Politics on the Couch: Projection is Nine-Tenths of the Law, as Defined by McCaIn's "Hail Sarah" Pass
What follows is the last post for the interactive book, Politics on the Couch. It is inspired by John McCain's VP choice. Readers' comments are welcome and an integral part of this experiment.
This book is about to be "put to bed," but one last post seems fitting -- a reprise of projection inspired by John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin for Vice President. There is no use in re-defining terms, as McCain did that for us by the sign on the podium from which he introduced Governor Palin. The banner read "COUNTRY FIRST," which is what McCain uses to differentiate himself from Senator Obama whom he accuses of putting getting elected ahead of country, by saying that he'd lose a war in order to win an election. Clearly McCain had been projecting all along. Patriotism to him means getting elected.
Fighter pilots take risks; they are trained to react -- largely because of the immediate dangers they face. McCain reacted to Obama's decision to put country first in choosing Biden -- someone every American knows is qualified to take care of our citizenry should he be forced into office -- by turning his first decision as nominee-elect into a football game. He acts like it is third down and 23 to go with the game on the line, and all he has left is throwing a "hail Mary" -- a risky business in the first place, but reckless in the middle of a game: the election is still more than two months away.
He selected someone for the VP slot that he's only met once, who -- though attractive and capable -- is highly inexperienced. He put no thought into whether she could lead the country in the likely event -- given his age and infirmities -- that she might have to. For a Navy Vet, McCain didn't do much vetting.
Negation is but one aspect of projection -- calling himself a patriot while voting against more health care for our veterans. That is closer to hypocrisy. It is like the hypocrisy of all those closeted Republican Congressmen and Senators who oppose gay marriage.
But McCain's VP choice is not negation; it is projection, pure and simple. From this moment on, every accusation McCain makes must be regarded as a description of his own motives and character. In fact, when he talks about Obama "not being ready" to be President, McCain is likely revealing his unconscious self-assessment.
Although the chapter on projection is mostly written, some final comments are more than welcome. Questions include:
What is patriotism? What is putting country first? What is the relationship of risk-taking to thinking? What do sports people mean when they say "winning isn't everything; it's the only thing?" And how does his choice reflect the Rovian desire to win at any cost - something with which every Americans is already familiar?
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Dr. Frank,
As you described Bush as a dry drunk in your book "Bush On the Couch," I wonder if McCain on the Couch would reveal more than just projection, but a compulsive gambling personality? As a former federal investigator who specialized in security clearance background checks, I learned a lot about this behavior and one fascinating aspect is how women gamblers prefer games of luck, like slots, while male gamblers prefer games that require some skill (cards, race track for example). Perhaps he has a skewed perception of his ability to assess risks (much like Bush and his gut checks). A tendency to procrastinate? Recklessness? An aversion to the details? Really worrisome.
Well Amanda, what makes you say the things you do can only lead me to say this....yo
Experience???? You must be joking if you believe that. If Sarah Palin is a democrat on Obama's ticket you wingers are tearing her up for her inexperience, being in a state that is monolistic, railing on her for daring to leave a sick 5 month old child....w
Because Karl Rove foited this total loser on to John McCain, you republics now have to make up excuses and lies to yourselves to sell her to your own side.
Forget about anybody with a brain falling for this total political stunt that just shows how much John McCain and the republic party hate America...
This is now what passes as intelligent decision making within the GOP??? Stupidity is the GOP new buzz word.
Bush set the bar so low anything that doesnt result in total chaos is a plus to a republic!
Corporate Media said this was a referendum on Barrack Obama.
I hope this election becomes about McCain's judgment.
He selected a person under investigation.
At the VERY LEAST "Troopergate" will be distracting.
The Alaska State Legislature is spending $100K for this investigation, and it is on-going.
He showed poor judgment for selecting her. She showed poor judgment in accepting.
News articles say she is not popular with the legislature.
“Alaska State Senate President Lyda Green (R): “She’s not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president? Look at what she’s done to this state. What would she do to the nation?” (Green is from Palin’s home town of Wasilla.)”
“Alaska House Speaker John Harris (R): “She’s old enough. She’s a U.S. citizen.” “
(Please notice the (R) by their names)
If they decide to slap her with any kind of reprimand, it is a strike against her, and even more against McCain's judgment.
Clearly, McCain put politics ahead of this country.
Poor judgment, McCain.
Poor judgment, Gov. Palin.
I just stumbled upon this article, and was hit by the use of the word 'projectio
On another website I have been using that word for months now when it comes to McCain's behavior. With every single ad that has come out against Obama, all I could think was 'McCain's at it again: he's projecting onto Obama his (McCain's) own beliefs, shortcomings, and failings.'
(And then I've had to explain 'projection' to the folks on the other site who don't know what it means . . .)
I am really hoping that more Americans are like the children of Lake Woebegon ~~~ "above average." Because the "below average" Americans that I encounter scare the livin' daylights out of me.
I just caught this from another poster:
"Without Rove to do the homework and cover the contingencies, George W. Bush's desire to win might as well have been stillborn. McCain isn't going to do his own homework and doesn't seem to have a Rove."
Oh ~~~ I'm not so sure about that. I do believe that Rove and his henchmen are definitely behind everything that McCain has done in his campaign. Rove is a genius at figuring out exactly where the candidates weak points lie: how else did McCain go from being a self-described occasional bi-partisan 'maverick' to being 90% behind George Bush? It's all Rove as the Grand Puppeteer.
He is the Real Evil: Bush and McCain are his minions.
