- Donald Trump possesses many of the same attributes as our famous WW2 field commander.
Back in 1970, actor George C. Scott portrayed General George S. Patton of World War II fame. The opening monologue in "Patton" was memorable and set the tone for the General’s character in the movie. At the time, the speech was considered rough and crude. So much so, it wasn’t unusual for some viewers to walk out of the theater after only the opening sequence. It was most definitely not politically correct for the times. Actually, the speech was a compilation of several speeches Patton had delivered, not just one. Nonetheless, he said and meant every word. His "Blood and Guts" no-nonsense style captivated viewers which was rather unusual during the age of the hippie revolution and the Viet Nam War.
For our younger readers, General Patton was a senior officer specializing in tank warfare serving under General Dwight D. Eisenhower ("Ike") in World War II. He commanded forces in Northern Africa, Sicily, and Europe. Patton's battle philosophy was to constantly attack and never hold a defensive position. It was this no-nonsense offensive philosophy which carried his armies from victory to victory. He was well organized, competitive, innovative, insisted on discipline, results oriented, and possessed a huge ego.
Patton's politically incorrect ways embarrassed General Eisenhower on more than one occasion, causing Ike to reprimand him. Nonetheless, Ike knew George was his best battle field commander causing him to recall Patton back to the front and turning him loose on the Nazis. Patton liked to characterize his relationship with Ike, as what General William Tecumseh Sherman was to Gen. U.S. Grant during the Civil War. Sherman was a ruthless warrior who split the South. He may have lacked polish, but he got results.
"Patton" was a movie sensation at the box office, and won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Actor (Scott), Best Director, and four other awards. It touched a nerve with the American people who appreciated Patton's straight-forward approach as opposed to what they were witnessing in Viet Nam at the time.
The parallel between Patton and Donald J. Trump is uncanny. Trump is politically incorrect and doesn't sugar-coat his position on anything. Like Patton, he relies on offense when conducting business or campaigning for president. And as should be obvious by now, this election is not politics as usual, this is war.
With each state primary Trump wins, the media becomes more intimidated and attacks him more viciously. It has become so bad, should he win the Presidential election, he might be inclined to put the press corps outside on wooden benches during his administration. Nobody would blame him.
Today we are hearing more and more about holding a brokered Republican convention, meaning the nominee would essentially be selected from a "smoke filled room." Trump's GOP opponents think this is a great idea as they know they cannot defeat him. No, the Republicans should play it straight. If he wins, he wins; if he loses, he loses. Simple. If they mess with him, Trump should take the RNC to the wood shed following his election.
So, why do people hate Donald Trump so much? Several reasons come to mind:
* He is beholden to nobody. Because he is self-financed, he cannot be controlled by a Super PAC or the media. They resent this, and are not used to losing control over a candidate, presidential or otherwise.
* People do not understand a Business Type-A personality, particularly bureaucratic "Type D" personalities who are not adventurous and prefer security (entitlements).
* There is petty jealousy over his success, particularly his detractors in the press. They despise his brashness.
* They are scared of his agenda if elected. As a capitalist, he is the antithesis of Democratic Socialists. Career politicians are also frightened he might upset the system in Washington.
* They prefer the current status quo of gridlock, entitlements, and debt, thinking it is natural.
Some people claim to find him acerbic and uncouth. Like Patton, Trump is a straight-forward personality appealing to a certain type of people, namely the "Silent Majority" who wants results as opposed to gridlock and facade. People cringe when he discusses certain sensitive subjects, yet he has been right about such things as illegal immigration, American companies fleeing the country, our policies in the Middle East, our unbalanced trade deficits with other countries, the divisiveness of the country, the control of the government by special interest groups, etc. Whereas other politicians try to tactfully discuss such subjects, Trump tells it as he sees it, warts and all. People either appreciate his unbridled enthusiasm, or they do not. Either way, they respect his ability to get things done.
Trump is a populist because he says what the silent majority thinks, all of which resonates with mainstream America. He may seem pompous, but he speaks from the heart and appears to believe what he says. Further, Trump hasn't been caught in a lie; and tries to tell the truth, as ugly as it might seem. For example, when he contends, "The World Trade center came down during Bush's administration," it may be unpopular to say this, but it was true.
Like Patton, Trump doesn't seem to care about political correctness. As a businessman, he cares about addressing the true problems and talks about them openly.
He is getting better with the press, but he is still not afraid to body slam a reporter who treats him unfairly. And since the media is predominantly liberal and opposes his every move, can you blame him?
Let's face it, nobody wants Donald Trump to win except the voters. Point him in the right direction, like Ike did with Patton, and he will be unafraid to form ranks and conquer his objectives.
"Alright now you sons-of-bitches, you know how I feel.
Oh, I will be proud to lead you wonderful guys into battle anytime, anywhere. That's all."
- ("Patton")
Also published with News Talk Florida.
Keep the Faith!
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Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
For Tim's columns, see: timbryce.com
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Copyright © 2016 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
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