Sunday, December 13, 2009

Who was Ida May Fuller?

Ida May Fuller was the first Social Security recipient.

She is a case study in socialized  medicine, too.   She is a case study in socialized anything!

Be assured that Miss Fuller did nothing wrong.  She was just the first Social Security recipient and is an example of what can happen with socialized healthcare, too.

Facts about Miss Fuller:

  • She contributed $22 in taxes from 1937 to 1939.
  • She retired in November 1939.
  • She received her first Social Security check in January 1940.  That check was for $22.54.
  • She died in 1974 after have received $20,944.42 in benefits.
  • LINK   LINK
  • She never married and never had children.
  • She lived with a niece.
  • She lived to be 100.
  • She contributed to Social Security for less than three years.

Are there any “Ida May Fullers” out there who will be receiving socialized medicine?   The answer is YES!   They are the immigrants both legal and illegal will come to this country.  It will be the extended family members who will be sponsored into this country by their children who immigrated and became citizens.  These older people will be “Ida May Fullers”.

Who will pay for it?   The workers and the taxpayers.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Obama’s narcissism is unbounded

This is Charles Krauthhammer’s reaction to Obama’s stupid assertion that he is America’s first Pacific president.

Obama’s narcissism is truly unbounded.

 

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Tea Party Counter-Demonstration

A North Texas Tea Party counter demonstrated in favor of Rep.  Michael C. Burgess (R-TX).

The conservatives made the demonstration sponsored by MoveOn.org look like Custer’s Last Stand.  See images below.

Supporter for Rep. Burgess

Steve Reynolds, right, supporting Dr. Burgess
Supporting Rep. Michael Burgess

 

Tea Party people take over Moveon demonstration  
Move on!

In these pictures Moveon.org attempted to  protest  Rep. Burgess' vote against the healthcare plan. We showed up to counter-protest and support Rep. Burgess, said Steve Reynolds, who was one of the protestors.

We’re taking back America in 2010

Great video.  Please watch it to the end.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Tea Party Rally in Dallas

Tea Party Rally in Dallas, TX, on Nov. 5, 2009.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Of RINOS And Real Conservatives

President Barack Obama yesterday praised Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe for voting for the Healthcare billl in committee.  According to Obama, his healthcare bill now has bi-partisan support.

But wait!  Sen. Snowe is a RINO, a Republican in Name ONLY.  This is the same senator who was elected in 1994  when the Republicans swept both houses of Congress.  Little thanks did she have for the Republican agenda.  She preceded to vote against the resolution that would have sent Impeached and failed President Bill Clinton packing.  After that “victory” Clinton invited Snowe to the White House for an “After the Impeachment” Victory Party.

Snowe is not the first Maine senator out of step with the times.  In the 1950’s Maine had a notable GOP Senator in Margaret Chase Smith.   Chase Smith has the distinction of being the first woman whose name was put up for nomination for president of the United State.  That was the year that the Republicans embraced Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater for president.

Chase Smith is also the author of the little known Declaration of Conscience in June 1, 1950.  Her declaration was a reaction to the Red Scare.   One of the leaders in Congress was her fellow senator Joseph McCarthy.

Chase Smith unveiled her Declaration of Conscience on the floor of the Senate.  It declared:

  • The right to criticize;
  • The right to hold an unpopular belief;
  • The right to protest;
  • The right to independent thought.

Her Declaration was debated for a while, but her timing was terrible.  Only 24 days later, the North Korean Army launched an invasion across the 38th parallel and started the Korean War.  No one cared about the Chase Smith’s epistle after that.

Chase Smith’s seat eventually went over to Maine’s other senator Susan Collins.   She, incidentally,  is the other RINO in the senate.

The Real conservative of that era and of all eras remains Goldwater.   What would he say today?

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

This is what happens to RINOS

Olympia Snowe is a Republican in Name Only (RINO).

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Obama Czar is NAMBLA Supporter?

Obama said he wanted to fundamentally change America.

Now comes Kevin Jennings, who is Obama’s Safe School Czar.   Jennings reportedly said that he admires the North American Man-Boy Love Association’s Harry Hay.

Obama wanted fundamental change in America.  Does that change intersect with NAMBLA’s agenda of  homosexuality and relations between older men and young under-age boys?

Is this what Obama means by fundamental change?  If it is, he can keep the change!

Don’t Hug Me Bro

San Fran Nan -- AKA House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- shows she doesn’t want to be hugged in public.  That is not by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

It was classic Kinnock

Yes!  It was classic Neil Kinnock, the left wing British Labor Party leader, who reluctantly lost to Margaret Thatcher back in 1983.

Don’t get sick.  Don’t get old.   Sound familiar?   That line was echoed on the podium in the U. S. House of Representatives Sept. 29.   The Democrats are struggling to pass the universal health care bill.   The speech was delivered by Rep. Alan Grayson of the 8th District of Florida.

Kinnock was struggling to beat Thatcher when on June 7, 1983, he pinned the famous liberal speech.  Here is the full text of the speech:

If Margaret Thatcher is re-elected as prime minister on Thursday, I warn you.

I warn you that you will have pain–when healing and relief depend upon payment.

I warn you that you will have ignorance–when talents are untended and wits are wasted, when learning is a privilege and not a right.

I warn you that you will have poverty–when pensions slip and benefits are whittled away by a government that won’t pay in an economy that can’t pay.

I warn you that you will be cold–when fuel charges are used as a tax system that the rich don’t notice and the poor can’t afford.

I warn you that you must not expect work–when many cannot spend, more will not be able to earn. When they don’t earn, they don’t spend. When they don’t spend, work dies.

I warn you not to go into the streets alone after dark or into the streets in large crowds of protest in the light.

I warn you that you will be quiet–when the curfew of fear and the gibbet of unemployment make you obedient.

I warn you that you will have defence of a sort–with a risk and at a price that passes all understanding.

I warn you that you will be home-bound–when fares and transport bills kill leisure and lock you up.

I warn you that you will borrow less–when credit, loans, mortgages and easy payments are refused to people on your melting income.

If Margaret Thatcher wins on Thursday–

- I warn you not to be ordinary

- I warn you not to be young

- I warn you not to fall ill

- I warn you not to get old.


The InkDemon warned in an earlier blog that this would happen.  LINK

Now watch the Democratic party’s version of Classic Kinnock:

This speech shows that the Democrats have nothing new to offer the American people other than tax, spend, and pork.  

