You may remember wingnut psychotherapist Robin of Berkeley from this piece, in which she diagnosed the entire country as insane after noticing that whenever she meets someone — on the street, in a shop, even in a friend’s home — the light immediately goes out in their eyes. Concerned, Dr. of Berkeley performed an epidemiological analysis, and quickly determined the reason that people turned off their headlights whenever she appeared: “[i]t’s Obama, of course.”
And if Americans are being driven crazy by the president, then it’s reasonable to assume that Obama himself is crazy — but what flavor of crazy? (I’m guessing it’s either Banana Split Personality or Gestalt ‘n Pepper.)
A Shrink Asks: What’s Wrong with Obama?
So what is the matter with Obama? Conservatives have been asking this question for some time. I’ve written a number of articles trying to solve the mystery.
Articles such as Is Obama a Narcissist? (Robin’s answer: “Probably, but that’s the least of our problems.” Our bigger problem is that, while Dr. of Berkeley is “not in a position to offer a definite diagnosis about Obama” because, for one thing, she doesn’t appear to be a doctor, Obama does seem to be “a witch’s brew of psychopathology: a narcissist, sociopath, and paranoid, with a generous dollop of delusional disorder thrown in.”)
Even some liberals are starting to wonder. James Carville railed about Obama’s blasé attitude after the catastrophic oil spill. The New York Times’ Maureen Dowd revamped Obama’s “Yes We Can” motto into “Will We Ever?”
It’s true, even ardent, hardcore liberal Democrats like Maureen Dowd realize that if only Obama had generated enough bile, we could have used it to plug the gushing well (drilling experts call it “Spleen Shot”). And yet, not all leftists are demanding that the president rage, rage against the dying of the Gulf. Ma Joad, for instance, appreciates and approves of Obama’s measured approach to a crisis, because maybe a fella hasn’t got a soul of his own, just a piece of a big one, in which cause, having the President of the United States stomping around the community soul would make it hard to concentrate when you’re trying to listen to Queen for a Day or Mary Noble, Backstage Wife.
“Did they hurt ya, Mr. President? Did they hurt ya and make ya mean mad?…Sometimes they do somethin’ to ya. They hurt ya and ya get mad and then ya get mean. Then they hurt ya again and ya get meaner and meaner til you ain’t no president nor commander-in-chief anymore, just a walkin’ chunk of mean mad. Did they hurt ya that way son?…Why, I don’t want no mean President.”
New York Times columnist Ma Joad in undated file photo.
The liberal women of the TV show “The View” have expressed sympathy for Michelle Obama’s living with a man so out of touch. Peggy Noonan, hardly a vehement Obama foe, recently pronounced him disconnected.
And Peggy Noonan, having worked for Ronald Reagan, knows whereof she speaks.
Obama’s odd mannerisms intrigue a psychotherapist like me. He also presents a serious diagnostic challenge.
“Sit down, Mr. Obama, and just try to relax; as I assured you before, everything said in this office is completely confidential. Now, I’ve been going over my notes from our last session, and I see that despite being provoked by a major multinational corporation, you haven’t been drinking heavily or beating your wife, and I have to tell you, this kind of behavior is making my job very difficult…”
For one, Obama’s teleprompter and the men behind the Blackberry keep him well-scripted. We know so little about the facts of his life.
Except that he can apparently read and use a smartphone. This would suggest Obama has a condition we call technoliteracy, which is often the sign of a serial killer. Ted Bundy, for instance, was known to have mastered Touch Tone Dialing at an early age.
But it’s more than just a lack of information. Obama himself is a strange bird. He doesn’t fit easily into any diagnostic category.
Is he a Nubian? A Blackamoor? The DSM IV is unclear…
Many people attribute Obama’s oddness to his narcissism. True, Obama has a gargantuan ego, and he is notoriously thin-skinned.
Even though everyone’s been so polite to him. Now just try to imagine how Obama would react if someone — say, a speaker at a Tea Party rally, or a columnist at American Thinker — compared him to Hitler or Stalin or Pol Pot; it’d be like watching Yosemite Sam after he’s been infected with that 28 Days Later virus.
Yet a personality disorder like narcissism does not explain Obama’s strangeness: his giggling while being asked about the economy; his continuing a shout-out rather than announcing the Ft. Hood shootings; or his vacations, golfing, partying and fundraising during the calamitous oil spill.
Surgical intervention seems to be the only option. We should either expose his super-ego to kryptonite to make him less narcissistic, or bombard his head with gamma rays, which will finally allow him to show anger (American Thinker readers won’t like him when he’s angry, but they want him impeached as it is, so the whole situation is kind of a push). Or we could just remove his uterus, since that always works.
Take also Obama’s declaring on the “Today Show” that he wants to know whose ass to kick. Consummate narcissists would never stoop to this vulgar display of adolescent machismo.
