Category: Uncategorized

* Pandemics have a history of return visits. Should we really be counting on the Bucs go-for-broke, “no risk it, no biscuit” off-season upgrades to get to the Super Bowl here in Tampa? The social-distancing, COVID elephant in the room will not go away–TB-12, Gronk and quality draft picks notwithstanding.

* Bucs’ top draft pick, Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs, has by most accounts exactly what the Bucs need at right tackle to help protect Tom Brady: size, athleticism and work ethic. Plus, he’s a nice guy. To some, however, “nice” is more of a minus, a caveat indicating the lack of a mean streak. No shoulder-chip. No swagger. Does that matter? Three words: Lee Roy Selmon.

* The WWE is still holding and taping shows on its closed set in Orlando. That’s because the state of Florida has classified the WWE as essential business. Seriously.

* “I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea.”–Donald Trump.

* “The American system still has a strength not available to the Chinese people: the ability to replace its leader when he falls  short. That may be what the world will be watching most closely of all.”–Fred Hiatt, Washington Post.

* “A European race to see who will allow tourist travel first will lead to unacceptable risks.”–German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

* “The American people want leadership, and they see it with President Trump, and it is driving the news organizations across the country crazy.”–White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany in accusing CNN and MSNBC of “partisan” spin on coronavirus-briefing coverage.

* “You’ve got to have some hope to sell people. But Trump usually sells anger, division and ‘we’re the victim.'”–Congressman Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma.

* “If Trump is the issue, he probably loses. If he makes it about Biden and the economy is getting better, he has a chance.”–Republican consultant Charles R. Black Jr.

* “Refusing to wear a mask on a city sidewalk isn’t civil disobedience; it’s an act of aggression against your families and your neighbors. Even if the president is cheering you on.”–Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times.

* “…more difficult and potentially more complicated.”–From a warning by Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, on what the fall and winter may look like due to the confluence of coronavirus and influenza.

* “The biggest risk is that you open too fast, too broadly, and you have another round of infections, a second wave. That’s the fodder for an economic depression. That would just completely undermine confidence.”–Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics.

* “Stopping Blue State Bailout.”–The title  of a document put out by the staff of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell suggesting states hit hard by coronavirus should be allowed to seek bankruptcy protection rather than be given a federal bailout.

* “It’s not red and blue. It’s red, white and blue.”–New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

* “A noisy minority of protesters is furious at government for trying to keep them healthy. They demand their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of acute, respiratory distress.”–Leonard Pitts, Miami Herald.

* “We’re the most Scrooge-like state in the country on benefits. So coming into the crisis, we already had this (unemployment) system that was the most anti-worker system there was.”–State Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, D-Miami.

* The sooner we move to widespread testing and the use of face coverings, the sooner we will be able to reopen our businesses and get back to our daily lives.”–Mayor Jane Castor.

* “It’s a desert.”–Tampa International Airports spokeswoman Emily Nipps, on the optics of an airport that now sees about 2,500 travelers a day. Normally, it would be about 80,000 per day.

* “The pandemic has had a major impact on finances of institutions like Tampa General. It is not sustainable for the obvious reasons.”–John Couris, president and CEO of TGH. Florida hospitals are hoping to soon restart elective surgeries.

* “We’re keeping the energy flowing to our customers because we know how vital it is to their lives.”–TECO spokeswoman Cherie Jacobs, on keeping power on for customers, including those who can’t pay their bills because of the pandemic.

“A Republic, if you can keep it.”

* Trump’s demographic appeal skews older. The same demographic most vulnerable to COVID-19. How can elderly voters be anything but turned off–if not flat-out scared–by what they continue to see and hear at the presidential podium? Let alone what preceded the pandemic.

* “I will always put the well-being of America first.” Imagine what it would look like if that were not Trump’s foremost priority.

* So who is now the public face of HHS during a pandemic? It’s Michael Caputo, who has no background in health care. What the new assistant secretary for public affairs does have, however, is a track record of Trump fealty. Caputo wrote a book and produced a documentary, “The Ukraine Hoax,” during the impeachment process.

* “COVID-19 isn’t ‘shifty Schiff.'” That criticism of Trump’s briefings’ behavior, which features bluster, invective, insults and misleading information, didn’t come from the “lame stream media,” unless the LSM now includes the less-than-liberal Wall Street Journal.

* “You’re going to call your own shots. We’re going to be standing alongside of you.” That was Donald Trump in a conference call to governors, sounding like the vacillator-in-chief who had earlier claimed absolute authority to determine how and when states reopen. Stay tuned, as always.

