It has long been a possibility in my view. Since I first saw him speak during the campaign in 2008, I have firmly believed that Barack Hussein Obama (photo: Google) is a narcissist. It is through his demeanour and constant demeaning of the American people that I have come to realize this most fundamental character flaw in our nation's President.
Before we go any further, let's define narcissism:
According to WebMD, "Narcissism is a term used to describe a focus on the self and self-admiration that is taken to an extreme...Narcissistic personality disorder is one of a group of conditions called dramatic personality disorders. People with these disorders have intense, unstable emotions and a distorted self-image. Narcissistic personality disorder is further characterized by an abnormal love of self, an exaggerated sense of superiority and importance, and a preoccupation with success and power. However, these attitudes and behaviors do not reflect true self-confidence. Instead, the attitudes conceal a deep sense of insecurity and a fragile self-esteem."
The symptoms include (but are not limited to): (1) being "self-centered and boastful," (2) seeking "constant attention and admiration," (3) considering "themselves better than others," (4) setting "unrealistic goals," and (5) taking "advantage of others to achieve their goals."
Furthermore, "common traits of narcissistic personality disorder include the following:" (1) "...Belief that he or she is "special" and unique, and can only be understood by other special people, (2) Expectation that others will automatically go along with what he or she wants, (3) Inability to recognize or identify with the feelings, needs, and viewpoints of others, (4)...Hypersensitivity to insults (real or imagined), criticism, or defeat, possibly reacting with rage, shame, and humiliation, [and] (5) Arrogant behavior and/or attitude."
Please review those descriptions and symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder again, paying particular attention to the ones I highlighted in bold.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but do they not describe our current President? Are these symptoms not conveyed during his speeches? The fact that he has given (or made), according to CBS News, 411 speeches, comments or remarks (52 just on health care), 42 news conferences, and 158 interviews -- all in his first year -- is evidence enough that Obama may be (at the very least) borderline narcisstic. Sounds to me like somebody enjoys hearing themselves talk.
Now, many have been duped, in my opinion, by Obama's charm and ability as an orator. And, as I said before, those who checked Obama's name off in Nov. 2008 are beginning to suffer from "voter's remorse."
One of those people is Sam Vaknin, Ph.D., author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited. Vaknin states: "I must confess I was impressed by Sen. Barack Obama from the first time I saw him. At first I was excited to see a black candidate. He looked youthful, spoke well, appeared to be confident - a wholesome presidential package. I was put off soon, not just because of his shallowness but also because there was an air of haughtiness in his demeanor that was unsettling. His posture and his body language were louder than his empty words. Obama's speeches are unlike any political speech we have heard in American history. Never a politician in this land had such quasi "religious" impact on so many people. The fact that Obama is a total incognito with zero accomplishment, makes this inexplicable infatuation alarming. Obama is not an ordinary man. He is not a genius. In fact he is quite ignorant on most important subjects."
In an article from The American Chronicle, Vaknin provides a detailed outline of Obama and the behavioral traits of narcissists. Vaknin starts by giving us information about Obama's upbringing and childhood, saying: "Obama's early life was decidedly chaotic and replete with traumatic and mentally bruising dislocations. Mixed-race marriages were even less common then. His parents went through a divorce when he was an infant (two years old). Obama saw his father only once again, before he died in a car accident. Then, his mother re-married and Obama had to relocate to Indonesia: a foreign land with a radically foreign culture, to be raised by a step-father. At the age of ten, he was whisked off to live with his maternal (white) grandparents. He saw his mother only intermittently in the following few years and then she vanished from his life in 1979. She died of cancer in 1995."
How would this relate to narcissism? As Vaknin explains, "Pathological narcissism is a reaction to prolonged abuse and trauma in early childhood or early adolescence. The source of the abuse or trauma is immaterial: the perpetrators could be dysfunctional or absent parents, teachers, other adults, or peers."
From there, Vaknin actually goes into narcisstic tendencies of leaders. And what he shares is quite eye-opening. Vaknin explains that "...narcissistic leadership is about theatre, not about life. To enjoy the spectacle (and be subsumed by it), the leader demands the suspension of judgment, depersonalization, and de-realization. Catharsis is tantamount, in this narcissistic dramaturgy, to self-annulment."
On top of that, "[n]arcissistic leadership often poses as a rebellion against the "old ways" - against the hegemonic culture, the upper classes, the established religions, the superpowers, the corrupt order. Narcissistic movements are puerile, a reaction to narcissistic injuries inflicted upon a narcissistic (and rather psychopathic) toddler nation-state, or group, or upon the leader."
Need further proof? Let's review his State of the Union address from Jan. 27. As Mike Flynn, Editor-in-Chief of BigGovernment.com, put it: "[In the address], Obama announced not a single change in his agenda or his priorities. Okay, well maybe one; his call for a three-year spending freeze. But, it is clear he isn’t really serious about this, since he also announced a huge swath of new spending initiatives. He still wants to enact sweeping changes to health care, even though it is political kryptonite."
It was obvious from his speech that Obama didn't think for a second he needed to change course. To him, the American people simply don't understand what's good for them. So, like a true narcissist, he needed to break it down into words the little people can understand. Flynn continues: "He wants another bloated, pork-filled “jobs bill”, even though his “stimulus program” was a joke, and a failure." Again, he isn't responsible for his plan not working -- everybody else (including former President George W. Bush) is at fault.
To further capture the true idea of a narcissist, let me share a short anecdote with you. A friend of mine, let's call him Tom, is a person who knows all too well what a real life narcissist can do. His mother, let's call her Claire, is the quintessential narcissist: always the center of attention, constantly playing mind games and manipulating people, and creating drama when their is none.
Tom, like most children of narcissists, grew up figuring his mother was like any other mother. This was just life as usual. It wasn't until he was older and out of the house that he started to become aware of his mother's narcissistic tendencies.
Claire was a lawyer. All throughout his college career, Tom heard how he would go to law school at the same place Claire went. Despite the fact that Claire's career was mediocre at best, Tom never heard the end of how being a lawyer was the greatest thing out there. For some people, that's true -- but not for Tom (or Claire for that matter). Like the typical narcissist -- Claire bragged about how great of a lawyer she was -- and put Tom down for pursuing other opportunities -- constantly.
Then, came Tom's girlfriend, Katie. Claire wasn't too fond of Katie. Why? Well, beside the fact that Katie was a young, beautiful girl who Tom adored, Claire felt threated by her. After all, the true narcissist craves attention -- the world revolves around them.
Tom left home and didn't come visit much. He started a life with Katie -- not that it was particularly difficult to avoid his mother -- she consistently put his career objectives (and taste in women) down. Katie was the devil trying to destroy the family -- according to Claire. Family ties became severed as Claire continued to berate Katie and Tom. To this day, things are not reconciled. Tom has never forgiven Claire -- not that it would matter though. To the narcissist, they never do anything wrong -- everybody else is to blame.
And that's just one family. Imagine what a guy like Obama can do -- to an entire country. I share this with you today because I believe it's important. We need to understand who is leading our country, America. We need to understand who the people are around us. We need to know where we stand and where our family, friends, and neighbors stand.
I pray that we learn about our leaders -- and each other -- before it is too late.
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