Obama is an easy grader
On himself, that is.
He thought he had won last Wednesday’s debate until aides broke the bad news to him.
But really, is that so surprising? This is the president who had given himself a “good, solid B-plus” when Oprah Winfrey asked him how he was doing back in December of 2009. He might have done well to give himself an “incomplete” at the time, but instead he:
…credited his administration with getting the economy on track, winding down the Iraq war and making the right call for a temporary surge in Afghanistan.
He also said America has “reset” its prestige in the world and made progress toward halting development of nuclear weapons in Iran and North Korea.
Passage of health care reform would boost his grade to an A-, he said.
Funny thing, though, he’s extended the grading deadline over and over on the economy, and still qualifies himself for an “incomplete” there:
In a 2012 interview with ABC’s the View, Obama refused to give himself a letter grade other than “still incomplete.”
In a 2011 interview with Jake Tapper, Obama said that he would only give himself a “incomplete” because “the work that we started is not yet done, but the fact is that the American people are rightly frustrated over what they see as a system in which responsibility is not always rewarded, where people who have done the right thing all their lives still seem to be struggling, that sense that the American dream is slipping away.”
And in a 2010 interview with CBS’ “Sunday Morning,” Obama also gave himself an incomplete.
That’s a reversal on his original projection for the grading deadline:
I’m making light of this somewhat, but there’s really nothing funny about it. Obama’s over-valuation of his own abilities, and his near-disconnect with the reality of his non-accomplishments, is pathological. That wouldn’t be a problem for anyone but himself and his family if it weren’t for the fact that he’s president, and his hubris has gotten us all into trouble. If he is re-elected, that trouble will deepen.
But getting back to the debate, I wonder if his aides have managed to impress on him that he needs to do a bit more work this time. I’m sure he was angry when he listened to some of the post-debate moaning and groaning on the left, especially since he’s used to basking in their praise. It may have been a rude awakening for him.
On the other hand, narcissists are somewhat resistant to rude awakenings. They tend to blame others for their own errors. What’s more, to prepare for his next debate, some hard work will be involved on Obama’s part. Perhaps the desire to show Romney (whom he seems to hate) who’s boss next time will motivate him. Perhaps not.
[NOTE: And then there’s the Dunning-Kruger effect (hat tip: Ace):
The Dunning”“Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly rating their ability much higher than average. This bias is attributed to a metacognitive inability of the unskilled to recognize their mistakes.
Actual competence may weaken self-confidence, as competent individuals may falsely assume that others have an equivalent understanding. As Kruger and Dunning conclude, “the miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others.”
Obama never, never, never makes the error of assuming others are more competent than they are. Au contraire.]
Neo there are stories out this morning that he thinks his problem was that he was too polite.
The next debate may really be fun. I suspect his concept of toughness will translate to petulance in the eyes of unbiased observers.
Independents, moderates, or whatever they call themselves, must be astounded. All of those folks who voted for him, not for ideological reasons or self interest, but because they bought the personal hype, should be having a level of buyer’s remorse bordering on depression.
All these characteristics are common in the quota hire.
I’ve been through the struggle to rid the company of the quota hire several times in my career.
None of this surprises me.
As far as the Dunning—Kruger effect, I am appalled, or soon will be expected to be, that those manifesting the disorder are said to be “suffering” from illusory superiority — talk about social constructs. How is the superiority illusory when a man, having never accomplished anything and been given everything, ends up in the White House? And how is that suffering? And how is this not the basis of every self-esteem program in the nation — the world? Up with Democracy, no idiot left behind.
Narcissistic and delusional. Great. Just what we want in a President.
This is a common problem with liberals who believe they are morally and intellectually superior people based on their good intentions. If you disagree with a liberal you just demonstrated that you are stupid and evil. Liberals will keep on doing the same thing even when it is not working. LBJ’s war on poverty is a good example.
Also Spengler (Paul Goldman) thinks Obama is a sociopath.
Maybe we should start trying to figure out which mental disorders Obama does NOT suffer from?
Actually, I don’t believe he thinks he won. ( I do believe he’s a narcissist and yes, “should think” he won.)
But, the way he hurried off the stage and that slumped over hug he gave Michelle and of course his demeanor during the debate lead me to believe otherwise. I think this is some weird post-debate rehabilitation. A way to rectify the emerging LOSER meme. They are always trying to re-write history.
We all think this new wrinkle is delusional but, I think they’re trying to say several things – he wasn’t as bad as we all think, he’s confident, …
Definitely weird though.
Neo: with Christmas shopping getting started soon, I just wanted to make a comment about the Amazon portal you and many bloggers have on your website.
I had to make a semi-big purchase the other day and I wanted to use your portal in appreciation of the work you do and the platform you provide for your readers.
What I didn’t know at the time is that the purchase isn’t credited to the blogger if it is already something you had in your cart awaiting purchase. It has to be an item resulting from a new search. Sorry about that and heads up to everyone else.
Neo:
Obama’s over-valuation of his own abilities, and his near-disconnect with the reality of his non-accomplishments, is pathological.