This speech will be replicated in every house district in every state.  It didn’t work for Kinnock.  It won’t work for the Democrats.


Joe Biden knows Kinnock speeches well.  He plagiarized Kinnock in a series of speeches back in 1987.  LINK

Kinnock, according to the London Telegraph, said:

"Why am I the first Kinnock in a thousand generations to be able to get to university? Was it because our predecessors were thick? Does anybody really think that they didn't get what we had because they didn't have the talent or the strength or the endurance or the commitment? Of course not. It was because there was no platform upon which they could stand"

JOE BIDEN IN Sept 1987 during his first presidential campaign:

"Why is it that Joe Biden is the first in his family ever to go a university? Why is it that my wife... is the first in her family to ever go to college? Is it because our fathers and mothers were not bright? ...Is it because they didn't work hard? My ancestors who worked in the coal mines of northeast Pennsylvania and would come after 12 hours and play football for four hours? It's because they didn't have a platform on which to stand."

The Democrats will stop at nothing to win.   However, like Neil Kinnock,  time is running out.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

How many troops will Obama send?

General McCrystal reportedly asked for 40,000 more troops to keep the situation in Afghanistan from deteriorating.

Take the poll at the right.  Tell the InkDemon how many troops will Obama send to save Afghanistan.

Give us your best guess based on what you know about Obama.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Dana Perino Discusses Obama’s Sagging Poll

Former White House Press Secretary discusses Obama’s sagging poll numbers on Socialized Healthcare.

Some 46% of Americans prefer their present healthcare.  Only 37% want the Obama Regime’s proposed health plan.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Are Democrats Like Zombies?


Are Democrats zombies?  Is Obama the Voodoo priest? You decide.

Two Democrats are stuck on an escalator …

What would Ronald Reagan or any conservative do?  He would simply walk off.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Obama CZARs

No one knows really how many Czars the Obama Regime has brought into the White House.  We know some of them, and they are some very unsavory characters.  Take for instant, Van Jones, who had communist leanings and was a wacked-out 9/11 Truther.  That got him fired.

The InkDemon has named at least four of POTUS’ czars.   Glenn Beck has named all of the Obama Regime’s czars here. 

 Valarie Jarret, The Sphinxess Czar

By all accounts, Valarie Jarret may have been the person that brought Czar Van Jones into the Obama’s regime’s Czar network.

 
Mark Lloyd, FCC Media Diversity Czar

Mark Lloyd is not on Beck’s list, but Michelle Malkin’s blog  lists him as the Media Diversity Czar.


Todd Stern, Climate Czar 

According to Beck’s web site:

• Served in the Clinton White House from 1993 to 1999; Was Head of the Initiative on Global Climate Change (1997 to 1999) and Adviser to the Secretary of the Treasury (1999 to 2001)
• As a top aide to President Clinton, helped negotiate the Kyoto and Buenos Aires climate pacts, both of which fell apart partially because of a lack of U.S. support during Bush administration.
• After Bush was elected to office, went to the Wilmer Hale law firm, where he is a partner in the regulatory and government affairs division.
• Was most recently a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, where he focused on climate change and environmental issues.
• Has written extensively on climate change, and has called on the American government and the international community to take a series of steps to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
• Supports a national cap-and-trade system that would limit carbon emissions and reduce U.S. dependency on foreign oil

 
Border Czar Alan Bersin 

According to Beck’s web site, Alan Bersin:

• Talking about border security shortly before he was named Clinton border czar in 1995, said he wanted to focus on suspected smugglers of both drugs and people and was not interested in prosecuting “economic migrants.”
• Often tied to the 1994 border policy called “Operation Gatekeeper.” The policy shifted the U.S. focus from the arresting of immigrants who actually crossed the border to an increased border presence designed to stop border crossing in the first place. When Bersin left the position in 1998, border arrests were on pace for an 18-year low of just more than 200,000. Latino groups complained that Operation Gatekeeper was immoral, saying the program monitored the border near San Diego but simply forced illegal immigrants to other, more dangerous areas.
• Has given more than $50,000 to political campaigns since 1999, almost all of it to Democrats.


Jeffrey Crowley, AIDS Czar 

According to Beck’s web site, Crowley:

• Coordinates HIV/AIDS policy domestically and internationally.
• Senior Research Scholar at Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute and a Senior Scholar at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center.
• Was Deputy Executive Director for Programs at the National Association of People with AIDS
• Has Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health


Richard Holbrooke is the Afghan Czar

Glenn Beck’s web site says:

• Will work with CENTCOM head Gen. David Petraeus to integrate U.S. civilian and military efforts in the region.
• 45 years of experience have made him a fixture of the Democrats' foreign policy establishment.
• Was U.S. ambassador to U.N., 1999-2001
• Brokered the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords in Bosnia
• Also served as Assistant secretary of state, East Asia and the Pacific (1976 to 1980); worked in foreign service (1962 to 1976)
• From 1972 through 1976, was the editor of Foreign Policy magazine.


Czar Van Jones abdicated his “throne”

According to Beck’s web site:

Jones said, “I spent the next ten years of my life working with a lot of those people I met in jail, trying to be a revolutionary." In the months that followed, he let go of any lingering thoughts that he might fit in with the status quo. "I was a rowdy nationalist on April 28th, and then the verdicts came down on April 29th," he said. "By August, I was a communist." In 1994, the young activists formed a socialist collective, Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement, or STORM, which held study groups on the theories of Marx and Lenin and dreamed of a multiracial socialist utopia. They protested police brutality and got arrested for crashing through police barricades. In 1996, Jones decided to launch his own operation, which he named the Ella Baker Center after an unsung hero of the civil-rights movement.”

John Holdren is the Science Czar
Science Czar John Holdren holds some extreme views

According to Glenn Beck’s web site:

“Some conservative media outlets have called attention to a book Holdren co-authored in 1977 titled Ecoscience: Population, Resources, and Environment. The book reportedly includes this statement: "population-control laws, even including laws requiring compulsory abortion, could be sustained under the existing Constitution." Holdren's office says he "does not now and never has been an advocate of compulsory abortions or other repressive measures to limit fertility."


