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The Politics of Personality Disorder
Sarah Palin and Mark Sanford, who won’t stop talking about the conjunction of their political and personal problems, are taking us into new territory where punditry has to give way to psychiatry to make sense of their bizarre behavior.
Consider the National Institute of Mental Health’s definition of borderline personality disorder: “a serious mental illness characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image, and behavior. This instability often disrupts family and work life, long-term planning, and the individual’s sense of self-identity.”
Of the two cases, Sanford’s zigzags from ultraconservative pillar of the Republican Party to playboy of the Southern Hemisphere are easier to understand, a cultural cliché going back to “Rain,” in which a devout missionary goes mad under the spell of Sadie Thompson.
Palin’s odd week raises the psychiatric stakes–denying she is a quitter while quitting as she blames the media for her woes and then gives them nonstop interviews, a love-hate relationship with political fame that defies simple explanations.
In his analysis, Adam Nagourney of the New York Times observes that “there is plenty of evidence that argues against the idea that this was done with forethought and planning. The rollout was something of a car crash, as even her fans acknowledged.”
Now Palin is all the over the place, talking to Time, CNN, ABC, Fox News and anyone else who will listen…
6 Responses to “The Politics of Personality Disorder”
I wrote my response on your blog. It's about the philosophy of the conservative movement. Selfishness, greed and a coldness towards others. They fear having to spend a dime, any time, ect., on others and want to only focus on self.
They embrace the cult of me.
It's always about self. They throw huge pity parties but, fail to care anything for others, who they despise as weak. Because they want everything for self, including attention, pity and all the money, anything requiring helping others is violently rejected and mocked.
That is the disorder both politicians suffer from.
The party's overwhelming selfishness in their beliefs and a rejection of the good of the community, the whole and the country over self.
It's coming home to bite them.
Palin's interview was just plain bizarre. If she ever had a chance at the Presidency, her quitting midterm blew it. Reminds me a bit of Ross Perot when he dropped out of the Presidency Race. After that, to come back? Bad move. This is a bad move for Palin, and Sanford should just go quietly.
lego my ego—
Something happened. Somebody in the republican party gave her the final warning to STFU. It happened suddenly in the middle of her ongoing attempt to become a more popular political figure. I would suspect that she ignored earlier reality checks from the GOP. Now she blames the “liberal media” for everything from witch hunting to an assault on the sanctity of Alaska.
The personality disorders can be found mainly among those on the Left who were and remain obscessed with these people as objects of hatred and other misbehavior.
I'm a Republican, I do not love Sarah Palin. I do not want her in national office. But I cannot condone the despicable behavior that the left has displayed towards her.
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