Category: Uncategorized

* A new normal bonus: On Saturday night, it was the Fox Sports replay of the Lightning’s game-seven win over the Flyers in the Eastern Conference Finals, and on Monday it was the Rays game-seven win over the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series. Both (2004 and 2008) are more than a decade old, but it helped a lot–not just virtually. Especially when the opposition is Philadelphia and Boston. And, BTW, we were there in person for the Bolts-Flyers game with day-of-game, standing-room-only tickets. The excitement after the game was palpable–and that was no virtual hug handed out by a celebrating Mayor Pam Iorio.

* “If this is rolled out in stages and reasonably, (if) we’re really paying attention to proper surveillance and we get the tests available, I think we can have fall sports.”–Dr. Brian Hainline, the NCAA’s chief medical officer.

* “The euro area is facing an economic contraction of a magnitude and speed that are unprecedented in peacetime.”–Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank.

* “At the heart of the tragedy is an uncomfortable truth: The Chinese Communist Party simply does not share the same interests and norms as the international community into which it has been so momentously and thoroughly integrated.”–Nicholas Eberstadt, the National Bureau of Asian Research.

* “The country Trump promised to make great again has never in its history seemed so pitiful. Will American prestige ever recover from this shameful episode?”–Fintan O’Toole, The Irish Times.

* “Reopening the economy, which Republicans are so anxious to do, will get nowhere without rebuilding and expanding child care, especially in rural areas.”–Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post.

* “A country that showed the world how to defeat polio now promotes quack remedies involving household disinfectants from the presidential podium.”–Timothy Egan, New York Times.

* “A medical crisis created an economic crisis. But a political crisis can make the economic crisis much worse.”–Austan Goolsbee, professor of economics at the University of Chicago and former adviser to President Barack Obama.

* “Trump is creating a parallel, shadow government filled with like-minded loyalists, without transparency, democratic norms or public processes–a ‘deep state’ of its own.”–David Rohde, author of “In Deep: The FBI, the CIA and the Truth About America’s ‘Deep State.'”

* “Bill Barr’s America is not a place that anyone, including Trump voters, should want to go. It is a banana republic where all are subject to the whims of a dictatorial president and his henchmen.”–Donald Ayer, former deputy attorney general under President George H.W. Bush.

* “Trump’s base, like Nixon’s, consists of true believers. To them, Trump can never be worse than the system he rails against, the press he loves to hate or the Democrats that he insists are out to destroy America.”–Brian Klass, assistant professor of global politics at University College London.

* “Trump is too much of a fake tough guy to wear a mask, and Mike Pence is too much of a sycophant to the fake tough guy to wear a mask.”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times.

* “The Constitution is not suspended in times of crisis.”–Attorney General William Barr in an April 27 memo.

* “If we have another four years like this, will there even be an America?”–How “Mourning in America,” a political ad released by the Lincoln Project–a group of prominent former Republicans and never-Trump GOPsters–concludes.

* “Department stores have been struggling for a long time. Now, it’s a blood bath. How many will survive is unclear.”–Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners.

* We’re working along with the airlines so that when customers decide they want to travel, they can be sure that the most up-to-date technologies and standards are being used.”–TIA CEO Joe Lopano.

* “Opening at 25 percent capacity, our restaurants can’t be successful. We need to be at about 80 percent.”–Richard Gonzmart, president of Columbia Restaurant, which is not reopening right away.

* “I was born and raised in Tampa. I will not leave Tampa.”–That was Mayor Jane Castor’s response to speculation that she might have her eye on a gubernatorial run.

* “It’s been my honor to serve the county for 30-plus years and 10 years as administrator.”–Mike Merrill, who is retiring next month as Hillsborough County administrator. The County Commissioners have named assistant county administrator Bonnie Wise to succeed Merrill.

