Okay,
I will admit that the following scholarly article is loooooong by no
stretch of the imagination. But, I started reading it and just couldn’t
stop!
It
perfectly expresses and explains that gut-feeling of apprehension we as
Americans have when it comes to the Obamessiah. In short, it confirms
that we are not just being paranoid.
First, a little background about Ali Sina - the author of this article:
Ali Sina is an ex-Muslim from Iran and the author of “Understanding Muhammad: A Psychobiography of Allah’s Prophet.”
Also, he is the founder of “Faith Freedom International,” a movement of
ex-Muslims created to warn the world of the danger of Islam and to help
other apostates from Islam.
That
being said, please read this article when you have a good chunk of time
to digest its content. You won’t be disappointed - unless you are an
Obamite Leftard (which, in case you haven’t noticed, is now my newest favorite buzzword of the day).
When
you are done reading it, please make copies and email it to ALL of your
friends. Also, be sure to sign the petition at the end of the article.
Update: I have included a text file, sans the photos and links, for you to download by right CLICKING HERE and using the “Save as” option.
Understanding Obama: The Making of a Fuehrer
By Ali Sina - FaithFreedom.org
I
must confess I did not like Senator Barack Hussein Obama from the first
time I saw him. At first I was excited to see a black candidate. He
looked youthful, spoke well, appeared to be confident – a good package.
It is so instinctive for most people to want to see blacks succeed. It
is as if all humanity is carrying a collective guilt for what the
ancestors of blacks endured. However, I was put off soon, not just
because of his shallowness but also because there was an air of
haughtiness in his demeanor that was unsettling. His posture and his
body language were louder than his empty words.
It is surreal to see the level of hysteria in his admirers. This phenomenon is unprecedented in American politics. Women scream and swoon during his speeches.
They yell and shout to Obama, “I love you.” Never George Washington,
Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt. Martin Luther King Jr. or Ronald
Reagan aroused so much raw emotions. Despite their achievements, none
of them was raised to the rank of Messiah. The Illinois senator has no
history of service to the country. He has done nothing outstanding
except giving promises of change and hyping his audience with hope.
It’s only his words, not his achievements that is causing this much
uproar.
When cheering for someone turns into adulation,
something is wrong. Excessive adulation is indicative of personality
cult. The cult of personality is often created when the general
population is discontent. A charismatic leader can seize the
opportunity and project himself as an agent of change and a
revolutionary leader. Often, people, tired of the status quo, do not
have the patience to examine the nature of the proposed change. All
they want is change. During 1979, when the Iranians were tired of the
dictatorial regime of the late Shah, they embraced Khomeini, not
because they wanted Islam, but because he promised them change. The
word in the street was, “anything is better than the Shah.” They found
their error when it was too late.
Khomeini promised
there would be separation between religion and state. He lied and they
did not care to look into his past to see whether he actually meant
what he said. Had they done that they would have seen that he always
believed in caliphate and the rule of Islam. People gobbled everything
he told them uncritically. They wanted to believe and therefore closed
their eyes so they don’t see what they did not want to see. Eyes welled
when he spoke. Masses poured into the streets by the millions, screamed
and shouted to greet him. People kissed his pictures. Some saw his
portrait reflected on the Moon.
Listening to Obama … it harkens
back to when I was younger and I used to watch Khomeini, how he would
excite the crowd and they’d come to their feet and scream and yell.
I was amused to hear a listener calling Fox News Radio’s Tom Sullivan Show,
(Feb 11) and saying: “Listening to Obama … it harkens back to when I
was younger and I used to watch those deals with Hitler, how he would
excite the crowd and they’d come to their feet and scream and yell.” ( Videos of Hitler’s speeches are available on Youtube. They are worth a look.)
Equating
anyone to Hitler by highlighting the similarities between the two is a
logical fallacy. This fallacy, known as reductio ad Hitlerum is a
variety of both questionable cause and association fallacy. I believe
it is wrong to trivialize the holocaust and the horrors of Nazism by
comparing our opponents to Hitler.
However, Hitler, prior to
coming to power had not killed anyone. He was insane, but few could see
that. Far from it, he was seen as a gifted man and hailed as the savior
of Germany. He was admired throughout the world. He appealed to the
masses of people – the working class and particularly to women, and did
not just inspire them, he “elevated” them. Thousands rallied to listen
to his passionate speeches. He gave them promises of change and
instilled in them hope. They shed tears when he spoke. Women fainted
during his speeches. To Germans, he was not a politician, but a
demigod, a messiah. They envisioned him as truly a magical figure of
majestic wisdom and glory. They worshiped him. They surrendered their
wills to him. He restored their national pride. He projected himself as
their savior. He ran on the platform of change and hope. Change he
delivered all right, but hopes he shattered.
I think it is fair
to say that the Illinois senator puts the same passion in his speeches
that Hitler used to put in his, and he evokes similar raw emotions in
his audience. This much we can agree. Okay, we can also agree that both
Hitler and Charlie Chaplin wore square moustaches. So what?
The Cult of Personality
There
are other disturbing similarities. Like Hitler and Khomeini, Obama also
likes to create a cult of personality around himself. Wherever a large
number of a population is discontent, a charismatic leader can seize
the opportunity and present himself as the agent of change. He can
create a cult of Personality by associating himself with the idea of
change. He convinces everyone that things are terrible and a drastic
change is needed. He then casts himself as the only person who can
deliver this revolutionary transformation that everyone is waiting for.
He portrays himself as a benevolent guide, the only one who cares about
people and their needs and can pull them out of their alleged misery.
These
revolutionary leaders need foes. They exaggerate the problems. They
make everything look gloomy. They lie, cheat and slander their
opponents while casting themselves as the saviors of the nation. Hitler
chose the Jews to blame for everything that was wrong in Germany.
Khomeini made the Shah and his westernization plans his scapegoats.
