Based on his rhetoric and posturing Donald Trump is fascinated with General George S Patton, or more specifically the portrayal of Patton by George C Scott in the 1970 (mostly) biographical movie “Patton”. The worst aspects of this problem are that certain coincidences I believe Trump regards as similarities between himself and Patton as portrayed in the movie will re-enforce his delusional belief that he is very much like George Patton, if not his outright reincarnation, a major theme of the movie.
The biggest thing my hypothesis has going for it is if you momentarily embrace it, it explains pretty much everything and holds up to scrutiny from numerous angles. Of course its not perfect, but indulge me and then draw your own conclusion— BECAUSE COMMENTS ARE ENABLED!! Please weigh in if you feel so inclined!
Trump’s fascination with Patton is a problem for a bunch of reasons. For one thing George Patton, despite his success, is a TERRIBLE role model for a politician. The real Patton was apparently non political, which makes sense because despite a rough charm he had no diplomatic skill or real personal charisma beyond the shock and awe of non stop profanity.
The movie ‘Patton’ is a masterpiece of film making that starts with a very strong Francis Ford Coppola screenplay advised by none other than Patton contemporary and equal- General Omar Bradley himself. An inspired George C Scott gave a brilliant, authentic and career defining performance then blew off accepting his Best Actor Oscar to go to a hockey game, he was that cool . Throw in one of the best movie scores outside Star Wars to move it along from the great Jerry Goldsmith of Star Trek fame. The director was Franklin J Shaffner , fresh off “Planet of the Apes” success.
The fact is Film Appreciation 101 might save the planet were Trump forced to take the course. If he had he would have realized the Ironic Duality of the plot. Simply put the movie is all about introducing the open question of “Is Patton all that is Great and Gallant in the United States Military or is he all that is Wrong and Perverse about War and War Making?”
The problems with Trump’s fascination with the movie are indeed numerous. Primary among his misconceptions seems to be that he is viewing in a very simple manner. It seems likely Donald Trump never took a single film class. The fact is Film Appreciation 101 might save the planet were Trump forced to take the course. If he had he would have realized the Ironic Duality of the plot. Simply put the movie is all about introducing the open question of “Is Patton all that is Great and Gallant in the United States Military or is he all that is Wrong and Perverse about War and War Making?” The movie seems to suggest he is both at the same time.
The movie analogizes very well to the campaign as we have seen it. The characters line up as roughly this- Trump of course is Patton. Egotistical British General Montgomery , equally delusional and insane to only a slightly lesser degree, is ‘Crooked Hillary’. Patton’s very first aide in the movie who dies is BOTH original campaign managers AND Chris Christie (aside from the actual sorrow Patton felt,Trump seems a stranger to empathy). Cod, his final aide is Kellyanne Conway and racist Steve Bannon. Omar Bradley and the US military are Paul Ryan and the Republicans. The German Military is the over-prepared Democratic Party, including their OP-O Researcher. Rommel is Bernie Sanders, the likely superior field commander made ineffective by a truly incompetent leader.
The movie opens with a Rally. A composite of Patton’s actual speeches delivered by Scott in front of a gigantic American Flag using his incredible speaking voice to draw us in. It’s very much a political looking arena and an Academy Award Moment defying the viewer to look away. When Patton begins to speak he’s commanding and profane. This is misleading right away as the actual George Patton is easily shown to have had the speaking voice of a little girl and that he had to talk dirty and dumb just to get anyone to stop laughing at him. So a key aspect of Trumps hero is pure Hollywood and just to improve story, something Trump surely relates to.
There are some traits both the Man in the movie and Trump share. One similarity between Trump and Movie Patton would be the portrayal of Patton as very much Bipolar. He was probably ‘Manic Depressive’ in terms of that time. Both were spotty students at prestigious schools (though Patton was afflicted with dyslexia, an actual learning disability he overcame, showing great personal character). Both are only functional because they are different and also only at derisive price to others. Both are insulated from their mistakes by great personal wealth.
Anti-Patton Cartoon from “Patton” (1970)
Both loved the coverage of and bristled at the scrutiny from the media they courted. Both earned the distinction of “Suspected Huge Fan of the Nazis” from the media in their time.
While Trump uses tweets Patton would simply act in an outrageous manner (sound familiar?) til the press couldn’t look away. Both seem to flirt with the idea of War for War’s sake (the Patton character admits this repeatedly). Each guy had their own unique religious tastes, Patton’s shown as much more extensive than Trumps appear. Patton’s steadfast belief in re-incarnation and love of all things violent calls into question whether he is actually a christian. In the movie he hits his knees a couple of times but only in the most arrogant way in the most dire moments. This is not unlike Trump being beloved by extremist Christians despite a life of documented debauchery. The climax of this subplot is arguably also the climax of the movie. Patton, frustrated that the reality of the situation didn’t fit with his preconceived plan, basically ORDERS GOD TO CHANGE THE WEATHER AND APPARENTLY PULLS IT OFF. This only
reinforces his extreme vanity and puts a more dangerous edge on his genius.
