Ok, I admit it.

I am suffering from a severe case of ODS.

But my Derangement Syndrome extends way beyond Obama.

Two sentences from Jay Carney, and I feel my usually-normal blood pressure rising dangerously.

And the mere sight of David Axelrod makes me want to scream.

Valerie Jarrett? Don’t get me started…

But, of the many things that I cannot stand about Dear Unleader, one thing stands out.

No, I am not talking about his “whistling ‘s’”

(Although, now that I’ve brought it up, let me just say this about that:

The Obamas are worth about ten mil. So, do you think maybe they could spring for some speech therapy? If I have to hear Mooch say, once more, that we should “shtrive” to be “shtrong,” I think I am gonna go off the deep end….)

What really drives me crazy is something else. Something that Obama does. All the time.

And, no one has ever made mention of it.

At this point, perhaps I should not share this with you. I mean, maybe you will think that I am, indeed, crazy.

But, I am among friends, right? So, here goes:

In ’08, Candidate Obama went to Israel.

And then, for the first time, I saw it:

Obama put his hand on an Israeli official’s back, as if ushering him along. “Wait,” I thought at the time, “that’s so…odd. Doesn’t he have it exactly backwards? Does the guest guide the host?”

Well, in the past four years and four months of the Obama Reign of Terror House of Horrors Presidency, he seems to put his hand on just about everyone.

Let me show you what I mean:

Here’s Obama with UK PM David Cameron:

And with Irish PM Kenny:

Here he is with Israeli PM Netanyahu:

And with Israeli President Shimon Peres:

And with Palestinian President Abbas:

With John McCain:

With Mitt Romney:

Here he is with Biden:

With Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki:

And with Chris Christie:

OMG! Mooch too?  Here she is with the Queen of England:

Whenever I see him do this, I think:

I am so on to you, Bronco Bama.

Because this is what I think: The hand maneuver could be interpreted as a sign of warmth and camaraderie.

But in  Obama’s case, I think something else is in play here.

I think it betrays an attempt, probably unconscious, to dominate, to subdue, to be the Alpha Male. Top Dog, so to speak.

So, as I said, this has been driving me crazy.

But, lately, I have been taking steps to cure myself of the ODS.

For example, instead of much gnashing of teeth when I hear him speak, I have begun to take a step back, to study the guy in a more clinical fashion.

So, when I hear him talking, I will do something like this:

Hmmm. In five minutes, he employed three straw man arguments. One moral equivalence. And 98 uses of the words “me,” “myself,” and “I.”

And, I am happy to report, I am beginning to feel better.

Just last week, the NY Post reported that when Obama was in NYC recently for three fundraisers, he said the following to his donors:

“My thinking was when we beat them in 2012, that might break the fever, and it’s not quite broken yet…. I genuinely believe there are Republicans out there who would like to work with us, but they’re fearful of their base, and they’re concerned about what Rush Limbaugh might say about them. And as a consequence, we get the kind of gridlock that makes people cynical about government.”

And, you know what? There was a time when I might have screamed, “OH, SO NOW WE ARE ASTROTURF-NAZI-BITTER-CLINGY-RACISTS WITH A FEVER???”

But now, I laughed.

And hummed a few bars of Peggy Lee’s ‘Fever.’

Anyway, things are looking up.

As I finish this post, there are only:

1265 days, 30383 hours, 1823036 minutes, and 109382175 seconds until Election Day ’16.

And,  how many more scandals?

That is anyone’s guess.

 

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25 Comments | Leave a comment
  1. Maynard says:

    Shifra, you say “No one has ever made mention of it.” If it makes you feel any better (or worse), I pasted a comment on Tammy’s post of 8/16/11:

    Oh, and another thing — I’m not trying to make a knee-jerk comment out of this, finding rottenness in anything Obama does, but I’d say this about anybody — what’s this business of reaching out and touching the people he’s talking to? That really creeps me out; a sort of invasion of space. He does it to the gal on the left in this video; go back and you’ll also see him touching Joe the Plumber in the same way. In the rare times when I’ve had someone do that to me in life, I reflexively step back. It just isn’t right.