* “While so much still remains uncertain, there is one thing of which you can be sure: USF will be unrelenting in our efforts to understand and combat this virus in service to our community. … Because of the deepening reciprocity between the university and the communities it serves, we will emerge stronger and more united than ever.”–USF President Steve Currall.

“A Republic, if you can keep it.”

* Donald Trump knows he can’t count on re-election without the mega swing state of Florida. Although most polls have him slightly behind in the Sunshine State, he knows there’s an ACOLYTE at the end of the tunnel: Ron DeSantis.

* “I think we can actually surpass (economically) where we were. I feel it. I think sometimes what I feel is better than what I think, unfortunately or fortunately.” That was President Donald Trump, unfortunately.

* It had been a while–more than a year–since a White House spokesperson actually held a news conference. That’s what the latest (fourth for those still counting) WH spokesperson, Kayleigh McEnany, did last Friday. The Tampa native (alas) began problematically with a promise: “I will never lie to you, she underscored. “You have my word on that.”

She then undermined those words by noting that when it came to multiple charges of sexual harassment, assault and rape, her boss “always told the truth on these issues.” She also claimed that the upshot of the Mueller Report was “the complete and total exoneration of President Trump.”

Maybe self-serving revisionism isn’t a lie?

After that dubious debut–and given her de facto charge to misrepresent the prevaricator-in-chief–spokesperson credibility will continue to be a contradiction in terms. McEnany is simply next up as the official mouthpiece for a proven pathological liar who wants his brand defended at all costs, including, of course, veracity.

#AloneTogether

* Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has tested positive for the coronavirus.

* That was a proactively smart–not just humane–move by City Hall to send nurse-inspectors to the largest construction sites to do spot checks and help keep workers healthy as well as employed. More than 50 construction sites are involved, accounting for nearly 12,000 workers in a $2 billion-a-year-Tampa industry. “We wanted to give clear guidance to large construction sites in ways that could help their workers and those they might interact with after their work was over,” explained Carole Post, Tampa’s administrator for development and economic activity. She said developers and contractors helped organize the program (and are paying for it), most notably Nick Haines, CEO for The Bromley Companies, the developer of Midtown Tampa, and Charlie Rollins, the Water Street Tampa head of development.

The city is working with Rasmussen College to bring in about 20 nurses, most from its faculty, to visit each of the sites two to three times a week to check everything from screening everyone on site and verifying portable hand-washing facilities to not allowing food trucks onto job sites.

Sending nurses to construction sites is really about enlightened self-interest. Those still working on projects that will move Tampa ahead–despite the pandemic–need help. Carelessness because of short cuts or habitual behavior could be deadly for vulnerable construction workers. This program helps thousands of workers–and prods builders to toe the line on on-site, worker safety like never before.  

But it’s also in the big-picture interest of Tampa. The economic stakes of revitalizing parts of Tampa speak for itself. Moreover, there is nothing more noticeable and psychologically impactful than a dramatically altered skyline suddenly devoid of construction cranes and edifice ambience. Some could see that as a chilling, post-COVID metaphor for what might lie ahead. That can’t be.

Occupational medicine is, indeed, a preventative–on more than one level.

* “No mask, no work, no service, no exception.” The policy instituted in Ohio by republican Gov. Mike DeWine.

* The U.S. Gross Domestic Product shrank at an annual rate of 4.8 percent in the first quarter. According to the Congressional Budget Office, GDP will plunge at a 40 percent annual rate during the second quarter.

* “Once you reopen, it’s difficult to have a time out. It creates a serious concern about people’s trust in their leadership. And if you’re incorrect, the consequences could be catastrophic.”–So, yes, the potential downsides to reopening too soon are scary, reminds Dr. Les Beitsch, Florida’s former Deputy Secretary of Health.

* New normal: There are fewer vehicles on the road, but more of those vehicles are speeding.

* The Trump Administration has barred Dr. Anthony Fauci, the coronavirus-response leader, from testifying before a congressional hearing this week. His input had been sought by the House Appropriations Committee subcommittee looking into America’s pandemic response.

