Scholar of the Week: A New Politics Forum Tradition, This Week: HatVol

#76
#76
To give equal time to the GOP, Bill Weld and John Kasich would also be fine Presidents.
 
#79
#79
Bob Knight once said that, if rape is inevitable, "you might as well sit back and enjoy it."

Bob Knight punched a cop in Puerto Rico.

Bob Knight called a university receptionist a bitch and busted a vase by throwing it into a wall over her head.

Bob Knight has head-butted, kicked, and choked students.

There's more. Lots more. You may like him as a demanding coach, but he's also a major league a-hole.

Not exactly the man I want with his finger on the nuclear button.
 
#80
#80
lawgator1 said:
Bob Knight once said that, if rape is inevitable, "you might as well sit back and enjoy it."

Bob Knight punched a cop in Puerto Rico.

Bob Knight called a university receptionist a bitch and busted a vase by throwing it into a wall over her head.

Bob Knight has head-butted, kicked, and choked students.

There's more. Lots more. You may like him as a demanding coach, but he's also a major league a-hole.

Not exactly the man I want with his finger on the nuclear button.
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Bob Knight has forgotten more basketball than Billy D will ever know.

Bob Knight is the single most important influence in the lives of hundreds of great men, who could have gone either way.

Bob Knight is a winner.

Bob Knight is a very demanding perfectionist, much like the vast majority of great leaders throughout history.

Bob Knight is a philanthropist of the first order.

Bob Knight has a phenomenal sense of humor.

you've just chosen to touch on the public persona items that have helped Knight immeasurably throughout his career. Most of those are overblown and you know it. The great things he does get little play and it's not his style to talk about them.

IMO, the top office could use a guy of his ilk rather than the measured politicians that keep lining up to fill the spot.
 
#81
#81
BigPapaVol said:
Bob Knight has forgotten more basketball than Billy D will ever know.

Bob Knight is the single most important influence in the lives of hundreds of great men, who could have gone either way.

Bob Knight is a winner.

Bob Knight is a very demanding perfectionist, much like the vast majority of great leaders throughout history.

Bob Knight is a philanthropist of the first order.

Bob Knight has a phenomenal sense of humor.

you've just chosen to touch on the public persona items that have helped Knight immeasurably throughout his career. Most of those are overblown and you know it. The great things he does get little play and it's not his style to talk about them.

IMO, the top office could use a guy of his ilk rather than the measured politicians that keep lining up to fill the spot.
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Well, since we are on a sports site and talking about politics, this is probably as a good a place as any for a discussion of whether the characteristics that make a coach a good coach might also make for good leadership in office.

I think not. As the current administration illustrates to the nth degree, the last thing we need these days is a close-minded, egomaniacal, leader. We need well-reasoned, cautious, and open-minded folks who readily admit errors of judgment so as to improve on policy.

What we don't need are folks who never admit they are wrong, who bluster, and who intimidate to get their way. We've had eight years of that. No more, thanks.
 
#82
#82
BigPapaVol said:
Bob Knight has forgotten more basketball than Billy D will ever know.

Bob Knight is the single most important influence in the lives of hundreds of great men, who could have gone either way.

Bob Knight is a winner.

Bob Knight is a very demanding perfectionist, much like the vast majority of great leaders throughout history.

Bob Knight is a philanthropist of the first order.

Bob Knight has a phenomenal sense of humor.

you've just chosen to touch on the public persona items that have helped Knight immeasurably throughout his career. Most of those are overblown and you know it. The great things he does get little play and it's not his style to talk about them.

IMO, the top office could use a guy of his ilk rather than the measured politicians that keep lining up to fill the spot.
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Bob knight is not Tim Tebow though.
 
#83
#83
lawgator1 said:
Well, since we are on a sports site and talking about politics, this is probably as a good a place as any for a discussion of whether the characteristics that make a coach a good coach might also make for good leadership in office.