* It’s 2020 and Wisconsin has a (de facto) poll tax. Call it the price Wisconsin voters paid recently in the form of fear, anxiety and physical well-being because of in-person voting. It’s the unconscionable upshot imposed by conservative Republicans on the courts and in the State Legislature. Being the  “Badger State” shouldn’t mean badgering democracy and enabling gerrymandering.

#AloneTogether

*Lávase Las Manos. Wash Your Hands.

* In Paris, Milan and Madrid, hospitals are now reporting empty ICU beds and enough ventilators to go around. We’ll take it.

* “It is thin ice. … Caution is the order of the day, and not overconfidence.”–German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

* Sweden has the highest mortality rate in Scandinavia. It’s likely not happenstance; it’s the only Nordic country that ignored the lockdowns imposed among its neighbors.

* “You don’t make the timelines. The virus makes the timelines.”–Dr. Anthony Fauci.

* The coronavirus attacks the lungs. Could that be a wake-up call to smokers and vapers? I don’t think so either.

* Talk about a worst-case scenario: a pandemic during the Trump plague!

* Yes, there is light at the end of this COVID tunnel; we just don’t know how long this tunnel is.

* “I think it will be months. I definitely don’t think it will be years.”–Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, on the economic-recovery time frame.

* COVID prescience: “If anything kills over 10 million people in the next few decades, it’s most likely to be a highly infectious virus rather than a war–not missiles but microbes.” That was Bill Gates in 2015. His Foundation is the second largest donor to the WHO for its latest two-year budget.

* Imagine how the pandemic “normal” would be looking if Trump, as he has self-servingly noted, were not doing “one hell of a job.”

* “We have the best tests in the world.” Maybe Trump meant true-false.

* When in pandemic doubt, err on the side of caution. It’s not an error–whether it’s beaches, businesses, churches or early release of problematic inmates.

* Gov. Ron DeSantis has given the go-ahead for some beaches and parks to reopen if it can be done safely. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said Duval County beaches have reopened with restricted hours and can only be used for walking,biking, hiking, fishing, running, swimming, surfing and taking care of pets. How’s that for restrictive?

* One inherent issue with wearing masks is that you can’t see people smile–and smiles have never mattered more.

* A group–representing political consultants, pollsters and lobbyists–is suing the U.S. government for a piece of the $2.2 billion COVID-19 bailout pie, specifically the “forgiving loans” provided under the Paycheck Protection Program. The program excludes a number of businesses, including nonprofits, strip clubs and those “primarily engaged in political or lobbying activities.” When’s the last time nonprofits, strip clubs and political lobbyists even appeared in the same sentence?

* According to a recent report by the Tampa Bay Partnership, USF Muma College of Business and others, about 40 percent of this region’s (5,000) hospital beds are still available for new patients and about a third of the ICU beds are currently available.

* Add wastewater employees to the list of everyday heroes on the front line of human health and environmental protection. That’s because of too many flushable wipes–and paper towels and diapers. There’s even been a warning from the EPA about the danger of flushing gloves, facemasks and wipes that could be carrying COVID-19.

* “(Joe Biden) has the character and the experience to guide us through one of our darkest times and heal us through a long recovery. … The Republicans occupying the White House and running the U.S. Senate are not interested in progress. They are interested in power.” That was former President Barack Obama, in endorsing his former vice president.

It won’t be enough, however, if the former president can’t foment hope-and-reset among minorities and young voters. They’ll be asked to get behind a candidate who is not charismatic like the eloquent, history-making Obama–nor as enthralling as the ideological guru that is Sanders.

* While Biden still polls better than Trump right now, he does have a disturbing deficit online. His YouTube subscribers total just 32,000; Trump has more than 300,000. Biden has less than 7 million followers on Facebook and Twitter; Trump has more than 100 million. It matters.

* It still existentially boggles the mind–how we keep reading references to Bernie Sanders’ supporters who are just not inspired by Biden, and, as a result, can’t be counted on voting for the presumptive Democratic nominee. It’s no malarkey that Biden doesn’t necessarily “inspire,” but, yes, Trump should necessarily frighten. Isn’t that rationale enough?

* “Mr. Sanders lost the nomination, but he’s winning the battle of ideas–and the Democratic Party’s future.”–That was Republican strategist Karl Rove. No, it’s not a compliment.

* In addition to hard-core GOPsters, you know who else misses Rick Scott? Cartoonists. They can’t nail the DeSantis caricature.

