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Home Front: Politix

Obama’s tantrum a striking display of failed leadership

2016-06-17

[NYPOST] If it is true that the best defense is a good offense, President B.O. should be celebrating in the end zone now. Obviously furious over criticism that his anti-terror policies are weak and that the Orlando slaughter proves it, he went on a televised tirade to let America know he’s mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.

He laid waste to a field of straw men, cable-TV pundits and the always-evil "partisan rhetoric," by which he means anyone who disagrees with him. It was a striking display of personal anger and pent-up grievances -- and a total failure of leadership during a national crisis.

It also, inadvertently, captured why Donald Trump was able to brawl his way to the GOP nomination. All his nice Republican rivals couldn’t stir voters because they never knew how to rattle Obama the way Trump is doing. The president didn’t mention Trump yesterday, but the whole speech was nothing but a desperate and incoherent reaction to Trumpism.

As such, it was a huge moment in the general-election campaign, even though it comes before the nominees are formally crowned. For one thing, it showed that Obama’s plan to campaign against Trump as if he is running for his own third term won’t be a cakewalk for the president or his legacy.

For another, the Obama-Trump war means

Hillary Clinton
... sometimes described as The Heroine of Tuzla and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Edward Stettinius, Jr. ...
could be overshadowed in what was supposed to be her campaign for vindication. Throw in her husband and the stage is going to get crowded with alpha males competing for attention.

Posted by:Fred

#5 Entitlement: Narcissists hold unreasonable expectations of particularly favorable treatment and automatic compliance because they consider themselves special. Defiance of their will is a narcissistic injury that can trigger narcissistic rage.

See: Thursday night's NBA Finals matchup.

Posted by: charger 2016-06-17 17:46

#4 Don't fall for the hype.
Personalized crises, Trump, the Wall, muslims, empty suits, fat pantsuited granny crooks, are all manufactured. Capturing and misdirecting voter energies is the plan.

Posted by: Skidmark 2016-06-17 15:58

#3 Wow - Obama managed to hit most of the seven deadly sins of narcissism in one small tantrum.

1. Entitlement: Narcissists hold unreasonable expectations of particularly favorable treatment and automatic compliance because they consider themselves special. Defiance of their will is a narcissistic injury that can trigger narcissistic rage.
2. Arrogance: A narcissist who is feeling deflated may re-inflate by diminishing, debasing, or degrading somebody else. Bingo.
3. Envy: A narcissist may secure a sense of superiority in the face of another person's ability by using contempt to minimize the other person. Double bingo.
4. Exploitation: He has no regard or true feelings for the victims of this current death and destruction - this tragedy is merely a vehicle to push his agenda.
5. Magical thinking: Use of distortion and illusion via construction of constant straw man arguments (the only argument he can win) in order to attempt to project and dump shame onto others.
6. Bad boundaries: Others either exist to meet their needs or may as well not exist at all.
7. Shamelessness. 'Nuff said.

Posted by: Tennessee 2016-06-17 10:20

#2 "It also, inadvertently, captured why Donald Trump was able to brawl his way to the GOP nomination. All his nice Republican rivals couldn’t stir voters because they never knew how to rattle Obama the way Trump is doing."

I have to disagree with Goodwin here. Although Trump's ability to get under Obama's thin skin was certainly an influential factor for some, I think a more important reason was his blunt, crude, plain-spoken and emphatic condemnation of Obama and his policies in contrast to other candidates' more cautious, "civil" criticisms. Trump's willingness to "tell it like it is", without mincing words, IMO gave him a huge advantage.

Ronald Reagan won the 1980 election in a landslide in large part because Americans were sick and tired of hearing the usual "mush from the wimp", Jimmy Carter, and Reagan provided a much-needed antidote. I suspect much the same thing has been at work with Trump against his primary-season opponents.

Posted by: Dave D. 2016-06-17 07:19

#1 I wouldn't call the empty suit an alpha male...

Posted by: Mystic 2016-06-17 01:18

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