Obama is flat when passion is needed; he’s aggressive when savvy is required. What’s most worrisome is that Obama doesn’t even realize that his behavior is inappropriate.
He’s like a psychotherapist who pontificates when he should listen, criticizes when he should empathize, and diagnoses serious psychological ailments from three thousand miles away. Guy’s a mess.
If I saw a client as disconnected as him, the first thing I would wonder: Is something wrong with his brain?
Must be. Michael Savage wrote a book entitled Liberalism is a Mental Disorder, and he has a Ph.D in “nutritional ethnomedicine.”
And I’d consider the following theoretical diagnostic possibilities.
–Physical problems: There are a multitude of physiological conditions that can cause people to act strangely. For instance: head injuries, endocrine disturbances, epilepsy, and toxic chemical exposure.
It makes me wonder: Did Obama ever have a head injury? His stepfather in Indonesia was purportedly an alcoholic abuser. Was Obama subject to any physical abuse?
As Robin points out in her previous article, Is Obama a Narcissist?, her “[i]nformation on Obama’s childhood [is] drawn from the books, The Case Against Barack Obama, and The Obama Nation, as well as Wikipedia.” So apparently, when attempting to “diagnosis an ailment,” modern medical professionals use a process similar to “spreading a rumor,” which is probably why Seattle Grace-Mercy West Hospital is such a hotbed of sexytime.
– Drugs and alcohol: Damage to the brain from drugs and alcohol can also cause significant cognitive impairments. Obama once said that there were 57 states — and didn’t correct himself. Memory problems can be caused by both illicit and prescription drug use.
Obama admits to a history of drug use in his youth. Did his usage cause some damage? Does Obama still use?
Good question. On a side note, it seems the good NotDoctor has forgotten that she already wrote this column in 2009. Is she an amnesiac? A drug addict? Sadly, I’m not in a position to offer a definite diagnosis. For all I know she has a form of obsessive compulsive disorder that requires her, when sitting at the keyboard, to precisely repeat a complex serious of motions and gestures that results in her crapping out the same American Thinker post.
–Asperger’s Syndrome: Also known as high-functioning autism, Asperger’s causes deficits in social skills. A person with Asperger’s can’t read social cues. Consequently, he can be insensitive and hurtful without even knowing it.
Autism — traditionally known as “the rocket sled to the Presidency.”
Could Obama have Asperger’s? He might have some mild traits, but certainly not the full-blown disorder. In contrast to Obama, those with Asperger’s get fixated on some behavior, like programming computers. Obama lacks this kind of passion and zeal.
Most reputable psychologists suspect that Obama has Asburger’s Syndrome, named for its most famous sufferer, J. Wellington Wimpy, who even when he was telling you that he would gladly — gladly! — pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today, never really sounded all that worked up about it.
–Mental Illness: Obama’s family tree is replete with the unbalanced. His maternal great-grandmother committed suicide. His grandfather, Stanley Dunham, was particularly unhinged: He was expelled from high school for punching his principal; named his daughter Stanley because he wanted a boy; and exposed young Barry to not just drunken trash talk, but unrestricted visits with alleged pedophile Frank Marshall Davis (who might or might not be Obama’s biological father). Barack Sr. was an abusive, alcoholic bigamist.
And his mother struggled most of her adult life with “jungle fever.”
Since mental illness runs in the family, does Obama have any signs? Yes and no. No, he is not a schizophrenic babbling about Martians. But there are red flags for some other conditions.
While Obama doesn’t appear to hallucinate, he seems to have delusions. His believing he has a Messiah-like special gift smacks of grandiose delusions.
This can lead to embarrassing and even alarming public scenes, most often when Obama boards an airliner and suddenly decides that he can sit wherever he wants, regardless of what the flight attendant has to say.
His externalizing all blame to conservatives, George W. Bush, or the “racist” bogeyman hints at persecutory delusions.
Obama: Hey, the guy who had this house before me? When I moved in, I found he’d piled all the furniture in the middle of each room and set it on fire. He also wrote “F.U.” really big on the lawn in salt, and then he took a crap in the Cuisinart and left it running…”
NotDoctor Robin: I see. And you don’t feel guilty about making him do that? Hm… (PRETENDS TO SCRIBBLE NOTE, DOODLES FLYING PENISES DOGFLIGHTING OVER THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT) Let’s talk more about how your grandfather exposed you to drunken trash talk by naming your mother Stanley…
Along with a delusional disorder, Obama may fit for a mild psychotic disorder called schizotypal disorder. It may explain some of Obama’s oddness.
People with schizotypal disorder hold bizarre beliefs, are suspicious and paranoid, and have inappropriate and constricted affect. They have few close friends and are socially awkward. A schizotypal is someone like your strange cousin Becky who is addicted to astrology, believes she is psychic, and is the oddball at social gatherings.
