Comments on: Inside the Minds of Rod Blagojevich and Bernie Madoff

By: mommydoc

mommydoc — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:29:33 +0000

I wonder if eventually we’ll be adding our president-elect to this “elite” list. Carried into office on a wave of voter registration fraud, credit card fraud and campaign finance fraud, and willing to throw any of his associates under the bus when it suits his ambitions, he seems to have the same outlandish sense of entitlement. Laws don’t apply to him, and he certainly has shown no compassion toward those who he has abandoned (not that their actions compel me to feel sorry for them.)

And now that he has reached the pinnacle of the cult of personality, he has the nerve to be pissy with the inevitable paparazzi who try to get pictures of him on vacation. Reap what you sow, baby!

I experienced this behavior in public school years ago. The queen bee of the social set, who was very bright, cheated her way through high school and manipulated teachers and faculty to help her quash any competition in extracurricular activities. In retrospect, I realized that she must have been painfully lacking in a sense of self-worth.

Unfortunately, we have a whole generation of youngsters who are being brainwashed to feel a sense of entitlement. The incessant messages of “you’re special” bring to mind the adage: Beware of your thoughts, because they become words. Beware of your words because they become actions. Beware of your actions because they become habit. Beware of your habits because they become character. And now we have a president-elect with a true personality disorder.

By: Mary Pendergast

Mary Pendergast — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 05:28:36 +0000

I disagree about Obama being in this group. He has shown humility and encourages input from others. Now he is forming a cabinet that includes people of different views and the opposing party. He may be confident or even elitist, but he is not narcissisitic in the clinical sense (as opposed to egotistical as some would define the term). It is not all about him, nor does he suffer from delusions of grandeur obscuring his ability to see his actions as wrong or himself as ever in doubt – unlike the others mentioned here. And he is not isolating himself to keep the fantasy alive. Yes, I would add Drew Peterson to the list with Rod, Bernie, and Scott. Sociopaths all, I think, unable to feel empathy or care about the repercussions of their actions, or others’ feelings. And always in the right as long as it works for them – at any cost. Interesting connection between these political/financial types and criminals. A fine line I’m sure.

By: concerned voter

concerned voter — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 01:06:08 +0000

….sounds like many of the traits held by Barack Hussein Obama and his wife, Michelle as well.

By: Martina

Martina — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:22:32 +0000

don’t worry guys! Madoff gets his own version of jail- his $7 mil Park Ave apartment! Let’s go over this again: if you are convicted of felony pety theft (over $500 & we are usually talking about burglary by a druggy in search for the next high) and the schmuck does it three times (stupid yes) he gets 25 to life- three strikes and you are out buddy!!! but if you scam people out of $50 bil- you get a slap on the wrist. OK, so he may get more… but what about Fuld? Someone punched him in a sportsclub (allegedly) big deal!

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:17:25 +0000

Re: ” They seem so certain of everything, so much larger than anything that might contain them, that they seduce mere mortals,…” This statement reminds one somehow of Obama. How do these people cross the line from simple ego-narcissists to criminals? It appears the difference is that one steals outside the law, the other within the parameters of the law. Thieving is thieving, and requires remorseless audacity in any case.

By: Lisa in San Diego

Lisa in San Diego — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:44:02 +0000

Bill Clinton was the first narcissist I had seen, I was driven to study that character disorder as the rules did not apply to him, even under oath and he was blindingly oblivious to the shattered lives,image,legacy. Not to forget Leona Helmsley, first female I was aware of. Madoff I am amazed at, I believe (d) that there are protections and objective reviews of people who manage that kind of money; for him to have been able to run such a scheme for so long is fearful.
Blago and his wife are well-matched. These are interesting times.

By: Keith

Keith — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:33:03 +0000

What they all have in common is a system (people) around them that ignored all the facts. The same thing happened when our politicians ignored the obvious train wreck in the banking industry. Concious incompetence. Blago has survived in a corrupt system that has sent three past gov. to prison and yet it was of no deterence to him. We can only change this system when we stop electing these people and those in the criminal justice system that look the other way.

By: J. Kraus

J. Kraus — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:27:13 +0000

A strong desire to climb the ladder of success accompanied by a complete lack of conscience will produce people like this. It’s not the cream that rises to the top in the septic tank!

By: Hagar

Hagar — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:12:06 +0000

It appears to me that our politicians in Washington, D. C. (and locally) have the “Peterson-Blagojevich-Madoff brand of personality structure” that attracts, rather than repels people.
They may well believe they are more intelligent or clever than the public that elected them. They assume that they will never be caught breaking those rules that they are largely responsible for making.

By: Randy

Randy — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:38:30 +0000

0bama has the same traits too.