Jackie Danicki

Full disclosure: When I was 19, I campaigned for Clinton, and even had the distinct pleasure of basking in the glow of his self-importance in person. I’m ashamed of this now, but there it is.

Our current president says of Bill Clinton’s post-presidential activities:

[He could] have settled for a life of quiet, a life of ease, a life of improved golf scores…but he chose a different path.

No, he could not have chosen a life of quiet and ease. The man Vanity Fair described as being driven by his “cavernous narcissism”* thrives on excitement, some degree of chaos, and complete focus on BILL CLINTON. If he has to use climate change or imprisoned journalists to achieve this, so be it.

I was discussing Clinton’s obvious narcissism with a psychologist recently, who said that “this is ultimately why the man is so boring. There is no mystery about what makes him tick.” No mystery, anyway, if you have even a rudimentary understanding of narcissists. Does Obama? This quote from him makes me wonder:

“I think everyone knows what it’s like when Bill Clinton asks you to make a commitment. He looks you in the eye, he feels your pain, he makes you feel like you’re the only person in the room. What could I say? I was vulnerable, just like all of you have been vulnerable, to his charms.”

It’s scary how easily a little charm can fool so many - even the seemingly clever. Still, I am comforted by a quote from Martha Stout’s riveting The Sociopath Next Door, as Clinton displays many signs of sociopathy, too. Stout writes:

A person without conscience, even a smart one, tends to be a short sighted and naive individual who eventually expires of boredom, financial ruin, or a bullet.

*Monica Lewinsky, as Vanity Fair pointed out, often seemed to have judgment far sounder than Clinton’s. She questioned Clinton over his public jogs and private relationship with Eleanor Mondale - as did, off the record, the Vanity Fair reporter.

“Do you think I would be stupid enough to go running with someone I was foolin’ with?,” Clinton later asked Lewinsky. Without missing a beat, she replied, “Do you want me to answer that?”

Filed under: Life