Urban Czar Adolfo Carrion

According to Beck, Carrion:

  • Has undergraduate degree in world religions from Kings College; became an associate pastor at a Bronx church; earned his master’s degree in urban planning from Hunter College
  • Was Bronx Borough President (2001-2009); President of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (since 2007); City Council member (1998 to 2000)
  • Many reporters say he has higher ambitions and will probably run for New York City mayor in the next ten years.
  • Was an active campaigner for Obama, travelling across the country to speak on his behalf. He focused particularly on states with large Hispanic populations.
  •  The NY Daily News reported numerous developers made tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations to Carrión around the same time he was considering approving their projects in the Bronx.


Information Czar  Vivek Kundra

According to Beck’s web site, Kundra:

• Basically in charge of overseeing other federal agency CIOs and for setting technology policy across the government.
• Head of a federal technology budget that amounts to $71 billion annually
• Operation is housed in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and will likely have authority to question how money in departmental technology budgets is used
• Formerly head of the District of Columbia's technology operations
Shortly after he joined the OMB, federal authorities raided his old District government office. They arrested two technology office managers and a subcontractor, charging them with a bribery scheme that allegedly defrauded the city out of at least $500,000. Kundra was not a suspect in the case, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
• Has a masters from Maryland in information technology.
• Experience: Washington, D.C. Chief Technology Officer (2007 to 2009); State of Virginia's Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Trade (2006 to 2007); CEO of computer security firm Creostar.

 

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Jimmy Carter Calls Obama “This Black Boy”

Jimmy Carter is an anti-Semite.  That we all know.  Now we can wonder if Carter is a racist too.  He referred to POTUS as “…this black boy….”

Watch it here:

Did I just hear Jimmy Carter say "...that black boy...?"

Not GWB’s Fault: Financial Crisis of 2008

Read this PDF.  It is a hard read, but look at the time lines and read the conclusions.

LINK TO DOCUMENT

Obama’s Cabinet

Thanks to Jane Q. Republican blog

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Describing the Obama Regime

We must be consistent on how we describe the Obama regime.

We must remember Google picks up these comments on blogs and even tweets and indexes them.  The more often a word or phrase is used, the higher Google and the other search engines with put weight on them. 

Here are some examples:

  • It’s is the Obama Regime – not White House or D.C.   Example:  The Obama Regime was the laughing stock of the world for his failure to ….
  • Use the words fail or failure generously when mentioning Obama.  Those words get picked up and associated.   Example:  He’s Obama,  the leader of the Obama Regime,  and he’s a failed president.
  • Also use communism or socialism when mentioning Obama, his regime or his failed presidency.    Example:  The Obama regime’s venture into overt socialism and his association with avowed communists have contributed to the regime’s failure.
  • Also the word “joker” should be used to associate with Obama.  Example: Not only is his picture plastered almost everywhere as a Joker on posters at the demonstration, but the Obama Regime’s failure to act on the economic crisis makes him a true joker.
  • Another word to associate with Obama is narcissist.  Read this link.  Example:  The Obama Regime showed the narcissism of its leader today when members failed to show respect for the flag.

 

Obama: The Laughing Failure

Obama has had one of the fastest falls in the polls in American presidential history.

This should be Obama’s logo:

Obama LOL! failure Avatar:

It was suggested by this video:

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Gordon Brown sells his soul to the devil


That's Right! They Are Jokers, Too

The London newspaper, The Telegraph, had this screaming headline:

Government has sold its soul to the devil over SAS deal with Libya

That’s right!  The British Prime Minster Gordon Brown cut a deal to release the Lockerbie Bomber.  In return, the Libya will allow British Petroleum to explore for oil.  Next we read that the British SAS – their version of the Special Forces – will be training Libyan troops!  THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!

Links to Telegraph articles:  LINK   LINK

Links to previous NORTH TEXAS CONSERVATIVE articles on the British-Libyan Oil For Blood deal.  LINK LINK

Thursday, September 10, 2009

The Obama Death-Stare

 
Watch the animated GIF above

There may be more to the Obama Death-Stare.  According to one psychologist pathological narcissists display the following traits:

  1. Sublimates aggression and holds grudges.
  2. 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).
  3. Displays false modesty and unctuous "folksiness" but 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.
  4. Has a messianic-cosmic vision of himself and his life and his "mission". Consequently, sets unrealistic goals within unrealistic timeframes.
  5. Talks about himself in the 3rd person singular or uses the regal "we" and craves to be the exclusive center of attention, even adulation

Obama used the pronoun “I” 56 times in his 45-minute speech.

Obama’s Song Book

AIN'T GONNA TREAT YOUR HEART NO LONGER 

Long ago you were productive
And you held a steady job
Now you've gotten old and feeble
And you're looking like a slob
Once you paid us lots of taxes
And were very cheap to treat
Now the bills are piling up
And there's a budget we must meet

Refrain

Ain't gonna treat your heart no longer
Ain't gonna treat your back no more
Costs too much to buy you braces
Costs too much for Lipitor
Costs too much for your depression
And we're tired of your complaints
Ain't gonna treat your heart no longer
Better get ready to meet the saints
Now your joints are getting creaky
And your liver's getting old
Your carotids are stenosing
And your thyroid needs controlled
It's too bad that you have cancer
And you suffer chronic pain
But we can't afford to treat you
So you're circling the drain
 

Refrain

While the citizens were sleeping
Congress came and took control
Now your healthcare's being run by
Bureaucrats without a soul
We won't pay for your dialysis
Won't pay to fix your eyes
But because we're kind and caring
We will pay to euthanize

 

A Friendly Chat with an Obama Supporter

Video courtesy of Michael Schrengohst (www.izonemedia.net)

Welcome Back Porky Kay

Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison will return to Texas to run against Gov. Rick Perry.  Well Kay, I hope you are not running on your record.
 

Video courtesy of Izonemedia (www.izonemedia.net)

View Michael Schrengohst’s blog on www.redstate.com/izoneguy.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Little Known Fact

OOPS!  This “fact” is wrong.  LAT.com is something else.   Ignore this.

 

U.N. Wants to Replace Dollar!

 

U.N. says keep your dollars, Obama!

LINK to Story

Krauthammer Compares Van Jones, Rev. Wright

 

 

Also see Tea Party Express video here:

Monday, September 7, 2009

Obama, Hillary Knew BEFORE Lockerbie Bomber’s Release

Now what everyone thought has been confirmed: the pathological narcissist and U.S. president, Obama, and his gun moll, Hillary Clinton, knew about the Lockerbie bomber’s release.

