# Patton on liberal politicians **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 8, 2014, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patton-on-liberal-politicians/690340 "2014-06-08T16:18:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patton-on-liberal-politicians/690340/21 "2014-06-08T22:42:21Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Do you think Patton actually made that quote? I know this is not directed to me, but I would had just declared the quote to be unsourced, but I got curious and looked around for how he saw Roosevelt, his driver reported that he did dislike politicians, but Patton told him that he was close to President Roosevelt. > **[I Was with Patton](https://books.google.com/books?id=kMwRiVV0y_YC&pg=PA296&lpg=PA296&dq=%22roosevelt%2Bdied%22%2Bpatton&source=bl&ots=lParxFRWbr&sig=4UJwAwJaFcU9oqECAYepl5j3Y2w&hl=en&sa=X&ei=aNyUU8OMOoyoyATWooCQDA)** > > Ask a silver-haired veteran of World War II his branch of service and where he served, and he'll reply, "Navy's Atlantic Fleet." "Marine in the South Pacific." "Army Air Force based in Italy." If this man is a Gl veteran of North Africa, Sicily, or... One has to remember that his most in-famous comment was: > **[Blood and Guts and McChrystal](https://www.newyorker.com/news/amy-davidson/blood-and-guts-and-mcchrystal)** > > Hendrik Hertzberg, writing about Generals Stanley McChrystal and Douglas MacArthur, notes that The point I want to make is that because of an explosive … > [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > ``` > > General Patton went on to declare that he had “never seen the necessity of the denazification program,” asserting that 98 per cent of the Nazis were just camp followers. > > > > ``` > > The Times reporter wrote that “some of his viewers expressed amazement at his arithmetic.” Patton indicated that the numbers might not be exact, but then, according to Time’s account of the press conference in its issue of October 1, 1945, he > > > [@](#): > > > > ``` > > brandished his riding crop and informed the press: “Well, I’ll tell you. This Nazi thing. It’s just like a Democratic-Republican election fight." > > > > ``` Seems to me than then he was an equal opportunity offender of the American Politicians, that and his relation with Roosevelt make me doubt more if Patton did say the quote from the OP in that exact way. So, un-sourced and doubtful IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patton-on-liberal-politicians/690340/22 "2014-06-08T22:43:55Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > That’s not what I implied and you know it. There are no skill requirements at all for a politician beyond popularity. None. No, I don’t know it and you did, directly, imply it. What do you think democracy is if it does not mean that “politicians … gain their jobs based on a popularity contest”? Yes, you are right that there are no skill requirements for politicians except “popularity”, i.e., the ability to attract votes, but that is an unavoidable consequence of having a democratic political system. If it is of dealbreaking importance for you, then you are against democracy. If you are committed to democracy, it is something that you need to stop bitching about and learn to live with. Your opinions about government debt and spending, misguided as I think they are, are quite irrelevant to this point. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patton-on-liberal-politicians/690340/23 "2014-06-08T22:46:00Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > Really? One relatively good year out of the last 7 or 8 is not a satisfactory budget report. And relatively being the all important word. A debt of 16 trillion(in reality its higher) is not offset by one year of reasonable deficits. Best to go through the entire economic cycle before judging the health of US debt. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patton-on-liberal-politicians/690340/24 "2014-06-08T22:46:40Z")
As the thread-starter, may I ask that we stick to the question? Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patton-on-liberal-politicians/690340/25 "2014-06-08T23:16:19Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > As the thread-starter, may I ask that we stick to the question? > > Thank you. No offence, but it’s a yes or no question you asked. I think it has been answered. There are only so many times the question can be answered with a resounding, no. _That is if no-one else can answer the question in the positive._ ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patton-on-liberal-politicians/690340/26 "2014-06-08T23:18:22Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > as opposed to politicians who gain their jobs based on a popularity contest? > [@Magiver](#): > > popularity is not a reason to hire someone. > > Politicians are people who acquire their jobs through no fault of their own and they generally have the skills to prove it. **Moderator Note** **Magiver** , your personal opinions about politicians are irrelevant to the OP. Unless you have some factual information specifically relevant to the question, let’s drop it. And everyone else, let’s drop the hijack as well and get back to the authenticity of the quote. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patton-on-liberal-politicians/690340/27 "2014-06-08T23:19:28Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Cite? [http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323353204578127374039087636](http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323353204578127374039087636) If the US Federal Government required _itself_ to follow standard accounting practices(practices it requires everyone else to legally follow) then US national debt would be much greater than its currently reported $16 trillion. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patton-on-liberal-politicians/690340/28 "2014-06-09T00:03:27Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > [http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323353204578127374039087636](http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323353204578127374039087636) > > If the US Federal Government required _itself_ to follow standard accounting practices(practices it requires everyone else to legally follow) then US national debt would be much greater than its currently reported $16 trillion. **Moderator Note** **Fuzzy-wuzzy** , discussion of the US national debt is off topic for this thread. As I instructed, drop the hijack. Colibri General Questions Moderator **MODERATOR INSTRUCTIONS** **TO EVERYONE: DROP THE HIJACK AND RESTRICT YOUR COMMENTS TO THE FACTUALITY OF THE QUOTE IN THE OP** Thank you for your attention. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patton-on-liberal-politicians/690340/29 "2014-06-09T00:09:54Z")
> [@Fishtar](#): > > In the 1982 books introduction, it states; > > “While not all source material was taken literally into quotations or even utilized as pure textual content, they were used rather as background data to supply a feeling or under- standing of a situation prior to writing about it.” > What the hell does that mean? > > http://delta\_1\_41\_inf.tripod.com/images/unknown\_patton.pdf It means two things: 1. “I have lots of source material which I do not set out explicity in the book, but which nevertheless influences what I do say in the book.” 2. “I am barely literate. I think ‘material’ can be treated abitrarily as either single or plural -sometimes both, in the same sentence.” ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patton-on-liberal-politicians/690340/30 "2014-06-09T00:11:05Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > **Moderator Note** > > **Fuzzy-wuzzy** , discussion of the US national debt is off topic for this thread. As I instructed, drop the hijack. > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator > > **MODERATOR INSTRUCTIONS** > > **TO EVERYONE: DROP THE HIJACK AND RESTRICT YOUR COMMENTS TO THE FACTUALITY OF THE QUOTE IN THE OP** > > Thank you for your attention. > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator My previous post and your warning crossed. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patton-on-liberal-politicians/690340/31 "2014-06-09T00:37:03Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > My previous post and your warning crossed. OK. I didn’t notice they were so close in time. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patton-on-liberal-politicians/690340/32 "2014-06-09T04:28:54Z")
Before anyone uses that book, _The Unknown Patton_, as the source for anything, they should be required to actually read it. It’s an utter mess. The quotation in the OP is found on pages 31 and 57 of the book. The author doesn’t even make any attempt to tell you where it comes from. He more or less says that this is just his personal interpretation of what Patton believed. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patton-on-liberal-politicians/690340/33 "2014-06-09T04:46:29Z")
Truman apparently wrote in a diary entry, “A professional liberal is the worst form of politician.”, and after Eleanor Roosevelt refused to endorse him for the nomination in 1948, wrote of her in his diary, “No professional liberal is intellectually honest.” It’s not a Patton quote, but it’s the best I can find. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patton-on-liberal-politicians/690340.md?page=1)