Hubris is a Greek word for overweening pride or arrogance. In Greek tragedy, hubris invariably resulted in destruction due to angering the gods. While Americans admire self-confidence, they also cheer the underdog, and love to see the conceited get humbled. Super Bowl XLII will be remembered as one of the greatest ever, because Eli Manning and the NY Giants beat the “perfect” New England Patriots.
Barack Obama is the epitome of hubris. He even had his own fake Presidential seal made. From Charles Krauthammer:
Americans are beginning to notice Obama’s elevated opinion of himself. There’s nothing new about narcissism in politics. Every senator looks in the mirror and sees a president. Nonetheless, has there ever been a presidential nominee with a wider gap between his estimation of himself and the sum total of his lifetime achievements?
Obama is a three-year senator without a single important legislative achievement to his name, a former Illinois state senator who voted “present” nearly 130 times. As president of the Harvard Law Review, as law professor and as legislator, has he ever produced a single notable piece of scholarship? Written a single memorable article? His most memorable work is a biography of his favorite subject: himself.
It is a subject upon which he can dilate effortlessly. In his victory speech upon winning the nomination, Obama declared it a great turning point in history — “generations from now we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment” — when, among other wonders, “the rise of the oceans began to slow.” As Hudson Institute economist Irwin Stelzer noted in his London Daily Telegraph column, “Moses made the waters recede, but he had help.” Obama apparently works alone.
[…]
For the first few months of the campaign, the question about Obama was: Who is he? The question now is: Who does he think he is?
We are getting to know. Redeemer of our uninvolved, uninformed lives. Lord of the seas. And more. As he said on victory night, his rise marks the moment when “our planet began to heal.” As I recall — I’m no expert on this — Jesus practiced his healing just on the sick. Obama operates on a larger canvas.
Despite the bogus accusations of racism by Obama and his supporters, for many PUMAs it was Obama’s arrogance that that they first found unacceptable. They were turned off by the idea of someone with his skimpy resume even running for President. (I’m looking at you, katiebird) This was long before the rampant sexism and the obnoxious behavior of his supporters.
Hubris isn’t just a Greek concept. Proverbs 16:18 says: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Maybe it’s a sign that November comes during the season we call “Fall”
(Cross-posted at Klownhaus)
Filed under: Barack Obama, Politics, Presidential Election 2008 | Tagged: Barack Obama, hubris |
The Confluence 
And now the rockstar tour of Europe–with all three network anchors going along to send back reports of the adoring masses. I’d say that both Obama and the MSM are completely out of hand, but that’s been the case for months now.
The only question is how Barry’s acting like he is already President will play at home. I have to believe The Ego will ultimately turn off a lot of voters with his narcissism.
The media seems to suffer from hubris as well
All three Anchors? Wow. And we poor dumb voters are not to see some kind of media favoritism for this arrogant twit?
If I didn’t all ready have such a loathing for most things media my opinion would drop lower. Have to start digging to do that now.
Seriously folks, isn’t it time for an intervention with the media? Make them all join KDA (koolaid drinkers anonymous) or something?
George W. Bush is a spoiled rich kid, but even he doesn’t have as big an ego as Obama.
[…] Via myiq2xu at the Confluence, from whom I also snagged the stirring and extremely inspiring photo. […]
What will he do once he is here? He didn’t come over when he had a job that might have required it and now he wants to use the scenery as a backdrop to his speches? German media is already mocking him for wanting to make that Brandenburg Tor speech.
[…] by semidi Via The Confluence’s myiq2xu, I see wingnut Charles Krauthammer has actually written something I find intelligent, insightful, […]
I cannot help laughing at some of the responses to Krauthammer’s article:
“TOMHERE wrote:
Who is Obama?
HE IS NOT JOHN MCCAIN.
HE IS NOT W BUSH.
HE IS NOT CHENEY.
I will vote for him.”
They have to define him by what he is not, since, despite two biographies, there is nothing of substance to define Obama himself.
myiq2xu,
I never thought there would be anyone I could despise more than I do GW Bush. But Obama almost makes Bush look like a nice guy. I can’t believe all of the network anchors are going to Europe with him. Why? The U.S. media has gone crazy.
This reminds me of the Rainbow tour in Evita-
fuzzy has a date with the dentist-
fuzzybeargville
will return with clean choppers
if it is obama in november from 2012-2036 ii is going to be republicans…..and the adverts will be “vote for the party that gave us prez obama?”
If the world loves him so much make him prez of the UN.
fuzzybeargville out the door
I just watched Andrea Mitchell on Mornin Joe tell us all how Obama won’t bring along Joe Biden on his magical tour because, get this, Joe Biden has too much experience and might outshine Obama.