CLICK HERE FOR LINK

They knew it before he was release and they did nothing!   …and they did it for OIL!  …British Petroleum (BP) oil.

‘The US was kept fully in touch about everything that was going on with regard to Britain’s discussions with Libya in recent years and about Megrahi,’ said the Whitehall aide.

‘We would never do anything about Lockerbie without discussing it with the US. It is disingenuous of them to act as though Megrahi’s return was out of the blue.

'They knew about our prisoner transfer agreement with Libya and they knew that the Scots were considering Megrahi’s case.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1211495/No-10-turns-Obama-Clinton-criticising-decision-release-Lockerbie-bomber.html#ixzz0QQPCunlz


Click here for previous blog.

Link to YouTube.   Listen to Obama’s lie.

Listen to Obama Regime lie

Friday, September 4, 2009

Obama voters post mea culpas

These images came from this blogger.   His friends sent in the images to say they were sorry that they voted for Obama.

 

Too bad.  It’s too late, too.

Tea Party Express Comes To Dallas











Thursday, September 3, 2009

Democrats Create 53 New Gov Programs, Offices, Bureaucracies

 

 

DETAILED ANALYSIS: HOUSE DEMOCRATS’ GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER CREATES 53 NEW GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS, OFFICES & BUREAUCRACIES 

Democrats continue to claim that their health care legislation will not increase the federal deficit, even though the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has revealed the truth: the bill actually increases the deficit by $239 billion.  One of the reasons it’s so expensive is the plethora of new federal government programs it would create.  House Republican Leader John Boehner offered the following comment:

“The American people’s number one concern about health care is controlling cost, so it is baffling that Democrats have put together a $1.5 trillion bill that actually increases the deficit in order to create 53 new government programs.  We need to throw away this 1,000-page monstrosity and start over, this time focusing on real, bipartisan reforms that lower costs and expand coverage.”

The House Democrats’ bill creates a massive new federal bureaucracy littered with new federal agencies, new programs, and new bureaucrats.  Here they are, as identified by the House Republican Conference, chaired by Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN):

  1. Health Benefits Advisory Committee (Section 123, p. 30)
  2. Health Choices Administration (Section 141, p. 41)
  3. Qualified Health Benefits Plan Ombudsman (Section 144, p. 47)
  4. Program of administrative simplification (Section 163, p. 57)
  5. Retiree Reserve Trust Fund (Section 164(d), p. 70)
  6. Health Insurance Exchange (Section 201, p. 72)
  7. Mechanism for insurance risk pooling to be established by Health Choices Administration Commissioner (Section 206(b), p. 106)
  8. Special Inspector General for the Health Insurance Exchange (Section 206(c), p. 107)
  9. Health Insurance Exchange Trust Fund (Section 207, p. 109)
  10. State-based Health Insurance Exchanges (Section 208, p. 111)
  11. “Public Health Insurance Option” (Section 221, p. 116)
  12. Ombudsman for “Public Health Insurance Option” (Section 221(d), p. 117)
  13. Account for receipts and disbursements for “Public Health Insurance Option” (Section 222(b), p. 119)  
  14. Telehealth Advisory Committee (Section 1191, p. 380)
  15. Demonstration program providing reimbursement for “culturally and linguistically appropriate services” (Section 1222, p. 405)
  16. Demonstration program for shared decision making using patient decision aids (Section 1236,  p. 438)
  17. Accountable Care Organization pilot program (Section 1301, p. 443)
  18. Independent patient-centered medical home pilot program under Medicare (Section 1302, p. 462)
  19. Community-based medical home pilot program under Medicare (Section 1302(d), p. 468)
  20. Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research (Section 1401(a), p. 502)
  21. Comparative Effectiveness Research Commission (Section 1401(a), p. 505)
  22. Patient ombudsman for comparative effectiveness research (Section 1401(a), p. 519)
  23. Quality assurance and performance improvement program for skilled nursing facilities (Section 1412(b)(1), p. 546)
  24. Quality assurance and performance improvement program for nursing facilities (Section 1412 (b)(2), p. 548)
  25. Special focus facility program for skilled nursing facilities (Section 1413(a)(3), p. 559)
  26. Special focus facility program for nursing facilities (Section 1413(b)(3), p. 565)
  27. National independent monitor pilot program for skilled nursing facilities and nursing facilities (Section 1422, p. 607)
  28. Demonstration program for approved teaching health centers with respect to Medicare GME (Section 1502(d), p. 674)
  29. Pilot program to develop anti-fraud compliance systems for Medicare providers (Section 1635, p. 716)
  30. Medical home pilot program under Medicaid (Section 1722, p. 780)
  31. Comparative Effectiveness Research Trust Fund (Section 1802, p. 824)
  32. “Identifiable office or program” within CMS to “provide for improved coordination between Medicare and Medicaid in the case of dual eligibles” (Section 1905, p. 852)
  33. Public Health Investment Fund (Section 2002, p. 859)
  34. Scholarships for service in health professional needs areas (Section 2211, p. 870)
  35. Loan repayment program for service in health professional needs areas (Section 2211, p. 873)
  36. Program for training medical residents in community-based settings (Section 2214, p. 882)
  37. Grant program for training in dentistry programs (Section 2215, p. 887)
  38. Public Health Workforce Corps (Section 2231, p. 898)
  39. Public health workforce scholarship program (Section 2231, p. 900)
  40. Public health workforce loan forgiveness program (Section 2231, p. 904)
  41. Grant program for innovations in interdisciplinary care (Section 2252, p. 917)
  42. Advisory Committee on Health Workforce Evaluation and Assessment (Section 2261, p. 920)
  43. Prevention and Wellness Trust (Section 2301, p. 932)
  44. Clinical Prevention Stakeholders Board (Section 2301, p. 941)
  45. Community Prevention Stakeholders Board (Section 2301, p. 947)
  46. Grant program for community prevention and wellness research (Section 2301, p. 950)
  47. Grant program for community prevention and wellness services (Section 2301, p. 951)
  48. Grant program for public health infrastructure (Section 2301, p. 955)
  49. Center for Quality Improvement (Section 2401, p. 965)
  50. Assistant Secretary for Health Information (Section 2402, p. 972)
  51. Grant program to support the operation of school-based health clinics (Section 2511, p. 993)
  52. National Medical Device Registry (Section 2521, p. 1001)
  53. Grants for labor-management programs for nursing training (Section 2531, p. 1008)

REPUBLICAN LEADER PRESS OFFICE
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH)
H-204, THE CAPITOL
(202) 225-4000 | GOPLEADER.GOV

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

A Glance at British, Canadian Healthcare

No one knows the future if Obama-care is forced on Americans, but we can look at countries where socialized medicine is used today.

