Author Archives: Liberty Speaks

An article by Liberty Speaks…

OK, so what is a narcissist? The simple definition according to the dictionary is: A person who is overly self-involved, and often vain and selfish. However, let’s go further with the definition. According to the Mayo Clinic:

“A Narcissistic personality disorder is when a person has an inflated sense of their own importance and a deep need for admiration. Those with narcissistic personality disorder believe that they’re superior to others and have little regard for other people’s feelings. But behind this mask of ultra-confidence lies a fragile self-esteem, vulnerable to the slightest criticism.”

It is important not to confuse narcissism with confidence and high self-esteem because they are truly different animals. So, why did I write this article you may ask, the answer is our current President. I have been watching, listening, learning, and occasionally screaming at my TV over the last 4 years every time our leader of our nation gives a speech, addresses a foreign country, or gives an interview. (However, when it comes to the interviews, President Obama chooses the safe venue, and he is quite good at picking his dance partners in the press.) I have arrived at the same conclusion every time. He is a narcissist.

President Obama seems to have this cult of personality type leadership that is surrounded by a pervasive pattern of grandiosity and a need for admiration. This became apparent to me early on during the campaign season of 08. This is when what Sean Hannity calls, “Obama mania” occurred. The swooning from the media, the fainting women, James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal chronicled no less than five incidents of women fainting during Obama’s campaign speeches between Sept. 7, 2007 and Feb. 8, 2008. Plus, you can’t forget actor Jamie Foxx making this outrageous statement at the Soul Train Awards back in November 08, 2012 just days after the election, “First of all, give an honor to God and our Lord and Savior Barack Obama”.

Regarding the media and the masses defending this man – they have shown such ferocity, you dare not criticize nor doubt his stated abilities. If you do , you are labeled UN-patriotic, racist, or or worse…if there is worse than that. They truly did and some still do portray him as a messianic figure.

In a 2008 New Yorker piece by Ryan Lizza about the Obama campaign, Obama said that he liked being surrounded by people who expressed strong opinions, but he also said, “I think that I’m a better speechwriter than my speechwriters. I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I’ll tell you right now that I’m gonna think I’m a better political director than my political director.” There were others, like this one:

“I actually believe my own bullshit” — Barack Obama as quoted in “Renegade The Making of a President” by Newsweek’s Richard Wolffe.

After Obama was elected, in April 2009, in a meeting with American CEOs of American banks the CEOs tried to explain complexities of the finance and banking industries..He interrupted them and said, “Be careful how you make those statements, gentlemen. The public isn’t buying that. My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks.” This goes on and on, with statements such as “I won” and as reported by Karl Rove, Obama telling fellow Democrat Rep. Peter De Fazio that he needed to watch his political backside after he voted against the president’s stimulus package: “Don’t think I’m not keeping score, brother,” he warned him. From the statement that the police acted “stupidly” during the Gates incident in Cambridge to the arrogant statement on Twitter:

Obama: “When I think about those Soldiers or Airmen or Marines or Sailors who are out there Fighting on MY BEHALF”

It is all about Me myself and I, never we or us.

According to an article in Psychology Today, How narcissists can convince you of their (undeserved) greatness, published on May 1, 2012 by Susan Krauss Whitbourne,Ph.D.:

“Self-promotion, ingratiation, and other manipulative strategies are just a few of the ways that narcissists can trick the unsuspecting into thinking they’re the real deal. If you’ve ever been duped by the high-flying ways of a smooth-talking and super-confident date, job candidate, or boss, you know how easy it is to fall under such a person’s spell.”

I contend this is how POTUS was elected. He, in my opinion, had not the experience to be the Leader of this nation. Never in our lifetime has someone with such little experience in politics or governing held this office, however, he seemed to be everything that George W. Bush was not and who John McCain represented.

Obama was smooth, hip, said the right things at the right moment to the right people in the right fashion. He has shown he can mold into what the audience is expecting, through cadence, body language, and verbal expression. He spoke of Hope, change, transformation… an ugly duckling into a swan scenario. The butterfly from the cocoon. Fundamental transformation…
We will CHANGE WASHINGTON.

