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SIAP: Joe Paterno's 1988 George H. W. Bush Presidential nomination speech (link)

Zenophile

Zenophile

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Oct 21, 2001
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"I'm here because ... I'll be damned if I'll sit still while people who can't carry George Bush's shoes ridicule him."​
 
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Zenophile said:
can be viewed at this link: www.c-span.org/video/?c4360677/paterno-bush-republican-national-convention-1988
Screen-Shot-2018-12-02-at-9.02.16-AM.jpg

"I'm here because ... I'll be damned if I'll sit still while people who can't carry George Bush's shoes ridicule him."​
Click to expand...

Can we name another football coach who could deliver this message and not look like...a football coach?

I've always been fascinated by Joe's political leanings. He had many Rebublican friends and invited some of them, including Bush Sr. to address the team. Yet, Paterno grew up in NYC and attended Brown during the ascendancy of the New School movement, a liberal movement that began in NYC and by his own account he was aware of the cultural changes of the period and the context of the time. His philosophy towards higher education and the Grand Experiment are very similar to the New School principles of a liberal arts education married with social change. In Joe's case, it was education and football he was advocating. Civil rights, educational opportunity and charity were all part of his approach to his job - unusual for a Republican of his time (mid 60s to mid 70s). I would think in general he may have been classified as a Rockefeller Republican - someone who had a socially-oriented vision and purpose.
 
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ApexLion said:
Can we name another football coach who could deliver this message and not look like...a football coach?

I've always been fascinated by Joe's political leanings. He had many Rebublican friends and invited some of them, including Bush Sr. to address the team. Yet, Paterno grew up in NYC and attended Brown during the ascendancy of the New School movement, a liberal movement that began in NYC and by his own account he was aware of the cultural changes of the period and the context of the time. His philosophy towards higher education and the Grand Experiment are very similar to the New School principles of a liberal arts education married with social change. In Joe's case, it was education and football he was advocating. Civil rights, educational opportunity and charity were all part of his approach to his job - unusual for a Republican of his time (mid 60s to mid 70s). I would think in general he may have been classified as a Rockefeller Republican - someone who had a socially-oriented vision and purpose.
Click to expand...
Through today’s lens, the dichotomy that was JoePa is ever difficult to comprehend. But in his bygone era, the chasm between “liberal” and “conservative” was bridged in a far more civil manner. Joe an Bush understood that a man’s character and identity were not defined by his political allegiances, which is part of what made them both such great leaders.
 
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Player2BNamedL8r said:
Through today’s lens, the dichotomy that was JoePa is ever difficult to comprehend. But in his bygone era, the chasm between “liberal” and “conservative” was bridged in a far more civil manner. Joe an Bush understood that a man’s character and identity were not defined by his political allegiances, which is part of what made them both such great leaders.
Click to expand...

That's an outstanding contextual observation imho. I can still remember a time when people joked about political affiliation and voices didn't rise a bit when discussing an issue (mutual respect and civility as a common trait). Anyway, I always found Joe's life away from football far more interesting than his coaching resume.
 
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ApexLion said:
Can we name another football coach who could deliver this message and not look like...a football coach?

I've always been fascinated by Joe's political leanings. He had many Rebublican friends and invited some of them, including Bush Sr. to address the team. Yet, Paterno grew up in NYC and attended Brown during the ascendancy of the New School movement, a liberal movement that began in NYC and by his own account he was aware of the cultural changes of the period and the context of the time. His philosophy towards higher education and the Grand Experiment are very similar to the New School principles of a liberal arts education married with social change. In Joe's case, it was education and football he was advocating. Civil rights, educational opportunity and charity were all part of his approach to his job - unusual for a Republican of his time (mid 60s to mid 70s). I would think in general he may have been classified as a Rockefeller Republican - someone who had a socially-oriented vision and purpose.
Click to expand...

You may be correct about the Rockefeller Republican label, I don't know. However, I think people fail to understand that our nation was founded to protect all of our values, not to enforce one's over another's.
 
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I still have my Joepa for Bush sign from '88. Daughter has it in her bedroom. It's signed by GW. Father in law worked on GW's campaign and took it to a few rallies. GW picked him out of the crowd to ask him about it then signed it for him.
 
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Zenophile said:
Screen-Shot-2018-12-02-at-9.02.16-AM.jpg

"I'm here because ... I'll be damned if I'll sit still while people who can't carry George Bush's shoes ridicule him."​
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for putting that up. I distinctly remember that nomination speech and watched it just now with a wide smile on my face. Joe Paterno was the only role model I ever wanted in my life outside my parents. I used a lot of Joe's philosophical foundations with my two boys, both of whom were devastated when the university fired Joe. God bless you, Joseph Paterno, and everything you stood for. I look forward to seeing you again.
 
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I strongly believe a huge part of the animus directed toward Joe regarding the Sandusky scandal was motivated by politics. Making a speech at the GOP convention was never forgotten, or forgiven, by many members of the press. As someone noted above, at the time Joe made the speech the tone of the country was different. One Harrisburg writer, for example, who was one of Joe’s harshest critics, was nearly completely motivated by political hatred for him. He was not atypical of the national press and their feelings toward him.

The idea of Joe being a Rockefeller Republican is way off base. Joe was socially conservative. Nothing like a Northeast, liberal Republican. You could talk to him for five minutes and figure that out.
 
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SUPERTODD said:
I strongly believe a huge part of the animus directed toward Joe regarding the Sandusky scandal was motivated by politics. Making a speech at the GOP convention was never forgotten, or forgiven, by many members of the press. As someone noted above, at the time Joe made the speech the tone of the country was different. One Harrisburg writer, for example, who was one of Joe’s harshest critics, was nearly completely motivated by political hatred for him. He was not atypical of the national press and their feelings toward him.