* “(The media) just want power, they’re authoritarian, they’re like nothing I’ve seen since, if you go back in history, to Nazi Germany. That’s what they remind me of.” That was Jerry Falwell Jr., the president of Liberty University, who demeans media, deifies Trump and defends keeping the school’s campus open during the pandemic.

* “Even in the most dire of emergencies, the president of the United States should not be able to operate free from constitutional checks and balances.”–Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law.

* “Republicans have been more diligent in warning about substantial election fraud than they have been successful in documenting it. … Trump says he opposes VBM (Voting By Mail) because, in addition to worries about fraud, it ‘doesn’t work out well for Republicans.'”–George Will, Washington Post.

* “China unleashed this pandemic on the world and they should pay the price.”–U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.

* “The whole U.S. oil system is physically backing up from pipelines to refineries because of a lack of demand and no oil storage space.”–Frank Verrastro, senior vice president of the Center for Strategic & International Studies at Georgetown University.

* “LIBERATE MINNESOTA! LIBERATE MICHIGAN! The states have to step up their TESTING! LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege.”–Donald Trump.

* “Passing the buck without passing the bucks.”–New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in slamming the COVID response of Congress and Trump.

* “When it comes to a contagious pathogen, nursing homes are like cruise ships.”–Steven L. Berk, dean of the School of Medicine at Texas Tech University and co-author of “Infections in Nursing Homes and Long-term Care Facilities.”

* “It is enigmatic that many Christians are so loyal to a man who is almost everything Jesus spoke against. … He is neither Christian in character nor ‘pro life’ in his ongoing failures during this pandemic.”–Dr. Mark Mosley, Wichita emergency department physician.

* “Religious nationalism has brought to American politics the conviction that our political differences are a battle between absolute evil and absolute good. Fealty to the cause is everything; fidelity to the facts means nothing.”–Katherine Stewart, author of “The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism.”

* “America as we know it may not survive much longer. The pandemic will eventually end; the economy will eventually recover. But democracy, once lost, may never come back. And we’re much closer to losing our democracy than many people realize.”–Paul Krugman, New York Times.

* “Most governors believe the president’s incompetent.”–Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean.

* “Our federal system reserves the leading role over public health to state governors. States possess the ‘police power’ to regulate virtually all activity within their borders.”–John Yoo, the National Review.

* “Texting is the new handshake.”–Thomas Peters, CEO of RumbleUp, a company that provides (‘peer-to-peer’) texting platforms to political candidates.

* “I do not want major businesses crowding out what is intended to be an initiative that serves small businesses.”–U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, on the priorities of the Paycheck Protection Program.

* “I am directing the Florida National Guard to create more strike teams to significantly ramp up testing in long-term care facilities.”–Gov. Ron DeSantis.

* “Now more than ever, the governor and Cabinet need to be meeting in the sunshine to coordinate the state’s response to COVID-19.”–State Rep. Ben Diamond, D-St. Petersburg.

* “If Florida were a nation, we would be the world’s 17th largest economy. And our goal by 2030 is to be the 10th largest economy, and we hope you’ll keep that in mind as you think about your recommendations.”–Florida Chamber of Commerce CEO Mark Wilson, in addressing the first meeting of the Re-Open Florida Task Force.

* “This is unprecedented. … I’ll speak for myself: I’m making decisions with about 10 percent of the information and 100 percent of the responsibility.”–Mayor Jane Castor.

* “The goal is to get as many people tested as possible. We don’t want there to be any impediments.”–Hillsborough County Chief Communications Administrator Liana López, in announcing that the county will expand efforts to reach those who don’t have good transportation options. The county will offer testing at three neighborhood centers in East Tampa, Ruskin and Plant City.

* “The curfew is clearly not a tool that law enforcement needs … it has confused the public.”–Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister, after Hillsborough County’s Emergency Policy Group voted unanimously to rescind the (9 p.m to 5 a.m.) countywide curfew.

* “I’m focusing on health and focusing on meeting people’s needs right now. Hockey pales in comparison to that.”–Lightning owner Jeff Vinik.

* “The biggest mistake we could make is restart, and then a month later, have to stop again.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.

“A republic, if you can keep it.”

* Donald Trump, unsurprisingly, remains the only president whose Gallup Poll approval numbers have never reached 50 percent.

* The collective, crisis-response good we increasingly see around us is consoling, even as we note its absence in the Oval Office.

