* “There was always an
argument that the existing world order cannot change because only a momentous
war has done that in the past, and world wars have become impossible. But in
pandemics–and soon in climate change–we may have found two functional
equivalents of war.”–Bruno Macaes,
the National Review.
* “As we can all feel, the
world at this moment seems extraordinarily fragile.”–The final post by Prince Harry and wife Meghan on their
SussexRoyal Instagram account.
* “Rather than heed the
warnings, embrace the planning and preserve the structures and budgets that had
been bequeathed to him, the president ignored the risk of a pandemic.”–Susan Rice, national security adviser
to Barack Obama.
* “In an election year, it
has been impossible to witness the mixture of incompetence, egotism and eerie
inhumanity with which President Trump has responded to the Covid-19 pandemic
and not fear a corona-coup. Panic and disorientation are precisely the elements
on which the dictator feasts. The danger of an American autocratic lurch in
2020 is as great as the virus itself.”–Roger Cohen, New York Times.
* “We basically wasted two
months (of coronavirus prep).”–Kathleen
Sebelius, former secretary of Health and Human Services.
* “This is going to be our
Pearl Harbor moment.”–U.S. Surgeon
General Jerome Adams.
* “Donald Trump is trying
to build a campaign message around his image as a wartime president. But as a
commander in chief, Cadet Bone Spurs is bringing up the rear.”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times.
* “Trump, the consummate
bully, could use those powers for good, by countermanding Mitch McConnell and
establishment Republicans and working with Nancy Pelosi to pass a badly-needed
revamp of America’s infrastructure.”–Curt
Mills, the American Conservative.
* “There’s a lot of things
in this pandemic that have not gone the way they should, but the science has
been blazing fast.”–Dr. Gigi Kwik
Gronvall, senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
* “Early on, epidemiologists
simply didn’t know how well social distancing would work. Now it’s clearer: We
have the tools to save lives, if we will use them.”–Nicholas Kristof, New York
Times.
* “We really do appreciate
the work of the citizens of California and Washington, because we do see that
their curve is different from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut–and we
really believe that the work that every citizen is doing in those states is
making a difference.”–Dr. Deborah Birx, the U.S. coronavirus
response coordinator, in praise of California and Washington for their social
distancing efforts.
* “A lot of advertisers
are just pulling back–the tide’s going out.”–Boston University marketing
professor Garrett Johnson.
* “If one looks carefully,
suffering is not the exception but the rule.”–University of Massachusetts philosophy professor John Kaag, author of “Sick Souls,
Healthy Minds.”
* “The Electoral College
is worse than merely useless. Its primary function is to malapportion political
power, and it does so–indeed, has always done so–with strikingly awful
consequences. … In a liberal democracy, not everything need be decided by
majority vote. But once something is put to a vote, it is hard to understand
why the side getting fewer votes should win.”–Cornell law professor Josh Chafetz, the author of
“Congress’ Constitution: Legislative Authority and the Separation of
Powers.”
* “There’s no magic age
for becoming a regular voter. But when people move into their 40s, that’s when
you see voter turnout grow.”–Carroll
Doherty, director of political research at the Pew Research Center.
* “Making sure that we’re
ready to care for this community is not each individual healthcare system’s
job, it is all of our jobs. … These large healthcare systems that are
providing care are truly banding together to give the best care.”–Richelle Hoenes, director of corporate
communications for AdventHealth West Florida Division.
* “The responsible and
sensible thing to do is to avoid all congregational activities that involve
people proximate to each other. You can spray things down, you can
decontaminate to a point, but you’re still taking a risk.”–Jay Wolfson, associate vice president
for health law, policy and safety at USF.
* “We’re looking at all of
our major revenues in terms of potential reductions. We’re taking a holistic
look at both revenues and expenditures.”–Tampa’s Chief Financial Officer Dennis Rogero in assessing the impact of
the coronavirus on the city’s $1.04 billion budget, where “nothing is off
the table.”
* “It’s a difficult
balance. You’re balancing the public welfare with the economy. Both are very
important, but I was elected as mayor, first and foremost, to look out for the
health and well-being of all of my citizens.”–Mayor Jane Castor in a CNN interview with Anderson Cooper.