The greatest accomplishment that President Obama can claim as an Illinois state Senator was that he voted present 129 times. In the United States Senate he was present some of the time. He sponsored no remarkable legislation and did nothing of note in his almost 4 years in congress. There is an old cliché that “if you don’t do anything, you’ll never make mistakes.” President Obama may not embrace many axioms, but he squeezes the oxygen out of that one. Other than his effort on the Affordable Care Act, he might as well have been on Mars for the majority of his reign. America is in the throes of the largest financial crisis since the Great Depression and the President is basically “missing in action.” During the days leading up the automatic sequestration deadline, he was only “present” to the extent that he was the President, and off on a public relations jaunt to lambast Republicans. In defense of President Obama there are three reasons why he typically keeps himself out of the fray in Washington. First, he has no background or experience that prepares him to serve as the titular leader of the United States. Second, his narcissistic personality will not tolerate failure; human failure being reserved for lesser mortals. By risking nothing, he does not expose his hubris personality to the possibility of failure. Third, his schizophrenic personality manifests itself in the constant blaming of others for his own personal shortcomings or failures. Since every undesirable outcome is someone else’s fault, why get involved? Classic narcissism is often coupled with other psychotic illness, particularly schizophrenia. Schizophrenia manifests itself in: strongly held beliefs that are not real (like Armageddon springing from sequestration), false beliefs that others are trying to harm you (like believing Republicans are out to get him), showing little emotion (like forgetting to mentally attend the 1st Presidential debate), and childlike behavior (like throwing temper tantrums with Ryan and Boehner). Narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by: exaggerating one’s achievements or talents, expecting constant praise and admiration, expecting others to go along with your ideas and plans, expressing disdain for those one views as inferior, setting unrealistic goals, and appearing tough-minded or unemotional. The only thing that could make our President more conclusively fit the description of narcissism is to have his picture in a Mayo Clinic narcissism study and findings report. All human beings employ defense mechanisms to cope with sorrow, failure, and other circumstances in life that come our way. By staying on the road constantly, delivering predictions of gloom and doom or promising “pie in the sky” to his minions, Mr. Obama is merely doing what he is equipped, emotionally and background wise to do. Sitting down with Congress, rolling up his sleeves, and getting about making compromises that would set America back on the right path is simply beneath his self-perceived role and dignity. That simple act, in and of itself, would be an admission that he is part of the problem and dependent upon others for a partial solution. For one who prays to himself, that is a complete non-starter. The framers of the U.S. Constitution created a presidency that must win corporation from Congress in order to get the work of government accomplished. Therefore, the relationship between a President and Congress is the most important link in the American political experiment. It would be safe to say that the framers of our system of government did not have a President like Mr. Obama in their “mind’s eye” when they put our system of government together. President Obama has little respect for Congress and uses non-existent Executive Powers to circumvent that body’s authority. Congress, being neutered by fear and inability to work as a cohesive group play the “lap dogs” and rarely challenge that non-existent authority. The effect of all this is that we have a President who won’t or can’t work with Congress, and a Congress who has ceded so much of its authority that it is ineffective. The end result is endless posturing and blaming by both entities and America suffers in this vacuum of leadership. Will the present circumstances change? Probably not in the near term because a change of deck chairs on the Titanic would do little to keep the ship afloat, and Americans seem unwilling to make a wholesale change in leadership, preferring the status quo instead. The apathy and compliancy of the electorate is the best friend that a politician could wish for, and is what keeps the lethargic, intellectually challenged and ineffective in power. In the final analysis, perhaps it is not just the President who is merely “present” in Washington, D.C.! Have a good week. Bill Shuey is a freelance writer from North Carolina.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 01:36:47 +0000
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