These health care systems are in chaos or are being increasingly draconian to cut costs!  For example:

  • Terminally ill elderly are being forced to die prematurely in the United Kingdom. LINK

  • Thirsty patients drink water from flower vases in the United Kingdom.  LINK

  • U.K. mums give birth in toilets, corridors, elevators, and offices because there are no rooms.  LINK

  • System-wide, the U.K. National Healthcare System (NHS) is short of qualified midwives.  There are almost no OB-GYN births in the U.K.  British mums get midwives, many from third-world countries.

  • Some 1,000 deaths one year alone in NHS were caused by the superbug MRSA.  LINK

  • Ants, cockroaches, rats cause infections in U.K. NHS hospitals and clinics.  LINK

  • Filthy U.K. hospitals threatened with closure. LINK

  • Patients become angry and frustrated overappallingly filthy hospitals.  One lady patient was so appalled that she cleaned up her own ward while plugged into an IV. LINK

  • Disillusioned nurses are sometimes cruel to patients.  LINK

  • U.K. hospitals still have wards and open bays.  Space problems causes men and women to be put in the same wards!  This has been reported in the British press.  LINK

  • Patient care is deplorable in some cases. LINK LINK

  • The Canadian HC system is about to implode.  This was reported on the Fox News Channel.  Canadians are crossing over the U.S. border to get HC. LINK LINK LINK

The list goes on.

Analysis: Current HC Undermined by Democrats' Government Takeover

 

Detailed Analysis

Democrats’ number one talking point about health care is that if you like your current health coverage, you can keep it. 

That would be reassuring if it were true, but it is not. 

In fact, their legislation would undermine the Employee Retirement Security Act (ERISA), putting government bureaucrats in charge of decisions that should be made by small businesses and other employers working with their employees. 

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH), who worked on ERISA-related issues for years as Chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, made the following comment:

“Real health care reform should start with the Hippocratic Oath: first, do no harm.

But the Democrats’ government takeover legislation will undermine the law that has guaranteed American workers quality retirement security and health coverage for decades. 

We can do better.  We need to hit the ‘reset’ button, scrap this leviathan of a bill, and work together on bipartisan reforms that make sense.”

Here are just a few examples of how the House Democrats’ bill erodes the ability of small businesses, other employers, and workers to exercise their rights and obligations under ERISA:

  • Section 142 – The House bill says that after a five-year grace period all ERISA insurance offerings will have to win government approval—both by the Department of Labor and a new “Health Choices Commissioner” who will set federal standards for what is an acceptable health plan. The commissioner can fine employers that don’t comply and even has “suspension of enrollment” powers for plans that he or she has vetoed, until “satisfied that the basis for such determination has been corrected and is not likely to recur.” 
  • Section 261 – This section, included in the Chairman’s Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute at the Education and Labor Committee markup, provides for automatic federal waivers to ERISA for states that enact single-payer health care systems.  Waivers to ERISA would preclude employers from offering consistent benefits.  The practical effect of this section is that workers receiving health coverage from the same employer in different states could have wide disparities in coverage. 
  • Sections 132 and 151 – These two sections provide for unlimited state law remedies for employer-sponsored health coverage obtained through health insurance exchanges.  Litigation will increase under this provision, further driving up the cost of health insurance for millions of Americans. 
  • Section 165 – This section, included in the Chairman’s Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute at the Education and Labor Committee markup, prohibits one of the core principles of ERISA, the voluntary nature of employee benefits, by imposing a prohibition on modifications to retiree health plans. 

We can do better, and the American people deserve better.  Let’s toss the Democrats’ government takeover in the dustbin, and work together on the common sense reforms they want and need.

REPUBLICAN LEADER PRESS OFFICE
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH)
H-204, THE CAPITOL
(202) 225-4000 |
GOPLEADER.GOV

Obama the Narcissist?

Editors Note: 

I didn’t copy this from someone else’s blog or a website.  I got this from the author's own website.

This article is quite long,  but I urge you to read it all the way through.  If you cannot, then scan it and carefully read the highlighted areas.  I embedded a video/audio of a radio talk show host at the end.

I tried to be balanced by including Snopes.com and re-printing the entire Dr. Vaknin article along with his disclaimer. Thank you.

Who is more likely to run up the red flag when they spot a narcissist than the Israeli Jews?

The Jews suffered under the most horrible narcissist of the 20th Century, one Adolf Hitler.  Der Fuhrer and his cult following were responsible for the deaths of six million Jews and millions more non-Jews elsewhere.

A prominent Israeli psychologist has studied President Barack Obama.  He says that Obama displays the signs of being a pathological narcissist.   That psychologist is Dr. Sam Vaknin.  He penned an article about Obama earlier.  The source of this blog is Dr. Vaknin’s own website.  LINK 

To be fair, the internet myth buster website, Snopes.com, weighed into the issue.  Their conclusions were mixed.  LINK

This is what Dr. Vaknin wrote.

Granted, only a qualified mental health diagnostician can determine whether someone suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) and this, following lengthy tests and personal interviews. [CLICK HERE TO] Read the disclaimer below.  But, in the absence of access to Barack Obama, one has to rely on his overt performance and on testimonies by his closest, nearest and dearest.

Narcissistic leaders are nefarious and their effects pernicious. They are subtle, refined, socially-adept, manipulative, possessed of thespian skills, and convincing. Both types equally lack empathy and are ruthless and relentless or driven.

Obama’s childhood may have supported or triggered Obama’s narcissistic behavior, Dr. Vaknin writes:

Obama's early life was decidedly chaotic and replete with traumatic and mentally bruising dislocations. 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.

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.