* VP Mike Pence didn’t know there was a Mayo Clinic policy about wearing masks? Everyone else–physicians, nurses and a patient–were wearing masks but him? The media-priority optics, which are of paramount importance to the Administration, simply doubled down on cluelessness. Or maybe it was a less-than-nuanced Pence signal to unmasked, anti-lockdown protestors?

Say it aint so, Joe. 

The case, as it were, against Joe Biden, we thought, had already been made by disaffected progressives. From awkward gaffes to generational ideology. The Hunter Biden stuff, while embarrassing and awkward, was mostly incoming from the Trump campaign. From his years in the Senate, including key chairmanships and writing the Violence Against Women Act, to his Obama years’ vice presidency, Biden was certifiably qualified and vetted, even if past his prime. He was the Democratic Party’s experienced designatee to take down Trump in November. Defeating America’s incumbent existential threat and global buffoon was everything. Just rally the troops–who outnumber the Trumpsters.

And then Tara Reade happened. For more than a month, her public allegations of sexual misconduct in 1993 have hovered, albatross-like, over the home-bound Biden campaign. Finally Biden responded. “I’m saying unequivocally, it never, never happened.”

This won’t do.

If it never happened, why not unequivocally say so as soon as the charges of it happening go public? Sheer innocence and utter outrage should mandate no less–let alone the strategic imperative (aka PR 101) to respond fully, forcefully and rapidly in the political arena.

Could it be that America’s would-be savior from Trump was working on a spin strategy–or just hoping that an accusation from the ’90s, minus unassailable verification, wouldn’t matter that much when the opponent was a sleazy, certified misogynist with a lengthy track record that includes charges of assault and rape. Now Anita Hill is back in the conversation.

Biden, of course, can’t undo the unconscionable delay in formally denying the Reade accusation. What he can do is everything possible to unseal his 36 Senate years’ records that are archived at the University of Delaware. And it wouldn’t hurt to have his wife Jill speak out in his behalf about the man she knows, loves and respects–without playing the Tammy Wynette, “standing by my man” card. 

Biden can’t risk turning supporters, especially women, into de facto, #MeToo hypocrites or despondent November non-voters. That would be bad for his candidacy–and could be awful for America.

And if–IF–there is credibility to the Reade charge, then shame on Biden. Not just for a shameful incident, but for putting himself out there as the party’s best chance to defeat Trump–knowing a potential game-changer was still lurking. It would be a disservice to the country he has ironically served honorably for more than 40 years.

Say it ain’t so, Joe–and say so convincingly. Especially when your candidacy is founded on the commitment to restore honor and decency to the White House.

* “(Women) know the polar difference between Biden and Trump, who brags about assaulting women in his private life and whose public policies endanger women’s health and safety.”–Gloria Steinem.

* Andrew Yang’s proposal of giving every adult American $1,000 a month seems increasingly pragmatic, progressive and prescient as the economy careens into Great Depression territory.

* “Jane Castro.”–How Mayor Jane Castor was mistakenly introduced recently on Fox & Friends.

* Let’s hear it for “Queen,” of iconic, “We Are The Champions” fame. The group has customized (via mobile phones from group-member lockdowns) its 1977 classic into “You Are The Champions”–a fund-raising salute to those directly fighting the pandemic. The money will go to the WHO fund for health workers.

So where in the world was  Kim Jong-un? He went seemingly missing for more than three weeks, including being a notable no-show at a ceremony for the birth anniversary of his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, who is North Korea’s founder. Autocrats love the limelight. Has he been ill? Or does he perversely enjoy global conjecture when he otherwise has no news to make? We do know this: Chances are better that he’s been shooting hoops with Dennis Rodman than binge watching “The Interview.”

* “Canadians need more than thoughts and prayers.”–Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in announcing that Canada–in the aftermath of the recent mass shooting that took 22 lives–is banning the use and trade of assault weapons.

