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Deepak Chopra: 'Obama Should be a One-Term President'

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Deepak Chopra, the phenomenally successful guru of America's New Age spiritual craze, tells Playboy magazine in its March edition that he has fallen out of love with President Obama and now thinks he "should be just a one-term president."

"It's a sad state of affairs. I loved President Obama. I've met with him, I voted for him and I supported him, but I think he's ineffective at the moment," Chopra tells the racy monthly in excerpts of his feature interview released on Playboy's website.

"I mean, with all the support and the majority in Congress that he had, he couldn't get the health care bill passed comfortably! It's that way with all the things he said he would do. He can't get rolling, he can't get the support. I think Obama should be just a one-term president."

Some could argue that Chopra's political analysis is not as sharp as his spiritual insights, given the realities that Obama faced with the Republican filibuster in the Senate and the cratering economy, as well as the fact that the legislative victories of his first two years were widely considered as impressive as any administration's.

So should conservatives embrace the Indian-born self-help author and motivational speaker as one of their own?

Maybe not. Chopra "totally can't take Rush Limbaugh" and thinks Fox News host Sean Hannity "is a bigot and is not smart." He seems to like Bill O'Reilly, but the whole Fox News approach, he says, "caters to the basest instincts of our collective consciousness."

"In Eastern terms I'd say [Fox News] is stuck at the first chakra, which is the fight-or-flight response and everything that goes with it -- you know, fear mongering, influence peddling, cronyism among the extreme right wing."

The problem with America, as Chopra sees it, is that it is "a country at war with the world and at war with itself."

Apparently referring to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Chopra says troop deployments "resulted is a lot of men being absent, dysfunctional families and children growing up with insecurities. When you grow up in a society at war with itself, you come of age with uncertainties and fears, and the result is that many people are lost."

As for solutions, Chopra says America needs to get back to manufacturing products -- "America's two biggest exports right now are Hollywood and weapons of mass destruction" -- so that people regain skills for the "jobs that don't require advanced degrees."

Elsewhere in the interview, Chopra talks about doing drugs in the past, and in particular with the late Beatle George Harrison, the problem with all organized religions, in particular the Roman Catholic Church ("It's the hypocrisy I worry about"), and how he doesn't save any of the millions he's earned for himself:

"I've hit the jackpot as far as selling books is concerned. That's where my income comes from. But I put it back into the business, and what's left I put into my foundation...I don't invest and I don't save. I carry maybe $200 and a credit card in my pocket. If you ask me to read a bank statement, I can't. I believe that when I die there won't be anything for anyone. In the meanwhile, until I'm dead, my wife is totally taken care of from my royalties. My children are self-sufficient, so I don't need to give them any money. I keep about $30,000 in my account and the rest goes to keeping the operation running."

Oh, and he offers the secret to happiness:

"The highest form of intelligence you can have is to observe yourself. Let it go at that. You don't need to judge, you don't need to analyze, you don't even need to change. This is the key to life: the ability to reflect, the ability to know yourself, the ability to pause for a second before reacting automatically."

"The worst thing you can do is be a conformist and buy into conformity. It's the worst possible thing. It's better to be outrageous...better to hang out with the sages, the people open to possibilities, even the psychotics. You never know where you'll find the geniuses of our society."

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53 Comments

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tamcamry

I love how there's this big push for civility, yet Deepak can still call Hannity a bigot. Hannity is a lot of things, but not a bigot. Mr. Chopra can't seem to get past his own bias against conservatives. Mr. Chopra, if someone disagrees with you that doesn't make them a bigot. Unfortunately, most liberals use this as a sledgehammer to quiet conservatives. So much for civility.

February 24 2011 at 11:22 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
snrar

He's right one term as far as I see it , The world is a more dangerous place ever since he has been in office . He is seen as weak on many issues across the globe ,

February 23 2011 at 4:40 PM Report abuse +4 rate up rate down Reply
littleblackgyrl2

well I'm sure most people on here that disagree with how President Obama has run the country would love to see Saraha Palin elected because she's soooo smart!

This country has never seen the level of transparency in government we have today!
The President keeps us informed and does not sugar coat the bad stuff. As one man trying to find solutions to things that no one else even bothered to look at, I think he doing a great job. Is everything great? No! but, we gave men who weren't as smart as a 5th grader more time to steal from us, aid in terrorist attacks, and Help HMO's rob us of proper health care.

Good Luck to u next time u and ur short memories vote!!!

February 21 2011 at 1:48 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
Paul

ryker321,

Bill Maher would.

