The Dunning–Kruger Problem in Modern Governance

 Overconfidence despite clear incompetence was evident in both Obama and Mamdani.

There is a cognitive bias called the Dunning–Kruger effect, which -- in my opinion -- would be better called the Obama-Mamdani effect today. Dunning-Kruger describes a delusional mindset where “People with low knowledge or skill in an area tend to overestimate how competent they are.” In biblical terms, this kind of hubris is defined by Paul in Romans 12:3 as one “...think[ing] more highly of oneself than one ought.” That Scripture verse captures the essence of two popular, similar politicians who, despite having little knowledge or skill, have convinced many Americans of an expertise that simply doesn’t exist.

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a significant issue in politics and governance. When leading people, a lack of self-awareness about personal experience or expertise, combined with excessive charm, can harm large groups of innocent citizens, leaving them vulnerable to those with delusional self-perceptions who wield more power than they can manage.

Those who enforce the delusion of Dunning-Kruger on others are often people who perform poorly but lack the self-awareness to see that their confidence is unfounded. For some of us, that kind of overconfidence despite clear incompetence was evident in both Obama and Mamdani.

Judging by the arrogance assessment, Zohran and Barack are men cut from the same egotistical cloth. Why? Both clearly overestimate how past experience of stirring up trouble for poor people translates into the ability to manage complex government systems. Barack Hussein Obama and Zohran Kwame Mamdani’s deception about their own abilities is so deep and wide that each ran for and won political offices they weren't truly qualified for. In fact, these guys are so similar that it takes only 1 hour and 30 minutes to fly from Barack’s “home country in Kenya" to Zohran’s birthplace in Uganda.

Granted, both men are eloquent, engaging speakers, and they smile a lot. One will occasionally even croon an Al Green tune for relatability, and both, to varying degrees, promote Islam. They entertain radical friends, dare to speak for all Americans, and, in Mamdani’s case, for all New Yorkers; equally opinionated are their controversial spouses, who have expensive tastes and angry chips on their shoulders -- one concerning race, the other religion.

But before they ran for office, neither Obama nor Zohran had experience dealing with the complexity of what they believed they were prepared to handle. In their inflated self-image, community activism somehow convinced them that their abilities were sufficient to lead the most powerful country and, more recently, the wealthiest city on the planet.

Who can forget Obama’s opening salvo, the disastrous $831 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), also known as the Obama Stimulus Package? Three days after being sworn into office, Obama, who, like Democratic Socialist Mamdani, believes that wealth should be shared by raising taxes, reminded Republicans who were concerned about the burden this bill would place on the middle-class taxpayer, listened to their concerns, and then arrogantly reminded them who was in charge, by saying, “I won!”

Without a modicum of humility, Dunning-Kruger speechifier extraordinaire, Obama, appeared on the scene, believing he had the power to control rising oceans and to embody “The Ones We've Been Waiting For." Instead, he allowed the rise of the terrorist group ISIS and oversaw a healthcare system that leaves Americans waiting months to see a doctor. When his many promises didn’t materialize, instead of accepting responsibility for obvious incompetence, Obama blamed Republicans for partisan gridlock and only later admitted his attempt to change Washington was “overly optimistic.” Ya’ think?

Unbeknownst to Barack, who built his self-esteem by scribbling agitation techniques and advancing rules for radicals on a church basement chalkboard, he was unprepared to run the world. Like Zohran, Barack believed he could handle incredibly complex issues he knew nothing about, such as the American economy, healthcare, and foreign policy.

In Obama’s world, “leveling the playing field” was a priority, as was punishing the rich, sending billions to Iran, and leaving Americans to die in Libya. Obama failed to enforce the “red line” in Syria; he and his associate Eric Holder smuggled guns into Mexican cartels, disrespected our veterans, initiated an infiltration of men into women’s bathrooms, breached private data, fatally used a drone against an American citizen, and at every opportunity, praised Islam. Obama was so committed that he believed weaponizing the federal government against American citizens was fair recompense for disloyalty, as was stirring racial animosity and hatred wherever he showed up toting his teleprompter and his wife.

Nevertheless, all this incompetence was a walk in the park for a novice Marxist socialist community organizer from the streets of Chicago. Trust me, this was a man who saw himself as much more than he truly was. And to prove it, Americans expecting hope and change are still reeling from his Oscar-winning performance as president.

Similarly, with a strangely familiar, pompous, and woefully inexperienced attitude, Zohran Mamdani has won over the hearts and minds of activist types at Columbia University who have plenty of opinions but lack critical thinking skills.

Ironically, Zohran, who has hardly worked a day in his life, affiliates himself with the Working Families Party. Zohran began his career by trying his hand at rap music, dropped out after for six months in a year-long community organizer training program, stepped into roles as a political organizer and staffer for Muslim politicians, advocated for fair housing, and served as a New York Assembly member from Queens, which, apparently, in his mind, fully prepared him to rule that world for Allah.

Zohran Kwame Mamdani's self-perceived expertise spans the budget, economy, housing, law enforcement, education, fire services, sanitation, and the Muslim call to prayer. Except for things like positioning prayer rugs, he knows nothing about these areas. Undeterred, a few weeks after being sworn in, Zohran the Mighty proved he was fit for the job when snow and piles of garbage created what he promised as free shelter, except in this case, it accommodated NYC’s resilient rat population. Meanwhile, eighteen homeless New Yorkers looked like Jack Torrance, frozen to death in a hedge maze in the 1980 movie, The Shining.

Zohran, who promised to transform NYC into a Metropolitan East Coast Mecca of sorts, is now living on the taxpayers' dime at New York City’s Gracie Mansion with his Syrian/socialist wife, Rama Duwaji, whom, with eyes on the White House, he refers to as the “First Lady.” Much like Michelle Obama, who once said, “…someone is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so that someone else can have more,” Rama, a supporter of democratic socialism, wears designer outfits, dons high-priced witch boots, and posts on social media celebrating dead Israelis.

And when not illustrating books for a Jewish-hating author, Susan Abulhawa, who has been criticized for referring to Israelis and Jews as “vampires,” “demons,” “ghouls,” “parasites,” and “cockroaches,” and who also celebrated the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel as a “spectacular moment” -- Rama dutifully serves Iftar meals to pro-Palestinian activists.

Meanwhile, her husband, who considers himself the Islamic Savior of the Big Apple, has promised to freeze the rent for one million rent-stabilized tenants, become the new Trump construction czar of affordable housing, introduce free buses, universal childcare, and distribute free groceries to people already struggling with metabolic syndrome by improving “access to affordable food,” whatever that means. The Kruger side of the Dunning-Kruger analogy has also promised to raise the minimum wage to $30 per hour by 2030 and plans to do this by increasing taxes on individuals and businesses fleeing in droves from Zoran’s socialist sanctuary city.

The new and improved New York City is rapidly becoming a place where Muslim Rikers Island inmates roam freely while NYPD overtime is reduced, turning the Big Apple into a haven for criminals, freeloaders, and people eager to tour Manhattan for free.

And so, as a nation that often values superficial charm over competence, our only hope to combat this widespread cognitive bias -- where ignorance is easily mistaken for skill -- is to stay true to what is authentic and let the Dunning-Kruger effect reveal itself.

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/03/the_dunning_kruger_problem_in_modern_governance.html