[bcsco]

What struck me of that moment, even more so than what she said, was that the the camera went directly to Obama, and he was laughing it off.

It was very insensitive of him; to her and all Americans. It was laughing in the face of another’s privation. It told more about him than it did of her and her disenchantment.

[edcoil]

Been falling since 2007. Frankly I am getting tired of it.

[library user]

I saw that and thought the same thing as well.

[Truthsearcher]

This has always been true of him, he cannot emotionally connect with another human being on a personal level. He can read a teleprompter to a crowd, but one on one he’s a cold fish.

[SueRae]

I didn’t see it live. He did that? What a poor statesman..and that’s the nicest thing I can say.How insulting.

[RedMDer]

What struck me of that moment, even more so than what she said, was that the the camera went directly to Obama, and he was laughing it off.

And looking at the crowd I didn't see anyone else smiling. They looked to be in a very serious mood and wanting an answer to her comments.

[andy58-in-nh]

What struck me of that moment, even more so than what she said, was that the the camera went directly to Obama, and he was laughing it off.

I'm not a psychologist, much less a psychiatrist. But I have studied the subject and more to the point, I've observed how people behave in various situations for a few decades now. So I'm just going to postulate something and leave it for others more qualified to judge its merits.

Obama's response may have seemed discordant; inconsistent with how a "normal" person ought to respond when offered mild criticism, a note of personal connection, and a plea for help.

I suspect, however, that it is quite the "norm" for a malignant narcissist to behave precisely in that way: to laugh reflexively at another's suffering when one has been even mildly implicated in causing it; perhaps as a defense mechanism and also as a means of emotionally distancing one's self so as to maintain a superior self-image.

I have seen Obama do this before, as I have seen others do the same, and I'm curious as to whether my layman's observations might contain any scientific validity.

[Bullish]

Yeah, that chit-eating grin will make a mighty fine campaign commercial for the GOP candidate for Pres in 2012.

[Hoffer Rand]

That’s the thing that got me, too. He was laughing. He wasn’t even taking her seriously. The level of contempt and condescension was unbelievable. I think you’re right. It spoke volumes about him.

[Red_Devil 232]

I think that big grin and laugh was defensive on his part. It showed he was surprised and confused by the statement he just heard from this black woman and he used the very wide grin and laugh to mask his annoyance.

[dforest]

Well at least he wasn’t on his cellphone while she was talking. LOL

[Al Gore Vidal]

That was the first thing I noticed. The sincerity of the question was obvious and it’s content deadly serious.

What was Obama’s gut reaction? Smile, laugh and nod his head in agreement. What an idiot. The incongruous nature of his non-verbal response was shocking and revealing all at the same time.

[Semperfiwife]

Well if she is a CFO of Amvets and her husband works also, she might be one of the Obama-Hated-Over-$250,000 earners.
She does have two children in private school, like the One, but he does not like anyone else sending their children to private school (he nixed the charter schools in DC)
He would laugh because she is not one of his elite buddies, but a pawn in his game that should be thankful to him for all that he has done for her.

[Semperfiwife]

Well if she is a CFO of Amvets and her husband works also, she might be one of the Obama-Hated-Over-$250,000 earners.
She does have two children in private school, like the One, but he does not like anyone else sending their children to private school (he nixed the charter schools in DC)
He would laugh because she is not one of his elite buddies, but a pawn in his game that should be thankful to him for all that he has done for her.

[DirtyDawg]

I noticed him laughing as well. It was very revealing of how disconnected this man is from the bulk of us out here in the Country slogging away trying to make ends meet. Either that or he thought it was going to be a set up to some blithering endorsement of what a great guy he is. He was mistaken. Meanwhile, his wife takes this over the top trip to Spain and they have these big time parties in the Whitehouse. Whatever you might think of President and Mrs. Bush, they never would be so insensitive to the plight of our country and its citizens.

[hinckley buzzard]

I saw that too. He clearly had no idea what was happening, or what was coming next. Dumb elitist a-hole.

He belongs in a cubbyhole in Harvard or UChicago or some other matchbook-cover university, teaching critical legal theory or some similar dog-squat.