Dr. Vaknin explained the behavioral patterns of a narcissist:

The narcissist:

  • Feels grandiose and self-important (e.g., exaggerates accomplishments, talents, skills, contacts, and personality traits to the point of lying, demands to be [recognized] as superior without commensurate achievements);
  • Is obsessed with fantasies of unlimited success, fame, fearsome power or omnipotence, unequalled brilliance (the cerebral narcissist), bodily beauty or sexual performance (the somatic narcissist), or ideal,everlasting, all-conquering love or passion;
  • Firmly convinced that he or she is unique and, being special, can only be understood by, should only be treated by, or associate with, other special or unique, or high-status people (or institutions);
  • Requires excessive admiration, adulation, attention and affirmation – or, failing that, wishes to be feared and to be notorious (Narcissistic Supply);
  • Feels entitled. Demands automatic and full compliance with his or her unreasonable expectations for special and favourable priority treatment;
  • Is "interpersonally exploitative", i.e., uses others to achieve his or her own ends;
  • Devoid of empathy. Is unable or unwilling to identify with, acknowledge, or accept the feelings, needs, preferences, priorities, and choices of others;
  • Constantly envious of others and seeks to hurt or destroy the objects of his or her frustration. Suffers from persecutory (paranoid) delusions as he or she believes that they feel the same about him or her and are likely to act similarly;
  • Behaves arrogantly and haughtily. Feels superior, omnipotent, omniscient, invincible, immune, "above the law", and omnipresent (magical thinking). Rages when frustrated, contradicted, or confronted by people he or she considers inferior to him or her and unworthy.

Narcissism is a defense mechanism whose role is to deflect hurt and trauma from the victim's "True Self" into a "False Self" which is omnipotent, invulnerable, and omniscient. This False Self is then used by the narcissist to garner narcissistic supply from his human environment. Narcissistic supply is any form of attention, both positive and negative and it is instrumental in the regulation of the narcissist's labile sense of self-worth.

Perhaps the most immediately evident trait of patients with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is their vulnerability to criticism and disagreement. Subject to negative input, real or imagined, even to a mild rebuke, a constructive suggestion, or an offer to help, they feel injured, humiliated and empty and they react with disdain (devaluation), rage, and defiance.

From my book "Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited":

"To avoid such intolerable pain, some patients with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) socially withdraw and feign false modesty and humility to mask their underlying grandiosity. Dysthymic and depressive disorders are common reactions to isolation and feelings of shame and inadequacy."

Owing to their lack of empathy, disregard for others, exploitativeness, (sic) sense of entitlement, and constant need for attention (narcissistic supply), narcissists are rarely able to maintain functional and healthy interpersonal relationships.

Many narcissists are over-achievers and ambitious. Some of them are even talented and skilled. But they are incapable of team work because they cannot tolerate setbacks. They are easily frustrated and demoralized and are unable to cope with disagreement and criticism. Though some narcissists have meteoric and inspiring careers, in the long-run, all of them find it difficult to maintain long-term professional achievements and the respect and appreciation of their peers. The narcissist's fantastic grandiosity, frequently coupled with a hypomanic mood, is typically incommensurate with his or her real accomplishments (the "grandiosity gap").

An important distinction is between cerebral and somatic narcissists. The cerebrals derive their Narcissistic Supply from their intelligence or academic achievements and the somatics derive their Narcissistic Supply from their physique, exercise, physical or sexual prowess and romantic or physical "conquests".

Another crucial division within the ranks of patients with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is between the classic variety (those who meet five of the nine diagnostic criteria included in the DSM), and the compensatory kind (their narcissism compensates for deep-set feelings of inferiority and lack of self-worth).

Obama displays the following traits of a pathological narcissist, Dr. Vaknin writes:

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, refuses 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. [Editor’s Note: This was written before the election.] 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 hasn't published a single scholarly paper or book).
  • Feels that he is above the law, incl. and especially his own laws.
  • Talks about himself in the 3rd person singular 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". Consequently, sets unrealistic goals within unrealistic timeframes.
  • Sets ever more complex rules in a convoluted world of grandiose fantasies with its own language (jargon)
  • Displays false modesty and unctuous "folksiness" but 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).

Dr. Vaknin writes that narcissists display a distinct body language.

Many complain of the incredible deceptive powers of the narcissist. They find themselves involved with narcissists (emotionally, in business, or otherwise) before they have a chance to discover their true character. Shocked by the later revelation, they mourn their inability to separate from the narcissist and their gullibility.

Narcissists are an elusive breed, hard to spot, harder to pinpoint, impossible to capture. Even an experienced mental health diagnostician with unmitigated access to the record and to the person examined would find it fiendishly difficult to determine with any degree of certainty whether someone suffers from a full fledged Narcissistic Personality Disorder – or merely possesses narcissistic traits, a narcissistic style, a personality structure ("character"), or a narcissistic "overlay" superimposed on another mental health problem.

Moreover, it is important to distinguish between traits and behavior patterns that are independent of the patient's cultural-social context (i.e., which are inherent, or idiosyncratic) – and reactive patterns, or conformity to cultural and social morals and norms. Reactions to severe life crises or circumstances are also often characterized by transient pathological narcissism, for instance (Ronningstam and Gunderson, 1996). But such reactions do not a narcissist make.

When a person belongs to a society or culture that has often been described as narcissistic by scholars (such as Theodore Millon) and social thinkers (e.g., Christopher Lasch) – how much of his behavior can be attributed to his milieu and which of his traits are really his?

The Narcissistic Personality Disorder is rigorously defined in the DSM IV-TR with a set of strict criteria and differential diagnoses.

Narcissism is regarded by many scholars to be an adaptative strategy ("healthy narcissism"). It is considered pathological in the clinical sense only when it becomes a rigid personality structure replete with a series of primitive defence mechanisms (such as splitting, projection, projective identification, or intellectualization) – and when it leads to dysfunctions in one or more areas of the patient's life.

Pathological narcissism is the art of deception. The narcissist projects a False Self and manages all his social interactions through this concocted fictional construct.

When the narcissist reveals his true colors, it is usually far too late. His victims are unable to separate from him. They are frustrated by this acquired helplessness and angry at themselves for having they failed to see through the narcissist earlier on.

But the narcissist does emit subtle, almost subliminal, signals ("presenting symptoms") even in a first or casual encounter.

Then Dr. Vaknin describes Obama’s body language exhibited during his public appearances:

Compare the following list to Barack Obama's body language during his public appearances.

These are:

"Haughty" body languageThe narcissist adopts a physical posture which implies and exudes an air of superiority, seniority, hidden powers, mysteriousness, amused indifference, etc. Though the narcissist usually maintains sustained and piercing eye contact, he often refrains from physical proximity (he is "territorial").

