Quoteworthy

* “Eventually we will get there. … But for this particular visit, we decided that we had to walk.”–President Donald Trump after the Hanoi summit with Kim Jong-un failed to live up to expectations for a comprehensive agreement on North Korea’s nuclear program.

* “North Korea wants us to exhaust all our leverage before we get to denuclearization.”–Thomas Pickering, former undersecretary of state and former U.S. ambassador to Israel, India, Russia and the United Nations.

* “The revelation that President Trump personally intervened to overrule White House security officials and the Intelligence Community to grant a Top Secret security clearance to his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is the latest indicator of the president’s utter disregard for our national security and for the men and women who sacrifice so much every day to keep us safe. There is no nepotism exception for background investigations.”–House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

* “We live in a climate where everything will be used against us, whether by the fake news or by Democrats who are only interested in presidential harassment and wasting everyone’s time.”–Eric Trump.

* “With a few exceptions in his inner circle and with family, Trump doesn’t give loyalty or deserve it. That’s why Republicans on the Hill who obsequiously stand by him will eventually learn it wasn’t worth it, just as Michael Cohen warned them.”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times.

* “(Trump’s) never had to deal with the people he has face-planted coming back to haunt him–ever. … He’s never had law enforcement turning people on him and essentially weaponizing them against him.”–Trump biographer Timothy O’Brien.

* “Given my experience working for Mr. Trump, I fear that if he loses the election in 2020 that there will never be a peaceful transition of power, and this is why I agreed to appear before you today.”–From Michael Cohen’s closing statement in his public testimony to the House Oversight Committee.

* “The most consequential action in the Trump presidency was the voters’ decision to turn the House over to Democats. We still would have no idea about any of these (House Oversight Committee-related) matters had that not happened.”–Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post.

* “We have a responsibility to find common ground–if we can’t, to stand our ground.”–House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

* “If Trump fails (a distinct possibility, based on what we see of his governing style), the resulting increase in civic anxiety and a natural desire for experimentation could drive the country to the left. That is precisely what Democrats are banking on.”–Robert W. Merry, the American Conservative.

* “This body is going to continue to change as more people of a diverse background come. America is changing. We all need to get on board.”–U.S. Rep. John Lewis, Democrat of Georgia and a civil rights icon.

* “We need the best candidates possible to win the majority. It’s critical that some of the long shots in the presidential primary consider the Senate this year.”–Guy Cecil, former executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

* We are not in a space race. That race is over. We went to the moon and we won. It’s done. Now we’re in a position where we can take our time and make sure we get it right.”–NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, on the recent Cape Canaveral launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Demo 1 crew capsule to the International Space Station.

* “If Ron DeSantis really cared about expanding access to affordable health care, he would back Medicaid expansion.”–Florida Democratic Party chair Terrie Rizzo.

* “I encourage the governor to be bold in establishing Florida’s clean energy future and moving the Sunshine State away from polluting fossil fuels and their exorbitant costs. Florida should be a national leader in building the clean energy economy and we at the federal level are poised to help.”–U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, who chairs the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.

* “Know the process, know the players, understand what motivates the various actors and develop a strategy to advance your objective or defeat ill-conceived proposals.”–Former State legislator Paula Dockery’s advice to newly elected officials on how to be effective.

* “We take security very seriously. Unfortunately, in 2019, all our devices and accounts are susceptible to being compromised.”–Ashley Bauman, spokeswoman for Bob Buckhorn, in acknowledging that someone had taken over the mayor’s Twitter account and posted a number of vile tweets.

* “We’ve got a couple more years of state money, we’ve brought down costs and we’re seeing ridership increase. Let’s keep doing this until we’re in a position, big picture, where we can (start) up service with multiple boats.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman on the Cross-Bay Ferry, which has a 40 percent increase in ridership half way through its six-month season.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *