The Meltdown of A Narcissist President

One of the themes we revisit in this blog is the “politicians say the darndest things,” a play on words from an old Art Linkletter TV piece where he asked kids questions and they “said the darndest things.” Unfortunately, what comes out of our politicians mouths are often as funny and inane as what came out of the kids; mouths long ago. To revisit past posts to see the idiotic things our politicians have been saying, enter the search term “darndest things” in the search box above.

I mention this theme today because of a recent interview President Obama recently did with CNN. In it, he made the declaration that the country is so much better off since he became President. Specifically, he said he was most proud of “saving the American economy” and he is ”very confident that America is stronger, more prosperous, safer, and more influential today than it was when I took office.” Huh? Seems he,myself, and a lot of Americans have a different view of reality across every perspective he just mentioned.

Let’s examine each claim separately:

Saving The American Economy

Not quite sure what his definition of “saving the economy” but pretty sure it is different than mine. The recession in 2008 was not the first recession in the history of the country. In fact, we have had a bunch of them in just the past few decades.

In each case, no one had to “save the economy,” a recession is a natural adjustment to imbalances in the economy, the economy has always recovered. For him to think that it would not have recovered without him, that he had to “save it” somehow, is contrary to history, economic theory, and reality.

The real test of economic leadership is to determine how fast and how well the country comes out of a recession. In that view, his administration has done a terrible job:

• Economic growth during his administration after the economy came out of recession status has been at historical lows relative to past recoveries.
• Historic annual economic growth in this country has been over 3% a year but this administration has yet to get even one year over 3%.
• The economic growth after this recession was half as robust as the recovery coming out of the Reagan administration recession.
• There are still about 45 million Americans receiving Federal government food assistance every month, about 50% higher than when Obama took office and years after the recession ended.
• The labor force participation rate is lower than it has been in decades despite the recession having ended five years or so ago.
• The true unemployment rate is much higher than the official unemployment rate as the drop off in labor force participation has caused millions of Americans to stop looking for work as they became too discouraged to even try.
• Wage growth during this recovery has been stagnant if not negative, depending on how it is measured.
• Job creation has been deceptive during this administration since many of the newly created jobs were lower paying, temporary, and part time, all factors which deceptively lowered the official unemployment rate.
• By the time this administration is over, it is likely that the national debt will have grown by 100% or a whopping $10 TRILLION. A debt burden that large has made the country weaker, not stronger, as he asserts in the interview.

These anemic results have occurred despite a failed $800 billion economic stimulus package, trillions of fake dollars the Federal Reserve pumped into banks and other financial institutions, and an energy revolution that helped increase employment and put downward pressure on energy costs.

Using this criteria, I would have to say this administration was an economic failure, not a savior. its excessive and punitive regulations, thousands of new ones every year,m high taxation rates, record deficit spending, and crony capitalism helped create the weakest economic recovery in at least a hundred years. That is not saving anything.

America Is Safer

Not sure where he go this concept but:

• Our borders are not secure and Border Patrol reports are showing that not all people coming across our southern border are from Central and South America, many of the illegals are from countries with terrorist ties.
• We have been subjected to a number of terrorist attacks during this administration including the Boston bombing, the Fort Hood shootings, the Benghazi murders, and a number of other, less publicized attacks.
• The Chinese government recently told the U.S. government and the Obama administration that North Korea has upwards of twenty nuclear devices in its arsenal, far more than originally thought, and has the capability to build another twenty in the next year or so.
• North Korea also continues to develop long range missiles to deliver those nuclear weapons.
• Iran is likely to get closer to having nuclear weapons capability if the current structure of the Obama/Kerry preliminary agreement with Iran stays unchanged.
• If that Iranian agreement does go through to reality, then it is likely to set off a nuclear arms race with other Persian Gulf states, with news stories already circulating that rather than developing its own nuclear arsenal, Saudi Arabia has already put in a purchase order for nuclear weapons with Pakistan.
• Although the President assured us that we were leaving behind a “safe and secure” Iraq when he pulled U.S. troops out a few years ago, one third of the country is now under the control of ISIS, a terror organization that rose up during his administration, a terror organization he shunned by called it the “JV” of terror groups.
• ISIS now controls one third of Iraq, a large chunk of Syria, and is the wealthiest, most cut throat terror organization in the history of mankind which has made no secret how it plans to attack and try to destroy America and its citizens.
• After U.S.Special Forces killed a high ranking ISIS leader, ISIS has vowed to kill the President and its growing presence has led to the Pentagon putting all U.S.military bases INSIDE the U.S. on high security alert.

