What President Obama Needs to Do to Get Back on Track

I have been a therapist for over 25 years and I cannot remember how many times I have said to my patients that what they say is important but what they do means everything. As an Obama supporter and a true believer in health care reform I supported the President and believed in his goals. Unfortunately his words do not match his actions and many voters in this country have felt the dichotomy of that. It is this disconnect between what he says and what he does that cost his party the losses in this past election.

Mortgage Modifications

Helping the average American save their home and reduce their monthly expenses by getting their mortgages modified was a brilliant idea. But try to get one! I and a number of my patients have attempted that fruitless task. After asking for financial information over and over again an applicant is given an offer of a reduction. If you accept the offer - it took me 6 months to get mine - you are told that you will be given a three month trial. If you pay on time you will be given a modification. Sounds great. But is it? After the three months there is no response from the bank and you are told to continue paying the modified amount. For me this went on for a year. And each month I became more and more delinquent on the mortgage because I was paying the modified amount. After a year of paying on time my application for a modification was declined - my lender is Wells Fargo - and my loan was accelerated. That meant I had to pay $6500 in less than 30 days or my house would go into foreclosure. I used retirement funds and saved my house. But many Americans have had the same experience and have had to go into foreclosure leaving them feeling the modification process is nothing more than a means for the banks to steal your home. And as a result they feel the President has created an impossible process which favors big business and not the average American. Had the process been fairer, those involved would have had a more positive attitude towards the Democrats. Neither I nor any of my patients have successfully attained a mortgage modification and I am the only one who was able to save her home.

Health Insurance

While the health care bill does not go into effect until 2014 the government has begun making insurance available to those who have been uninsurable due to preexisting conditions. Many people have been anxiously awaiting this provision and it became available in June. If you have a preexisting condition and have been uninsured for 6 months you can apply for the new government plan. Again, sounds great. But the reality is that the cost is so exorbitant that few will be able to afford it. And though those on Cobra receive as 65% assistance from the government, those who apply for the insurance will receive no assistance at all. I am in a solo practice and have diabetes. For me, the policy offered is $722 a month. My state has a high risk pool which I have not joined because of the cost and I remain uninsured. This policy is like dangling an unattainable carrot. And that type of government will not get you votes.

Gulf Coast Assistance after the Oil Spill

Thousands of people awaiting payment from their losses during the oil spill are finding their claims reduced or denied. Money that has been counted on to continue businesses and pay bills just is not coming. The promise was there but reality is quite different. And every one of these people - and the people who know them - are voters. And they didn't vote for the Democrats.

Is this Obama Narcissism?

The President has been able to help the banking industry and the auto industry to stay alive. He is capable of making his promises work. But when it comes to the average American he seems to be distant and unwilling to implement his promises. There is no reason for the above programs to have failed so miserably. The only excuse can be a lack of real caring for this voters. And that's what they feel and that's what they expressed at the polls. Voters feel that his word means nothing and his primary concern is for those way above them on the food chain. He aligned himself with big business and the voters felt that schism. Saying you are putting programs in place and making them work are two different things. And for the average voter who is still not working, losing a house they have met their obligations on, or losing a business when there are billions of dollars to be dispensed, or still without health insurance, the Obama promises are an empty waste.

A narcissist is a person who sees themselves above the average guy and has no care or feeling for them. There is an emotional disconnect between the narcissist and most other people. Maybe Mr. Obama is his own worst enemy.