Obama has chosen President George W. Bush to smear. He can rally people
around himself, as long as he can instill in them the dislike of Bush
and equate his rival, McCain to him. Sigmund Freud wrote, “It is always
possible to bind together a considerable number of people in love, so
long as there are other people left over to receive the manifestations
of their aggressiveness” (Civilization and Its Discontents)
.
A
cult of personality is excessive adulation, admiration and exaltation
of a charismatic leader, often with unproven merits or achievements. It
is similar to hero worship except that it is created specifically for
political leaders.
Let us read a few of the comments Obama’s fans
have made about him. Their unbounded adulation of this totally unknown
figure is proof of my claim.
Jon Robin Baitz is the creator of the ABC series “Brothers & Sisters.” He writes:
“Today
we saw and heard a preview of our brightest possible American future in
Senator Barack Obama’s glorious speech. This, then, is what it means to
be presidential. To be moral. To have a real center. To speak honestly,
from the heart, for the benefit of all. If there was any doubt about
what we have missed in the anti-intellectual, ruthlessly incurious Bush
years, and even the slippery Clinton ones, those doubts were laid to
rest by Barack Obama’s magisterial speech today. A speech in which he
distanced himself from a flawed father figure, Reverend Wright, and did
so with almost Shakespearian dignity and honor.”
For twenty
years Obama was part of Jeremiah Wright’s racist church and listened to
all the hate which that man spewed against the Jews and the “rich White
America.” Obama did not object to any of those hateful comments and
even donated $20,000 dollars to his Trinity United Church of Christ.
Baitz is willing to overlook all that and, mesmerized by Obama’s
speeches, she embraces a man who up until yesterday supported the
racist views of his spiritual mentor. She calls Obama’s speech
“glorious,” and concludes he is honest and moral. How did she come to
that hasty conclusion? There is no evidence of that except her “gut
feeling.” That observation is subjective. We have not seen any evidence
of Obama’s honesty yet. On the contrary, he has been caught with a
litany lies.
Clearly Sen. Obama has a charming effect on his
audience, who after listening to him are so moved that they willingly
give up their reason and follow their hearts. Let’s see how Baitz
adulates Obama to the point of worship.
“Barack Obama’s speech,
perhaps one of the most important in modern political history pushed us
as a people to move beyond race and gender, beyond Democrat and
Republican, beyond politics and into reviving the spirit of the nation
itself. To talk, to talk at home, at work, at the dinner table. To
really finally talk. What a great day, and where else in the world but
in the United States? Today I am very proud to be an American.”
Remembering the reaction of Iranians to Khomeini’s speeches, this is all deja vu for me.
There
is an old adage that says, “Tell me who your friends are and I will
tell who you are.” Don’t the quality of Obama’s friends and associates
tell us about the man? Shouldn’t we look in the his history of this man
to acertain his truthfulness? One characteristic of cult of personality
is that people become ready to close their eyes. They find excuses and
rationalize the sins of their leader.
Another Obama worshipper is Ezra Klein. He is an associate editor at The American Prospect. Klein wrote:
“Obama’s
finest speeches do not excite. They do not inform. They don’t even
really inspire. They elevate. They enmesh you in a grander moment, as
if history has stopped flowing passively by, and, just for an instant,
contracted around you, made you aware of its presence and your role in
it. He is not the Word made flesh, but the triumph of word over flesh,
over color, over despair. The other great leaders I’ve heard guide us
towards a better politics, but Obama is, at his best, able to call us
back to our highest selves, to the place where America exists as a
glittering ideal, and where we, its honored inhabitants, seem capable
of achieving it, and thus of sharing in its meaning and transcendence.”
Obama
is not seen by his admirers as a politician but as something holy.
Klein says “He is not the Word made flesh, but the triumph of word over
flesh.” The truth is that Obama is nothing but words! What is scary is
that so many smart people are willing to fall for his empty words.
Interestingly the same Ezra Klein had earlier said:
“Obama
is a cipher, an easy repository for the hopes and dreams of liberals
everywhere…But if Obama avoided being battle-tested in 2004 by the
grace of God, it’s his own timidity that has kept his name clean since.
Given his national profile and formidable political talents, he could
have been a potent spokesman for Democratic causes in the Senate.
Instead, he has refused to expend his political or personal capital on
a single controversial issue, preferring to offer anodyne pieces of
legislation and sign on to the popular efforts of others…Indeed, Obama
is that oddest of all creatures: a leader who’s never led. There are no
courageous, lonely crusades to his name, or supremely unlikely
electoral battles beneath his belt. He won election running basically
unopposed, and then refused to open himself to attack by making a
controversial but correct issue his own.”
Quite a shift I would
say. What did exactly Obama do, for Klein to change his views so
drastically? Nothing! Obama has won this man’s heart only by the power
of his mesmerizing words. he is making his conquests, through the sheer
power of his oratory. That is how Hitler won the hearts of the Germans.
As Obama’s life story show, his words don’t have any bearing on
reality. Words are powerful, but when they are not backed by any
substance they are empty rhetoric.
Todd Gitlin, is professor of journalism and sociology at Columbia University. He is another worshiper of Obama. This is what he says about his leader.
“This
speech was a triumph on so many levels, does one dare hope it will turn
the trick for hordes of parsing skeptics and listeners whose eyes did
not water? First, Obama took the high road, which is also the long and
demanding road. He refused to “move on” with a cursory acknowledgment
that “mistakes were made.” He did not acknowledge. He preached and he
reasoned.”
Let us pause here and examine what this professor of
journalism and sociology says. Obama was a close friend of Rev.
Jeremiah Wright and listened to his racist sermons for twenty years.
Wright is a man who has intense hatred for the Jews, for Whites and for
America. This clip shows some of his remarks made from the pulpit. Here is a gleaning from his sermons:
*
We [The White controlled America] have supported state terrorism
against Palestinians and Black South Africans … Because of the stuff we
have done overseas is now brought back to our own home front yards.
