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Obama's Problem as 'The Smartest Person in the Room'
The American Thinker ^ | December 21, 2010 | Larrey Anderson

Posted on 12/21/2010 3:07:28 AM PST by Scanian

Since Obama first stepped on the national stage, pundits have fallen all over each other in a race to declare that Obama is special type of genius. Tom Shales of the WaPo recently called Obama "the smartest kid in the class." Billionaire Julian Robertson claimed, "Obama, from all I read, thinks that on every occasion that he is the smartest person in the room. And I think he often probably is. ..."

Robertson may be half-right. Obama apparently does consider himself the smartest person in every room. According to Peter Baker of the NYT, "One prominent Democratic lawmaker told me Obama's problem is that he is not insecure -- he always believes he is the smartest person in any room and never feels the sense of panic. ... [Emphasis added.]"

How do Shales, Robertson, and even Obama know that the president is the smartest kid in the class or the smartest guy in the room? There is an interesting and little-discussed quandary (in logic it is called an aporia) in the assertion that person X, whoever that might be, is the smartest person in the room.

Before we examine this problem, let's set down some parameters. What do these people mean by "smartest"? Since the discussion is about politics, it is fairly safe to assume that "smartest" does not refer to some standard test for intelligence.

Thinking it through, Obama's admirers cannot be referring to his IQ. In terms of IQ, Obama is clearly not the smartest person in any room he enters. The fact of the matter is that Obama's IQ scores have not been made public. Guesses by enthusiasts of his IQ range from 140 to 170 [i]. Obama's detractors calculate a much lower IQ.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: genius; humility; intelligence; machiavellian
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1 posted on 12/21/2010 3:07:34 AM PST by Scanian
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To: Scanian
We had a game in elementary school. It was called olympics of the mind. This individual(obama) would get schooled from a 2nd grader...
2 posted on 12/21/2010 3:13:09 AM PST by allmost
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To: Scanian
He's the biggest turd in the punchbowl.

bicycle-1sm

3 posted on 12/21/2010 3:13:09 AM PST by BobP (The piss-stream media - Never to be watched again in my house)
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To: Scanian

Nice concept for an essay but riddled with holes. :-(


4 posted on 12/21/2010 3:14:03 AM PST by Gondring (Paul Revere would have been flamed as a naysayer troll and told to go back to Boston.)
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To: Scanian
Every bill coming out of Congress next year should include a provision requiring Obama to release his academic records.

I'd like to see Obama giving the justification for vetoing the bills containing this requirement.

5 posted on 12/21/2010 3:17:25 AM PST by Cowboy Bob (Obama has demonstrated to the world the failure of Affirmative Action)
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To: Scanian

My non-expert opinion: He is not the smartest person in every room. He is unquestionably the biggest jackazz in the world at this time. I am certain that in the fullness of time, his truth will be exposed.


6 posted on 12/21/2010 3:17:44 AM PST by nolongerademocrat ("Before you ask G-d for something, first thank G-d for what you already have." B'rachot 30b)
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To: Scanian

Haiku Guy’s First Law:
If someone mentions IQ,
They are a moron.


7 posted on 12/21/2010 3:18:39 AM PST by Haiku Guy (What we've got here is ... failure to communicate.)
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To: Scanian

Obama is a legend in his own mind.


8 posted on 12/21/2010 3:20:03 AM PST by Venturer
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To: Cowboy Bob

O is the smartest person OR living creature in the room if he is with a gerbil, cockroach, and bunch of carrots.

but then some might even challenge that.

way over your head big boy


9 posted on 12/21/2010 3:22:55 AM PST by DollyCali (Don't tell God how big your storm is... tell your storm how BIG your God is!)
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To: Scanian
The smartest person in one room fully understands that he may not be the smartest person in the next. That's a large part of what it takes to be "the smartest person in the room."

Good call. I think Obama's narcissism really shines through in this sort of observation. There are a lot of smart freepers who have worked with some very special individuals in their lives. Anyone who has had that sort of experience ought to be fully aware that overweening self-confidence is an error -- the guy next to you might well be three steps ahead of you in his thinking. Smart people like to work with other smart people -- and having someone possibly out-think you is part of the adrenaline rush.

If Obama always thinks he is the smartest person in the room, then he is a fool, and probably crazy to boot.

10 posted on 12/21/2010 3:25:23 AM PST by ClearCase_guy
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To: Scanian
"...Obama's problem is that he is not insecure -- he always believes he is the smartest person in any room and never feels the sense of panic..."

To hell with Obama's problem. Our problem is that Obama is afflicted with narcissistic personality disorder.

"Narcissistic Personality Disorder is characterized by a long-standing pattern of grandiosity (either in fantasy or actual behavior), an overwhelming need for admiration, and usually a complete lack of empathy toward others.... While this pattern of behavior may be appropriate for a king in 16th Century England, it is generally considered inappropriate for most ordinary people today."

11 posted on 12/21/2010 3:29:14 AM PST by Nervous Tick (Trust in God, but row away from the rocks!)
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To: Scanian

...as long as “the room” is a closet...


12 posted on 12/21/2010 3:29:26 AM PST by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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To: Scanian

The work is still above his pay grade...

13 posted on 12/21/2010 3:33:16 AM PST by Caipirabob ( Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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Comment #14 Removed by Moderator

To: ClearCase_guy

“probably crazy to boot”

One of the basic traits of a lefty, wouldn’t you say?


15 posted on 12/21/2010 3:43:14 AM PST by Scanian
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To: Nervous Tick

Somebody needs to do a photoshop of 0 as Henry VIII.

Maybe chewing on a big turkey leg.


16 posted on 12/21/2010 3:45:12 AM PST by Scanian
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To: Scanian

He thinks corpsman is pronounced corpseman and that Austrian is a language. How smart could he be?

My guess is that they’re not releasing his IQ because it’s lower than GWB’s, and how would the media spin that?


17 posted on 12/21/2010 3:45:19 AM PST by FreedomForce (A conservative 2012)
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To: FreedomForce

The suggestion that 0 has “street smarts” may have validity...but even that is fake since he had to move to the Southside and hook up with The Wookie and “Rev” Wright to learn them.

Nothing real or authentic about 0.


18 posted on 12/21/2010 3:48:28 AM PST by Scanian
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To: Scanian
ZERO AIN'T MY HERO -
AND NEVER WILL BE
19 posted on 12/21/2010 3:58:10 AM PST by DeaconRed (The Old Man is Down The Road. . . . . . .)
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To: FreedomForce

He also thinks there are 57 states and Penn State’s team is the Nittaly Lions. Oh, and Cominskey Field.


20 posted on 12/21/2010 3:58:33 AM PST by CalvaryJohn (What is keeping that damned asteroid?)
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