Tough to believe we are safer when domestic terror attacks are increasing, the number of nations with nuclear arms is increasing, the ability to deliver those nuclear weapons to their targets a long way away is increasing, and the most vicious and richest terrorist organization of our time has us in its sights. Again, the President and most of America seem to have varying definitions of what “secure” means.

America Is More Influential

• Russia and Putin do not appear to take this administration seriously, having marched into the Ukraine and taken over large parts of that country without fear of retribution from the U.S. and the rest of the world.
• When the Obama administration decided to hold a summit meeting recently which focused on six Persian Gulf states, the top leader in four of those states decided not to attend, sending lower level government representatives even though the meeting was focused on their needs and concerns, a severe diplomatic slap in the face of the President.
• If anything, the whole Middle East is more unstable than before this Presidential administration took over, indicating it was at least as bad as previous administrations in trying to get any peace framework established. 
• Russia and China have grown closer together and bypassing the U.S. in economic and military ties, signing long term agreements to ship Russian raw energy materials to China and engaging in joint military exercises in the Mediterranean. 
• The U.S. has no influence in bring peace to civil wars around the world including Syria and Libya which have become more breeding grounds for terrorism.

When military aggression is taken without fear of consequences, when small countries say no thanks to a Presidential offer to a summit meeting, when the Middle East continues to seethe, when civil wars continue to rage, and when powerful countries bypass the U.S. to form alliances with each other, claiming that America is more influential than before this administration came into power is either an ironic joke or self delusion.

I think most Americans would disagree with the President and his self appraisal of his administration’s job rating. He did not “save the economy.” In fact, his economic policy actions probably led to a longer recession and definitely led to a weaker recovery than anyone can remember.

America is not more secure. With unsealed borders, wealthy and vicious terror organizations aiming for us, and nuclear weapons possession growing quickly, as former head of the Department Of Homeland Security Tom Ridge recently observed, America is probably more vulnerable to attack than at any time since the 9-11 attacks.

America is not more influential. As a popular saying goes, as the Obama administration has wore on, our enemies no longer fear us and our friends no longer trust us. 

Does the President really believe what he is saying, given the preponderance of evidence and reality that rebuts his position on accomplishments? I am totally unqualified to give a physiological assessment but here is what I think is going on. 

As a narcissist, this President is having trouble reconciling the reality of the world with his vision of himself that he can do no wrong. He needs reassurances that he can never be wrong, he is too smart, too wise to be wrong and thus he has to convince himself that the world is not as it is but how he perceives it through his narcissistic filter. 

I think this view also lines up with the content of interviews he has given over the past week or so. In those interviews, he has blamed Fox News and top Congressional Republicans for the ills of the world and the bad views of his administration’s accomplishments or lack of accomplishments. 

He has recently indicted all Christians for not doing enough to help the poor, despite the fact that thousands of Christian charities, hospitals, and other organizations help millions of poor people every minute of every day. You see, it cannot be his fault, he is too perfect to be at fault. Its those biased news reporters at Fox, its those ignorant Republicans in Congress, its those selfish Christians that keep everything for themselves that are to blame.

Thus, I think what we are seeing is the meltdown of a President and a Presidential administration. Its actions have been ineffective or counterproductive. Obama’s time in the spotlight is shrinking every day and he and his legacy have little to show for his six and a half years in power. The economy has limped along, his biggest legislative action, Obama Care, is a failure along so many parameters, our foreign policy is in tatters, and Americans fear for their future safety, both financial and physical.

It is sad to watch a person look past or deny his failures to grope for successes that do not exist while simultaneously blaming others for those same failures. Unfortunately, his sadness pales in comparison to the hardships and dangers he has placed this country in all the while trampling our freedoms and Constitutional rights in the process.

Our book, "Love My Country, Loathe My Government - Fifty First Steps To Restoring Our Freedom And Destroying The American Political Class" is now available at:

www.loathemygovernment.com

It is also available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Please pass our message of freedom onward. Let your friends and family know about our websites and blogs, ask your library to carry the book, and respect freedom for both yourselves and others everyday.

Please visit the following sites for freedom:

Term Limits Now: http://www.howmuchworsecoulditget.com
http://www.reason.com
http://www.cato.org
http://www.bankruptingamerica.org
http://www.conventionofstates.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08j0sYUOb5w