* “America is better served when presidents respect the diversity of states instead of dictating uniform solutions.”–That was Nikki Haley’s agenda-driven defense of President Donald Trump’s handling of the pandemic. It came, notably, in a New York Times op-ed piece. It also came as speculation increases that she might be Mike Pence’s replacement on the 2020 ticket.

* There was no fealty issue with the appointment of Trump’s latest (4th) White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, 31. She will be his Kool Aid dispenser to the media. The Tampa native (alas) and Davis Islands homeowner was a GOPster activist in (Academy of Holy Names) high school who morphed into a Trump-defending, Breitbart contributor and Fox News presence and then became the spokesperson for the 2020 Trump re-election campaign. Her track record of Trump sycophancy includes this Fox gem from February: “We will not see diseases like the coronavirus come here. Isn’t it refreshing when contrasting it with the awful presidency of President Obama.” Maybe we’ll miss Sean Spicer even more.

* Planes, trains and railroading: “Now they’re doing tests on airlines–very strong tests–for getting on, getting off. They’re doing tests on trains–getting on, getting off.” Whatever. For the illusory record, passengers on planes and trains are not being tested for COVID-19.

* “A half-Whit.” What Trump called Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

* A mask for President Donald Trump? Hell, how about a muzzle?

* TGIF: Thank God It’s Fauci.

* “I told him your opponent is no longer Joe Biden–it’s this virus.”–Sen. Lindsey Graham.

* “It’s not complicated. They’re just going to run a white grievance campaign.”–Stuart Stevens, former presidential campaign adviser to Mitt Romney and George W. Bush.

* “I still think he’s going to lose. There has been no modern president that’s been able to withstand a recession in the election year.”–Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci. Too bad the “Mooch” doesn’t note all the other Trump disqualifiers.

* “We’re winning the battle, we’re winning the war–we’ll be back together in churches, right next to each other.”–From Donald Trump’s Easter message.

* European nations now requiring masks in public: Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia–plus Turkey.

* In-person voting and pandemic-driven, stay-at-home orders are antipodes. Including Wisconsin.

* Ron DeSantis should be having daily media briefings–not Donald Trump.

* Perspective: Last week, which can seem like a light year ago, Wall Street had its best week in 45 years. But the stock market, as we well know, is not the economy.

* Call it COVID choreography: Those circuitous routes we find ourselves taking when approaching other pedestrians.

* Special place in hell: For those online scammers and price gougers during a pandemic.

* Being informed is never more important than during a crisis. But even if you’re a news junkie, cutting back on the news, especially the TV version with its news-cycle drumbeat and visceral, inevitable optics, is better for your mental health.

* For all of us self-isolators, the video escape option is always in play. That includes classic movies, such as “The Graduate,” that hold up well across generations, even when downsized for the small screen. Then I came across a list of “classic” sports movies, including personal favorites “Field of Dreams,” “Raging Bull,” “Hoosiers” and “The Natural.”  It also included “Bang The Drum Slowly” from 1973. Have to disagree big time with Rotten Tomatoes on this one. The movie harkens back to the time when most sports movies were not very good, unless corny and unrealistic are considered praiseworthy. Think goofy caricatures and a life-and-death theme that’s awkwardly trivialized. Robert De Niro might still be embarrassed.  

“As I see the crisis gripping the nation, I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and would interfere in the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour.” That was Bernie Sanders taking the high road in announcing the inevitable end of his candidacy. Then he doubled down with an early endorsement of Joe Biden. It was, of course, well received by the Democratic establishment and theBiden campaign. What is not certain is how it will be received–and acted upon–by Sanders’ motivated progressive base. He’s not just their candidate, but their political patron saint.

Biden, to be sure, is not their preferred candidate, nor is he the ideal candidate for Democrats across the board. He happens to be gaffe prone and not nearly as progressive as many prefer. But he is well-informed, competent, likeable, governmentally experienced, geopolitically connected, non-threatening and decent–in short, everything that Trump is manifestly not. He’s also made commitments–from dropping Medicare’s age eligibility to 60, forgiving a lot of college debt for the lower and middle classes, and assuring that ability and demographics will be reflected in his choices for vice president and the Supreme Court.

The sobering bottom line is not unlike that of 2016. If you don’t vote for the Democratic nominee, however imperfect and flawed, you are de facto enabling another Trump term–with all its existential threats to America and the world. “We’ve got to make Trump a one-term president, underscored Sanders. “I will do all that I can to make that happen.”

Now what say you, AOC & Co., country or ideological ego first?