Cheney is even more evil. I don't understand why Dem ad-makers do not say Bush/Cheney instead of just Bush in their oppo ads.
Pat Bucjhanan said John McCain will make Dick Cheney look like Ghandi.
What do sports people mean when they say "winning isn't everything; it's the only thing?"
Is it sports they refer to or the ambitions for their personal and professional lives? Perhaps ambition is their sport and they track the progress with the same zeal as any die-hard fan glued to their easy chair during football season.
Aloha Justin,
I understand that writers occasionally take a bit of creative license, and well they should. It keeps the reader interested. But these continuing references to John McCain as a 'fighter pilot' ,scanning the clear morning skies in search for his chance to go mano-a-mano with the Vietnamese Red Baron, are rubbish.
McCain flew an A-4 Skyhawk. It's a light ground attack aircraft, about like a Piper Cub compared to a fighter like an F-4 Phantom. He dropped bombs and napalm on Hanoi. A4s carry a 20mm cannon in each wing, but they are used for ground attack. On occasion they also have air-to-ground missiles, and Ted Swartz DID shoot down a MIG 17 in 1970 with one. But the airplane isn't a fighter.
Honest. McCain wasn't a fighter pilot. I'm taking nothing away from either McCain or the A-4. But there is a very clear distinction between fighter pilots and bomber pilots.
Thank You.
I've been trying to get that across to people also.
It's like a Humvee driver stateing it's a tank.
The selection is terrifying
It's so obvious that McCain is putting the election first and not the country. What are her qualifications? She's Governor of one of the smallest population states in the nation for less than 2-years and that makes her READY. Ready for what! Certainly not leading our great country.
Not to mention the ANTI-CHOICE and ANTI-SCIENCE stance she supports.
Projection? That's way too kind. What we are witnessing is the most transparently pandering, opportunistic and reckless political strategizing in the history of modern presidential politics. Gergen is right: it is the biggest gamble in history; it is also, manifestly, the most antithetical choice to a candidate's previous positioning. Country First? The paramount importance of experience? Pleeeze! McCain just took a big dump on the USA, like he used to take dumps on the Navy. Once a Navy brat always a Navy brat, I guess, but is that the constitution and temperment we want in our supreme leader? Original maverick who'll battle the oil industry??? Pleeeeze, how can anyone -- conservatives too -- trust this guy; he's not a maverick, he's a health-challenged, rapidly aging loose cannon with little concern for the consequences of the power of his words and actions. This VP selection should open another question: how irresponsible was McCain in helping to instigate the Georgia-Russia crisis??? We are all Georgians? Follow the money. Remember Ike's warning. Character/
> Fighter pilots take risks; they are trained to react - largely because of the immediate dangers they
> face.
No, actually pilots are trained to assess risk very carefully, and think actions through before committing to them, because the dangers they face overwhelm the intellect unless carefully managed. "In an emergency, the first thing to do is wind your watch." Pilots who take risks without carefully assessing them beforehand tend to wash out or become statistics. Only God and John McCain know if that had any bearing on getting shot down.
Your point that McCain shoots from the hip is well taken, as evinced by his famous displays of temper. But he was a military pilot in spite of this trait, not because of it. (Oh, by the way, the Navy calls people who flew A4 Skyhawks *attack* pilots, not fighter pilots. Whole 'nother culture.)
"And how does his choice reflect the Rovian desire to win at any cost...?"
While some of McCain's other choices clearly reflect that Rovian desire to win, with this choice I believe McCain has called into question whether he really desires to be President. Like Bush 41, McCain seems to approach the Presidency as a honor which he deserves, but not a job he particularly wants. McCain's selection does far more than just undercut his chief criticism of Obama (in actuality, it guts it completely), it demands that the observer choose between McCain as liar or McCain as fool. Without Rove to do the homework and cover the contingencies, George W. Bush's desire to win might as well have been stillborn. McCain isn't going to do his own homework and doesn't seem to have a Rove.
As a lifelong democrat and Hillary Clinton supporter, I'll be proud to cast my vote for Sarah Palin. I'm sick of working twice as hard to make half as much as my male coworkers who are three steps down from me on the corporate ladder. Roe V. Wade will NEVER be overturned and people are just trying to put fear into voters by saying as such. Govenors get LOADS more experience than senators and what has Obama done in his years in the senate??? Run for an office he said he wasn't experience to run for? Vote "absent" 56% of the time??? We need a mom to clean up this country.
Repub troll, PUMA, Cougar? No- just a TABBY!!! Based on your projection "We need a mom to clean up this country", I'd guess you still live at home.
If you're that far up the corporate ladder, do something about the "Old Boys Network" instead of whining. Or, to put it another way, if you can't stand the heat, get out the kitchen and make room for somebody who can.
We need a mom to clean up this country ...
That sums it all up. Need I say more to argue with your point (or lack thereof)
Would you be interested to know that she left Wasilla with $20 mil of long term debt?
A mom, who, when her water broke, gave a speech, flew 8 hours, not counting layovers to Alaska, bypassing many hospital specializing in premature birth of Down syndrome kids, to deliver in a tiny, rural hospital, without specialist.
Great judgment, there.
I guess you don't know that it is McCain that voted against equal pay for equal work.
What's more important that McCain chooses a woman or that McCain chooses to support woman's issues?
If your answer is the former you obviously are making as terrible a decision as McCain did by selecting McCain.
Destroying the village to save it.
Once again you have nailed it. Great insight into McCain -- as great a projector as Bill Clinton.
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