    And, yes, I believe it’s a sort of alpha dog mind game. And representative of the way he feels free to invade our lives.

  2. Shifra says:

    Well, Maynard, I suppose I could channel the Demrats and say: “Your comment happened a long time ago” or “What difference does it make now?” or “I did nothing wrong. And I plead the Fifth.”

    But, truth be told: Yes, I now recall seeing that comment, as well as Cernunnos81’s. (blush) So, what can I say? Great minds think alike 🙂

    Really, though, I was referring to people in the media. I never saw any mention of this annoying habit of his. But, I stand corrected

  3. Alain41 says:

    You’re a better person than I, Shifra. I still scream when I hear him speak.

    And regarding the hand touching, yes it’s the top dog thing. He knows that since he’s the Preezy, you can’t touch him back. All it would take though is someone saying, you’re wrong, I’m smarter than you on this topic, and he would pull back and start that nonono glare. A reflection of his preference for one on one interviews with compliant media vs meeting the WH press corps who can ask followups and frame negative questions.

  4. GiMiller says:

    Shifra you hit the nail on the head. I have been thinking that for years when he touches anybody. As far as his speeches goes i play my favorite Beatles song,’I Me Mine’ from the Let It Be album. 🙂

  5. PopArt says:

    All the better for the DB to “guide” you out in front of the speeding bus. Here’s a couple of his biggest fans singing about the Obama Touch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuYFZXw4c6M

  6. PopArt says:

    And on the other hand, I keep hearing this song, every time Tammy talks about how everything Obama touches turns to crud. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs7MrJUEdzI

  7. strider says:

    So high on himself maybe he grabs people to keep from floating away. He’s usually bopping around like there is a helium balloon tied to the back of his belt already.

  8. WalkStar says:

    Love your perspective, Shifra! We’ve got to laugh to keep from crying. Can we put a countdown clock on the site? Xo

  9. 1ntbtn says:

    I’m with you too Shifra, I can’t stand to look at him or hear him speak. Maybe their schpeech is what attracted one to the other.

  10. Kitten says:

    In our world of massive government overreach, drowning regulations and rampant corruption at every turn, us TAMs can always rely on two constants: (1) Tammy will keep us informed with a clear perspective of what these jackwagons in DC are doing, and always with a mixture of the humor; and (2) Shifra’s own unique insight and uncanny wit she brings to every post. I’m always giggling or even laughing out loud at times. Ok, so now she’s gonna psychoanalyze OBummer when he speaks. Meanwhile, I’m just thinking, “What is he lying about now?” See, it’s all about perspective, and whatever gets you though the next 1265 days….

    The touching thingy is a bit creepy. I mean, who knows where his hands have been.

  11. RuBegonia says:

    Gotta hand it to u on this one Shifra. 😉 Take 2 ☛☛ http://tinyurl.com/pjt8yex

  12. Di Grace says:

    Shifra,
    Shuperb article. Maybe we should rename Mooch, Whistler’s Mother.

  13. LucyLadley says:

    I am thrilled you stepped back & analyzed “things” in a clinical fashion. Thanks for sharing your clinical analysis with us. After all, it seems all insurance, health & financial institutions are supposed to share information in a sneaky way. Is it your professional diagnosis that the “subject” that was studied is a danger to society?

  14. Shifra says:

    Lucy,

    Take a look at this picture and tell me the guy is not a danger to the whole world!

    http://ww.twitpic.com/ctq1kg

  15. Dave says:

    Dear Shif,

    Besides your writing being witty and clever ( as usual)….

    I also found this piece to be very…………..touching. 😉

    Good one Shifra! Thank you!

  16. Pathman says:

    Look on the bright side, better than bowing.

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