* 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?
So Tampa has extended its e-scooter pilot program another year to allow time for the coronavirus to pass and the world to return to normal. Keep in mind that this is a program whose “normal” was pre-pandemic problematic–from its business-model littering to its fraught presence in a mass transit-challenged urban market notoriously dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists.
And now, even on a reduced basis, it will linger on through COVID with the possibility, if not likelihood, that scooters–delusive promises of conscientious wipe downs notwithstanding–will become de facto contamination conduits around town. Why risk a mobile sanitation nightmare–or is urban hip still worth it?
* The better a team plays, the better its uniforms look.
* You could also call him Tom BRANDy. The Bucs iconic new QB’s trademarks now include: “Tomba Bay” and “Tampa Brady.” You’ll be seeing it on T-shirts, hats and footwear. Ironically, for the last decade Tom Brady has trademarked “TB 12” into a lifestyle brand that includes workout equipment, nutritional supplements and apparel.
* It’s still impossible to forget that Tom Brady is a friend of Trump. He was even asked by Trump to speak at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Could make for a quick honeymoon.
* No surprise: According to Forbes, the three top-valued MLB franchises are the New York Yankees, $5 billion; the Los Angeles Dodgers, $3.4 billion; and the Boston Red Sox, $3.3 billion. The bottom (28-30) three: the Tampa Bay Rays, $1.05 billion; the Kansas City Royals, $1.025 billion; and the Miami Marlins, $980 million.
* “With all due respect.” “Apologies to those who were offended.” What they have in common is that they are formal, prepared-statement clichés disingenuously intended to convey a self-serving sense of sincerity before pivoting to a parsed-language diversion. Most recent Exhibit A: New Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach’s “apology” for passing along a meme with a noose joke. What Leach, outspoken about his right-wing politics and a Trump supporter, should have said: “That was awful judgment on my part–noose humor, especially in Mississippi! I apologize for being so unconscionably, stupidly insensitive. The onus is on me for offending. Period. And, yeah, I’m going to self-quarantine my Twitter account.”
* “Early on, the Saudis identified the Trump Administration’s approach to foreign policy as transactional, run by deal makers looking out for the bottom line, not by diplomats focused on long-term interests or even, at times, values. Trump’s game was one the Saudis knew how to play.”–Ben Hubbard, author of “The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman.”
* “The W.H.O. really blew it. … They could have called it months earlier.”–President Donald Trump in calling out the World Health Organization for being “very Chinese centric” and indicating that he would be considering cutting funding to the WHO.
* “The press HATED that, three months ago, we had the lowest African-American & Hispanic unemployment ever recorded. Now that we’re in the midst of a global pandemic–which originated in Wuhan, not the Oval Office–too many in the press are giddy with glee.”–Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
* “The news media are not the enemy–despite our president’s unrelenting attempts to paint them as such. They are the last line of defense in protecting our democracy from turning into an authoritarian state.”–Former Florida Republican state legislator Paula Dockery, who’s now registered NPA.
* “Facts are empowering. Even when the facts are discouraging, not knowing the facts is worse. I promise that I will continue to give New Yorkers all the facts, not selective facts.”–New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
* “What do I know? I’m not a doctor. But I have common sense.”–Donald Trump.
* “We have a thing called a Constitution, which I cherish.”–Donald Trump.
* “(Trump) can’t escape his instincts, his desire to put people down … or to talk about his ratings. That’s why he’s not getting the George W. Bush post-9/11 treatment.”–Former Florida Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo.
* “Polls now even show Biden with a slight edge in Florida. … If Trump is losing in Florida, he’s not about to be beaten, he’s about to be crushed.”–Eugene Robinson, Washington Post.
* “No Senate Republicans voted against the $2.2 trillion Phase 3 rescue bill, an unprecedented expansion of government’s cost and reach. As it turns out, there are few libertarians in economic foxholes.”–William A. Galston, Wall Street Journal.
* “The communications coming out of (Gov. Ron DeSantis’) office have been very strange. And it’s hard to get answers from his staff.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.
* “Measured, targeted and focused–timely and transparent.”–How Ron DeSantis spokeswoman Helen Aguirre Ferre characterized the governor’s coronavirus response.
* “We should expect that the recession will last at least until we have a vaccine.”–Stetson University economist Alan Green.
* “Officers are very empathetic with what is going on in America right now. There’s not a lot of desire to hit someone with a $200 fine.”–Clearwater Police Chief Dan Slaughter. Traffic citations across the state dropped 92 per cent last month compared with March 2019.
* “When I get to heaven, I’m gonna shake God’s hand. Thank Him for more blessings than one man can stand. Then I’m gonna get a guitar and start a rock ‘n’ roll band.”–The late singer-songwriter John Prine.
* “In my opinion, the answer to Bayshore is to break it up.”–Mayor Jane Castor, in recommending more traffic lights for Bayshore Boulevard.
* “It is critical that, in times of need, our community members with the means to do so find ways to give back and support our first responders who are the front lines of this battle.”–Eddie DeBartolo Jr. He and his wife Candy recently donated $2.65 million to Tampa General Hospital. It’s part of a $7.65 million donation the DeBartolos have made to TGH over a five-month period.
* “We have faced devastating hurricanes and recessions in the past, but nothing like this in our 45-year history.”–Tim Marks, CEO and president of Metropolitan Ministries.