America’s chickens are coming home to roost.
* No, no, no! Not God bless America. God damn America. That is in the Bible, for killing innocent people. God damn America.
* Government lied about Pearl Harbor. They knew that Japanese are going to attack.
* They [Government] purposely infected African-American men with syphilis!
* What is going on in White America, U.S. of KKK?
* Black men turning on Black men? That is fighting the wrong enemy. You
both are primary targets in an oppressive society that sees both of you
as a dangerous threat.
* What we [America] is doing is the same thing Al Qaida is doing, under a different flag.
* Oh I am so glad, that I got a God who knows what it is to be a poor
Black man living in a country and a culture that is controlled by and
run by rich White people.
* Yes, 911 happened to us, and so did
slavery happen to us. Yes the World Trade Center happened to us, and so
did White supremacy happen to us.
* “Barack knows what it means to be a Black man living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich White people.”
When
all these came to light, at first the Illinois senator denied having
heard them. That excuse was not believable. Wright was Obama’s
spiritual mentor and the most influential man in his life. And yet he
expects us to believe he listened to his sermons for 20 years but did
not pay attention to what he was saying? So he changed his position and
admitted to having heard them, but he categorically condemned them.
Obama went one step further. He did not just condemn the racist remarks
of his Pastor, but he preached and he sermonized how bad are those
comments. Now, this requires some audacity that only a narcissist can
muster. Instead of apologizing and recognizing his error, Obama turned
the table and preached to others.
How can we understand this?
The man himself is the sinner but instead of acknowledging his sins, he
preaches to others about the vices of those sins. The answer can be
found in the description of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).
Narcissists will never admit being wrong. They are always one step
ahead of you.
Those who remember Rev. Jimmy Swaggart know that
he was one of the most popular and successful televangelists of all
times. During the 1980s, he had millions of fans all over the world. He
mesmerized his audience. He was more than a rock star, he was a
phenomenon. Swaggart was a preacher of “morality.” He was so against
promiscuity and unlawful sex that he went after two other televangelist
magnates, Marvin Gorman and Jimmy Baker, exposed their adultery and
brought their empires down.
However, what narcissists preach and
what they do are two different things. Soon after exposing Gorman’s
adultery, Swaggart himself was pictured with a prostitute in a motel
room. He was banned from giving sermons for three months. But he could
not stay away from the church that provided him with adulation and the
people who fed his narcissistic need. He said, “If I do not return to
the pulpit this weekend, millions of people will go to hell.” So he
returned to the pulpit and after shedding a few crocodile tears of
repentance, he went right on preaching morality, chastising adultery
and sermoning to others, how THEY should live a chaste life.
This
requires audacity. How one who has been caught with a prostitute,
literally with his pants down, could have the cheek to preach to others
about the very thing he is guilty of? NPD provides the answer to both
Swaggart and Obama’s responses, when caught red handed. The narcissist
will not apologize for his own sins; he will go on preaching to you
about the evilness of those sins. If Professor Gitlin had read a book
or two on narcissism, he would have not been hoodwinked by Obama’s
preaching about racial harmony after being caught with his proverbial
pants down in his racist church. Giltin is not alone; millions of
Americans have fallen for this narcissist’s mind games.
Prof. Gitlin continues:
“The Reverend Jeremiah Wright,” he [Obama] said, “had spoken in an
‘incendiary’ manner,” but Obama offered himself as the man who rises
from flames and invites you to rise from your own. He took a grievous
embarrassment and moved his lesson to the plane of prophecy. Talk about
hope; talk about audacity. Tears came to my eyes. I don’t think I’m
especially hard-hearted, but I cannot think of another time when the
speech of a presidential candidate watered me up.”
It is amazing
to see to what extent people are willing to go to eulogize another
human being. It is this excess that constitutes the cult of
personality. The difference between admiration and cult of personality
is in the degree of adulation. Is it not fair to say that Obama has the
same effect on his fans that Hitler, Khomeini or other famous
demagogues such as Joseph Stalin or Mao Ze Dong had? I am not equating
Obama to those mass murderers. Obama has not killed anyone (at least
not yet). I am only comparing their effects on their audience,
particularly prior to their rise to power.
Obama’s speeches are
unlike any political speech we heard in American history. Never a
politician in this land had such a quasi “religious” impact on so many
people. The fact that Obama is a total incognito with zero
accomplishment, makes this inexplicable infatuation alarming.
Obama’s
speeches are grandiose. They are other worldly. He may talk about the
war in Iraq, taxes or social security. It does not matter how mundane
is the subject, he makes them sound transcendental and his audience is
moved to tears. His worshipers do not go to listen to his plans. He has
yet to offer any that is workable and different. They go to bask in his
glory, to get high. Obama presents himself as someone with a unique
vision and grasp of the entire problems affecting, not just the nation
but the world, a pretense that is incommensurate with his track record.
When in a meeting with House Democrats waxing lyrical about his trip to
Europe, he concluded, “this is the moment, as Nancy [Pelosi] noted, that the world is waiting for.”
The world is waiting for Obama, according to Obama. In one of his
rallies he reiterated this delusion of grandiosity and said, “We are the one we’ve been waiting for.”
This sentence is logically absurd. What actually Obama wanted to say,
which he masked with fake modesty is “I am the one the world has been
waiting for.”
There is nothing more dangerous than the cult of
personality. When you fall for someone to this extent that Obama’s
followers have fallen for him, you surrender your reason and
individuality to him willingly. When millions of people surrender their
hearts and their minds to one person the result can be catastrophic.
This is what happened in Germany with Hitler, in China with Mao, in the
Soviet Union with Stalin, in Cuba with Castro, in Iran with Khomeini,
and so and on so forth. Today, we think these men were monsters, but
that was not what millions of their worshiper thought. Those people
loved them. Dictators can’t dictate, unless peole are willing to be
dictated.