So, I guess the main question is, is who is Obama gonna bring along, who has less experience than him? So the precious One can look good.
And Andrea reported this with a straight serious face. It’s a good strategy she thinks!
He is afraid that he will be corrected the way Leiberman corrected McCain. Way too embarrassing since the One is always correct.
He is reminding me of the Annie Lennox song “Legend in my own Living Room”
If he will not bring along people who are knowledgeable to help him now , what makes anyone think he will pick “good people to help” him when he is president.
I’m not saying it may not help him, but his Magical International Bus Tour will most likely have a backlash with us “isolationist” Americans. For some reason, many voters aren’t keen on the world telling them how to vote (remember the T-shirts in 2004 that showed the world “blue” and the U.S. “red” for Kerry?).
It’s sad b/c the only reason he’s going is b/c the GOPers told him to, right? I mean, if he had said, “I believe we must reclaim our world role and improve our image, so, accordingly, I will take time off of the campaign trail to travel to the important hotspots in our world,” okay. But it’s just like Fox running the Obama clock for “when will he visit Iraq?”
~sigh~ I’m almost ready to give me nomination speech Ticket to someone else at this point…
Krauthammer has an ego the size of Obama’s, but this morning’s article managed to sum up Obama in a matter of just a few paragraphs. Interesting that it seems to be the Brandenburg Gate fiasco that finally caused Krauthammer to write this kind of blistering article, although Mr. K doesn’t shy away from mentioning some other elements of Audacity, such as the Great Possum Seal. (Pity that Krauthammer couldn’t have written similar scathing articles on Obama’s publicity-extravaganza twin, George Bush.)
I can see why the television news media is following Obama abroad. “The Precious” is providing them with days of infotainment, the kind of pathetic vaudeville show that mimics what consumers seem to enjoy watching on tv these days. I wonder if the producers of American Idol are responsible for the Euro-tour arrangements. Or maybe Industrial Light and Magic?
I’m really surprised I haven’t seen anyone commenting on the NY Times headline (and article) yesterday:
Obama Says His Critcs Haven’t Been Listening
I have been listening, Obama; it’s just that I don’t like what I hear.
(And that’s really going to win me over, that attitude!)
I came here and read today’s articles before I checked my home page. I went to my home page and this is what I found in my “Quotes of the Day” box.
Where all think alike, no one thinks very much.
– Walter Lippmann
Fortune can, for her pleasure, fools advance, / And toss them on the wheels of Chance.
– Juvenal
To knock a thing down, especially if it is cocked at an arrogant angle, is a deep delight of the blood.
– George Santayana
It seems even the quote of the day folks agree with you!
Poor little steveee. Poor whiny little stevee and all his ilk.
Trying to project YOUR irrational little mindset onto others is so seriously stupid. And you evidently can see nothing about people but the color of their skin.
The last line of your post is particularly telling. Racist even. And no one here has even come close to saying anything like that. Methinks the racist is you.
Photos like that that gave W a fake halo were screamed at and decried by liberals way back in the dawn of time. Now, they love them, too.
While our military continue to die and suffer wounds in Iraq and Afghanistan, our citizens are losing their homes and unable to feed families because of recession Obama does a “rock star” tour??
Oh yes, and possibly a “PHOTO OP” in the war zone to USE our military to promote his arrogant, self-centered image. Just like he did at Walter Reed a few weeks ago visiting the wounded for the first and I suppose, last time.
Exactly “who” in the democratic power broker, elitist camp are behind this haughty fool,? And why are these power brokers so certain he will be our nominee??
This absolute certainly that a candidate who didn’t win the popular vote, used super delegates to add to his required pledged delegates, unquestionably manipulated the corrupt democratic primary system, then declared himself the nominee, will become the nominee is beyond my comprehension.
Why do they fear Bill, Hillary and the Clinton legacy so?
There should be contentious debate at the convention to chose our candidate, the perilous times we face demand that our nominee be thoroughly vetted, however there is no indication that power brokers will allow this to happen. That is, unnless we citizens demand such a debate, will we?
Nice Krauthammer article, but didn’t Bill Clinton also speak at Brandenburg Gate?
It was the hubris at first…that just kept growing and growing until now we are all beginning to see it for what it really is.
Versailles.
“I am Barack Obama. I may not be president but I play one on television.”
steveeboy,
Got it out of your system now? Great! For the record:
1. Senator Clinton has a track record that can be apraised, whether or not you approve of it; the Precious, not so much.
2. We are HAPPY to help with Senator Clinton’s debt, especially seeing how much of it is due to lousy and dirty politics of — guess who – junior Hussein!
3. You really need to address your priorities before attacking President Clinton, who left office with a huge budgetary surplus and a nation in good health in any possible measurable way.
