Narcissism, Echoism, and Politics

Rather than talk about the pros and cons of the universal health care that Bernie Sanders proposes, other politicians use rhetoric to appeal to narcissistic or echoistic distractions from their individual self-interest or other-interest (i.e. care for loved ones). Of course, across the parties, there are sociological factors such as negative words such as socialism or taxes that will bring up negative associations for the general public. 

Rubio for example, either just says Sanders is a socialist or appeals to social narcissism and how the US is exceptional, the superlative:

Bernie Sanders is a socialist. I think Bernie Sanders is good candidate for president of Sweden.

(LAUGHTER)

We don't want to be Sweden. We want to be the United States of America.

Rubio is appealing to a narcissism that places the US as so high above others that we don't want to compare it to other countries or investigate how we can improve it. We are simply who we are, and we are the best.

However, once we leave the volar stage and lack of comparison to others, and enter into the POTUS, we have a characterization of Obama at the anal stage who threatens the volar stage majesty of the US 

This campaign is about the greatest country in the world and a president who has systematically destroyed many of the things that made America special.

The competitive/egoistic nature of this- to be the best, to be more special than others, to soar above everyone else- is very obvious.

Compared to the egoism, competition, power, being on top, etc. of the Republicans we have refrains for oneness, healing, belonging, bringing in the outsiders, etc. as the rhetoric of the Democrats. Here are some lines from just the first half of the debate:

And that is our fight still. We have to get the economy working and incomes rising for everyone, including those who have been left out and left behind. 

We need new leadership. We need to come together as a people and build on the good things that President Obama has done.

We do have too much division, too much mean- spiritedness. 

Let me respond to what the secretary said. We have a criminal justice system which is broken. Who in America is satisfied that we have more people in jail than any other country on Earth, including China?

Secretary Clinton, in his final State of the Union address, President Obama said his biggest regret was his inability to bring the country together. If President Obama couldn't do it, how will you?

SANDERS: Because of what I believe in what I was just saying. The Democratic party needs major reform. To those of you in South Carolina, you know what, in Mississippi, we need a 50-state strategy so that people in South Carolina and Mississippi can get the resources that they need.

The most recurring question I get when I stand on the chair all across Iowa and talk with my neighbors is, how are you going to heal the divisions and the wounds in our country? This is the biggest challenge we face as a people.

All my life, I brought people together over deep divides and very old wounds, and that's what we need now in a new leader. We cannot keep talking past each other, declaring all Republicans are our enemies or the war is all about being against millionaires or billionaires, or it's all against American Muslims, all against immigrants.

Look, as Frederick Douglas said, we are one, our cause is one, and we must help each other if we are going to succeed. HOLT: And that is right.

Along with restoration, oneness, and bringing in the outsiders, Clinton uses the rhetoric of Sanders attacking Obama (the good father who loves us and helps us) and thus being an ingrate or going as far as to "kill" his legacy:

Secretary Clinton, Senator Sanders favors what he calls "Medicare for all." Now, you said that what he is proposing would tear up Obamacare and replace it.

Secretary Clinton, is it fair to say to say that Bernie Sanders wants to kill Obamacare?

But the fact is, we have the Affordable Care Act. That is one of the greatest accomplishments of President Obama, of the Democratic Party, and of our country.

CLINTON: Now, there are things we can do to improve it, but to tear it up and start over again…

Sanders feels like he needs to speak to this "We're not going to tear up the Affordable Care Act. I helped write it. But we are going to move on top of that to a Medicaid-for- all system"

Clinton is setting up Obama as the heroic good father who saves us:

Clinton:The Republicans just voted last week to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and thank goodness, President Obama vetoed it and saved Obamacare for the American people.

Sanders has his own good father and uses the wish of resurrecting/ restoring to life the old good father who would take care of us the best! 

Sanders: If Teddy Roosevelt were alive today, the old Republican trust buster, what he would say is these guys are too powerful. Break them up. I believe that's what the American people to want see. 

Clinton tries to show Sanders as a disloyal ingrate:

CLINTON: Well, there's no daylight on the basic premise that there should be no bank too big to fail and no individual too powerful to jail. We agree on that. But where we disagree is the comments that Senator Sanders has made that don't just affect me, I can take that, but he's criticized President Obama for taking donations from Wall Street, and President Obama has led our country out of the great recession.

Senator Sanders called him weak, disappointing. He even, in 2011, publicly sought someone to run in a primary against President Obama. Now, I personally believe that President Obama's work to push through the Dodd- Frank...

(LAUGHTER)

The Dodd-Frank bill and then to sign it was one of the most important regulatory schemes we've had since the 1930s. So I'm going to defend Dodd- Frank and I'm going to defend President Obama for taking on Wall Street, taking on the financial industry and getting results.

Sanders must protect himself against being seen as being disloyal to the good father

SANDERS: Set the record right. In 2006 when I ran for the Senate, Senator Barack Obama was kind enough to campaign for me, 2008, I did my best to see that he was elected and in 2012, I worked as hard as I could to see that he was reelected. He and I are friends. We've worked together on many issues. We have some differences of opinion.

Clinton points out Sanders would raise taxes for his universal healthcare and smears Sanders with the dirty word taxes just as Rubio smeared him with socialist:

SANDERS: What is correct, and I'm disappointed that Secretary Clinton's campaign has made this criticism. It's a Republican criticism. Secretary Clinton does know a lot about healthcare, and she understands, I believe, that a medicare for all, single payer program will substantially lower the cost of healthcare for middle class families. So, what we have got to acknowledge, and I hope the Secretary does, is we are doing away with private health insurance premiums.

SANDERS: So, if I save you $10,000 in private health insurance, and you pay a little bit more in taxes in total, there are huge savings in what your family is spending.