The George Santos GOP: Catch Us If You Can - Part II

Psychology provides a cheat code - Counter-Narcissist Intelligence

Art by Keith Greene

In case you missed it, The George Santos GOP: Catch Us If You Can - Part I

Many in the media say, “Santos is not well,” but “not well” implies there is an effective treatment for what he is not well with, when there are few if any treatments that can improve narcissistic personality disorders beyond the margins.

In other words, these types of lying and manipulative patterns that are decades long almost never improve, even with the best-known therapies. I am certainly not saying stop trying to treat pathological narcissists, but I am saying we as a society need to be more aware of and realistic about the disordered and dangerous patterns of behavior that never seem to change and are currently infiltrating and coming for every democracy.  

When I tried to do a psychological profile of Kevin McCarthy, I found there was nothing of substance to profile other than another shameless, brainless used car salesman being passed off to the American people by the Republican Party as a “conservative” “public servant.”

When I tried to do a psychological profile of Alex Jones, I found a far-right “crisis actor” who is essentially just a compulsive narcissistic personality disorder, masquerading as a conservative conspiracy theorist for money and attention.

Like McCarthy, George Santos is another case of someone with no integrity, intellect, or purpose beyond the grift and rising up the Republican Party ladder.

Like Jones, Santos shows he is another Avatar of Pathological Narcissism, since it has been more than proven that Santos will lie about anything and shows a complete lack of shame, guilt, or conscience in doing so, just like Jones.

Indeed, these are narcissist spectrum compulsive behaviors, but also, like McCarthy, Santos doesn’t seem to go any deeper than constant superficial lying to get what he wants, which is why where he precisely is on the narcissism spectrum doesn’t really produce many deeper insights.

However, what makes Santos’s lies unique and fascinating is they are a different breed of lies. The focus of his lies so far have mostly been about his qualifications and identity.

In other words, whether he has Narcissistic Personality Disorder or is a sociopath or psychopath, it really doesn’t matter from a public servant and national security perspective.

Once someone has “crossed the Rubicon” in terms of a total disregard for the truth and shows no true signs of shame, guilt, or remorse, we should recognize we are almost certainly seeing a pathological narcissist, or someone who is consistently mimicking those most toxic of behaviors and will compulsively sell out anyone, anytime, anywhere, if it benefits them.

Essentially, narrowing down where he is on the narcissism spectrum is amusing but really self-indulgent, because all we really need to know is:

• Santos has now admitted he has made up a fictional resume and family history to get elected to public office.

• He has shown no evidence that he has a conscience or feels the emotions of shame or remorse, even after admitting to his personal and professional lies.

• He will lie about anything and tell people what they want to hear to help himself.

• People with no shame will do shameless things, such as take money for votes, supply top secret information to America’s enemies, or worse.

How has he gotten away with it so far?

Like trump, Santos seems to have gone through life with few if any consequences, likely because, as studies have shown, most people tend to trust what others tell them, few expect others to tell “A Big Lie,” and especially do not expect anyone to lie about their entire history when they were supposedly vetted by a major political party.

As a rule, pathological narcissists can usually lie their way out of trouble and only limit their manipulating when there are firm barriers like being exposed, removed from office, or being barred from politics and/or going to jail, and jail was where Santos was headed in Brazil for check theft and fraud, but he fled the country before sentencing.

Reports this week say he just made a plea agreement with Brazil to confess to his crimes and repay what he stole, with his lawyers claiming the anti-social Santos is “re-socialized.” He must be paying a mighty big bribe because in what reality has someone who just lied about their entire life to get a government job been “re-socialized?”

It seems his mode of manipulation is to present as a thoughtful, caring, good listener, but he is really listening to find out what a person or group wants to hear.

He also seems good at giving the impression he hears them, but again he is not listening to help, he is listening to respond, to sell a lemon, and to persuade them to give him money, and thus survive another hour, another day, another week in his narcissistic fantasy world of “lifestyles of the rich and famous.”