* “We have been fighting with a brutal pandemic for 60 years against the economy of a very small country.”– José Ramón Cabañas, Cuban ambassador to the U.S.

* “America’s shambolic response to the crisis has put a huge dent in our global image as a competent, cutting-edge country.”–Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times.

* “The federal government has done a spectacular job.”–Donald Trump.

* “Really rocking again.”–What the U.S. will be doing by July, according to Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law-adviser.

* Halting financial support to the WHO in the middle of a global pandemic is an act of self-destruction. This life-saving UN organization is, in fact, our first line of defense.”–Robert Bruce Adolph, former UN chief security officer.

* “During this national health emergency, no one should be worried about losing their home.”–Mark Calabria, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, referring to forbearance plans for mortgage payments.

* “White middle and upper middle-class parents may avoid sending their kids to schools with large black and Hispanic populations, because they will begin to associate the virus with those communities–and by doing so, they could actually make those stereotypes more true.”–Kiera Butler, Mother Jones.

* “To suggest that every woman who alleges a sexual assault is as credible as the next is absurd.”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times.

* “This is one of the best performing counties, not just in the state of Florida, but probably in the country.”–Gov. Ron DeSantis, on how Hillsborough County has fared during the coronavirus outbreak.

* “This is truly a no-brainer.”–Florida Public Service Commissioner Julie Brown, on the commission’s unanimous approval of requests from four of the state’s major investor-owned utilities, including TECO, to reduce customer bills to aid with financial hardship from the pandemic.

* “We have really crushed that curve here in our community.”–Mayor Jane Castor.

* “That is a necessity. We can’t ignore that. That has to happen.”–Hillsborough County Commission Chairman Les Miller, on the need for higher impact fees on new home construction for water and sewer services.

* “The truth is none of us are experts in how to re-open a city following a global pandemic.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.

“A Republic, if you can keep it.”

* In the midst of a health crisis caused by respiratory disease, Trump rolls back pollution standards. It’s beyond ironic; it’s outrageously dangerous and negligent.

* Thanks to another reality-TV, Trump ad lib riff, the maker of Lysol actually has had to go public to underscore that its product should never be used internally. Of course it shouldn’t, but Trump’s recent bluster sounded a lot more like support for the possible injection and ingestion of disinfectants than mere “sarcasm.” It’s part of the Trump-plague, communications normal. Amid the uncertainties about COVID-19, there is at least this assurance: Come November, there will be an electoral disinfectant available for this presidential plague.

* Trump’s COVIDiocy press briefings underscore on a daily basis that he is the self-serving, mixed-messaging charlatan-in-chief who dearly misses his cult-follower rallies and craves pop-culture celebrity. May this exercise in self-serving infomercials be self-sabotaging.

* “Hey, Phil. I’m the president, and you’re fake news.”–Trump’s response to a challenging question about presidential rumor-mongering from Washington Post White House bureau chief Phil Rucker.

* All of Congress, including, of course, House and Senate Republicans, are in recess (until May 4) to avoid spreading the coronavirus. No, Nancy Pelosi is not on “vacation,” as asserted by President Donald Trump.

* Isn’t it, well, embarrassing that more Americans aren’t, well, embarrassed by having a reality TV alpha male simpleton with no filter for president? Has a political base, still quaffing the Kool Aid, if not the Clorox, ever been more deplorably duped?

* After flailing about in response to the coronavirus tanking the economy, the Trump campaign has had to do a less-than-nuanced, COVID pivot. The new MAGA message: “We built the greatest economy in the world; I’ll do it a second time.”

* In case you missed it because it was buried in the COVID-dominated news cycle, the Senate Intelligence Committee, chaired by North Carolina Republican Richard Burr, UNANIMOUSLY endorsed the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia did, indeed, conduct a sweeping and unprecedented campaign to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. And, yes, that assuredly included Russia wanting to boost the prospects of Donald Trump.