Deep-rooted narcissism
Posted by Richard on July 31, 2008
… When it gets so bad that late-night comics like David Letterman and Jon Stewart are making sport of him, you'd think that Obama's handlers would be trying to do something about it.
But the problem with deep-rooted narcissism is that it can't be disguised or controlled; arrogance is so much part of the narcissist's psychological makeup that he simply cannot help but find new, almost daily, forms and forums in which to express it. Here is Obama's latest gaffe, which has already become the target of MSM, talk-radio, and blogger mockery:
Stumping in an economically challenged battleground state, Obama argued Wednesday that President Bush and McCain will resort to scare tactics to maintain their hold on the White House because they have little else to offer voters.
"Nobody thinks that Bush and McCain have a real answer to the challenges we face. So what they're going to try to do is make you scared of me," Obama said. "You know, he's not patriotic enough, he's got a funny name, you know, he doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills."
"…all those other presidents on the dollar bills"? Did we miss something? Have we already had that election?…
No wonder that the David Letterman audience exploded with laughter the other night when, in a list of "Top Ten Reasons Why Barack Obama May be Over-Confident About the Election," reason number six was: "Getting his head measured for Mt. Rushmore."
…… Hubris has dashed the lofty dreams of more than one Democratic candidate, despite weak Republican opponents — and given the latest polls, it appears that it is setting off alarm bells with the electorate this year, too.
The problem for Obama is that megalomania is so much a part of him that there's probably not a damned thing he can do to hide it. So, I'm sure the gaffes will continue, every time he speaks without the discipline of a text prepared for him by others .
Obama thinks some people are "scared" of him because of how he looks. But a lot of us are turned off (not "scared") because of how he sounds — like a slightly less stiff, more pigmented version of John Kerry.
Hathor said
Its hard to agree with you, when you see so much of that crap on the blogosphere and much of it from “i am not a racist”, non hayseed and PhD types. It may not be Bush or McCain, but somebody is out there fear mongering.
As for narcissism, ” It takes one to know one.”
rgcombs said
Enough about me. What do ”you” think of me?
rgcombs said
As for “you see so much of that crap on the blogosphere,” I don’t. So maybe you can enlighten us as to where all this “fear mongering” is taking place.
What I’ve seen is people questioning Obama’s character and challenging his policies.
What I’ve seen from the other side is the claim that if you don’t approve of Obama’s character or policies, it must be because you’re a racist. That’s an utterly contemptible argument.
IMHO, of course.
Hathor said
I randomly came across one when I was Looking for responses to Dr. Watson’s comments on intelligence. Others as links from blogs I read, which is quite different from your blog rolls. I even found one looking for a definitive blog on Islam; on that might possibly delve deeper in theology.
When I see bloggers and those that comment, continually question whether he is Muslim, an Al Quada sleeper agent, practices the gospel of Liberation or his patriotism, I wonder what are the motives, but to try to scare the populace. I wouldn’t call that discussing the issues. I have seen similar cartoons to the New Yorker’s and they weren’t meant to be satire.
There was a post that yo linked too where there was a picture of Michelle Obama with Louis Farrakhan’s wife along with some other prominent women. An older photo, what was the point of that?
rgcombs said
Well, if you dig deep enough into the blogosphere’s millions of sites, you can find just about anything. “Watson’s comments about intelligence” — you mean his claim that blacks as a group are intellectually inferior? I’m not exactly surprised that sites discussing his theories would include crap about Obama.
Blogs on Islamic theology? I’m not surprised that you’d find references to Obama’s “Muslim heritage” there, either. Wasn’t it one of Obama’s cousins or half-brothers who made some statements a while back about Obama’s “Muslim heritage”?
If you look hard enough, you’ll probably find someone who claims that Obama or McCain, or both, are somehow connected with the Nixon-Reagan-King conspiracy. So what?
What do these whacko sites you’ve found have to do with my point, or Bob Biddinotto’s? You’re just changing the subject.
Has the McCain campaign, or its mainstream supporters like Hugh Hewitt, RedState, Power Line, etc., “played the race card” like Obama ”personally” clearly has?
The only mainstream political sources that have tried that were associated with Hillary’s campaign.
As for that anti-Obama site with the picture of Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Farrakhan — IIRC, it was from a Rainbow PUSH meeting, and I assume its purpose was to illustrate one of their umpteen thousand examples of Barack and Michelle’s involvement with and commitment to radical left-wing causes and people. (I’m guessing — it’s not a site I visit regularly. But I’m pretty sure they had pictures of ”white” leftists associated with Obama, too — if that kind of thing is really that important to you. And if it is, for shame.)
In a nutshell, Bidinotto and I mentioned some perfectly reasonable reasons for being turned off to Obama — reasons that have ”nothing to do with his race or middle name” (which neither of us mentioned). ”You’re” the one who brought them up. And the gist of your argument seems to be, “Well, maybe ”you” have non-racist reasons for opposing Obama, but ”some” people have ”racist” reasons.”
Yeah, so what? They’re an insignificant minority of kooks. They’re not relevant to anything that 99% of us (on both sides) are talking about. So it’s disingenuous of you to bring them up to divert attention from what we ”are” talking about.