I think not. As the current administration illustrates to the nth degree, the last thing we need these days is a close-minded, egomaniacal, leader. We need well-reasoned, cautious, and open-minded folks who readily admit errors of judgment so as to improve on policy.

What we don't need are folks who never admit they are wrong, who bluster, and who intimidate to get their way. We've had eight years of that. No more, thanks.
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and what did the Clinton admin get us by following your routine? oh, and i'd still apply the egomaniacal to the Clintons but remove the willingness to admit errors in judgment.

Jury's still out on the "rash and unreasoned" decision in the Middle East. I think those around Bush foretold this day and fully understood the undertaking when they went forward. It was a hard decision and will be difficult to continue the course, but it is long term the right course. Allowing authoritarian Islamic rule in the Middle East could prove devastating over time and our presence there will certainly impact its spread.

I'll assure you that Clinton's unwillingness to deal with this issue (while he was being cautious and well reasoned) played a vital role in getting us where we are today. The cautious and well reasoned (I'd prefer pacifist) approach has proven itself useful time and again in matters of international conflict. Keep 'em coming.
 
#84
#84
BigPapaVol said:
and what did the Clinton admin get us by following your routine? oh, and i'd still apply the egomaniacal to the Clintons but remove the willingness to admit errors in judgment.

Jury's still out on the "rash and unreasoned" decision in the Middle East. I think those around Bush foretold this day and fully understood the undertaking when they went forward. It was a hard decision and will be difficult to continue the course, but it is long term the right course. Allowing authoritarian Islamic rule in the Middle East could prove devastating over time and our presence there will certainly impact its spread.

I'll assure you that Clinton's unwillingness to deal with this issue (while he was being cautious and well reasoned) played a vital role in getting us where we are today. The cautious and well reasoned (I'd prefer pacifist) approach has proven itself useful time and again in matters of international conflict. Keep 'em coming.
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Its not Iraq in particular I am thinking about, and certainly not the initial decision, as rash as it might have been. Its more the blocking out of any other point of view since the war began that is troublesome on that front.

No, I was speaking more in terms of domestic policy and politics in general. This administration is by far the most arrogant and unapologetic that there ever has been. I see similarities between the atitudes of Dick Cheney and Bob Knight. Scary.
 
#86
#86
lawgator1 said:
Its not Iraq in particular I am thinking about, and certainly not the initial decision, as rash as it might have been. Its more the blocking out of any other point of view since the war began that is troublesome on that front.

No, I was speaking more in terms of domestic policy and politics in general. This administration is by far the most arrogant and unapologetic that there ever has been. I see similarities between the atitudes of Dick Cheney and Bob Knight. Scary.
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this admin has also been the most abused by major media of any administration. I think you are witnessing their response to an absurdly overzealous media that wants nothing more than to see this admin's failure. While I don't necessarily like the response, I understand it. I don't think they block out points of view as much as they stick to the one that they've decided upon. Long, public conversations hashing out the nitty gritty of the decision can do nothing but undermine the action at hand. They fully believe that they're going to win this conflict in the end and need not pander to the press in the interim. Much like I imagine FDR dealt with the press (albeit a far more accomodating lot) during WWII.

If Cheney shares a lot of Knight traits, and vice versa, then I respect both of them very highly. They both make nice villains and great news copy, but are both amazingly effective in getting things done.
 
#87
#87
lawgator1 said:
No, I was speaking more in terms of domestic policy and politics in general. This administration is by far the most arrogant and unapologetic that there ever has been. I see similarities between the atitudes of Dick Cheney and Bob Knight. Scary.
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Not to mention being one of the most unpopular presidencies in history.
 
#88
#88
BigPapaVol said:
this admin has also been the most abused by major media of any administration. I think you are witnessing their response to an absurdly overzealous media that wants nothing more than to see this admin's failure. While I don't necessarily like the response, I understand it. I don't think they block out points of view as much as they stick to the one that they've decided upon. Long, public conversations hashing out the nitty gritty of the decision can do nothing but undermine the action at hand. They fully believe that they're going to win this conflict in the end and need not pander to the press in the interim. Much like I imagine FDR dealt with the press (albeit a far more accomodating lot) during WWII.

