The unique perspective and provocative opinions of Joe O’Neill
Quoteworthy
“I found the best way through pain and loss and grief is to find purpose.”—Joe Biden.
“We have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it.”—Michelle Obama.
“At a time like this, the Oval Office should be a command center. Instead, it’s a storm center. There’s only chaos.”—Former President Bill Clinton.
“Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Trump golfs.”—Bernie Sanders.
“Outrage fatigue is real. (Trump) has worn us out. … I’ve never seen a candidate so incapable of reaching out to anyone other than his calcified base.”—Former Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill.
“We need a president who is ready on Day One to begin the hard work of putting back together the pieces of what Donald Trump has smashed apart.”—Former Secretary ofState John Kerry.
“Make no mistake. It didn’t have to be this way. In the early days of the virus, Donald Trump didn’t listen to the experts.”—Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, speaking at the virtual Democratic National Convention.
“The administration’s failure to contain the coronavirus deserves something akin to a 9/11 commission.”—Michelle Goldberg, New York Times.
“I struggle to speak, but I have not lost my voice. Vote, vote, vote.”—Former Arizona Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head while meeting with constituents nearly a decade ago.
“Somebody has to start being willing to break down this tribalism.”—Biden-voting, former Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich, who was a presidential candidate in 2016.
“There are many people who are voting for Trump who are in environments where it’s politically untenable to admit it because he’s become so toxic.”—Republican pollster Whit Ayres.
“We used to say racism is dog whistles. Now it’s a fog horn.”—Angela Rye, former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus.
“The soul of this nation is being sacrificed to assuage the abject terror felt by too many white people in knowing that people of color will outnumber them in about 20 years.”—Leonard Pitts, Miami Herald.
“They are our most loyal voters, and I think that the black women of America deserved a black vice-presidential candidate.”—Harry Reid, former Senate Majority Leader.
“We assess with a high degree of likelihood that November’s elections will be marked by a chaotic legal and political landscape. (President Trump) is likely to contest the result by both legal and extralegal means.”—The bipartisan Transition Integrity Project.
“America deserves better, our men and women in uniform deserve better. … It is in the best interest of the United States to elect Joe Biden as our Commander-in-chief, and I will vote for him.”—Retired Brig. Gen. Remo Butler, former Director of the Center for Command Support, U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill AFB.
“We have a message for President Trump: Don’t mess with the USPS.”—U.S. Rep.Kathy Castor.
“I think the American people should be able to vote by mail. I’m going to vote by mail myself.”—Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
“Joe Biden is the Democratic equivalent of George H.W. Bush—another ambitious vice president who believed in loyalty and decency more than in any particular set of ideas.”—Bret Stephens, New York Times.
“We expect cases, we expect closures at least of classrooms, and then potentially schools based on the outcomes of our investigation.”—Dr. Douglas Holt, director of the Florida Health Department in Hillsborough County.
“There’s a vocal group that’s calling for defunding of the police when there’s not a clear understanding of what that means.”—Mayor Jane Castor.
“Our ability to carry out our mission is truly in a perilous position.”—Judy Lisi, CEO of the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, in making the case to the Hillsborough County Commission that the Center needed an estimated $8.6 million infusion until it can resume revenue-generating ticket sales.
“Parents are understandably concerned because of the potential for children bringing the virus home. First and foremost, families must have the ultimate authority on whether to send their children back into the classroom.”—Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, dean of USF’s Morsani College of Medicine.
“All the pieces are in place. That’s why I’m here. … It’s an exciting future for Moffitt, Tampa and the state of Florida.”—Dr. Patrick Hwu, newly named president and CEO of Moffitt Cancer Center.