Hathor said
I have no way of proving that your numbers are wrong, but I have met ordinary people that are impressed by that propaganda. That same crap is going around in office emails and in chain letters, not some underground news paper. When their source is a friend or acquaintance it tends to have more credibility. Just because your perceptions are different doesn’t lessen the effect.
I don’t remember questioning your reasons for not being turned on to Obama. I wasn’t trying to defend his policies, by saying what I have said; but those that trash Obama, wouldn’t be that friendly to me either. I don’t like the fact his religion came up as it did in the campaign, the fact that he resigned from his church and the many people frivolously speak about his patriotism. Actions more than symbols are what I think should be important. Those things were talked about ad nauseam in the main stream media.
Since you have played the race card, just when have you been black and have understood the code words. You have no history in this regard and made no effort to under stand our history. This has nothing to do with being PC, liberal, conservative or your choice of candidates, it has to with the narcissism of one’s culture.
Hathor said
Black women meeting to bring about change in the black community is leftist?
The Nation of Islam leftist, too?
Ron said
‘As for “you see so much of that crap on the blogosphere,” I don’t. So maybe you can enlighten us as to where all this “fear mongering” is taking place.
What I’ve seen is people questioning Obama’s character and challenging his policies.’
You are smoking some heavy dank if you are oblivious to the fear-mongering. He’s a socialist. He’s a black radical. He’s Muslim. He’s…in love with himself. Oh, you already covered that. Check the New Yorker cover, pal. They aren’t making fun of the right for no reason.
You are not interested in substantive criticism of Obama if you think posting about his supposed hubris(and hey, how about you take the burden of proof this time and show us this hubris?) is “challenging his policies’.
rgcombs said
Ron, it’s convenient for the purposes of your outrage that you quoted only the second half of what I said: “questioning Obama’s ”character” and challenging his policies.”
His Kerryesque arrogance, elitist attitude, chiding of Americans for not being more like Europeans, and disdain for all those gun-and-bible-clingers reflect on his ”character”, Ron.
I’ve posted about Obama’s policies on several occasions. I have a couple of dozen posts tagged “Obama,” and most of the ones that deal with him directly deal with policy issues.
Judged by his friends, mentors, activities, and positions on the issues, Obama is the nearest thing to a socialist to ever get a major party nomination, further left than McGovern, and quite radical.
And yes, Hathor, the Nation of Islam is very much a leftist organization (Rainbow PUSH, too) — if you’re unaware of that, you either aren’t very familiar with their economic policy prescriptions or you judge left/right starting from a center-line that’s very different from where the “moderate middle” of American political thinking is.
But thank you both for your comments.
rgcombs said
Oh, and by the way, just in case it matters to either of you — I would ”love” to see a black president or a female president, and think it would be a great symbol of how this country has changed in the last fifty years.
I just don’t want to see ”this” black man as president. Or ”this” female as president.
Well over a year ago, I donated money to a couple of “draft Condi” organizations. I’m really sorry she wasn’t interested.
Actually, my ”ideal” black candidate (it’s a pipe dream, I admit) is Walter Williams.
rgcombs said
In case you’re not sure where your own policy ideas fit in, take a look at this story: [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12237.html Obama’s ’emergency’ economic plan]
If that piece of populist crap doesn’t strike you as radical leftist nonsense, then please consider yourself as disqualified from offering unbiased opinions on this site again. Thanks for your cooperation.
Hathor said
Walter Williams: that hustler?
rgcombs said
”Walter Williams: that hustler?”
Gee. I thought that he was one of the most respected free-market economists in the field; Chair Emeritus of the George Mason University Economics Department, and the person responsible for making it into one of the top econ schools in the country with two Nobel Laureates on its faculty (James Buchanan and Vernon Smith); the author of scores of papers in scholarly journals, scores more in popular publications, and six books; a nationally syndicated columnist, member of several boards of directors, and recipient of numerous fellowships and awards.
I didn’t realize he was just a “hustler” (whatever that’s supposed to mean).
Is he just not “black enough” for you?
Hathor said
He is smart, so what? if you had said J. C. Watts or Condoleezza Rice, I would have not made a comment.
I have seen this man’s personality and heard his views weekly for several years when he was a local pundit. If you don’t understand hustler, how about his being a jive mofo. It is not a question of him not being black enough, it is how he uses his blackness when he flim flams white folks.
rgcombs said
I don’t know anything about Dr. Walter Williams being a “local pundit” — he’s been on the faculty at George Mason University in Virginia since 1980 and chaired the econ department from 1995-2001, and I doubt he’s been a “local pundit” somewhere else during that time. Maybe we’re talking about a different Walter Williams. It’s not exactly an uncommon name.
But if this is the same Walter Williams, we have extremely — radically! — different opinions of him, and I don’t think we’ll change each others’ minds. I like and admire him a ”lot”.
Hathor said
This is [http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/wew/vita.html Walter Williams’] bio at George Mason University, you will notice the other universities that he has been part of their faculties. While at Temple University 1973-1981 he was an frequent guest on a local TV show. I would presume he has ties here, because he continued to be a guest until a few years ago.