That would explain his reckless and hollow words, lies, and behaviors, and now he can admit his lies because trump proved to other malignant narcissists that once elected in the Republican Party, you are protected.

When some vetting did happen, Santos’ own people told him he needed to drop out or he would face public humiliation. It seems like Santos heard that and thought to himself, “I don’t feel the emotions of guilt, shame, or humiliation, so full speed ahead.” Those advisors quit after he dismissed their concerns, but it is inconceivable they didn’t tell anyone in Republican leadership about the con man, maybe named George Santos.

Surprisingly, narcissists like Santos have no great expertise in denying reality. It's a natural maladaptive compulsion, usually because they “can’t handle the truth” or reality, or have no conscience and are willing to say and do anything to get what they want, or a combination thereof.

Just as unhealthy narcissists are on a spectrum, so are their reflexes for telling big or little lies on a moment-to-moment basis, but most are focused on ego, fear, greed, power, and/or control.

This is an obvious analysis now, but once his years of lies were exposed for all to see and he knew he would have to confront them, he did something unexpected that we haven’t really seen before from Republicans. He confessed to many of the lies he was caught in and essentially said, “So what?” “Catch Me If You Can.”

However, when he is pressed further about why he lied so much, he deflects with the familiar Republican/narcissistic talking points of false equivalency, projection, and victimhood by claiming that the Democrats lie more than he did, with no proof, since of course lying in politics is not illegal.  

Questions

Are Republicans really going to keep allowing him top secret security clearance?

Will Republicans ever find an ethical bottom and remove Santos from Congress?

Where did Santos’ sudden “wealth” and the $700,000 he loaned his campaign come from? Ponzi schemes? Russia?

Who really owns and runs the psychological operation known as George Santos?

Conclusions

Of course we should not judge people on their worst mistakes, but if those mistakes are consistently repeated, it’s clearly a pattern of behavior and often a dangerous and compulsive personality disorder.

Based on Santos’ at least nearly two-decade-long record of lying and stealing to get what he wants, his patterns of shamelessness and lack of remorse are tells of sociopathy and psychopathy. These are the people who lie like breathing, but they should be labeled “serial liars” rather than “pathological liars,” according to some newer research.

The new information indicates pathological liars are compulsive like Santos but feel some remorse, while serial liars are those higher on the narcissism spectrum, so they have no feelings or regret or remorse in using any lie to get what they want. I can’t say I’ve seen any sincere sign of regret from George Santos even after getting caught.

He has insincerely gone through the motions of a few apologies, but all I have seen is someone remorselessly using lies and theft to acquire the life he craves, but can’t earn legally.

Because of his seemingly narcissistic compulsions, George Santos will forever be the gift that keeps on giving for Democrats. He is the conclusive proof and culmination that truth, reality, honor, and integrity mean absolutely nothing to Republicans anymore and is the latest marker in the GOP post-truth reality that matches behaviors of deeply disturbed pathological narcissists.

Hopefully, the media never forgets or lets the country forget that outside of New York, post-election Republicans have shown no sincere moral problem with someone lying about everything to win a district Republicans would not have won otherwise.  

Thankfully, unlike most other remorseless Republican politicians, Santos’ lies are clear to see because he lied about easily verifiable things like college degrees to appear more educated or about being Jewish to trick Jewish voters into supporting him, while most GOP lies are more ambiguously spun, ideologically playing the victim, blaming the victim, or simply projecting their faults onto Democrats.

Santos in Congress likely ends one of three ways:

• Republicans find their last embers of a spine only because the public sees how he decodes their complete lack of moral compass.

• The law does the dirty work for them.

• They do nothing because they do not want to lose an easily purchased vote, and he loses the next election after doing who knows what harm to the nation, for fun and profit, just like his “Catch Me If You Can” political role model, trump.

Is there a better public example of someone who has completely no shame or conscience in a way even Republicans can’t deny, and yet most are still in some form of denial about Anthony Devolder, I mean George Santos, or do I? Frankly, I have no idea. Does anyone?

Sam Ray © 2023-2025