Here is what Wikipedia says about Cult of Personality:
“A cult of personality or personality cult arises when a country’s
leader uses mass media to create a heroic public image through
unquestioning flattery and praise. Cults of personality are often found
in dictatorships but can be found in some democracies.
“A cult
of personality is similar to general hero worship except that it is
created specifically for political leaders. However, the term may be
applied by analogy to refer to adulation of non-political leaders.”
Who is Obama?
Obama
is not an ordinary man. He is not a genius. In fact he is quite
ignorant on most important subjects. Barack Obama is a narcissist. Dr.
Sam Vaknin, the author of the Malignant Self Love, also believes, “Barack Obama appears to be a narcissist.”
Vakinin
is a world authority on narcissism. He understands narcissism and
describes the inner mind of a narcissist like no other person. When he
talks about narcissism everyone listens. After recognizing that
diagnosing someone without lengthy tests and personal interviews is not
accurate, Vaknin says that Obama’s language, posture and demeanor, and
the testimonies of his closest, dearest and nearest suggest that the
Senator is either a narcissist or he may have narcissistic personality
disorder (NPD).
Vaknin explains: “Narcissistic leaders are
nefarious and their effects pernicious. They are subtle, refined,
socially-adept, manipulative, possessed of thespian skills, and
convincing. Both types [cerebral and somatic] equally lack empathy and
are ruthless and relentless or driven.” These were the very traits that
distinguished Hitler and Khomeini. Many of these traits can be seen in
Obama. As for his ruthlessness, we have no idea. Narcissist need power
to show their ruthlessness. However, considering the fact that he
neglected his own half brother, George Obama, who lives on one dollar
per month in Kenya, we can’t vouch for Obama’s empathy or say he is a
caring person.
What is Narcissism?
The
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) describes
narcissism as a personality disorder that “revolve around a pattern of
grandiosity, need for admiration, and sense of entitlement. Often
individuals feel overly important and will exaggerate achievements and
will accept, and often demand, praise and admiration despite worthy
achievements.”
The third and fourth editions of the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual (DSM) of 1980 and 1994 and the European ICD-10
describe NPD in similar language:
An all-pervasive pattern of
grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration or adulation
and lack of empathy, usually beginning by early adulthood and present
in various contexts. Five (or more) of the following criteria must be
met:
* Feels grandiose and self-important (e.g., exaggerates
achievements and talents to the point of lying, demands to be
recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)
* Is
obsessed with fantasies of unlimited success, fame, power or
omnipotence, unequalled brilliance (the cerebral narcissist), bodily
beauty or sexual performance (the somatic narcissist), or ideal,
everlasting, all-conquering love or passion
* Is firmly convinced
that he is unique and, being special, can only be understood by, should
only be treated by, or associate with, other special, unique, or
high-status people (or institutions)
* Requires excessive
admiration, adulation, attention and affirmation, or failing that,
wishes to be feared and notorious (narcissistic supply)
* Feels
entitled. Expects unreasonable or special and favorable priority
treatment. Demands automatic and full compliance with his expectations
* Is “interpersonally exploitative” i.e., uses others to achieve his or her own ends
* Is devoid of empathy. Is unable or unwilling to identify with or acknowledge the feelings and needs of others
* Is constantly envious of others or believes that they feel the same about him or her
* Is arrogant, has haughty behaviors or attitudes coupled with rage when frustrated, contradicted, or confronted.
Pathological
narcissism, is not akin to typical narcissism—someone with a hedonistic
or self-centered sense of self —but rather someone with a very weak
sense of self. Obama’s narcissism is pathological.
Narcissists
are skillful, relentless and driven. They seek power. That is the whole
purpose of their existence. Power for them is the elixir of life. Those
who know about NPD can’t help but notice it in Obama’s posture, the
tone of his voice, his demeanor and particularly his grandiose claims
and unscripted adlibs.
Narcissim has degrees. When it is extreme
it shows in the posture and the way the narcissist walks and talks.
Obama’s posture, exudes haughtiness. He is all puffery. Compare his
posture to those of Hitler, Stalin and Saddam.
According to Vaknin, Obama displays the following behaviors, which are among the hallmarks of pathological narcissism:
-
Subtly misrepresents facts and expediently and opportunistically shifts
positions, views, opinions, and “ideals” (e.g., about campaign finance,
re-districting). These flip-flops do not cause him overt distress and
are ego-syntonic (he feels justified in acting this way).
Alternatively, reuses to commit to a standpoint and, in the process,
evidences a lack of empathy.
Ignores data that conflict with his
fantasy world, or with his inflated and grandiose self-image. This has
to do with magical thinking. Obama already sees himself as president
because he is firmly convinced that his dreams, thoughts, and wishes
affect reality. Additionally, he denies the gap between his fantasies
and his modest or limited real-life achievements (for instance, in 12
years of academic career, he did’t publish a single scholarly paper or
book).
- Feels that he is above the law.
- Talks about
himself in the 3rd person singluar or uses the regal “we” and craves to
be the exclusive center of attention, even adulation
- Has a messianic-cosmic vision of himself and his life and his “mission”.
- Sets ever more complex rules in a convoluted world of grandiose fantasies with its own language (jargon)
-
Displays false modesty and unctuous “folksiness” but is unable to
sustain these behaviors (the persona, or mask) for long. It slips and
the true Obama is revealed: haughty, aloof, distant, and disdainful of
simple folk and their lives.
- Sublimates aggression and holds grudges.
-
Behaves as an eternal adolescent (e.g., his choice of language,
youthful image he projects, demands indulgence and feels entitled to
special treatment, even though his objective accomplishments do not
justify it).
