“The
White Whale swam before him as the monomaniac incarnation of all those
malicious agencies which some deep men feel eating in them…all that most
maddens and torments; all that stirs up in the lee of things…all that cracks
the sinews and cakes the brain; all evil visibly personified, made practically
assailable in Moby Dick” – Moby
Dick by Herman Melville
Obsessions are unhealthy. When Ahab’s obsession ran its
course, the Pequod sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Ahab and every member of
the ship’s crew, except Ishmael, drowned.
That was certainly not how Ahab saw his obsession resolving itself but
obsessions seldom do.
Republicans in the US House of Representatives, including
Cynthia Lummis, have stalked the Affordable Care Act since it was enacted. They’ve
been obsessed as a crazed suitor and they’ve created an obsession among their
base.
Not to be overly dramatic, but their obsession could be seen
as a form of “domestic terrorism,” which, by definition includes actions intended “to intimidate or coerce a civilian
population and to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or
coercion.”
Terrorism involves
threats of harm to innocent people in an attempt to get your way over a matter
with which your victims have little or any influence. The kind of terrorism
with which we are more generally accustomed involves death and bodily injury.
This is different. Lummis and her House colleagues have used the threats to
seriously harm the economy, put people out of work, reduce the value of their
savings, and refuse to pay the nation’s legitimate debts in exchange for
getting what they have not been able to get through the democratic process.
The
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a commonly used psychiatric
diagnostic system in the US, defines obsession. "Obsessions are persistent
ideas, thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced as intrusive and inappropriate
and that cause marked anxiety or distress...the content of the obsession is
alien, not within his or her own control, and not the kind of thought that he
or she would expect to have." Terrorism is a tool for satisfying extreme obsessions.
The GOP is
diagnosable. They’ve voted 40 times to repeal Obamacare knowing those votes
aren’t even symbolic. Their Obamacare obsession includes continual invasive urges,
resulting in significant fear, distress, or discomfort. Yet, as with the target of
most obsessions, repealing Obamacare is not within their control. Thus, they
resort to holding the nation hostage to achieve a result otherwise unattainable
by them.
One fellow
Republican called them “lemmings with suicide vests.”
Psychiatrists
recognize the damage caused when obsessions are not controlled. One of the
recommended strategies is to focus on
your greater mission. Those who understand the pathology believe if
you're able to care about your most important mission you'll find yourself more
firmly anchored, upright, and balanced when a wave of obsessive thoughts
threatens to carry you away.
Perhaps if
these politicians could focus on what is right for the nation rather than what
is right for their party?
Professionals urge obsessed folks to accomplish tasks that help put your
obsession behind; turn to
something you've been neglecting, e.g. your job as a congressman.
Finally the seriously obsessed are advised to listen to what others say. If friends express concern over your
obsession, they're probably right. Be open to these messages. Your base isn’t
always your best friend. You’ve expended a lot of energy convincing them your
obsession is their problem. If you’re going to recover, you’ll have to come
clean.
I know what
House Republicans are going through. My 3-year-old grandson recently
lost his favorite toy, Captain Hook. He became obsessed with locating it. We
searched to no avail. We didn’t lose it, had no control over where it was…but
he was obsessed with finding Captain Hook. So, Grandpa explained to him that
sometimes you don’t get what you want. He was good with that and went on to
something else.
But then he’s a three-year-old, not a Republican member
of Congress.
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