HA: Lott Center loses $500K in donations - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Jun 30, 2004

RE: HA: Lott Center loses $500K in donations

Date: Jun 30, 2004

I'll add my $.02 here--I personally never thought that Bobby Chain and I would be on the same side of ANY issue, but here we are. I could care less about what his personality is like, what kind of car he drives, etc. etc. All I want is for Shelby Thames to go...leave the Dome. If Bobby Chain can help that happen faster, then bless his heart.

Date: Jun 30, 2004

don't object to the particulars, just the conclusion drawn from them--that he's a friend to anti-SFT forces. i am skeptical. i keep asking myself the question--what's in all of these comments for chain? does he have a dog in the fight and if so, who? most astute politicians like chain know that it's not enough to be just anti-something, you also have to be pro-something. Who is he supporting? what are his motivations? don't know, but as I said above I'm skeptical.

Date: Jun 30, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: stinky cheese man
"don't object to the particulars, just the conclusion drawn from them--that he's a friend to anti-SFT forces. i am skeptical. i keep asking myself the question--what's in all of these comments for chain? does he have a dog in the fight and if so, who? most astute politicians like chain know that it's not enough to be just anti-something, you also have to be pro-something. Who is he supporting? what are his motivations? don't know, but as I said above I'm skeptical. "

You guys are reading a bit much into this, he's not so much Anti-Thames as he is Pro-Chain. If he didn't have some sort of personnel riff with SFT, do you really think he would be on your side? He's not really on your side, he's on his own side, and Thames happens to be on the other at the moment. Remember it was less than a year ago that they were still chummy.

He's got no allengance to you guys or anything else not named Bobby Chain.

Date: Jun 30, 2004

seeker--i agree. it's an issue of influence and power--who can BC influence the most to get whatever he wants. apparently he doesn't think SLT.

Date: Jun 30, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: stinky cheese man
"seeker--i agree. it's an issue of influence and power--who can BC influence the most to get whatever he wants. apparently he doesn't think SLT. "

Who is SLT? Do you mean SFT, Shelby Freyland Thames?

Date: Jun 30, 2004

Many of the epithets applied to Bobby are accurate: he's a politician, he's egoistical, he's a powerful man of the world who likes to get his own way, etc.

BUT he has a long association with USM, having attended what they called in the old days the "demonstration school," and he was a very vigorous and effective advocate of the university when he was on the IHL board. During that time, he learned a lot of what a university is all about both by his own study and by the tutelage of AKL. And as far as I know it actually cost--not made--him money to serve because of conflict-of-interest regulations.

Also--and I don't think the importance of this can be overestimated--he has openly admitted his former support of Shelboo, would claim that he was deeply responsible for putting the gnome in office, and has now, on various occasions, eaten public crow by admitting that his support was a huge mistake. Not an easy thing for a man like Bobby to do. And he has, since he's seen the light on this, been entirely consistent in supporting the guys in the white hats.

I think we ought to be willing to accept his actions at face value and, until we have evidence to the contrary, accept that he really has changed his position on this. There's no danger than anything is going to happen to drive him back into Shelboo's camp.