Narcissists project a grandiose but false image of themselves. Jim
Jones, the charismatic leader of People’s Temple, the man who led over
900 of his followers to cheerfully commit mass suicide and even murder
their own children was also a narcissist. David Koresh, Charles Manson,
Joseph Koni, Shoko Asahara, Stalin, Saddam, Mao, Kim Jong Ill and
Adolph Hitler are a few examples of narcissists of our time. All these
people had a tremendous influence over their fanciers. They created a
personality cult around themselves and with their blazing speeches
elevated their admirers’ souls, filled their hearts with enthusiasm and
instilled in their minds a new zest for life. They gave them hope! They
promised them the moon, but alas, invariably they brought them to their
doom.
One determining factor in the development of NPD is
childhood abuse. “Obama’s early life was decidedly chaotic and replete
with traumatic and mentally bruising dislocations,” says Vaknin.
“Mixed-race marriages were even less common then. His parents went
through a divorce when he was an infant (two years old). Obama saw his
father only once again, before he died in a car accident. Then, his
mother re-married and Obama had to relocate to Indonesia: a foreign
land with a radically foreign culture, to be raised by a step-father.
At the age of ten, he was whisked off to live with his maternal (white)
grandparents. He saw his mother only intermittently in the following
few years and then she vanished from his life in 1979. She died of
cancer in 1995.”
In Vaknin’s words, “Pathological narcissism is
a reaction to prolonged abuse and trauma in early childhood or early
adolescence. The source of the abuse or trauma is immaterial: the
perpetrators could be dysfunctional or absent parents, teachers, other
adults, or peers.”
If we look into the childhood of all
narcissists, we can see that invariably they were abused. Saddam was
born to a widow who after losing her husband and her 12 year old son
was so distressed that she attempted suicide. Before his birth, she
would pull out clumps of her hair and pummel her pregnant abdomen with
her fists. Saddam Hussein in his own official biography recounts his
unhappy childhood. Hitler was the son of a very abusive man who would
beat him regularly. From Saddam to Osama, to Hitler, to Stalin, to
Khomeini, to Mao and to Kim Jong Ill, it is wounded childhood that
causes NPD. Obama’s chaotic childhood and his continuous struggle to
find his identity make him a prime candidate for NPD.
Narcissists
have only one issue: They want power and will do and say anything to
get it. Their words mean nothing to them. They do not intend to keep
them. They look into your eyes and swear on a stack of Bibles that they
are not going to do something when that is exactly what they intend to
do. They break their promises when it suits them and annul their
treaties when they can get away with it. They lie, and lie, and lie, and lie, and lie, and lie, and lie, and lie, and lie, and lie, and lie, and lie, and lie, and lie.
Narcissists
are pathological liars. They lie even to themselves. Ironically, they
are the first to believe their own lies. When normal people lie, they
show the sign of distress. Narcissists don’t. They can pass any
polygraph test with flying colors. It is this conviction that fools
people around them making them believe in their truthfulness and
sincerity. In a twisted way they are sincere because, although they are
conscience that they are not truthful, they believe in their own lies.
This is difficult to understand and even more difficult to explain, but
for a narcissist fantasy and reality are intertwined. The narcissist’s
delusional thoughts of grandiosity are real to him.
Narcissistic Society
Germans
are not particularly an evil race. They are no better or worse than any
other nation. And yet, despite their advanced culture and civility they
committed the most hideous crime in modern history. They murdered up to
ten million people, because these unfortunate souls did not meet their
standard of “ethnic purity.” Hitler did not kill anyone; the Germans
did.
So the question is: What made these smart and highly civilized people commit such horrendous acts of savagery?
According
to Vaknin, “The narcissistic or psychopathic leader is the culmination
and reification of his period, culture, and civilization. He is likely
to rise to prominence in narcissistic societies.”
Is America a narcissistic society? Vaknin believes
“Pathological narcissism is a ubiquitous phenomenon because every human
being - regardless of the nature of his society and culture - develops
healthy self esteem early in life [which he calls healthy narcissism].
Healthy narcissism is rendered pathological by abuse - and abuse, alas,
is a universal human behavior. By “abuse” we mean any refusal to
acknowledge the emerging boundaries of the individual - smothering,
doting, and excessive expectations - are as abusive as beating and
incest.”
The emergence of so many cults in America is proof that
America is not an exception to the norm. If demagogue narcissists, like
Jim Jones, David Koresh or Jimmy Swaggart can find a fertile ground in
America, why not one with a political message?
Narcissists are
manipulative and extremely resourceful. They know how to the play their
game, and how to get what they want, by using others. Obama is the
least experienced senator among the Democrats. His political views are
the most foolish of them all. He opposed the surge in Iraq and he was
wrong. He thinks the solution to terrorism is to sit with terrorist
states without precondition and negotiate with them. When Russia
invaded Georgia, all this genius did was to urge both sides to “exert
restraint”. Everything this man has said so far reveals his ignorance
in economical, political and military matters. Despite that, this
junior senator has managed to rally the seasoned senators of the
Democratic Party around himself and, not withstanding his ineptitude,
he has emerged as the leader de facto of his party and their
presidential candidate.
This is a remarkable feat. One must
never underestimate the manipulative genius of pathological
narcissists. They project such an imposing personality that it
overwhelms those around them. Charmed by the charisma of the
narcissist, people become like clay in his hands. They cheerfully do
his bidding and delight to be at his service. The narcissist shapes the
world around himself and reduces others in his own inverted image. He
creates a cult of personality. His admirers become his co-dependents.
Anyone
can be fooled by narcissists. Just as experienced and smart senators of
the Democratic Party have surrendered to the charisma of Obama, a man
who is inferior to them all in every sense; many members of the media
also have fallen for his charm hook, line and sinker. The American
media is soft on Obama, but extremely harsh and deceitfully unfair on
Governor Palin. The “rich White Americans,” the very people he despised
for twenty years are swooning for him. The Jews whom he opposed all his
life are backing him. They are opening their wallets and supporting his
campaign in an unprecedented way. He has managed to charm even the
Kennedys. Ted Kennedy, the lion in the Winter, passed the Kennedy
mantle unto Obama. That was hugely symbolic.; As for the great Clintons
he made them submissive and obedient. And for whatever reason,
incomprehensible to me, they are playing his game. Think about it.