While ∅bama’s over-valuation of his abilities and accomplishments is pathological, in another sense it is a logical consequence of his life experience. As Obama himself has admitted, he has benefited from Affirmative Action policies- policies which were not set up to benefit graduates of elite private schools like his high school alma mater. He learned that while others may have needed to study an extra ten hours a week to get the grades to obtain admission, all he had to do was flash his Affirmative Action card. ∅bama did not make the assumption that the Affirmative Action card helped cover for any shortcomings he had, but instead helped uncover his superior abilities. ∅bama simply absorbed the Affirmative Action narrative that AA assists those of superior talent who would otherwise be overlooked.
The Affirmative Action break that ∅bama got in the university world extended to politics. In a sense then-Senator Biden admitted that ∅bama got style points in the political arena that others would not have gotten.
Since ∅bama was able to float through life on Affirmative Action, and was always told that Affirmative Action simply helped reveal those of superior talent that would otherwise have been forgotten, his over-valuation of his own abilities was a logical consequence of his life experience.
“Obama’s over-valuation of his own abilities, and his near-disconnect with the reality . . . ,” but the two necessarily go hand in hand. Obama is just an extreme case.
As to Oldflyer’s mention that Obama thinks he was too polite, that’s great. So in the second debate he’ll come off mouthing the same old platitudes and talking points in a petulant manner. That’ll work well.
One needn’t worry about Obama being reasonably prepared. This is a man who thinks his fundamental error was in the messaging not the message, so his prep will concentrate on revising that delivery. Only more rhetoric can be used to support his theses; the facts on the ground contradict those same theories.
Liberals generally shy away from facts. They’re like gravity, pesky, they won’t go away whether you acknowledge them or not and they always, always put your theory to the test. We know how that works out for liberal/progressive theories. Sounds nice at first, but then reality hits the theoretical fan. (Prof. Robert Maranto of U Ark has done work on this, pointing out that while liberals overwhelm the humanities and social sciences, they’re grossly underrepresented in the applied disciplines. Why? Because like gravity, facts don’t go away and you can’t hide behind a faulty theory when your project collapses: “Gee, if only those ten Americans on that deck weren’t so overweight the deck would not have collapsed.”).
Obama will petulantly mouth talking points, Romney will respond with facts that demolish the talking points, Obama will have no rejoinder but another rhetorical talking point, Romney will have more facts, and so I expect it will go.
Obama can’t prepare effectively because he simply does not comprehend precisely what preparation for a debate is. Some people say that they aren’t “detail people”, they’re “big idea” people. Obama doesn’t even have big ideas; his ideas are amalgamated and oftentimes conflicting social theories planted there by varying and sometimes contradictory sources.
Gringo,
@ 4:13 you wrote:
.
And learning this exact point is something we’ve always called “growing up.” We all grow up with something we think is a special talent, and in our limited personal world it may well be. Then at some point we get out into the real world and we find that there is someone bigger, wealthier, smarter, more physically skilled, more beautiful, more empathetic, etc., and we’re forced to come to grips with that realization.
As you note Obama has spent his entire life in a bubble being told how special and unique he is and has yet to come to grips with that reality that most people face when they go to college or get their first job.
neo says, “m making light of this somewhat, but there’s really nothing funny about it. Obama’s over-valuation of his own abilities, and his near-disconnect with the reality of his non-accomplishments, is pathological. That wouldn’t be a problem for anyone but himself and his family if it weren’t for the fact that he’s president, and his hubris has gotten us all into trouble.”
Exactly, if BHO was just another alderman in Chicago he would fit in perfectly and the radius of the harm he causes would be restricted to Cook County and the collar counties. Unfortunately, he is president and we all suffer from the consequences of his incompetence and reckless behavior.
“If he is re-elected, that trouble will deepen.”
I do not think he will be re-elected, but the possibility of that occurring should motivate the adults in the audience to do whatever is in their power to assure a potential Obama second term is burdened by a republican house & senate.
Move along, nothing to see here… 🙂
All your seeing is the critical evidence of how they accomplish so much good and leave so much destruction behind them, and cant see it…
its how he sees “jobs not lost that woulda been”
how they see breaking up families is good
how they see STDs in high numbers enough to affect fertility stats and warrant injections just in case, is a sign of liberation.
how affirmative action helps, rather than poisons people who earned their position, and diminishes the overall competency level. (its also how affirmative action appointees believe that they are just as good, despite test scores, performance, peoples opinion, etc).
its how they could think that telling people better is the problem, and not what they are telling them in the first place.
its how you see the positive side of re-education camps
its how you believe that intervening in kids life’s to program them for a future your planning (and don’t know will happen or not), stunting the size of what they learn to what you think they need, and how its not the same as Joseph Mengele (he was intervening to improve children’s outcomes too. no? they dont ask permission, he didn’t. no? neither actually knows the future. no? etc).
how you end up not realizing that palliative care and such under social medicing is not euthanasia (as is rationing), and made worse by using it to adjust race demographics
how you end up not realizing that abortion and picking winners and losers (affirmative action, programs, taxes), together is eugenics, and made worse by using it to adjust race demographics
its how you learn to see freedom as bad, and a metered hell as good…
Neo, you brought this effect up before..
