Post by Jet on Feb 22, 2017 8:20:28 GMT -6
You didn't ask for this, but I thought I'd tl;dr here on the issue because I don't think we're getting the full picture here.
Tubs is doing everything he can to push this along. He's making a habit of going to Auburn basketball games, and has been spending a lot of time there with a veteran Montgomery lobbyist. My sister and brother in law were in Destin last week, and they saw him down there. Tubs was chatting up my brother-in-law about it. My sister probably popped his bubble by telling him she's leaning toward endorsing Sir Charles instead. Tubs is clearly either: a) using this as a distraction or a conversation starter to get something else he wants (maybe make a play for the AD's job); b) he's actually serious about this.
As I consider option "a," I believe that he can't openly campaign for athletic director. It would be unseemly. Furthermore, the people that can make that happen aren't likely to hand it to him on a platter. So how does he make that happen? One way to do that is if the powers that be -- including one that has political designs of his own, or at least the desire to be a kingmaker -- feel forced to into giving Tubs something to stop this talk. So let's say Tubs continues the chatter of becoming candidate Tubs. Maybe one of them wants to run for the U.S. Senate or maybe governor himself. But because of his profile as -- say, a purveyor of timber with a yellow label -- it would get mighty crowded and expensive with more than one "Auburn man" on the political stage. As for popularity among the Auburn faithful, Tubs wins that battle. Maybe someone would want to encourage Tubs to do some other form of public service, and what better way than to be Athletic Director? That's theory "a."
As I consider option "b," Tubs is at heart a football coach who craves public adoration like all football coaches and all politicians. He's not the first ex-coach to consider this. Tom Osborne served in Congress. Vince Dooley toyed with running for the U.S. Senate. Both parties lobbied Paterno to run for office back in the day, and even Coarch Dye talked about running for Lt. Gov. in 1998. Bobby talked him down from that. It will be an open seat. The state GOP chair -- a huge Auburn fan -- pushed it along by saying "Two words" Donald Trump." There's a little truth in that, but it's the reality behind those two words -- money and message. It takes a lot of money to run for Governor -- $2-3 million to be serious about it. In 2010, Robert Bentley was willing to spend $1 million of his own dough to get started and the AEA piled in behind in the runoff. I have no idea what people or entities look at Tubs and see him as a good bet at this point.
Senate Pro Tem Del Marsh is likely to run. He'll have to fight off ties to Mike Hubbard and explain some things he's supported. But he's an extremely wealthy man -- the kind who could spend $3 million of his own cash and not think much of it. Tubs has been well paid, but he doesn't have that kind of money. Bentley found a message that worked for him. Alabama was languishing in the economic downturn, Obama was unpopular and the other candidates were cutting themselves up. He played it out as the kindly family doctor and cruised on home. Donald Trump had a message that sold in the Republican primary and had the benefit of the worst candidate in the history of mankind on the other side of the ballot that helped him scoop up the old Reagan Democrats. And Trump had his own money. So, if Tubs is going to do this, he's going to have to find someone willing to part with their money and find a winning message.
I've talked myself into believing this is about option "a" rather than "b." I'm not sold on Tubs even being a good AD, but I imagine he loves the idea of cleaning out some folks he remembers from days gone by.
Tubs is doing everything he can to push this along. He's making a habit of going to Auburn basketball games, and has been spending a lot of time there with a veteran Montgomery lobbyist. My sister and brother in law were in Destin last week, and they saw him down there. Tubs was chatting up my brother-in-law about it. My sister probably popped his bubble by telling him she's leaning toward endorsing Sir Charles instead. Tubs is clearly either: a) using this as a distraction or a conversation starter to get something else he wants (maybe make a play for the AD's job); b) he's actually serious about this.
As I consider option "a," I believe that he can't openly campaign for athletic director. It would be unseemly. Furthermore, the people that can make that happen aren't likely to hand it to him on a platter. So how does he make that happen? One way to do that is if the powers that be -- including one that has political designs of his own, or at least the desire to be a kingmaker -- feel forced to into giving Tubs something to stop this talk. So let's say Tubs continues the chatter of becoming candidate Tubs. Maybe one of them wants to run for the U.S. Senate or maybe governor himself. But because of his profile as -- say, a purveyor of timber with a yellow label -- it would get mighty crowded and expensive with more than one "Auburn man" on the political stage. As for popularity among the Auburn faithful, Tubs wins that battle. Maybe someone would want to encourage Tubs to do some other form of public service, and what better way than to be Athletic Director? That's theory "a."
As I consider option "b," Tubs is at heart a football coach who craves public adoration like all football coaches and all politicians. He's not the first ex-coach to consider this. Tom Osborne served in Congress. Vince Dooley toyed with running for the U.S. Senate. Both parties lobbied Paterno to run for office back in the day, and even Coarch Dye talked about running for Lt. Gov. in 1998. Bobby talked him down from that. It will be an open seat. The state GOP chair -- a huge Auburn fan -- pushed it along by saying "Two words" Donald Trump." There's a little truth in that, but it's the reality behind those two words -- money and message. It takes a lot of money to run for Governor -- $2-3 million to be serious about it. In 2010, Robert Bentley was willing to spend $1 million of his own dough to get started and the AEA piled in behind in the runoff. I have no idea what people or entities look at Tubs and see him as a good bet at this point.
Senate Pro Tem Del Marsh is likely to run. He'll have to fight off ties to Mike Hubbard and explain some things he's supported. But he's an extremely wealthy man -- the kind who could spend $3 million of his own cash and not think much of it. Tubs has been well paid, but he doesn't have that kind of money. Bentley found a message that worked for him. Alabama was languishing in the economic downturn, Obama was unpopular and the other candidates were cutting themselves up. He played it out as the kindly family doctor and cruised on home. Donald Trump had a message that sold in the Republican primary and had the benefit of the worst candidate in the history of mankind on the other side of the ballot that helped him scoop up the old Reagan Democrats. And Trump had his own money. So, if Tubs is going to do this, he's going to have to find someone willing to part with their money and find a winning message.
I've talked myself into believing this is about option "a" rather than "b." I'm not sold on Tubs even being a good AD, but I imagine he loves the idea of cleaning out some folks he remembers from days gone by.