Obama is a cipher. In reality, he is nobody. And yet, thanks to his
overbearing display of authority, the very mask that he is wearing to
hide his devalued and injured self, he has overwhelmed all the giants
of the Democratic party. Cults are full of very smart people who have
fallen prey to very sick needy people.
Could all this phenomenal
support and unbounded adulation erupt into violence? All the abuses and
killings in Nazi Germany were done by the Germans, ordinary people who
loved Hitler and believed in the glorious tomorrow that he was
promising them. Hitler was insane, but those who did his bidding were
not. Despite being smart, they did not hesitate to fulfill their
fuehrer’s wishes and commit the most heinous crimes. The same thing
happened in Iran. Ordinary people, once under the spell of Khomeini,
acted like beasts. This is what happens when sane people follow insane
people.
Could the same happen in America? Why not? Look how
millions of people literally worship Obama. With some people I cannot
even talk about Obama. They cannot tolerate any criticism of him. They
get angry and, not only they want to end the conversation but threaten
to end our friendship. I am familiar with this kind of religious
devotion to a person. The reaction that I get from Obama worshipers is
similar to that of Muslims when their prophet is criticized. They are
even prone to insult you. See how they overlook Obama’s blatant lies
and are willing to forgive his major sins such as racism. Note how the
mainstream media bends the rules, twists the facts, exaggerates Obama’s
little virtues, absolves his sins, and even lies to sell him to the
public. Compare the royal treatment that the liberal press has given to
Obama to how unfairly they treat Governor Palin, how they smear her
character and belittle her experience and achievement. ABC’s Charlie
Gibson’s interview with Governor Palin was a stain on journalistic
integrity. Is it more important that Palin has not traveled the world
and has not shaken hands with heads of states, or the fact that Obama
has lied so many times? Under what pretext should an ordinary citizen
visit heads of foreign states? The question itself is preposterous.
While not shaking hands with foreign heads of states does not disqualify one to run for any office, The Logan Act
(est. 1799) makes it a crime for a citizen to confer with foreign
governments against the interests of the United States. Specifically,
it prohibits citizens from negotiating with other nations on behalf of
the United States without authorization.
That is exactly what Obama did during his trip to Iraq, a charge that Obama’s national security spokeswoman Wendy Morigi confirmed, while trying to deny it.
She said, “In fact, Obama had told the Iraqis that they should not rush
through a ‘Strategic Framework Agreement’ governing the future of US
forces until after President George W. Bush leaves office.”
This
is high treason. Ordinary citizens have no right to enter into
negotiations with foreign countries without authorization from the
Government. Obama tells the Iraqis not to let the American soldiers go,
so he can call them in January supposedly when he is the president and
claim victory for himself. Will Mr. Gibson or anyone in the liberal
media question Obama for this crime?
Gibson’s questions were
tricky. He asked the Governor, “what do you think of Bush’s doctrine,”
and then, instead of explaining himself, he insisted that his
interviewee define what he meant. After letting the Governor look
puzzled, Gibson explained what he understands by Bush Doctrine, which
according to him is preemptive strike.
Assuming this is a “Bush
doctrine,” is it his only doctrine? Isn’t being pro life also a Bush
doctrine? Isn’t Christianity or creationism a Bush doctrine? Bush
believes in a multitude of things. How can one know what Gibson has in
mind? Do you see the trickery?
Many members of the media have
been hoodwinked by the charm of the rising fuehrer. They have become
his extensions, act deceitfully and dishonestly to make their beloved
leader’s rise to power a reality.
How can smart people let
themselves be manipulated by a psychopath to such an extent that they
become quasi zombies? Recall what the smart Germans did under the spell
of Hitler. Bear in mind what the Soviets did under the influence of
Stalin. Consider what the Japanese did during WWII when they believed
in the divinity of their emperor. Evoke how the Chinese Red Guard
massacred millions of their own countrymen when they were blinded by
their love for Mao and his faux notion of equality. Look at the Islamic
terrorists. Can’t we say the same about them? Isn’t Islamic savagery
the result of Muslims’ uncritical devotion to a long deceased
narcissist? If you don’t know what I am talking about, I invite you to
read my book, Understanding Muhammad. When sane people fall for the lies of an insane man they act insanely.
No
one is born a terrorist. Terrorists are ordinary people who do the
bidding of a pathological narcissist whom they love and worship as
their liberator. They are so enamored with him that they stop thinking
and act like automatons. To prove their love and devotion they can
commit murder and even suicide. They can kill their own children, as
the followers of Jim Jones did in Guyana. The narcissist encourages all
of this behavior because it fuels his need for power. It reassures him
that he is loved. Did you hear the song played during the Democratic
convention? It said, “This is the church.” And who do you think is the
head of that church? Americans are as fallible and as gullible as
everyone else. It is foolhardy to say “it won’t happen to us.” Just as
today, Obama’s supporters happily engage in intellectual dishonesty,
deceitful reporting, and even hooliganism, I predict they will soon,
merrily commit the same crimes other nations committed under the spell
of their narcissistic leaders.
The Sick Symbiosis
Narcissists
need their narcissistic supply to fuel their narcissism. They get it
through adulation from people around them. These people are often also
needy people. They are known as co-dependents. The narcissist and his
co-dependent therefore, form a sick symbiosis in which both benefit.
Let me give you one example to explain this mechanism.
David Sirota is a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. In December 2006, in an article entitled “The Ridiculousness & Danger That Is Obama ‘08” Sirota lambasted the Democrats who wanted Obama, an incognito junior senator, to run for presidency.
