Everyone is screaming about how brazen and corrupt Illinois Governor Blagojevich is for attempting to sell President Elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat to the "highest bidder." Everyone's shocked and appalled at his eerie cockiness. Despite his arrest, he walks around with his schoolboy bangs acting like he is sitting in the "cat bird" seat. In his twisted mind he's done nothing wrong. Even after President Elect Barack Obama's urges him to vacate and leave the premises of the Governorship immediately, he's bleepin' defying Obama and ain't goin' anywhere at the moment.
Either "Blago" is really one of the stupidest politicians in history or he might have a serious case of "Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)."
Governor Blago's behavior seems to mirror NPD symptoms.
1. A person with NPD has an exaggerated sense of what they can do or say. Despite the fact that he knew FBI tapes were rolling for years, he behaved recklessly. Who knows, he probably stuck his head under the table to talk directly to the bug to make sure they got every word. His sense of entitlement manifested itself via his Mother F-ing words.
2. A person suffering from NPD loves being the center of attention. They are always seeking affirmation and praise. "Blago" really got off on getting arrested this week. Even when he stood with union workers he spat off mocking statements with the utmost confidence. He reveled in the moment. The cameras were all on him. Delusional, he felt most powerful. At the moment he is eclipsing the news over the 500,000 job loss and Big 3 Auto's need for the tax payers' dollars to save it from its own blind arrogance and destruction.
3. NPD persons have wild fantasies about their own importance and stature. Everything they do is for personal gain and at the expense of others. "Blago" is a P.I.M.P, putting the reputation of the people of Illinois on a street corner. Blago certainly fantasized about power - Ambassadorships, and of course becoming the next P.O.T.U.S. in 2016.
4. A lack of empathy for others is another symptom. Gov. "Blago" could care less about Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.'s political doggie paddle for survival. He might have even laughed at Jackson's tears of anguish over knowing that he probably won't be the one named to fill Obama's Senate seat. "Blago" figures if he goes down, he will bring any and every body with him; even the innocent. These are the thoughts of a person who has NPD.
5. People with NPD feel they are superior to others and believe they don't have to be accountable to anyone. Defiant "Blago" is back at work and paying no mind to the gaping mouths of a nation who sees this man as pitiful. Most persons with this type of disorder are in so much denial they rarely seek help.
The truth is, who really knows if Gov. "Blago" has this mental illness or not? A psychotherapist would have to make the ultimate diagnosis. NPD affects about 1% of the total population anyway. So maybe it is something else completely different, or just the plain old griminess politicians do. Whoever he is or whatever he has, what we do know for sure right now is that "Blago" is just another politico who has once again fulfilled Lord Acton's dictum that "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
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Thank you for your insight about this mental disorder. I mean he may not be a person with NPD, but he surely acts like something is really wrong because he is not rational in his approach to the situation. Thank you for your response and Merry Christmas.
Yvonne R. Davis
Denial and projection is an extremely potent, but highly toxic cocktail and makes being in proximity to these people a real nightmare
It is quite clear Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.'s association was so toxic, it cost him the Senate seat. Thank you for what you wrote.
Yvonne R. Davis
As is pointed out here, people with NPD are impossible to deal with. There is no way at all to penetrate their minds with such notions as reason, logic, wisdom, or even facts for that matter. The last 8 years have clearly demonstrated what unfettered narcissism will wrought.
I think that in some ways you have to be a bit of a narcissist to even get into politics (or acting, but now I'm drifting off topic. Never mind, my words are so fascinating that you'll all want to read them. Yay, me!)
I appreciate your comments. Of course being the center of attention would not constitute anyone with having NPD. This man may not even have it, but you have to wonder about his mindset when he just goes around acting like nothing is wrong and is very arrogant and willful. It is beyond the pale.
Yes, so many politicians have a similiar arrogance - the Senator from Alaska who was not going to leave the Senate if he had won despite being found guilty of corruption. It was just a thought and perhaps we have a lot of politicians walking around with this disorder running our country. Very sad. I wish you the best holiday season.
Yvonne R. Davis
And most people have light touches of several of them... "personality disorder" is a fancy medical term, for "character traits that really cause serious problems and ought to be treated like illness."
(Though I must caveat myself: I am no professional psychologist; just a crazy guy, who reads a lot...)