Of course what we all know today about Patton’s Weather Prayer is that a warm front moved in and the snow simply stopped. That doesn’t blunt the forceful nature of the scene where Patton excoriates a regimental chaplain, telling him to write a prayer “good enough” for God to bother listening. Its very much like Trump’s contempt for the Pope and religion in general. The “Two Corinthians” Fiasco shows Trump has no religious convictions including having no problem with rank hypocrisy and is therefore a bit less moral than Patton. This sequence of the movie is meant to show Patton’s Hubris and psychopathy in pursuit of battle and it’s a very dangerous thing to take it literally as surely Trump does.
Another thing Trump and ‘Movie Patton’ have in common would be a total lack of understanding of whats called “Psychological Warfare”. In the film Patton is apparently baffled as to the importance of his mission leading up to D-Day- to be a weapon of mass distraction . Patton’s use as a decoy convinced Hitler to disregard an Actual Invasion and hold off forces that may well have turned the tide of the War itself , to await a Fictional Invasion that was never going to happen.
This is a lot like Trump calling the Generals and the president stupid repeatedly for broadcasting some details of the plan to destroy ISIS. He simply doesn’t understand the idea that you can cloud your opponents judgement to the point you can predict or even control his actions. It’s too subtle for the movie character or Trump to grasp. (I’m pretty sure the Historical George Patton DID understand but probably had contempt for psychological warfare).
Both Trump and Patton have a deep disdain of giving out any government healthcare. Patton orders his hospital units not to admit Combat Fatigue, which he considers
Patton “shaming a coward”/ abusing a soldier
cowardice. This was so insane to 1940’s medical personnel they simply ignore him, a move that boomerangs on Patton in his “Hot Mic on the Bus” moment where the General loses control of himself publicly. Of course I am talking of the scene where movie Patton slaps a ‘cowardly’ soldier in a Field Hospital, disgusting everyone and betraying to his troops how little he cares about them despite the bravado. Real life Patton slapped more than one soldier more than one time til they actually had to discipline him and remove him from command. Patton is benched and used as a decoy until after the D-Day Invasion, the battle he had waited all his life to fight in. He faces it like a pitcher caught doctoring a baseball and forced to miss a playoff start. In other words, with only a minimal thought of anyone else. Again Patton shows his view of war and command to be from the Dark Ages or perhaps early Renaissance at its most compassionate.
In his finest moments of triumph after receiving a new army to command, when prosecuting the war Patton is shown as petty and dismissive of his soldiers well-being and simply thinks of his Army as a whole. People get killed the same way a person trims their fingernails, it’s a natural ongoing function of war. More important than winning were the laurels and press adulation that came with it. When holding the spotlight Patton is grandiose in his actions while his words are always petty. Demonizing and denigrating his personal rival “Crooked Monty” aka British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. The press shines its light on one only at the cost of the other in much the same way as the US media did with the candidates in the recent election.
Patton and Trump have contempt for the abilities (and probably even the racial abstraction) of the Russians, despite Trump’s open admiration for Putin. Patton moves himself firmly onto the hot seat in the early postwar moments by repeatedly insulting people, specifically members of the russian military, the US President and that which would become NATO. Sound familiar?
Near the conclusion of the movie Patton is again being a prima donna for the press, riding a prized horse in a Baroque era stable. He’s absolutely embraced the role of Military Governor from a Medieval Perspective. He refuses to denounce the Nazi’s properly and defends his utilization of Hitler’s former minions in his administration. In the characteristically glib manner of a sociopath Patton simply analogizes the Nazi party to the Republicans and Democrats in America. Such is his arrogance he ignores the way the press are manipulating him and plays bluntly to them making a bellicose implied case for war and just basically checking off boxes on the list of traits of “Unfrozen Caveman Warlord”. The career of Patton is gutted by his insane statements and brutal medieval view of war, deemed just too out of touch with the 20th century to be any longer tolerated.
The movie closes with the disgraced Patton reflecting in how the Romans would celebrate a victory with a triumphant parade through Rome itself and a warning that all Glory is Fleeting.
Disturbing Conclusions and Thoughts-
It’s my theory that Trump see’s the story of Patton as that of an American who couldn’t lose cause he was an American and that he was an exceptional person who prospered BECAUSE he broke all rules and civility rather than IN SPITE OF THIS. I believe he sees his kooky Cabinet of Billionaire Ass kissers as equivalent to Patton’s highly trained and battle proven staff officers. This dangerous delusion casts crazy ex-General Flynn in the role of Omar Bradley, something so far from the truth it would be laughable of it weren’t absolute reality.