“Sometimes,
you really just have to sit back and laugh at the ridiculousness of the
celebrity-obsessed political culture we now live in.” wrote Sirota in
his column. “Take this Chicago Sun-Times article by Lynn Sweet
in which she predicts Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (D) will run for
president. She goes through what he has to do to prepare for his run,
and this is the one that just makes you chuckle: “Develop signature
legislative initiatives: Once the Democrats control Congress come
January, there’s a chance to pass legislation. Watch for Obama to focus
on alternative energy measures, health care and ethics reform
legislation that stalled earlier this year.”
Think about it. The
national media is swooning over Obama, begging him to run for
president. Yet, at the same time, they are implicitly acknowledging
that he has actually not “developed significant legislative
initiatives.” In other words, we are to simply accept that the Obama
for President wave has absolutely nothing to do with anything that the
man HAS DONE and further, that whenever he does decide to use his
enormous political capital to do something, it is all in pursuit of the
White House - not any actual sense of DOING SOMETHING for the people
who elected him to the Senate.
I don’t blame Obama for not having accomplished much - he’s been in the Senate for two years. As I wrote in the Nation,
the main concern about him is that he doesn’t actually seem to ASPIRE
to anything outside of the Washington power structure (other than maybe
running for another higher office), and doesn’t seem to be interested
in challenging the status quo in any fundamental way. Using his senate
career as a guide, it suggests that any presidential run by him is
about him, his speaking ability and his fawned over talent for
“connecting” (whatever the hell that means).” (Read the rest of Sirota’s comment in his own blog.)
I
could not say it better. Sirota understood the problem with Obama. He
realized that not only this man has zero experience; he is actually a
power hungry charlatan that aspires to noting other than running for
another higher office. He then expressed his outrage at the fellow
Democrats who tried to make a leader out of this quack.
These
Democrats laid all their hopes on Obama. They were captivated by his
charm. They could not see that this man is wearing a mask of authority
to cover his inner feeling of insecurity; that he is a fraud, a
narcissist. When approached, Obama at first confessed to his inexperience,
but the sycophants in the Democratic Party, were so desperate to find a
charismatic leader that they could not let go of their prize. It does
not take much to persuade a narcissist that he can do anything. He is
already convinced that he is smarter and better that everyone else. So,
despite his own confession of lack of experience, Obama could not
resist the temptation.
To nurture his narcissism, the narcissist
needs narcissistic supply. It is always people around the narcissist
who provide that supply and encourage him in his psychosis. If it were
not for Khadijah who reassured her husband that his hallucinations were
not demonic, as he had thought, but divine intimations, Muhammad may
never have started his prophetic career. It was she who encouraged him
to launch a new religion, instead of calling an exorcist.
This
is called co-dependency. The co-dependent, who also suffers from low
self esteem, seeks his or her grandeur and narcissistic supply in the
greatness of a narcissist of whom she seeks to become a part.
According
to Wikipedia, “a ‘codependent’ is loosely defined as someone who
exhibits too much, and often inappropriate, caring for persons who
depend on him or her. A ‘codependent’ is one side of a relationship
between mutually needy people. The dependent, or obviously needy
party(s) may have emotional, physical, financial difficulties, or
addictions they seemingly are unable to surmount. The “codependent”
party exhibits behavior which controls, makes excuses for, pities, and
takes other actions to perpetuate the obviously needy party’s
condition, because of their desire to be needed and fear of doing
anything that would change the relationship.”
The Democrats were
desperately in need of a charismatic leader. They saw their hope in a
needy man, a narcissist who portrayed himself as self assured, eloquent
and authoritative and had sex appeal. It was love at first sight and
they set on to polish him as their candidate. In this relationship the
Democratic Party became the co-dependent of the narcissist Obama. They
needed someone to shine so they can bask in his splendor. And Obama
needed them to fulfill his delusions of grandiosity. This is how
codependency works. It is a sick symbiosis of two needy parties. Behind
every successful narcissist, there is always a co-dependent.
When
the co-dependent and the narcissist team-up the result can be
catastrophic. Now we have folie à deux. The delusional belief of the
narcissist about himself is transmitted and shared by another needy,
but ostensibly smart person. The codependent validates and encourages
the narcissist’s delusion. As the result, the narcissist becomes
bolder, more assertive, more authoritative and more confident. The
partnership of the narcissist and the codependent dons their delusion
with the mantle of credibility. The codependent will then do everything
to persuade others as well. The narcissist’s cause is himself. The
codependent will champion that cause. By recruiting others, they find
validation for their own belief about the narcissist. Soon the folie à
deux becomes folie à trois, then folie à quatre, and when you are a
presidential candidate and are followed by a hoard of journalists and
cameramen, before you blink there will be folie à plusieurs (madness of
many). Recent psychiatric classifications refer to the syndrome as
shared psychotic disorder.
Like gasoline being poured on a fire,
the sycophants around the narcissist provide him with an abundance of
narcissistic fuel to feed upon. The unbounded adulation poured at his
feet further reinforce and escalate the unique and divine self-image of
the narcissist. The larger the narcissistic fuel supply becomes, the
more inflated becomes his ego, and the more firmly set in his own mind
becomes the conviction of his own invincibility and superiority over
other men. The narcissist reaches a stage that he will claim to be a
revolutionary leader, an agent of change and renascence, an instrument
of God, even a messenger or prophet of God. Just as a fire can grow
infinitely large as long as it receives its fuel, there is no limit to
the delusional belief of a narcissist. When millions of people yell and
scream and shout “I love you,” an ordinary narcissist is prone to
believe that he is God. If the narcissist happens to be a person with
power and authority, in a position of high leadership commanding armies
and weapons of mass destruction, the result too often leads to the
horrific slaughter of millions of innocent souls in the gulag, gas
chambers, or killing fields.
