In the War of Extreme Narcissists, Clinton Will Have the Last Laugh

Narcissists-In-Chief

What is a narcissist?  From the website psychologytoday.com, I assembled a list of behavioral traits typical of those with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD).  A common test for diagnosing NPD is to determine that someone exhibits at least 5 of these traits:

• Displays extreme arrogance, and has a grandiose sense of self-importance
• Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, and brilliance
• Shows contempt for others
• Has an exaggerated sense of entitlement—expecting especially favorable treatment and automatic compliance with his expectations
• Tends to be a “moral relativist,” considering things that are wrong for others to be acceptable for themselves
• Exhibits the attitude that “the world revolves around me” and “how dare you oppose me.  Don’t you know who I am?”
• Has an immense appetite for flattery, praise, and adulation
• Is interpersonally exploitive—viewing others as tools to be used to achieve his own objectives
• Relentless bragging of his own accomplishments—constantly “fishing” for compliments
• Is ruthlessly competitive and hypersensitive to criticism—viciously attacking anyone who would dare to question his actions or abilities
• Obsessively blames others for his failures—unwilling to reflect on his own behaviors
• Demonizes opponents while continually claiming the higher moral ground
• Is preoccupied with appearances, and manipulative of others’ impressions of him
• Has a mind-bogglingly blatant disregard for facts—often a pathological liar.  Usually begins to believe his own falsehoods

Sound like anyone you know?  Yeah…I thought so too.  It sounds exactly like…Bill Clinton.

Ok, so the reality is…these traits describe most modern politicians.  However, I’m not sure there have ever been two more extreme narcissistic couples than Bill & Hillary Clinton, and Barack & Michelle Obama.  Forget meeting 5 of these behaviors.  As I go down this list of character traits, I honestly believe these four megalomaniacs exhibit every one of them.

So why am I talking about Bill & Hillary Clinton nearly 12 years after they left the White House?  It’s because I believe the Clintons will play a major role in the Presidential election of 2012.  You see, I believe the Clintons view the Obamas as a threat to their ‘legacy.’  I also believe that in spite of the answer you’ll get when you ask them point blank who they are endorsing, the last thing the Clintons want is for Obama to win re-election.

No president in recent memory craved the adoration of the public more than Bill Clinton.  No other president has a higher opinion of his presidential achievements than Bill Clinton.  In spite of the fact that he was a very average leader, at best, the mainstream media in this country fed Clinton’s insatiable appetite for accolades during his presidency…and continues to feed it to this day.  Yet, it isn’t enough.

Saboteur-In-Chief

As you would expect from an extreme narcissist, Bill Clinton still craves the limelight.  He still needs to be the ‘darling’ of the media, the superhero of the Democrat party.  He still considers himself their first-string quarterback.  The problem is…the media has moved on.  Barack Obama is now their guy, which drives a man like Bill Clinton crazy.  Now throw in the history between the Clintons and Barack Obama, i.e. the nasty Democrat Primary of 2008, and you’ve got a recipe for covert hostility.

You don’t think a narcissist like Bill Clinton (who prided himself in being “the first black president”) will soon forgive or forget the fact that Obama’s campaign ‘smear’ team attempted to label him a racist, and turned many in the black community against him, do you?  Surely you don’t believe the Clintons have forgotten the condescending way in which Obama treated Hillary during the primary of 2008.  If you think that’s all water under the bridge…you clearly don’t know the Clintons.

Regardless of the fact that it was virtually handed to him, Bill Clinton presided over an economy that was thriving.  You can’t tell me that Bill Clinton doesn’t smile every time a new jobs report comes out that demonstrates what a failure Obama’s policies have been.

Clinton has taken several opportunities over the first three years of Obama’s term to be critical of the President—taking him to task over his handling of the debt ceiling crisis in 2011, as well as criticizing him for the staggering 9% unemployment rate.

More recently, in Edward Klein’s book “The Amateur,”Clinton is quoted as saying Obama “doesn’t know how to be president,” and is “incompetent.”  He is also reported to have begged Hillary to quit her job as Obama’s Secretary of State and run against the President in a Democrat primary, telling her “the country needs you.”  Of course, Clinton has denied making these statements.  But do you think for a minute that Barack Obama has any doubts the comments were made?

Then there was this past week.  As President Obama’s revisionists tried to paint Romney as a vulture capitalist, a corporate raider, and a job killer, Bill Clinton went on CNN and heaped praise on Romney saying “A man who’s been governor and had a sterling business career crosses the qualification threshold.”  Then after a little half-hearted damage control, Clinton went on CNBC and took the side of the congressional Republicans in calling for Congress to renew the Bush tax cuts—in direct opposition to President Obama.

Happy Bill

If Mitt Romney successfully knocks off incumbant Obama in November, I don’t believe he’ll be the happiest man in America.  I believe that designation will go to Bill Clinton, who will delight in the fact that the “anointed one” couldn’t pull off a second term like he was able to do.  And I believe Bill will find many opportunities between now and November to help make sure it doesn’t happen.

Bill & Hillary’s extreme narcissism may be the best tool in Mitt Romney’s tool belt.