By David Robb ——Bio and Archives--June 19, 2023
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I recently watched a rather disgusting interview. Jen Psaki was interviewing James Comey on Trump running for President again. As might be expected, Mr. Comey had a lot to say on the topic.
According to Mr. Comey, "Trump poses a near existential threat to the rule of law". Later he states "Imagine what four years of a retribution presidency could look like.". He further suggests "[Trump] could order investigation and prosecution of individuals who he sees as enemies." and "could direct that individuals be pursued.", and "could ignore the supreme court or district judges."
He goes on to say "the Constitution gives a 'rogue president' tremendous power to destroy" and that he wants "the American people to stare at what we are facing and understand that they cannot take the next election off." That last statement is one of the few he made that I agree with, although probably not in the way he intended.
What is obvious is that all the things he spoke of are things that the current administration has been and is doing to Donald Trump, and to conservatives and others on the Right for years. The administration is renowned worldwide for its two-tier system of justice, its use of government agents to track down and prosecute its enemies or anyone who dares question them, and its use of Executive Orders and regulatory minions, as well as the Department of (in)Justice to attack those who might speak out.
Anyone who has been following the investigations nationwide of widespread and systematic election fraud can have little doubt that we already have a 'rogue president' in office, and one who has already demonstrated their tremendous power to destroy. One need only look at our formerly great energy industries, our once booming economy, our porous borders, the reversal of years of progress in civil rights, our decimated military, and so many other things the administration has brought about to see how destructive a 'rogue president' can be.
Clearly what Mr. Comey is doing is something known to psychology as "projection". When someone holds beliefs and attitudes that they cannot admit, even to themselves, they often will "project" those beliefs onto others in a kind of perverse "pin the tail on the donkey". This allows them to see themselves as good and righteous and only acting to point out the faults of those evil others.
The Left hates Trump because they hate themselves. They are authoritarian, intolerant, vicious, hateful, racist, and narcissistic, but cannot acknowledge those things because they want to see themselves as kind, compassionate, loving, and all good things. In order to feel good about themselves, they have to project all the things they can't admit about themselves onto Trump and direct all their hate onto him and those who support him. This is the ancient principle of the scapegoat.
Projection, though, is just one symptom of a deeper, darker underlying condition widespread among today's Left. A recent study indicated a prevalence among the Left of what are known as Axis II personality disorders, including Narcissism and Antisocial personality disorders. These conditions are quite serious, not only for the person themselves, but also for those around them.
Clinical Narcissism is described by a multitude of traits, including not only a need for admiration, but also feelings of superiority and specialness, using others without concern for their wellbeing, expressions of anger when confronted or contradicted, and several other negative behaviors. Antisocial disorder is commonly found among serial killers and mass murderers.
A particular trait of these conditions is a strong need for attention. Many of the things being done by the Left seem more intended to provoke a reaction and garner attention, rather than an expression of a serious concern. The current activities around LGBT+ and trans acceptance are a case in point. The Left knows that those on the Right will react strongly to these issues, especially if children are involved. Such reactions are very satisfying to the Left as they satisfy the Left's need for attention as well as their feelings of superiority. I seriously doubt that if we were to pay such things no attention that the Left would continue to pursue them. They would look for another way to fulfill their needs.
The concern with racism is another example. Small children learn early on the power of particular words. Certain words, especially those around bathroom activities are quickly identified as ones that will provoke a parental response and gain attention. Calling someone 'racist' is one of those words that provoke adults. Essentially it is the application of 'poopy power' in an adult setting. Most of the Left realize that racism had been rendered nearly extinct, largely through a desire among people to avoid being called racist. Now the Left can exploit that sensitivity to satisfy their attention needs.
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For the Left of today, reality is no longer described by language, it is created by language—magical thinking, hence the need to control speech and eliminate dissension. Even one disagreeing voice can break the spell.
The Left doesn't like reality—it is too confining. Magic, witchcraft, sorcery, satanism and postmodernism are much preferable since they reject reality in favor of a fantasy universe where humans have the power of gods. Men can become women, and women men; race is a social construct, and white people are born racist by virtue of being white; human activities are causing the climate to change—the list is long.
Even the Leftist calls for elimination of guns is an unacknowledged plea for help and attention—“please stop me before I kill again". Most of the recent mass murders and school shootings have been done by heavily armed Leftists or Left leaning shooters. The trans Tennessee Christian school shooter is just one case in point.
The Left is used to having leaders tell them what to think, so they don't get that Trump is voicing the concerns of his constituency. They think he is being authoritarian and dictatorial instead of truly representing the people. As a result, they feel justified in claiming that Trump is authoritarian and dictatorial, even though those are their own attitudes projected onto Trump. Their narcissism leads them to believe their interpretation is true, correct, and that they have special knowledge about Trump's motivations and intentions. They must always be right. They will always have an explanation why they are right and you are wrong. To challenge them is merely to prove how inferior you are.
The Left spends considerable time and resources planning how to obtain more power and wealth. Political concerns are no longer about what is best for the country, but rather how to take control and increase power. Those on the Right are more concerned with making a living, raising families, and keeping things running. These two preoccupations are in direct opposition.
Until the Left can get the therapy they need, and are willing to acknowledge their need, the situation will remain difficult. Most therapists acknowledge that Narcissism is one of the most difficult conditions to treat, largely because the narcissist sees themselves as just fine and perfect, and the problem is with those who aren't willing to accept that— like therapists, for example. The problem is always with all those others who won't recognize how special the narcissist really is..
Forcing people to claim falsehood as truth is the ultimate manifestation of power, more than simple imprisonment or even torture. It is the violation of an individual's innermost integrity, a violation of the right to one's own thoughts and beliefs. The Left will never be happy, even if everyone were to finally accept their falsehoods as truth. They would need to find some other way to obtain the attention and admiration they must have.
We probably can't cure them. What we can do is eliminate their power—remove them from office, reduce the size of government, eliminate most regulatory agencies, and generally remove the sources of power that they seek to use against us. The road will be difficult, but the journey worthwhile.
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David Robb is a practicing scientist and CTO of a small firm developing new security technologies for detection of drugs and other contraband. Dave has published extensively in TheBlueStateConservative, and occasionally in American Thinker.