Based on his overtly displayed misunderstanding of the movie Trump shows he is dangerously militarily primitive and most comfortable with methods and ideas more commonly associated with the Nazi Germans than 20th century Americans.
Patton is a terrible role model for even most soldiers as he was always succeeding at he expense of higher all around casualties. He declined peaceful solutions whenever possible. He was always one mistake from disaster but circumstance connived him a series of unlikely wins. As a role model for a president Patton is a disaster.
Like Trump, Patton’s glory should never eclipse the incompetence of his enemies. It requires some historical perspective to understand. Patton was set loose in western Europe with a veteran army and ample supplies. Even more decisive the Germans are mandated by Hitler ONLY to plan against Patton in an area where they expect the Invasion that never comes in Calais. Rather than ever accepting that they must fight Patton they become intimidated and willfully ignorant of the reality due to Hitler’s rapid mental decline from seriously insane to non functional maniac between about 1942 and early 1944. Patton directly benefits. As far as the recent campaigns analogize think of this as being roughly the same as Hillary not going to states she considered ‘safe’, like the vaunted Democratic “Blue Wall” of reliably Democratic states , each of which she then lost by less than an under-attended football game worth of people. We know Trump appreciates this misstep because its one of his favorite riffs to go on from the ongoing “Thank You Rallies” that are a veritable torchlight parade for the guy.
Also like Trump, Patton did have a staff of soothsayers, but again, they were highly competent top notch merit promoted staff officers with great expertise as well. Trumps rag tag group of advisers is anything BUT top notch or Highly Competent.
Another unavoidable conclusion from the movie is that current 21st century Americans are actually LESS civilized than Americans of the mid 20th century, 75 years ago, or at the very least the Americans of 1970 when the film is made. Being at war since 9-11 surely is somewhat to blame for this. This suggests that assertions about a cult of ignorance and a desire to literally turn back the clock to early post world war 2, before the integration of the military, by the Trumpists are very much real and accurate.
There is still time to avoid the fate of the Germans and the fate of Patton, which is the final spoke of this wheel. Patton’s death was in a freakish car accident. Its long been imagined and even said that the General was killed by the CIA’s predecessor the OSS. If you watch the movie you’ll end up a little torn by that because clearly he was an enemy of peace in every form. Could Trump’s disdain for the Intelligence community and peoples sensibilities be such that there is action taken against him as well?
The Tea Party is going solo in some states, and more and more will follow suit quickly. Believe it.
Last night i decided to weigh in on the Mississippi Senate Republican Primary Between Whacked out Chris McDaniel and and a suddenly moderate populist incarnation of what was once Senator Thad Cochran. I didn’t realize it would be huge! Specifically in the McDaniel post failure meltdown.
I mentioned Tea Bagger Maniac McDaniel had refused to concede.
The Tea Party’s Ozzy Osbourne-Madman Chris McDaniel
Its just not something they do, its too graceful and dignified. No Tea Bagger ever concedes in the conventional sense. They freak out and claim fraud no matter how crushing the vote tally. So, like Herman Cain before him and Joe Miller before him McDaniel went on a wild scorched earth rant about the underhanded and UnAmerican nature of his opponent/vanquisher, which was another republican this time; Thad Cochran and the GOP itself. With theatrics and insanity that seemed headed towards some theatrical pyro and maybe biting the head off a bat, McDaniel openly and full throatedly questioned the GOP’s Conservative legitimacy. He did more than imply that a third party was needed. Typical Bagger shit, right? Yes but this time soooo much more!
When the Loser of the Night took up the microphone at his Beer Hall Putsch-like Campaign gathering all Hell broke lose! (Cue Metal Guitar Chord Chunking!!)
A screaming McDaniel was incensed at what he thought was the most unAmerican and UnConservative aspects of Cochran’s strategy- first off-Inclusiveness. The idea that his states primaries were open to voters of either party disgusted McDaniel and he falsely called it illegal. Next he attacked Cochran’s governing philosophy-Mainly the fact that Cochran had told the people in one of America’s poorest states that he would work within the framework of the existing system to bring home the money the state so desperately needed. The McDaniel philosophy and promise was to bring back Nothing to his state so that they could be Free… from money I guess. Why so many Republicans were so stoked about McDaniel’s vision is hard to say. It had been assumed he would win going away. Instead he loses by 4000 votes.
On its own it was hilarious and fulfilling to see a tea billy hater so worked up and pissed he couldn’t be Coolest Kid in the Playground. He’s threatening to sue people today. Good Luck. Hey, maybe he will stick around long enough as an Independent Bagger Third Party kinda rebel Candidate and deal ol’ Thad a killing stroke out of spite and putting the Democrat in, whoever the Hell that is, into the seat Cochran has held since the Civil War (like 36 years).
