Awful Quote by William A. Rusher
![“I think she [Eleanor Roosevelt] never was called because she probably didn't know an awful lot. The whole burden of the criticism of her on the subject of Communism is naiveté, not participation. And again, being a public figure and our representative at the UN, there was nothing Communist about…” quote by William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c01/william-a-rusher-20922_awful_i-think-she-eleanor-roosevelt-never-was_1605673.jpg)
“I think she [Eleanor Roosevelt] never was called because she probably didn't know an awful lot. The whole burden of the criticism of her on the subject of Communism is naiveté, not participation. And again, being a public figure and our representative at the UN, there was nothing Communist about her, certainly.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Public commentary on Eleanor Roosevelt, 1970s
The speaker argues that criticism of Roosevelt’s alleged communist ties stems from naive misunderstanding, not actual involvement.
In simple terms: Criticism is based on ignorance, not fact.
Key Takeaway
Question assumptions before judging.
Themes
politics
misinformation
historical reputation
Mood
skeptical
analytical
Type
critical
historical
When to use this quote
- academic debate
- media analysis
- historical research
Key Concepts
Cold War
public perception
media bias
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we verify political accusations?
- What evidence would change the narrative?
A Different Perspective
Criticism may ignore complex political contexts.
![“I think she [Eleanor Roosevelt] was a shrewd politician, and very good in public relations, although she had the usual media help in this. As a Republican and a conservative, I can say ruefully that the Democrats and the liberals tend to get it; that when she said something, it was put in a nice…” quote by William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/700/william-a-rusher-20922_appropriate_i-think-she-eleanor-roosevelt-was-a-shre_2261351.jpg)
![“I think the fact that she [Eleanor Roosevelt] was a woman probably in those days would have been an additional criticism, although first ladies by definition in those days were women. There's always been a problem and still is, about the role the first lady should play, of course. Everybody's seen…” quote by William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dbf/william-a-rusher-20922_clinton_i-think-the-fact-that-she-eleanor-roosev_133419.jpg)
![“One has to say that they [Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt] were pioneering to some extent. They didn't know that some of the housing projects that they were putting up for the poor were going to turn into crack dens and rapists' bowers and things of that sort, which they have since become. But you…” quote by William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/564/william-a-rusher-20922_cracks_one-has-to-say-that-they-eleanor-and-fra_1164374.jpg)
![“That was a general impression that one got, that she [Eleanor Roosevelt] was always flitting around the country and descending on some place in the Ozarks that she decided was disadvantaged, and announcing that something had to be done. And she had a very active social conscience, which I think in…” quote by William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/aa0/william-a-rusher-20922_active_that-was-a-general-impression-that-one-g_1572497.jpg)
