I Did It

Ever since I was in my early teens, I wondered why people kept silent instead of standing up to be counted as against something harmful.  And it made me wonder - what would I do?  

Now, I know.  Seeing an alarming situation unfold, I spoke up.  What might have been a major irritation for others was defining for me.  Do I think it made any difference that I pointed out the governor has no core?  I doubt it. 

Is it fair to think that a President Mitt Romney would be harmful? Absolutely.  More than harmful – downright scary.  Not just the very real possibility of his presidency – the fine, upstanding, intelligent people who support him are scary, too, as they turn blind eyes to what’s been said by their candidate.  On-the-record & off comments paint a picture of the scariest sort of person we could have as president – a narcissist. 

Mind you, we all have some aspect of narcissism - healthy narcissism is the backbone of our ability to experience a sense of self, to act from a sense of productive self-interest, even to set & achieve goals, to have that wondrous swell of personal worth, even greatness, when we accomplish various tasks.  In the narcissist, those qualities seem to be on steroids.    

It’s hard for the average person to understand the impact of a narcissistic personality.  For one thing, they tend to be quite popular.  It's human nature to gravitate to people with a strong, positive view of themselves, even when it evidences itself in negative, demeaning behavior toward others.  Just as much, it's human nature to gravitate to people who seem sincere in what they say & do, even if we disagree with what they're saying or doing - "I don't agree with his position, but I sure do respect how deeply he believes in it."   

It’s hard to top a narcissist when it comes to sincerity.  They sincerely, to the very core of their being, believe that anything they say or whatever they do is right.  His supporters, who are legion, dismiss what’s said because the underlying attitude is so powerfully sincere.  Gut feeling will top reason, every time.

And, gee, have we seen that over the past 18 months.  Gov. Romney said things, refused to do things, that would have sunk any other candidate.  But not him.  Instead of distancing themselves, what his supporters experienced was their candidate's belief in what he said in whichever present moment.

I do not bandy the word “narcissist” about lightly.  In fact, it never occurred to me until after Hurricane Sandy.  Once it did, the concerns I’ve felt about Gov. Romney fell into place. 

GOP politicos & pundits are pointing to Sandy as what stopped their candidate’s growing momentum.  But it didn’t need to be.  Any political consultant could tell you that Mitt Romney could have used the disaster as an opportunity to nail the election.  By saying “I underestimated the importance & impact of FEMA” he would have helped mute any positive press going to the president while deftly distancing himself from previous comments about eliminating the agency, sending its responsibilities back to the states, or better still privatizing it. 

He didn’t say that.

He couldn’t say that.

If his political life depended on it, he couldn’t say that.

Because Mitt Romney never apologizes.

Because Mitt Romney is never wrong.

Ever.

Ever.

Ever.

Now, put that quality in a president.  Because President Romney would be the same guy as Gov. Romney.  He’s not going to change.  Being always right IS his core. 

See, what struck me this past Tuesday wasn’t that Gov. Romney ignored his previous on-the-record (heck, on youtube) comments about FEMA.   It’s that he never said them.  Which might seem ludicrous to fine, upstanding, intelligent people, but which is part & parcel of the narcissistic personality.  

If it doesn’t suit them in THIS present moment, it didn’t happen. 

Ever.  Ever.  Ever. 

It explains why Gov. Romney CAN’T answer questions about where he stood  or currently stands on the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act – it creates a source of internal angst, so is not just utterly side stepped, but actually seems to have no reality to him.  And because he is sincere at how utterly unable he is to deal with the question, however often repeated, his utter sincerity is taken to heart, not his stunning inability to answer.

Thank god for them, most people have never encountered a truly narcissistic personality.  For those who have, certain qualities about Gov. Romney stand out like a neon light flashing against a night sky:  

• his collective & conversational narcissism, 
• his (and his family’s) absolute faith in his self-worth, 
• his (and his family’s) expressed sense that he is entitled to the presidency, 
• his truly awful sense of boundaries. 

 There are other qualities associated with narcissism that I hesitate to assign to Gov. Romney because they fit so beautifully into the politician’s tool box:  the ability to effectively exploit people & situations for his ends, “magical thinking,” shamelessness, arrogance, envy.  But they certainly are part of his make up. 

It took me until Sandy to realize that the reason I’m so alarmed by the prospect of a President Romney is because I had to deal with a truly narcissistic personality for a good part of my life.  I know how easy it is for them to sway others, without even trying, and how futile it is for the more “rational” person to convince anyone otherwise.  

People don’t believe what they see;  they see what they believe.  And narcissists are remarkably believable.  No one believes in them more than themselves.  

Introspection?  Self-doubt?  Willingness to see another perspective if it’s counter to theirs?  No how, no way, not ever.  Ever.  Ever.

Take heart, my former self.  I spoke up.  Lost quite a few Facebook friends, but I spoke up.  

Now, the end is near.  One last major post to write before it’s all over.  People turned a blind eye to the voter suppression aspects of the rash of voter id laws implemented by GOP state legislatures since 2010.  Most are silent in the face of Gov. Scott's & the Ohio Attorney General's last ditch actions to limit voting.  BIG bucks is affecting big & small races.  The Grahams & other religious leaders are making epic efforts to get out the evangelical vote, in spite of their candidate being a once reviled Mormon.  

If President Obama can overcome that tsunami of forces against him - well, I think it would take more than an act of god.  It would be a certifiable miracle.  So, yes, I do believe that Gov. Romney will win.  

And then things will really get interesting.