The idea of Joe being a Rockefeller Republican is way off base. Joe was socially conservative. Nothing like a Northeast, liberal Republican. You could talk to him for five minutes and figure that out.
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I'm not so sure. You might be right. I never knew to ask him back then. I attended QB club lunches where we listened to him describe the program and his views on a variety of topics, including some social issues with kids. I also sat with him for an entire half of a basketball game in Rec Hall talking about PA towns and the people he met in the coal regions in particular. He was conservative but it was a different time so that label has a different meaning. Plus, he worked on a college campus - not exactly a bastion of conservatism as we know it. I don't know if he was quote unquote a Rockefeller Republican but I do know he had a vision about social issues and education in particular and I was always impressed that a coach would discuss such things.
 
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Joe and Sue were the recipient's of The American Dream Award, given by the Hudson Institute, in 2000 or 2001. At the time, this conservative think tank was in Indianapolis. Sue was unable to attend the awards dinner because, IIRC, she had fallen and broken her hip.

At the time, I was president of the local alumni chapter. My VP and I had a few minutes alone with Joe during the pre-reception. The only thing he wanted to talk about was Sue. He was anxious to get home because Sue needed some assistance with certain things with which he felt only he should be helping. Honestly, it was sweet as hell!

Our chapter later sent Sue some flowers and a get well soon card. She sent me a hand written thank you note in which she promised she'd be ready to lace 'em up for the season opener against Arizona.

To the point, in Joe's acceptance speech, he spoke at length about the difference between being hurt and being injured. Using a football metaphor, Joe made the case that when we're hurt, we need to suck it up and get out there and play. Conversely, when we're injured, it is up to the rest of the team to pick up the slack and care for us. He never specifically argued that government should be the means with which we do that. However, I understood his main argument to be that those in our society who are merely hurt need to get off their butts and should not allow themselves to be burdens on society. Great speech!
 
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ApexLion said:
Can we name another football coach who could deliver this message and not look like...a football coach?

I've always been fascinated by Joe's political leanings. He had many Rebublican friends and invited some of them, including Bush Sr. to address the team. Yet, Paterno grew up in NYC and attended Brown during the ascendancy of the New School movement, a liberal movement that began in NYC and by his own account he was aware of the cultural changes of the period and the context of the time. His philosophy towards higher education and the Grand Experiment are very similar to the New School principles of a liberal arts education married with social change. In Joe's case, it was education and football he was advocating. Civil rights, educational opportunity and charity were all part of his approach to his job - unusual for a Republican of his time (mid 60s to mid 70s). I would think in general he may have been classified as a Rockefeller Republican - someone who had a socially-oriented vision and purpose.
Click to expand...
You seem to be of the mistaken opinion that Republicans opposed civil rights and the civil rights act. In fact a larger percentage of Republicans voted for the act than Democrats. It was also the Republicans who opposed slavery and the Republicans who are responsible for giving the vote to women. Actual facts are helpful sometimes.
 
johnmpsu said:
You seem to be of the mistaken opinion that Republicans opposed civil rights and the civil rights act. In fact a larger percentage of Republicans voted for the act than Democrats. It was also the Republicans who opposed slavery and the Republicans who are responsible for giving the vote to women. Actual facts are helpful sometimes.
Click to expand...

Not at all. I’m not going to stray into some political argument. My observation was and is that Joe had a very active, open mind on a variety of issues. I wondered aloud about his influences and political views.
 
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ApexLion said:
Not at all. I’m not going to stray into some political argument. My observation was and is that Joe had a very active, open mind on a variety of issues. I wondered aloud about his influences and political views.
Click to expand...
I think that is right. He had strong political views (small government, fiscal conservatism, personal responsibility), but he was also an intellectual and understood that there were injustices in the world that could be remedied by compromise and understanding.
 
SUPERTODD said:
I strongly believe a huge part of the animus directed toward Joe regarding the Sandusky scandal was motivated by politics. Making a speech at the GOP convention was never forgotten, or forgiven, by many members of the press. As someone noted above, at the time Joe made the speech the tone of the country was different. One Harrisburg writer, for example, who was one of Joe’s harshest critics, was nearly completely motivated by political hatred for him. He was not atypical of the national press and their feelings toward him.

The idea of Joe being a Rockefeller Republican is way off base. Joe was socially conservative. Nothing like a Northeast, liberal Republican. You could talk to him for five minutes and figure that out.
Click to expand...

Yes, also weren’t Rockefeller Republicans generally in favor of legalized abortion and were usually non-religious or attended leftist Protestant churches like the Episcopal Church? Joe was a devout Catholic, so I doubt he fell into that category.

I do think there was some element of political animus in the media’s attack of Paterno following Sandusky’s arrest, but keep in mind Republican Governor Tom Corbett also threw Joe under the bus and the media also unfairly went after Graham Spanier, a liberal Democrat.
 
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RussianEagle said:
Yes, also weren’t Rockefeller Republicans generally in favor of legalized abortion and were usually non-religious or attended leftist Protestant churches like the Episcopal Church? Joe was a devout Catholic, so I doubt he fell into that category.

I do think there was some element of political animus in the media’s attack of Paterno following Sandusky’s arrest, but keep in mind Republican Governor Tom Corbett also threw Joe under the bus and the media also unfairly went after Graham Spanier, a liberal Democrat.
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I think Americans of every political stripe, race and creed can agree Tom Corbett was, is, and always will be a bag of shit.
 
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