Good luck to you and your lovely candidate… NOT!
-MS
On CNN Candi C’s piece on Obama’s Campaigning across the ocean in foreign countries, she had a clip of him saying that “Americans are ashamed” and no one has commented on that. I for one am not ashamed of my country when I travel and I took that as a personal insult. American is a great country, we all strive to make it better and I don’t want someone traveling about saying we are ashamed.
How many soldiers didn’t die (for this country and others too) so that others could have freedom. How many believe we can achieve great things despite our challenges, how many people wait to come to this country for all that it has to offer…too many to count.
Proud to be an American
The MSM has “sold” us this candidate hook, line, and sinker. That should be enough to make the American electorate sit up and take notice. Why? This man has absolutely nothing in his background to even remotely suggest he is ready to take on this role. The daily pounding in the press that was aimed at Hillary Clinton, whether or not you agreed with her positions, was overkill.
Yet this phony baloney is being treated like the Second Coming merely because he is black and regarded as a historical candidate based solely on that one obvious qualification. The “news divisions” are no longer that, they are simply in the business of entertainment. Our sensibilities are being challenged to accept this travesty, no questions asked.
Another validation that we are controlled by the corporate interests.
Hey, kenoshaMarge,
What happened to little stevee’s stupid comments?
I mean, we both didn’t imagine them, did we?
-MS
Stevee, re your last stupid post:
You would know, I guess…
-MS
Stevee is a UFO: Uninvited Functionary of Obama
CK: “For the first few months of the campaign, the question about Obama was: Who is he? The question now is: Who does he think he is?”
We still haven’t completely answered the first question.
Who is he? A repellent ass-wipe.
Who does he think he is? MLK, JAY-Z, GHAN-DEE, and JC
None of this is going to fly in the long run. He is headed for a delicious fall.
ParkSlopeVoter,
Don’t cha love it when some dimwitted troll’s comment disappears and we’re sitting here looking like nits? Glad I wasn’t the only one. Does serve me right for bothing with the twit.
I gotta say it: that picture of barky is hideous. He is one extreeeemely unattractive creature, even when his nose isn’t pointed at the sky.
The corporate interests are loving this. After almost eight years of unchecked power, they need a bigger fix, so they are looking for unchecked power in the hands of a meglomaniac of their own creation.
That would be “serves me right for bothering with the twit.” Proving that it’s time for my nap.
kenosha, I’m sorry. I deleted stupidboobs comment. he’s a regular around here and we don’t like to encourage the behavior. His mommy gave him his allowance the other day and he couldn’t wait to come and tell all of us stupid old ladies that he gave it all to Barack. I guess he’ll regret that when he wants to buy some gum or some digimon trading cards….
parentofed, bill spoke at the gate as president of the us. obama has not yet been elected, thus ith is ridiculous for him to speak there as the official rep. of te us.
womanvoter, I also wonder why that clip of obama has not gotten more play. an ad showcasing that clip in the fall in certain states could be devastating.
They will be tied up this weekend. The Batman movie opens. Ooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!
jj.. it’s not the fall yet.. 🙂
someone should grab a bunch of clips from BHO’s european vacation and set them to music, it’d be hilarious..
jj.. it’s not the fall yet..
someone should grab a bunch of clips from BHO’s european vacation and set them to music, it’d be hilarious..
PERFECT!
I wanna design the video cover
KenoshaM:
“dimwitted troll” is redundant
Joaniebone:
There’s only one song you could possibly use:
Charles Krauthammer (columnist) was just speaking on FoxNews about Obob’s vanity and his trip, and apparently the German chancellor and people have been to “dissuade” O. from using their meaningful, historic monument as a prop to enhance his grandiosity. Krauthammer was great.
They neen to remove Brad and Angie from that video. They have proven themselves to be admirable citizens of the world.
PUMA$ Who Donate Will Rule!
Krauthammer is a truly loathesome individual who has made a career out of dishonestly and viciously attacking everyone to the left of the Huns. Having said that, it is a sign of how the DNC has shot the Democratic Party in the head that (for the first, and I hope the last time ever) I find myself unable to disagree with him.
Jeebus, buddy, I was with you until you quoted Charles Krauthammer. I hope you disinfected afterwards.
I CANT BELIEVE THE ARROGANCE OF THIS MAN, TAKING HIS DOG AND PONY SHOW ON A WORLD TOUR ON THE TAXPAYERS DIME. ESPECIALLY SINCE HE IS ONLY THE “PRESUMPTIVE’ NOMINEE. NOW WHEN HE LOSES HE WILL NOT ONLY BE THE LAUGHING STOCK OF AMERICA..BUT OF THE WHOLE WORLD.
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