Obama the Clinical Narcissist

ooo perhaps it's genetic

Hmmmmm ....

Now that you mention it, I can think of so many politicians & "world leaders" who might very easily fit the NPD profile! Should we (if we can be bothered) compile a long list of them?

I think narcissism is a job requirement of being president. They've all had it in high but varying amounts. I'd say Nixon was on the higher end of high and Carter was on the lower end of high.

Gerald Ford was probably the lowest.

What... are we that far down in the list of nasty things to say about Obama?

So far we have had

- Socialist
- Corrupter of the minds of school children.
- Friend of Terrorists
- Destroyer of the Constitution
- Fascist
- Gun stealer
- America Hater
- Illegal Immigrant
- Lying African

Come on! Compared to the other things you guys have called Obama, narcissist is pretty weak.

all that, and a narcissist

sounds like i've found a new best friend

Narcissism is nothing to sneeze at, as a matter of face, it 's pretty toxic stuff.

I absolutely agree. I think that the vast majority of leaders, whether they be of a local club, community, state or nation, are narcissists. I think that goes along with the territory.

For longer than I can remember, I used to ask myself why the really bright, interesting people don't go into politics. Every time a president was elected, from whatever party, I shook my head, and wondered if that person was the best that the country had to offer.

Obama IS very bright, but I think that he comes with a lot of baggage from his childhood. And that is the one big difference than the scenarios of former presidents. I think that he relates to the public more as an entertainer than a public servant. And the people eat it up.

I sneeze at Narcissism.

Like others have said; all politicians are narcissist to some degree. You pretty much have to be, I think.

This reminds me of the saying that you may not be paranoid if the world really is out to get you. Likewise, you actually may be important if people really elect you to be the leader of the free world. So Obama may not be clinically narcissistic for believing that he is.

PS: Is it even conceivable that you would have written your initial post if McCain had won? Did you ever start a thread like this when George W. Bush was president? I don't think so. You're just continuing to be a sore loser, and must be depressed (clinically, perhaps?) because your party has nothing positive to offer right now. Hence the rant.

The election is over. You lost. Get over it.

With all due respect.... this is complete bullshit.

Name me one president who doesn't come with "baggage" from childhood. Bush? Clinton? Heck same me one human being who doesn't come with "baggage" from childhood (evidently some of us still have "baggage" from the fact Hillary lost the campaign last November).

This is pseudo-intellectual name-calling that undermines any respect for a man who is, like it or not, the president of the United States.

Please grow up.

Oh, I don't know, Bill Clinton had a ton of baggage, too.

I think Obama exploits his star quality to sickening degree, but I don't see it as entertainment. For example, when he made his speech aknowledging winning the Nobel he managed to mention both of his daughters and the of down-to-earth folksy things they said to him in addition to his winning.

Well, of course those cute girls had some cute things to say...

Gala- I would suppose that one COULD say something similar about Clinton. The difference is, that Obama is using this "cult of personality" of his to the nth degree. Clinton did not do that.

The childish name calling continues.... Add "personality cultist" to the list.

I will ignore that remark. Apparently, ebrown p, whenever someone attempts to share his/her thoughts, and they don't agree with yours, you react by dismissing it. You are entitled to your opinion, but I don't give a damn!!!

How about George W. Bush, whom you voted for? Twice?

I usually disagree with ebrowh p, but this time he's simply right. This talk about clinical narcissism and the like is nothing but childish name calling. And as for personality cult, I can see that among some of his supporters during the campaign, but not from Obama, and not after the election.

What's next Finn? Yo mama jokes?

Just addressing your highlighted points...

Does Obama have a grandiose sense of self-importance or do you ascribe that to him? Some one with no hope of winning the Presidency running might have a grandiose sense of self-importance; someone who can pull it off doesn't. You could probably say that every candidate for President except for Bob Dole suffered this same defect. I'll get to the Bob Dole example in a minute.

Obama doesn't live in a dream world of exceptional success, he lives in a real world of exceptional success. He's become President of the United States. In his 40's. You don't consider that successful? If his two books bombed, you might have a point, but they brought him millions.

I think the "special" comment would have applied really well to Bill Clinton, but I haven't seen any of that from Obama. If you have some concrete examples, I'd entertain them.

On the deference comment, could you provide some examples? I think Obama has expected that he will receive no deference, especially from the opposition. Bush expected a honeymoon from Dems and he basically got one. Obama had some hope that Republicans would work with him and that hope was dashed pretty quickly.

I don't know where the attitude thing comes from. I think Bush was much more of the "my way or the highway" mentality. What attitude do you think the President of the United States should have? I hear lots of people say "how dare he bow to the Saudis" and then turn around and say he's an arrogant SOB.

Back to Dole: I read a very interesting article in Time during the Bush/Clinton race that has stuck in my mind. The writer suggested that there are basically three types of personalities that run for President.

The first is the personal achiever (what you might call the narcissist, the person who believes in himself.) Every person who runs has to have some of this. This person is where he is because of personal achievement and charisma. Strengths include intelligence, willingness to look at new solutions, high work ethic. Weaknesses include a "rules don't apply to me" attitude, and a tendency to surround himself with those of a similar mindset. Think Clinton, Obama, Guilliani, most Christian leaders, lots of sports figures, some CEO's.

The second is the Noble Family group (the article had a better name). These people come from families that were raised to power and consider public service as their family obligation and trade. Think Bush Sr., Gore, younger Kennedys. Maybe Bush Jr.

The third group consists of people who have risen to the top of large organizations. These people might end up as Prime Minister in a parlimentary system. Here is where Dole fits in. These people started at the bottom and worked their way up, rung by rung. Strengths include strong institutional support and great relationships with branches of government. Downside is a lack of originality. This group also include Colin Powel, military brass in general, business execs who rose up from the ranks. It seems to me this group is the one that considers the Presidency as just one more job higher in the chain of command.

So, I bring this all up because just about every President in our TV, press bite age is going to come from the first group. If this person is not to your liking, you could easily ascribe the traits of a narcissist to them. Of the recent candidates, I think Obama is one of the least narcissistic of the lot. If you don't like him, I doubt any one could convince you of that.

What angers me is not just the silly name-calling.

The pretext that you can psychoanalyze someone who you have never met is especially annoying. There is nothing "scientific" or "clinical" about it. It is a cowardly pretext that there is some intellectual backing for the fact you just hate Obama.

This (combined that you don't care about the opinions of others) is an example of the passive-aggressive behavior that is an indicator of a Borderline-Personality Disorder. It is indicative of unresolved issues in familial relationships (heck, I don't know what I am talking about any more than you do).

Maybe what one person perceives as a "cult of personality" is what another person might see as understandable admiration of Obama's communication skills? He is an extremely impressive & eloquent speaker.