Loyalty to his friends?
I've bought 20 locations John, all yours 100%
He said that right? Later on he gives 50% of the dojos to Barnes...if he wins.
I admit that I forgot about this part...I am only speculating here, but it's not out of the question that Silver may have had another conversation with Kreese (prior to recruiting Mike Barnes), during which Kreese had expressed his gratitude, but made it clear to him that he didn't actually need to have ownership over as many as 20 dojos. It's doubtful whether he was motivated to be as actively involved with karate as before.
As for dumping nuclear waste and using underhanded tactics to make deals with Senators, I agree that it doesn't paint a pretty picture, though one has to take into account that environmental standards were more lax 30 years ago and it's possible that Silver could have passed the buck to his subordinates, claiming that they were the ones involved in ironing out the details of the agreements.
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wearsalan (5554)
3 years ago
It's not out of the question. But on the same note, it's not out of the question that no such conversation took place.
The rules may have been more lax, but he actually mentions how he's lucky to make one deal a year without being indicted. He says he's going to bribe a jury as usual and he invites the DA on the case to dinner.
So no, he's not looking to blame his subordinates.
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GilesDaldanus (39)
3 years ago
Indeed, though one could argue that it was a very generous offer to begin with and Kreese would have likely not felt betrayed, as he would have understood the need to provide such an incentive to Barnes (Silver's revenge plan was hatched due to Kreese's personal issues with Daniel and Miyagi). He must have also been incredibly grateful for being given the opportunity to recharge his batteries and clear his mind in Tahiti.
I will have to mostly concede the latter point, well put, but given Silver's young age (he was presumably in his late 20s at the time) and depending on how credible the charges against him would be deemed by the general public and/or whether he was actually convicted, it may have eventually turned out not to be a deal-breaker if he decided to participate in an election ten to fifteen years after the events.
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wearsalan (5554)
3 years ago
It's not what Kreese thinks of it though. It's that Silver has offered 100% then took that offer and offered half of it to someone else. Silver hatched the plan because he owed Kreese his life (even he can't remember how many times Kreese saved his ass in 'Nam). So sending him to Tahiti was the least he could do seeing as he never even realised his best friend, and the man he owed his life to, was in such a state in the first place.
As for how the general public would feel over Silver antics ten to fifteen years after events, these things (skeletons in cupboards) always come back to haunt would be politicians. Silver was meant to be in his 30's at this point and a successful self made billionaire and not some young hot headed spoilt brat.
Why not just offer Barnes a cash sum?
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GilesDaldanus (39)
3 years ago
Yes, Silver owed a debt of gratitude of Kreese and should have been keeping in touch with him more regularly. It's a bit surprising that he didn't know about the situation his friend had found himself in in the aftermath of the 1984 All Valley tournament. However, it may be the case that Kreese was a guy who valued his privacy (he didn't have a very easygoing personality) and didn't generally like to confide stuff. Even the best friends sometimes drift apart when they are no longer high school or university students.
I agree that if you decide to become a politician all your transgressions (minor and not so minor) from your past will be bound to resurface at some point. However, charisma and being able to convince people of the merits of your policies goes a long way and can still see you win a presidential race. As for his age, it's possible that Silver was indeed supposed to be a guy already well into his 30s, though the actor Thomas Ian Griffith was actually slightly younger than Ralph Macchio (Daniel LaRusso). He could have done that and I don't think Barnes would have been opposed, but maybe Silver liked him a lot and wanted to make him one of the faces of his karate business ventures.
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wearsalan (5554)
3 years ago
Kreese was paying rent to Silver and hadn't paid in 6 months. Silver was surely aware of this. He would have known Kreese was a proud man and despite Silver not wanting or needing the money, he would have accepted it to keep him happy. For that money to suddenly stop and not been paid for 6 months should have alerted Silver that something was wrong.
The character of Silver served in Vietnam which finished 10 years before the events in KK3, so yeah, he was most likely in his 30's despite the actor being younger than Ralph Macchio.
What do you think people would think of his policies once it was made public knowledge that the man bribed people to get deals done and was an Indian giver.
As for wanting to make Barnes one of the faces, offer him 10/20 dojos in the area he was from. That way it wouldn't impact on Kreeses dojos and it spreads Cobra Kai even further.
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GilesDaldanus (39)
3 years ago
Good point, I must have not been attentive enough while watching the film, as I didn't catch the bit about Kreese paying rent to Silver. I think that we are essentially in agreement when it comes to Kreese's character traits. To be honest, I think that Silver could certainly pass for a guy in his 30s, especially given how youngish LaRusso looked.
This could be problematic, though if Silver somehow managed to obtain the support of enough people feeling marginalized by the system, then he could potentially pull it off, just like Trump did in 2016 in spite of the Russian links (some of his associates like Rick Gates actually pleaded guilty of conspiracy against the United States). Silver is arguably less compromised in comparison to some other political figures.
I concur, this would have been an appropriate way to deal with the situation in a way acceptable to all sides involved and come clean!
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