The narcissist takes part in social interactions – even mere banter – condescendingly, from a position of supremacy and faux "magnanimity and largesse". But he rarely mingles socially and prefers to remain the "observer", or the "lone wolf".

Entitlement markers – The narcissist immediately asks for "special treatment" of some kind. Not to wait his turn, to have a longer or a shorter therapeutic session, to talk directly to authority figures (and not to their assistants or secretaries), to be granted special payment terms, to enjoy custom tailored arrangements - or to get served first.

The narcissist is the one who – vocally and demonstratively – demands the undivided attention of the head waiter in a restaurant, or monopolizes the hostess, or latches on to celebrities in a party. The narcissist reacts with rage and indignantly when denied his wishes and if treated equally with others whom he deems inferior.

Idealization or devaluation – The narcissist instantly idealizes or devalues his interlocutor. This depends on how the narcissist appraises the potential his converser has as a Narcissistic Supply Source. The narcissist flatters, adores, admires and applauds the "target" in an embarrassingly exaggerated and profuse manner – or sulks, abuses, and humiliates her.

Narcissists are polite only in the presence of a potential Supply Source. But they are unable to sustain even perfunctory civility and fast deteriorate to barbs and thinly-veiled hostility, to verbal or other violent displays of abuse, rage attacks, or cold detachment.

The "membership" posture – The narcissist always tries to "belong". Yet, at the very same time, he maintains his stance as an outsider. The narcissist seeks to be admired for his ability to integrate and ingratiate himself without investing the efforts commensurate with such an undertaking.

For instance: if the narcissist talks to a psychologist, the narcissist first states emphatically that he never studied psychology. He then proceeds to make seemingly effortless use of obscure professional terms, thus demonstrating that he mastered the discipline all the same, as an autodidact – which proves that he is exceptionally intelligent or introspective.

In general, the narcissist always prefers show-off to substance. One of the most effective methods of exposing a narcissist is by trying to delve deeper. The narcissist is shallow, a pond pretending to be an ocean. He likes to think of himself as a Renaissance man, a Jack of all trades. The narcissist never admits to ignorance in any field – yet, typically, he is ignorant of them all. It is surprisingly easy to penetrate the gloss and the veneer of the narcissist's self-proclaimed omniscience.

Bragging and false autobiographyThe narcissist brags incessantly. His speech is peppered with "I", "my", "myself", and "mine". He describes himself as intelligent, or rich, or modest, or intuitive, or creative – but always excessively, implausibly, and extraordinarily so.

The narcissist's biography sounds unusually rich and complex. His achievements – incommensurate with his age, education, or renown. Yet, his actual condition is evidently and demonstrably incompatible with his claims. Very often, the narcissist lies or his fantasies are easily discernible. He always name-drops and appropriates other people's experiences and accomplishments.

Emotion-free language – The narcissist likes to talk about himself and only about himself. He is not interested in others or what they have to say, unless they constitute potential Sources of Supply and in order to obtain said supply. He acts bored, disdainful, even angry, if he feels that they are intruding on his precious time and, thus, abusing him.

In general, the narcissist is very impatient, easily bored, with strong attention deficits – unless and until he is the topic of discussion. One can publicly dissect all aspects of the intimate life of a narcissist without repercussions, providing the discourse is not "emotionally tinted".

If asked to relate directly to his emotions, the narcissist intellectualizes, rationalizes, speaks about himself in the third person and in a detached "scientific" tone or composes a narrative with a fictitious character in it, suspiciously autobiographical. Narcissists like to refer to themselves in mechanical terms, as efficient automata or machines.

Seriousness and sense of intrusion and coercion – The narcissist is dead serious about himself. He may possess a subtle, wry, and riotous sense of humor, scathing and cynical, but rarely is he self-deprecating. [editors note: Like making fun of the Special Olympics?] The narcissist regards himself as being on a constant mission, whose importance is cosmic and whose consequences are global. If a scientist – he is always in the throes of revolutionizing science. If a journalist – he is in the middle of the greatest story ever. If a novelist - he is on his way to a Booker or Nobel prize.

This self-misperception is not amenable to light-headedness or self-effacement. The narcissist is easily hurt and insulted (narcissistic injury). Even the most innocuous remarks or acts are interpreted by him as belittling, intruding, or coercive. His time is more valuable than others' – therefore, it cannot be wasted on unimportant matters such as mere banter or going out for a walk.

Any suggested help, advice, or concerned inquiry are immediately cast by the narcissist as intentional humiliation, implying that the narcissist is in need of help and counsel and, thus, imperfect and less than omnipotent. Any attempt to set an agenda is, to the narcissist, an intimidating act of enslavement. In this sense, the narcissist is both schizoid and paranoid and often entertains ideas of reference.

These – the lack of empathy, the aloofness, the disdain, the sense of entitlement, the constricted sense of humor, the unequal treatment and the paranoia – render the narcissist a social misfit. The narcissist is able to provoke in his milieu, in his casual acquaintances, even in his psychotherapist, the strongest, most avid and furious hatred and revulsion. To his shock, indignation and consternation, he invariably induces in others unbridled aggression.

He is perceived to be asocial at best and, often, antisocial. This, perhaps, is the strongest presenting symptom. One feels ill at ease in the presence of a narcissist for no apparent reason. No matter how charming, intelligent, thought provoking, outgoing, easy going and social the narcissist is – he fails to secure the sympathy of others, a sympathy he is never ready, willing, or able to reciprocate.

Dr. Vaknin writes about the narcissist leader:

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.

The malignant narcissist invents and then projects a false, fictitious, self for the world to fear, or to admire. He maintains a tenuous grasp on reality to start with and this is further exacerbated by the trappings of power. The narcissist's grandiose self-delusions and fantasies of omnipotence and omniscience are supported by real life authority and the narcissist's predilection to surround himself with obsequious sycophants.

The narcissist's personality is so precariously balanced that he cannot tolerate even a hint of criticism and disagreement. Most narcissists are paranoid and suffer from ideas of reference (the delusion that they are being mocked or discussed when they are not). Thus, narcissists often regard themselves as "victims of persecution".

