “Having video will provide clarity for everyone and will also hold all parties accountable.”—Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister, in announcing that deputies will begin wearing body cameras.
• “We’re laser focused on Feb. 7.”—NFL Executive Vice President Peter O’Reilly, in reference to Super Bowl 55 in Tampa.