Here is the rub: the Narcissist does not want change, they have no idea on how to achieve the hope they speak of. The motives of a narcissist are not like those of others, because their motives shift depending on the advantage they can gain. This is a normal bait and switch with most politicians, however, with Obama, it is a prelude to new and shiny praise from those around him. Just one example – his evolution with gay marriage. The press came out swooning for the President never going back to the record against it and POTUS ate it up. They propped him up further on the pedestal. They have allowed him to go on without any accountability of past statements, contradictions, and complete and utter lies.

Now, I want you to take a look at some thing and ask your self if the behaviors of a Narcissist seem familiar to you. Here are the symptoms and description of Narcissistic Personality Disorder according to the Mayo Clinic:

Believing that you’re better than others
Fantasizing about power, success and attractiveness
Exaggerating your achievements or talents
Expecting constant praise and admiration
Believing that you’re special and acting accordingly
Failing to recognize other people’s emotions and feelings
Expecting others to go along with your ideas and plans
Taking advantage of others
Expressing disdain for those you feel are inferior
Being jealous of others
Believing that others are jealous of you
Trouble keeping healthy relationships
Setting unrealistic goals
Being easily hurt and rejected
Having a fragile self-esteem
Appearing as tough-minded or unemotional

Narcissistic personality disorder crosses the border of healthy confidence and self-esteem into thinking so highly of yourself that you put yourself on a pedestal. In contrast, people who have healthy confidence and self-esteem don’t value themselves more than they value others.

When you have narcissistic personality disorder, you may come across as conceited, boastful or pretentious. You often monopolize conversations. You may belittle or look down on people you perceive as inferior. You may have a sense of entitlement. And when you don’t receive the special treatment to which you feel entitled, you may become very impatient or angry. You may insist on having “the best” of everything — the best car, athletic club, medical care or social circles, for instance. But underneath all this behavior often lies a fragile self-esteem. You have trouble handling anything that may be perceived as criticism. You may have a sense of secret shame and humiliation. And in order to make yourself feel better, you may react with rage or contempt and efforts to belittle the other person to make yourself appear better.

OK, we can all go through that list and see a little bit of our own lives in it, and believe me, none of us are normal to the point we can’t find some fault. I have dealt with a couple of the things on the list as well. However, if you combine them all or at least lets say 80% you have an individual who not only loves power and control, but I fear can also be controlled by others that give that power through praise, admiration and the bestowing of a false sense of confidence. I am not going to go into the past with POTUS and what created this. I don’t have to, just read his books,”Dreams From My Father” and “Audacity of Hope”. One can see evidence of the above symptoms. Regarding the causes of the disorder I will refer again to the Mayo clinic:

It’s not known what causes narcissistic personality disorder. As with other mental disorders, the cause is likely complex. The cause may be linked to a dysfunctional childhood, such as excessive pampering, extremely high expectations, abuse or neglect. It’s also possible that genetics or psycho-biology — the connection between the brain and behavior and thinking — plays a role in the development of narcissistic personality disorder.

Let’s flash forward to the first debate with Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate for President. 67% according to a CNN poll, say that Romney beat Obama hands down. This was the first time that I was confident in my personal diagnosis of what I believe the President suffers from. He had no press to hide behind, he had no teleprompter with the words being fed to him and I believe due to his own arrogance, he did not come close to properly preparing for the battle in front of him. I truly felt, throughout his performance, a disdain of Mitt Romney that culminated in an “How dare you try to out shine me…I am the President” attitude. However, Obama’s lack luster performance and almost uninvolved answers left the man naked and deflated. It truly was an epic fall.

Now obviously all of this is just conjecture. I do not have a degree in Psychology. This really is more of an interest of mine and a hobby, so to speak. I have been listening, and watching. I can not seem to arrive at any other conclusion. I feel that the President, if he had a journal, would not write the first line of every day “Dear Diary”. Instead, the words on the paper would be “Dear Me” and go on to what the day held. Of course, I may be wrong. Continue reading →