The narcissistic leader fosters and encourages a personality cult with all the hallmarks of an institutional religion: priesthood, rites, rituals, temples, worship, catechism, mythology. The leader is this religion's ascetic saint. He monastically denies himself earthly pleasures (or so he claims) in order to be able to dedicate himself fully to his calling.

The narcissistic leader is a monstrously inverted Jesus, sacrificing his life and denying himself so that his people - or humanity at large - should benefit. By surpassing and suppressing his humanity, the narcissistic leader became a distorted version of Nietzsche's "superman".

But being a-human or super-human also means being a-sexual and a-moral.

In this restricted sense, narcissistic leaders are post-modernist and moral relativists. They project to the masses an androgynous figure and enhance it by engendering the adoration of nudity and all things "natural" - or by strongly repressing these feelings. But what they refer to as "nature" is not natural at all.

The narcissistic leader invariably proffers an aesthetic of decadence and evil carefully orchestrated and artificial - though it is not perceived this way by him or by his followers. Narcissistic leadership is about reproduced copies, not about originals. It is about the manipulation of symbols - not about veritable atavism or true conservatism.

In short: narcissistic leadership is about theatre, not about life. To enjoy the spectacle (and be subsumed by it), the leader demands the suspension of judgment, depersonalization, and de-realization. Catharsis is tantamount, in this narcissistic dramaturgy, to self-annulment.

Narcissism is nihilistic not only operationally, or ideologically. Its very language and narratives are nihilistic. Narcissism is conspicuous nihilism - and the cult's leader serves as a role model, annihilating the Man, only to re-appear as a pre-ordained and irresistible force of nature.

Narcissistic leadership often poses as a rebellion against the "old ways" - against the hegemonic culture, the upper classes, the established religions, the superpowers, the corrupt order. Narcissistic movements are puerile, a reaction to narcissistic injuries inflicted upon a narcissistic (and rather psychopathic) toddler nation-state, or group, or upon the leader.

Minorities or "others" - often arbitrarily selected - constitute a perfect, easily identifiable, embodiment of all that is "wrong". They are accused of being old, they are eerily disembodied, they are cosmopolitan, they are part of the establishment, they are "decadent", they are hated on religious and socio-economic grounds, or because of their race, sexual orientation, origin ... They are different, they are narcissistic (feel and act as morally superior), they are everywhere, they are defenceless, they are credulous, they are adaptable (and thus can be co-opted to collaborate in their own destruction). They are the perfect hate figure. Narcissists thrive on hatred and pathological envy.

This is precisely the source of the fascination with Hitler, diagnosed by Erich Fromm - together with Stalin - as a malignant narcissist. He was an inverted human. His unconscious was his conscious. He acted out our most repressed drives, fantasies, and wishes. He provides us with a glimpse of the horrors that lie beneath the veneer, the barbarians at our personal gates, and what it was like before we invented civilization. Hitler forced us all through a time warp and many did not emerge. He was not the devil. He was one of us. He was what Arendt aptly called the banality of evil. Just an ordinary, mentally disturbed, failure, a member of a mentally disturbed and failing nation, who lived through disturbed and failing times. He was the perfect mirror, a channel, a voice, and the very depth of our souls.

The narcissistic leader prefers the sparkle and glamour of well-orchestrated illusions to the tedium and method of real accomplishments. His reign is all smoke and mirrors, devoid of substances, consisting of mere appearances and mass delusions. In the aftermath of his regime - the narcissistic leader having died, been deposed, or voted out of office - it all unravels. The tireless and constant prestidigitation ceases and the entire edifice crumbles. What looked like an economic miracle turns out to have been a fraud-laced bubble. Loosely-held empires disintegrate. Laboriously assembled business conglomerates go to pieces. "Earth shattering" and "revolutionary" scientific discoveries and theories are discredited. Social experiments end in mayhem.

It is important to understand that the use of violence must be ego-syntonic. It must accord with the self-image of the narcissist. It must abet and sustain his grandiose fantasies and feed his sense of entitlement. It must conform with the narcissistic narrative.

Thus, a narcissist who regards himself as the benefactor of the poor, a member of the common folk, the representative of the disenfranchised, the champion of the dispossessed against the corrupt elite - is highly unlikely to use violence at first.

The pacific mask crumbles when the narcissist has become convinced that the very people he purported to speak for, his constituency, his grassroots fans, the prime sources of his narcissistic supply - have turned against him. At first, in a desperate effort to maintain the fiction underlying his chaotic personality, the narcissist strives to explain away the sudden reversal of sentiment. "The people are being duped by (the media, big industry, the military, the elite, etc.)", "they don't really know what they are doing", "following a rude awakening, they will revert to form", etc.

When these flimsy attempts to patch a tattered personal mythology fail - the narcissist is injured. Narcissistic injury inevitably leads to narcissistic rage and to a terrifying display of unbridled aggression. The pent-up frustration and hurt translate into devaluation. That which was previously idealized - is now discarded with contempt and hatred.

This primitive defense mechanism is called "splitting". To the narcissist, things and people are either entirely bad (evil) or entirely good. He projects onto others his own shortcomings and negative emotions, thus becoming a totally good object. A narcissistic leader is likely to justify the butchering of his own people by claiming that they intended to kill him, undo the revolution, devastate the economy, or the country, etc.

The "small people", the "rank and file", the "loyal soldiers" of the narcissist - his flock, his nation, his employees - they pay the price. The disillusionment and disenchantment are agonizing. The process of reconstruction, of rising from the ashes, of overcoming the trauma of having been deceived, exploited and manipulated - is drawn-out. It is difficult to trust again, to have faith, to love, to be led, to collaborate. Feelings of shame and guilt engulf the erstwhile followers of the narcissist. This is his sole legacy: a massive post-traumatic stress disorder.

DISCLAIMER

I am not a mental health professional. Still, I have dedicated the last 12 years to the study of personality disorders in general and the Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) in particular. I have authored nine (9) books about these topics, one of which is a Barnes and Noble best-seller ("Malignant Self-love: Narcissism Revisited"). My work is widely cited in scholarly tomes and publications and in the media. My books and the content of my Web site are based on correspondence since 1996 with hundreds of people suffering from the Narcissistic Personality Disorder (narcissists) and with thousands of their family members, friends, therapists, and colleagues.

Here is more on Obama’s narcissism from Dr. Vaknin.  CLICK THIS LINK


Radio talk show video/audio on Dr. Vaknin’s work.