* “Let’s continue to balance our lives and support one another. Quality over quantity. Patience before programs. Love before lessons.”–Pinellas County school Superintendent Mike Grego.
* “I do believe we have now come to the point where we have reached a dire situation where we have to use this interest.”–Michele Van Loan, Tampa’s community development agency director, in announcing that small businesses in distressed areas will be eligible for grants–paid out of the accumulated interest in Tampa’s redevelopment area coffers.
“A Republic, if you can keep it.”
* According to Mitch McConnell, impeachment hurt the coronavirus response, because it was an untimely distraction. What a revisionist, perverted perspective. Had the Republican Senate agreed to a trial with witnesses–what a concept–the impeachment process would have started and ended a helluva lot sooner. But even more to the point, if we didn’t have a manifestly impeachable president, this would all be moot.
* American foreign policy: Why not call off sanctions–however odious and adversarial the impacted governments–because citizens not responsible for the geopolitical animus will die.
* There’s no doubting that Trump can multi-task. Latest example: The high-profile, pathological mismanaging of a national emergency while acting vengefully to fire Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community, for disloyalty. Atkinson’s charge was to be an independent watchdog. Alas, that meant that he would inform Congress about the disturbing whistleblower complaint of Trump pressuring Ukraine for Biden dirt. Not exactly a misplaced loyalty for a country-first, independent watchdog with a reputation for integrity.
* Now Jared Kushner is on the COVID case. Creating that flawless Middle East peace plan will be a tough act to follow. But if this must be a family affair, at least it’s not Eric Trump.
* Not that we need reminding, but Trump is on his fifth secretary of homeland security, his fourth national security adviser, his fourth chief of staff and his fourth press secretary. Not that we needed reminding–because it’s obvious.
* “Did you know I was number one on Facebook? I just found out I was number one on Facebook. I thought that was very nice for whatever it means.” Whatever, indeed. You never know what a presidential press briefing will pivot to.
#Alone Together
* Timing, once again, is everything. More than 20,000 Americans remain overseas, still trying to return to the U.S. from vacations, work assignments and mission trips. International air travel is at a near standstill.
* So, after all that life-impacting vacillation, Gov. Ron DeSantis finally acted in the best interest of Floridians–not just lobbyists and the Florida Chamber of Commerce–by issuing a long overdue, public-safety, stay-home order. Better late than never, but not better than doing the right thing at the right time. There have been inevitable, unnecessary deaths. All activity will be limited to essential services for at least 30 days. And, yes, gun and ammo stores, are considered essential.
But then later in the same day that he had issued the stay-home directive, DeSantis issued an amended order to override all local emergency orders. It confused and incensed any number of mayors and sheriffs.
So after a political honeymoon–prompted in no small part by the reality that anyone looks good after Rick Scott–DeSantis is looking increasingly like the guy who grew up in the Fox green room. At the worst possible time, we have had worrisome response delay, disconnects and now mixed, confusing messages. DeSantis should go on line and search for an Executive Order 101 class.
This is worse than “hanging chads” Flori-duh. This is the Sunshine State version of the Trump Administration clown car. Jeb! is looking better by the day.
* Dumb doubling down: How unconscionably outrageous that the usual suspects–aka COVIDiots–have targeted Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top government SCIENTIST in the all-consuming fight against COVID-19, for his lack of fealty to Trump. As if he’s undermining the Dissembler-in-chief with objective, scientific perspective.
* Speaking of COVIDiocy, how else to reference frolicking spring breakers and reckless religious congregants.
* Speaking of religious services during a pandemic, what would Jesus say? Possibly “This is as alarming as it is embarrassing. I’m fed up with being represented by fakirs and fools. I don’t have a problem with megachurches, but I do have a problem with MAGAchurches. Remember ‘Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s’? It’s hardly a religious reach to say that saving lives via public safety damn (oops), darn well applies. Separation of church and state? Good Lord, how about separation of life and needless death? Remember, ‘In GOD we trust,’ not ‘In GOP, we trust.'”
* Jeff Bezos, richest man in the world, where the hell are you?
* Which businesses are essential? Pharmacies, check. Grocery stores, check. Gun shops, say what?
* The state has not mandated the closing of parks. Hillsborough County and Tampa have closed theirs, while Pinellas and St. Petersburg have left theirs open–for now. The rationale for the latter: They are a better option than crowding along the waterfront. But St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman could change that if residents don’t adjust their park behavior. The new park normal means no picnics, no touch football, no playground equipment use. Parks are escapes–not attractions. Not an easy, however necessary, sell.
* So much for the aesthetic respite of Bayshore Boulevard. The scary COVID new normal still allows for more tragic and unconscionable idiocy. Over the weekend, a motorcyclist and a bicyclist both died in an eminently avoidable accident. The motorcyclist who hit the bicyclist was one of three bikers riding together. One was being ridden on its back wheels. Yes, they are still among us.
* “We are continuing to see things go up. We cannot be discouraged by that because the mitigation is actually working and will work.”–That was Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, rendering an expert opinion that has everything to do with context and meaningful reassurance–instead of self-serving misinformation and disingenuousness.
* “It’s not just the movie “Contagion” that’s making a streaming comeback. Amazon is having trouble keeping Albert Camus’ “The Plague” in stock. Obviously pestilence fiction still has a market–even when it’s no longer fiction.
* Jewish irony: Passover canceled because of a plague.