The hubris of the incompetent: the Dunning-Kruger effect could explain quite a lot
http://neoneocon.com/2009/10/31/the-hubris-of-the-incompetent-the-dunning-kruger-effect-could-explain-quite-a-lot/
According to a Democrat close to the Obama campaign, the Moonbat Messiah
bit slow on the uptake eh?
Parker,
Unfortunately simply a Repub House and Senate are not the answer. We don’t need Reps like Compact Flourescent Fred Upton or Senators like Lindsay Graham or Arlen Specter who are often regulators and spenders themselves, just with an alternate party I.D.
We need the Mia Loves and the Paul Ryans, the Nikki Haleys, Jan Brewers and Bobby Jindals (in the governor’s mansions) especially to the extent that they will not be corrupted themselves simply by being part of the power structure.
the article and a great letter itself are interesting..
as is what Wynn and Welch are saying..
but look how shortsighted the comments are!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CEO to Workers: You’ll Likely Be Fired If Obama Is Re-elected
http://www.cnbc.com/id/49356069
these men are giving obama a very bad grade, but look at the comments. the billionaires are being mean, we should put the company out of business so that the workers can find better jobs, etc…
pages of it and it really boggles the mind
“Perhaps the desire to show Romney (whom he seems to hate) who’s boss next time will motivate him. ”
It may but it will not avail him. Why? Because Romney, more studied and practiced and much more smooth by nature, will have a genuine command of the material and Obama will have only a grunting, cramming undergrads command of the subject matter. He’ll start off confident but will soon be seen to be simply repeating rote memory and will, as a result, seem to wither as the show progresses. A fast start out of the gate and then a fade in the back stretch and a pure falter on the far turn will leave him well out of the money.
Depend upon it.
FYI:
I am in Ames, Iowa on a business trip. Ames is home to Iowa State University. Iowa State has 30,000 students. The Ames urban area has a population of 60,000. I have been here three days. In my three days here, I have seen exactly one Obama bumper sticker. I have seen no Obama yard signs. Tonight I walked through several rows of cars at a grocery store and saw no Obama bumper stickers.
In 2008, Obama got 56% of the vote in Story county and about 56% of the vote in Iowa.
T says, “Unfortunately simply a Repub House and Senate are not the answer. We don’t need…”
Agreed, but we have to start somewhere if BHO, which I doubt, is re-elected.
JFM says, “I am in Ames, Iowa…”
I’m in Cedar Rapids, and I see very few Obama-Biden signs compared to 2008 and many more Romney signs compared to McCain signs in 2008. Iowa will not give its electoral votes to BHO. the same goes for Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana, all the old south, and perhaps PA.
“and still qualifies himself for an “incomplete” there”
Perhaps that’s like voting “present”.
I think the “school work” theme is interesting in light of this little nugget reported the day before the debate about his time in Las Vegas and a trip to Hoover dam while he was supposed to be prepping for the debate:
“On Monday, the president ventured out to visit a local campaign office and thank volunteers. While speaking with one worker, he commented on being at his hotel while he practiced for the debate. “Basically they’re keeping me indoors all the time. It’s a drag,” he joked. “They’re making me do my homework.”
Juxtapose this next to Romney’s comment during the debate: “This is fun.” I suspect no one made Romney study and I also suspect Romney didn’t whine about it.
Vanderleun @ 8:48
“[Romney] will have a genuine command of the material and Obama will have only a grunting, cramming undergrads command of the subject matter.”
Succinct and quite accurate I believe.
Parker,
You mention PA. I’m not going to repeat my investigation of PA since most here have read it several times already, suffice it to say that in the Dem primary, the undervote (those statewide Dems refusing to vote for the only candidate on the ballot—Obama) would have almost equalled the Dem vote of the entire city of Phila in 2008.
Even though Dems seem to have the poll advantage in PA and other swing states, the critical error in the polls is the assumption that Dems will monolithically vote for the Dem presidential candidate. Not this cycle.
Remember Paul Ryan in your prayers tonight.
“Remember Paul Ryan in your prayers tonight.”
Ryan will wipe the floor with Biden the buffoon’s face. No need for prayer as Ryan needs not divine intervention.
“Ryan will wipe the floor with Biden . . .”
I well imagine I’m older than most of you young’uns out there — perhaps with the exceptions of oldflyer and older-n-wheezier — but I’m tellin’ ya,
based on my own long experience in such matters,
I wouldn’t crow “victory” before an event, largely because I don’t like the taste of crow, and never did.
As to what will happen, we shall all see soon enough.
M J R: agreed.
I agree with both MJR and Neo. Let’s not crow. Biden is a crafty guy and I also think everybody stands in the need of prayer-Ryan included.
Well, in a nod to Pope Leo XIII, Pope JPII said “I ask everyone not to forget it and to recite it to obtain help in the battle against forces of darkness and against the spirit of this world”.
I’d suggest this said for Ryan –
“Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host –
by the Divine Power of God –
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen. “