Enter Snowbilly Grifter Sarah Palin, a woman without a soul or a real source of income outside her own big mouth. She seized on McDaniels comments and made a demand, semi Patrick Henry-like, of ‘Give Me a Conservative Republican Party or Give That Party Death!’ Rush Limbaugh, who also needs to blow a lot of hot air to stay rich, went full tilt on the third party option, that being the Tea Party. Hannity was on the same page, except of course when he said it he sounded like Sylvester Pussycat.
I’m Gonna Say It Now & Ya Heard It Here First–The Tea Party is going solo in some states, and more and more will follow suit quickly. Believe it.
Whats this say for the Republicans? they have birthed a monster to be sure. Their maladjusted latchkey kid Tea Party is a paranoid gun nut who hates his parents as much as anything else. The little bastard is going to take a chunk out of them.
In the short term the GOP is going to end up suffering serious setbacks, but they will always shill hard for big business and so they will survive. In the long term they need a new outlook. Thad Cochran ran toward the middle and won like that. Other old school republicans may just follow suit. It saved Cochran’s ass when he was considered dead and buried. If they choose to take a similar approach, which included a healthy dose of Federalism, they will need to drop some other extreme ideas too, but this may actually help.
The Venn Diagram of the Tea Party/GOP has been in motion since McDaniels meltdown (way to perpetuate the Irish stereotype of ungoverned anger, dick) and I think will remain so for the foreseeable future
The epic week of Terror in Boston leaves 3 civilians and one cop dead as well as nearly 200 hurt, many critically. The Brothers Tsarnaev have defied classification in the lexicon of Terrorist Descriptions.
Domestic Terrorists?
Domestic Terrorist seems to fall just short, as they were not American by birth. Tamerlan, the older, presumed mastermind had permanent resident status and his younger brother Dzhokhar was actually a citizen, ironically taking the oath on the 11th anniversary of 9-11.
Al Qaeda or al Qaeda Wanna Be’s?
Al Qaeda operatives is still open for speculation, Tamerlan DID spend time in Russia and what he did in his 6 months there is currently unknown. The biggest problem with ‘al Qaeda wanna be’ or ‘al Qaeda Trained’ is the lack of a claim of responsibility in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombing. If you do something this extreme on behalf of a cause why keep that to yourself? It’s a strong case against calling them al Qaeda. If you go this route to classify them ‘al Qaeda Wanna-Be’s’ works better.
Terrorists or Sociopaths?
It’s not important if the Tsarnaev brothers had any real agenda for the bombing, but one relatives description of them as losers lends creedence to the idea they are non terrorist Mass Murderers. Radical Islam seems to be emerging as their motivation… or is it simply a rationalization to excuse the simple malignant acts of murder they ultimately carried out? It’s unimportant because Terrorism resulted from their acts and in a purely technical sense their acts alone legally made them fit the definition of terrorists
This one is a tough stretch but may be ultimately what they refer to the dead brother as. He is the one who left the country and was a more overt and vocal practitioner of Radical Islam. The lack of a claim of responsibility is a problem with this definition also. Why would someone commit an extreme terrorist act without claiming responsibility. Unlike Timothy McVey, who was in custody (for other charges) within hours of the bombing and arguably was not able to claim responsibility, these guys had a whole week.
Just Plain Anarchist Malcontent Mass Murderers?
This is almost certainly the way they would have been viewd in a pre 9-11 world. They were hateful and had a grudge against America. One Uncle living in Maryland seemed to touch on this when he called the brothers ‘losers’ and seemed to attributed their radicalism to selfishness and a move of convenience, possibly even a self defense mechanism against their own failures. He continues to make statements denigrating the older brothers dedication to or even his practical knowledge of Islam.
A Whole New Kind of Terrorist?
Foreign Inspired Domestic Terrorist or Self Radicalized Domestic Islamic Terrorist seems to work best. I have not seen these terms used as of yet, but it’s a logical cobbling of terms and likely will be used if it hasn’t already. The labels fits both brothers well and satisfies the idea of a fitting, complete description. Only the Islamic Element of their classification seems debatable. As more information comes in there will be opportunity for a more specific rendering, but for now, the Tsarnaev Brothers fit into this final dual category.
Whatever else we decide they are, calling them Domestic Terrorists with some sort of twist seems to be a pretty solid assertion.
This is a lot like Trump calling the Generals and the president stupid repeatedly for broadcasting some details of the plan to destroy ISIS. He simply doesn’t understand the idea that you can cloud your opponents judgement to the point you can predict or even control his actions. It’s too subtle for the movie character or Trump to grasp. (I’m pretty sure the Historical George Patton DID understand but probably had contempt for psychological warfare).
