Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Maureen Dowd, "Takes One to Tango": Our Narcissist-in-Chief

"Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder in which people have 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."

- Mayo Clinic staff (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/narcissistic-personality-disorder/DS00652)

In her latest New York Times op-ed entitled "Takes One to Tango" (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/16/opinion/dowd-takes-one-to-tango.html?_r=0), Maureen Dowd reflects on the pessimism pervading Washington as Obama enters his second term:

"Washington’s mood is as gray as the weather, full of burning Republicans and yearning Democrats.

We’re facing default. Again.

We’re mired in partisan trash-talking. Still.

And despite the tragedy of the children riddled with bullets in Newtown, Conn., no one is expecting any consequential fixes to our absurdly lax gun laws."

Dowd bemoans Obama's inability to communicate and socialize, which, throughout his first term, hampered his ability to address the myriad problems dragging America into the pit:

"But Obama still resists the idea that personal relationships can be pivotal, noting that his 'suspicion' is that the issues will be resolved only if Americans 'push hard,' vote recalcitrant lawmakers out and 'reward folks who are trying to find common ground.'

And it’s true that Republicans have snubbed the president. John Boehner blew off Obama’s invites for six state dinners and Mitch McConnell skipped all but one.

Unlike Chris Christie, Republicans here want to make sure that the president dances alone."

Say it's not so, Maureen! Consider Obama's uplifting 2004 keynote speech to the Democratic National Convention:

"There's not a liberal America and a conservative America; there is the United States of America. There's not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America; there is the United States of America."

Those contemplating Obama's latest cabinet choices might also want to consider whether there's not a male America and a female America.

In addition, listen again to Obama's January 2009 inauguration speech, in which he stated:

"On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics."

Oops . . .

A failure by Obama to reach any kind of agreement with Republicans? You don't say! Maine's Olympia Snowe, one of three Republicans in the US Congress who voted for Obama's economic stimulus plan in 2009, told Jonathan Karl that she had not had a face-to-face meeting with Obama in two years, and asked if she had to grade Obama on his willingness to work with Republicans, she replied that he would be "close to failing on that point" (see: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/power-players-abc-news/frustrated-senator-olympia-snowe-gives-obama-f-101657433.html).

It is worth observing that Obama's inability to communicate is not limited to his relationships with Republicans at home. During his first term, Obama  also fostered dysfunctional relationships with many of America's traditional allies, including the UK, Japan, Israel, the Czech Republic and Poland.

Why does Obama fail in his interpersonal relationships, thus affecting his ability to achieve policy goals? America's president, who was abandoned by his father and then his mother, most likely suffers from a narcissistic personality disorder. Fortunately for Obama (and many, many others in Washington on both sides of the aisle), the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (due out in 2013) has eliminated five of the 10 personality disorders that are listed in the current edition, and narcissistic personality disorder is among them.

As we all know, there are no narcissists out there, needing constant attention and admiration, reacting with rage to criticism, disregarding the feelings of others, exaggerating their achievements, and obsessing over their power, beauty and intelligence (see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001930/)? Yeah, right.

On the other hand, maybe the DSM is correct. Given the prevalence of this problem in our society, perhaps it has indeed become the norm.

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