Unbounded adulation reconfirms the
narcissist that he is right and that anyone who disagrees with him is
evil and therefore it is just to punish him. Narcissists do not
understand the concept of the Golden Rule. Right is what benefits them
and wrong is what harms them. So they fight for their own interest and
are convinced that this is justice. Human rights and human lives are
important only to the extent that they meet their narcissistic needs.
They are worthless, and can be disposed of, if they don’t.
Ayatollah
Montazeri, the man who was originally chosen to succeed Khomeini,
recalled when Khomeini ordered the execution of 3000 youths who were
captured during a demonstration against the regime. He protested and
Khomeini angrily told him, “I will respond for my actions in the Day of
Judgment.” Khomeini was a man of God. However, as a narcissist, he was
convinced that because he was a superior being and a chosen one, a
delusional belief that was reconfirmed by millions of people when they
cheered for him, anyone who opposed him was opposing God and therefore
by killing them he was doing the maker of the universe a favor.
There
is no cure for narcissism. However, deprived of adulation, the disorder
will remain dormant. The narcissist, without the narcissistic supply,
may become grumpy and complain that the world does not understand them
or appreciate their importance. They will continue to cheat and lie
when they can get away with it, but the damage that they can cause is
not earth shattering. However, when a narcissist becomes the focus of
unlimited narcissistic supply, where millions of people scream at his
feet, he goes insane.
As narcissism maturates, the narcissist
becomes more demanding for respect and compliance and more intolerant
of criticism. He becomes paranoid, and divides the world into “us” vs.
“them,” and friends vs. foes. He casts himself as victim and instills
in his minions the distrust of the “others”.
The narcissist’s
anger and intolerance is projected on his servile followers who also
become angry and intolerant of criticism of their leader. Remember the
sick symbiosis between the narcissist and his codependents? The
followers get their narcissistic supply by elevating the status of
their leader. The greater he looks, the better they feel. They see
their glory is his glory. Conversely, when the narcissist is
criticized, his followers become offended. They take those criticisms
personally and their instinct of self defense is triggered. They will
become vigilantes and will silence their critics through intimidation,
threats and violence (like calling those who disagree with Obama,
racists).
Sirota was no fool. He saw what is wrong with Obama
and was right on the money when he described him. But, as I have
repeated many times, narcissists are gifted manipulators. Sirota is an
influential man. Obama needed his support and called him.
It’s not every day that God calls your cell phone,” wrote Sirota, sarcastically speaking of Obama,
‘This is Barack Obama.’ Thinking it was a good friend playing a joke, I
said I didn’t believe him. But no, the voice insisted with a laugh, it
was Illinois Senator Barack Obama, otherwise known in
cult-of-personality political circles as a deity, a rising Democratic
star or, as George W. Bush recently called him, “the pope.”
Narcissists
are relentless and very convincing. They tell you exactly what you want
to hear. They are full of promises. Their talent to manipulate is
phenomenal. Well, not this time! Sirota apparently was not ready to
sell his conscience (at least not yet) and endorse a man who according to him did not “aspire to anything outside of the Washington power structure (other than maybe running for another higher office.)”
This
is the kind of patriots America needs – men of integrity and
conscience. Where does David Sirota stand today? Errr!… Amm!… Why do
you want to know? Emm!… How can I put it? Mr. Sirota…, Errr!…, Ah! Yes!
Mr. Sirota has had an epiphany - a Pauline sort of experience. As he
neared Damas. Oopps! I mean Denver, on his journey to the Democratic
Convention, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to
the ground and heard a voice on his cell phone say to him, “David,
David, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” David asked. “I
am Barack, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go
into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” That is how
David Sirota became a believer of Obama. He stopped blaspheming his
Lord by calling him inept and opportunist. Guess what? He has even defended Jeremiah Wright. Hallelujah! Surely “God” (the emerging one) can transform the hearts of his enemies.
Narcissists
have an almost surreal power to manipulate others. They can literally
charm their adversaries and turn them into cheerful scullion, who will
even thank them for giving them the privilege to slave for them.
You
see! The narcissist and the codependent need each other. Many members
of the Democratic Party may know what Sirota knows, but they need
Obama. They have to keep the appearances (think Hillary).
Narcissists
are amoral. They consider themselves to be above the law. Once in
power, they will try to strengthen their hold by surrounding themselves
with equally amoral people. A good example of what we should expect in
Obama’s administration is the infamous NAFTA gate scandal. This is what happened:
A
senior member of the Obama campaign called the Canadian government to
say that “when Sen. Obama talks about opting out of the free trade
deal, the Canadian government shouldn’t be worried; that it is just
campaign rhetoric and shouldn’t be taken seriously.”
Isn’t it
amazing? Obama tells the Ohio voters, who are unhappy with NAFTA that
he is going to kill it, when actually he does not mean to do any such
thing. For a narcissist, end justify means. He feels warranted to lie
and deceive in order to accomplish what he has to accomplish.
This
story was denied by Obama, but confirmed twice by sources at the
highest level of the Canadian government. This is how a narcissist
operates. Obama will lie to Americans and he will surround himself with
equally unethical people. With a Congress controlled by Democrats,
nothing will stop him from abusing his power.
The Cause of the Narcissist
The
cause of the narcissist is himself. Everything else is a tool, a
stepping stone for the narcissist to ascend to power. Narcissists don’t
have any ideology. They champion the cause that has a better chance of
making their ascent to power easier.
Vaknin writes:
“Narcissists use anything they can lay their hands on in the pursuit of
narcissistic supply. If God, creed, church, faith, and
institutionalized religion can provide them with narcissistic supply,
they will become devout. They will abandon religion if it can’t.”..... for
the entire text go to:
http://doctorbulldog.wordpress.com/2008/09/25/must-read-article-analysis-of-obamas-psychological-make-up/