President Zoloft?

October 4, 2012 in Montana

by lizard

Way to go, President Obama. Last night, your supporters across the country got to see the passion that those in Wisconsin saw when it came to their fight against the Koch-funded assault against organized labor: nada.

The MSNBC lineup went apoplectic after the debate. Why didn’t Obama use the firepower of the 47% video? Why didn’t Obama stand up for women? Why did he spend so much time looking down, jotting notes? Why did he let a candidate, who had a truly despicable showing in September, get back in the race? WTF?

The best explanation I’ve heard is the bubble of the presidency insulates America’s CEO from anything resembling direct dissent. Simply put, in the last four years, no one has talked to the president like that. And it showed.

The more important take away from this debate is how narrow the range of politically acceptable topics is, as defined by the blue neckties.

Pathetic.

There might be another reason the President appeared so detached. For years, there have been whispers that Obama is clinically depressed, necessitating either Zoloft or Wellbutrin. The link is to a Gawker article put up in September, 2011:

We’re told by a source inside the Times that the paper is preparing a story arguing that Obama no longer finds joy in the political back-and-forth, has seemed increasingly listless to associates, and is generally exhibiting the litany of signs that late-night cable commercials will tell you add up to depression. Or maybe Low T.

Either way, the investigation was described to us as taking seriously the notion that Obama may be suffering from a depressive episode. Of course, absent a telltale Wellbutrin prescription or testimony from the man himself, it’s really impossible to achieve a reliable diagnosis. And a story like “Obama Appears to Suffer From Depression” can be easily downgraded to “Political Travails Begin to Take Personal Toll on Obama.” So the story in question, if it ever comes out, may not end up supporting the depression thesis. But rest assured: There are people at the Times who, based on the paper’s reporting, believe Obama is depressed—the kind of depression where, if he weren’t the president of the United States, he wouldn’t be getting out of bed in the morning.

Though the above article is just speculation, it highlights a growing need to find some reason why President Obama hasn’t met the unrealistically high expectations set before him four years ago.

In the wake of last night’s terrible performance, those whispers about the President’s mental health may start up again.

Regardless, last night was not a good night for Democrats working to keep their party’s leader in power.

If you want to keep your job, Mr. President, you need to act like you want it.