February 21 2011 at 1:34 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Paul

missmorris82 wrote---"Unfortonatly(sic) for some of you, the world views you all as below average (and they now have the statistics to prove so), along with the previous President you all put into office...twice. I cant stand ideologs and the internet is full of them. Its obvious Obama must be effective otherwise you all wouldn't spend your days and nights obsessing over the man".

And by your own standard, all of the obsession when Bush was in office obviously must prove that he was being effective too - I'm sure you agree with that, right?
After all, it is a direct deduction based on your very own and thoroughly 'sound' reasoning. Here is something for you to personally ponder. Exactly what does it require to post a cogent thought? I wonder if you must not like looking at yourself in the mirror since "you can't stand ideologs and the internet is full of them". Pot, Kettle, Black, figure it out.

February 21 2011 at 1:32 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
meatiger

Mr. Chopra provides invaluable service to people when he talks. But when he enters the fray of American Politics and derides Obama, Mr. Chopra surely shows his own limitations.

Mr. Chopra tells us in his teachings that it is not healthy to pretend we know more than we really do. But then, he does not practice what he preaches. ...sounds like a Republicrat. Welcome, Mr. Chopra.

February 21 2011 at 1:32 PM Report abuse -4 rate up rate down Reply
rker321

I think that what you were not counting on, was the fact that the Democrats as a Party, is probably one of the most disorganazed parties in exixtance. Obama, had to fight his own people, (shame on them). to be able to pass Health Care law, That would have never happened if the Republicans were the ones that wanted to pass the law.
Obama by himself cannot pass laws, he has to count on Congress to do so. Unless, perhaps he should have recevieve all of them with a 2x4 and told them what they should do, and no options.
I don't think, I would like that type of President.

February 21 2011 at 1:27 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
173073295

He got one thing right and that is that Obama needs to a one term president. He doesn't sound like he ever studied biology or evolution. He would then know that we are animals and those basic animal instincts are inside every human being. You can't take the animal out of us. If you think so, you are mistaken.

February 21 2011 at 12:41 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to 173073295's comment
rker321

Pr4esident Obama, had to actually fight his own Party to get things done in Congress. It doesn't surprise me, because the Democratic Party is probably the most disorganized party today.
He had to fight them, not because it was a bad idea, but because all those Democrats in Congress, where with their hands out to see what they would get out of this deal.
That law should have been signed in the first year. If the Republicans had been in the same position, that is what it would have happened.
I thought that had learned after 8 years of Bush, but unfortunately they haven't.

February 21 2011 at 1:33 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
barestofsouls1

Funny how people who earn their (substantial) livings by peddling narrow-minded b.s.--Deepak Chopra, Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin to name a few, think they've somehoe earned the right to bad-mouth our President truly baffles me. Even Donald Trump, with his bad comb-over, serial-bankruptcy-filer and womanizing status noew thinks he'd make a better president. Its outright sad how illogical people are about their crappy lives and yet they take issue with how our President is doing. While I don't think that Obama has made perfect decisions I do feel that he is at least trying to make things better. He keeps the public informed and involved in his decision-making which is a whole lot more than Bush did. I supported Obama in '08 and he will definitely get my vote again in 2012.

February 20 2011 at 3:17 PM Report abuse -3 rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to barestofsouls1's comment
Robert

They like everyone else born of this planet, earned the right to criticise anyone they chose too, not matter how high they believe or those that support them believe them to be. If they view Obama as an Uncle Tom, one who sold out those they claimed to support so be it.
As always the commander in chief will always be the citizens and they should always seek for their political leaders to do better. to adhere to the promises made and to adhere to the law and pursue justice. As for Bush, Obama letting those crimes slide makes him an accessory after the fact and nearly as bad.
Deepak Chopra as a social orientated person is bound to take a socially orientated view of politics and Obama has failed in that regard, pursuing benefits for corporations and largely ignoring the needs of disadvantaged individuals.

February 20 2011 at 10:29 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Ryan

I can just tell you that I did not vote for Obama in 08 and am not planning on voting for him in 2012. But unlike some who totally go against the opposite party altogether is a different thing. There are those who just like to stick thier finger in everything and try to explain how everything should be. Both parties do it, just watch the talk shows, they even have them go against thier own party. I hope Obama can pull something together before the end of his term because that will be the last of him.

February 24 2011 at 1:04 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
fpfp040408

the whole Fox News approach, he says, "caters to the basest instincts of our collective consciousness."

February 20 2011 at 10:04 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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