Schizotypal Disorder does ring some bells vis-à-vis Obama. One way the diagnosis doesn’t fit, however, is that schizotypals are generally harmless, odd ducks. Not so with Obama.
Client: …and lately I’ve been feeling depressed and unloved. It seems like no one cares, no one listens, no — What are you doing?
NotDoctor Robin: Nothing.
Client: Yes, you are, you’re not even paying attention, you’re — Are you skinning a mole?
NotDoctor Robin: No.
Client: Yes you are!
NotDoctor Robin: It’s a gopher.
Client: What — do you do taxidermy in your spare time — ?
NotDoctor Robin: No.
Client: Shouldn’t you at least wait til it’s dead before you –
NotDoctor Robin: I think we should avoid getting sidetracked here, and focus on your bizarre beliefs and inappropriate behavior. Hand me those pliers, would you?
–Trauma: My gut tells me that Obama was seriously traumatized in childhood. His mother disregarded his basic needs, dragged him all over the place, and ultimately abandoned him.
But I think there may be something even more insidious in his family background. While I can’t prove it, the degree of Obama’s disconnect reminds me of my sexually abused clients.
Client: Thanks for seeing me. I’ve been trying to quit smoking, but with all the layoffs at work I’ve been really stressed out, and my wife thought I should talk to a thera–
NotDoctor Robin: YOU HAVE BEEN TOUCHED IN THE UNCLEAN PLACE!
With serious sexual abuse, the brain chemistry may change. The child dissociates — that is, disconnects from his being — in order to cope. Many adult survivors still dissociate, from occasional trances to the most extreme cases of multiple personality disorder.
Okay, suddenly this isn’t funny anymore (although you may well have come to this same conclusion about ten paragraphs back). Really, Robin? A little projection is one thing, but are you seriously conscripting survivors of childhood sexual abuse as cannon fodder in your war on the Black Guy in the White House? Seriously?
Apparently, young Barry was left in the care of Communist Frank Marshall Davis, who admitted to molesting a 13-year-old girl. As a teenager, Obama wrote a disturbing poem, “Pop,” that evoked images of sexual abuse — for instance, describing dual amber stains on both his and “Pop’s” shorts.
Sigh. NotDoctor Robin’s text today is taken from fellow American Thinker Jack Cashill (he of the “William Ayers ghost wrote Obama’s books” theory), whose detective work has lead him to wonder if Obama’s grandfather was actually his father (young Barack being the fruit of a liaison between Stanley Dunham, Sr. and some B-girl from the Negro taverns he frequented), or if he was sired by “Frank Marshall Davis, a black communist, pornographer, and poet,” who had gotten physical with the young Stanley Ann, and to avoid scandal, family friend Barack Obama, Sr. had agreed to marry her and masquerade as the baby daddy, much as Eddie Bracken did for Betty Hutton in The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek. Occam’s Razor says Yes!
Would trauma explain Obama’s disconnect? In many ways, yes. A damaged and unattached child may develop a “false self.” To compensate for the enormous deficits in identity and attachment, the child invents his own personality. For Obama, it may have been as a special, gifted person.
The sad reality, of course, is that he’s a dull little man leading a gray, ordinary existence, only briefly and secretly enlivened by Walter Mitty-like fantasies of being the Leader of the Free World.
Along with the brain issues are personality disorders: narcissism, paranoia, passive-aggressiveness. There’s even the possibility of the most destructive character defect of all, an antisocial personality. Untreated abuse can foster antisocial traits, especially among boys.
If my assessment is accurate, what does this mean?
It means that stadium parkas and comfort-rated mukluks are suddenly popular in Hell?
It means that liberals need to wake up and spit out the Kool-Aid…and that conservatives should put aside differences, band together, and elect as many Republicans as possible.
Because Obama will not change. He will not learn from his mistakes. He will not grow and mature from on-the-job experience. In fact, over time, Obama will likely become a more ferocious version of who he is today.
He will become more viciously, ferociously non-viscious and ferocious.
Why? Because this is a damaged person. Obama’s fate was sealed years ago growing up in his strange and poisonous family. Later on, his empty vessel was filled with the hateful bile of men like Rev. Wright and Bill Ayers.
Obama will not evolve; he will not rise to the occasion; he will not become the man he was meant to be. This is for one reason and one reason alone:
He is not capable of it.
Exactly. Those who can, do. Those who can’t, diagnose.
I hope Obama sends an assassin drone after this bitch.
I, (and I gather other readers of WO’C) are victims of dysfunctional, even abusive childhoods, and this … bitch insults all of us when she puffs up her poison sacs and spits on President Obama.
Left by KWillow on June 11th, 2010