If Cheney shares a lot of Knight traits, and vice versa, then I respect both of them very highly. They both make nice villains and great news copy, but are both amazingly effective in getting things done.
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This administration has been spinning the Iraq war for the last two years. Its not working. Their problem isn't the media, they've got their message out, the majority of the people don't agree with their policies. That's their problem, not the media.
 
#89
#89
hatvol96 said:
Volsgal, I had classes with a number of girls named Allison.
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one of them could have been my sister, though she was probably a year ahead of you at UT so I'm not sure. She did graduate in 92 and went on to law school at Duquesne. She would have been one of the smart Alisons in your class.

Does anybody ever intimidate you?
 
#90
#90
BPV is 100% correct on Coach Knight. I love how people choose to take the word of an openly anti-American police officer as to what happened in Puerto Rico over, to name a few, Coach K, Kyle Macy, Sam Clancy, Isiah Thomas, and Kevin McHale. There's nothing more amusing than watching people who have not made even a cursory inquiry into the facts of a matter speaking with an air of certainty about the situation.
 
#92
#92
hatvol96 said:
BPV is 100% correct on Coach Knight. I love how people choose to take the word of an openly anti-American police officer as to what happened in Puerto Rico over, to name a few, Coach K, Kyle Macy, Sam Clancy, Isiah Thomas, and Kevin McHale. There's nothing more amusing than watching people who have not made even a cursory inquiry into the facts of a matter speaking with an air of certainty about the situation.
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And you were an eye witness, then? LOL.

Fine, let's throw that particular episode out since it is questioned. I'll rest on all the ones that are on video for purposes of establishing his attitude and demeanor. Surely you would hesitate before putting him in charge of the U.S. military, the budget, the Supreme Court, and your health care....



hatvol96 said:
I am in awe of some people, but not imtimidated by them.
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Whether Knight is successful in intimidating people is not the issue. My original point was that his temperament is not suited to the job of president.

Now, my suspicion is that you threw his name out without necessarilly mulling over what it would be like to have him as Commander in Chief. It was a lighthearted question as posed to you originally, after all. Admittedly, I had to go and make it political by comparing him to the anti-Christ that is Dick Cheney.

So, for my part in letting this spin out into the netherworld, my apologies. I just don't like bullies, is all. And I see Knight as the penultimate bully. Well, right behind the current VP, anyway.
 
#94
#94
Lexvol said:
Note to Lawgator: if you call Kyle Macy a liar in Eastern Kentucky you better be wearing a bulletproof vest.
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I'm not. I'm saying let's forget that episode as it is debated whereas all of the others that are caught on tape cannot be disputed and establish the man as a Class-A jerk. I'm not saying the guy can't coach. and I'm not saying that his utter contempt for most of those around him doesn't come in handy on the bball floor from time to time. I'm just saying that those qualities are not what I want in a president. not these days, anyway.
 
#95
#95
lawgator1 said:
I'm not. I'm saying let's forget that episode as it is debated whereas all of the others that are caught on tape cannot be disputed and establish the man as a Class-A jerk. I'm not saying the guy can't coach. and I'm not saying that his utter contempt for most of those around him doesn't come in handy on the bball floor from time to time. I'm just saying that those qualities are not what I want in a president. not these days, anyway.
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Just trying to look out for you.
 
#98
#98
Lexvol said:
Just trying to look out for you.
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I appreciate it. At this point just trying to defend my original notion, which is that the nation needs balanced, objective, and serious-minded policy wonks in the WH, not another rendition of impulsive and sometimes mean-spirited and vindictive ideologues.

I feel like Knight is much more the latter.
 
#100
#100
I'm not sure why Law thought my answer to Volsgal's question had anything to do with Bob Knight.
 
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