Obot grief.

A spitting contest broke out over at NQ in the comments section of a post about Brit Hume's brutal assessment of Obama's first year in office. The initial response hammers Hume for looking the other way when Bush screwed up. (An allegation I cannot confirm since I never watch Fox news - though - what the hell- I'll boldly say this claim is almost certainly true in general even if Hume occasionally criticized Dubya.) The usual argument ensues. A few comments down a reader hits at the stage of denial we are in with the Obots - which is summed up with: Bush sucked too. In this case it's used smartly by an Obama detractor - effectively detonating the excuse. Granted, the person attacking Hume didn't write "Bush sucked too" and probably never was an Obot. Still, it's a teachable moment. Variations of Bush sucked too can be heard across the Twitter/ Facebook countryside. This is a step further away from denial. The previous "At least he's not McCain" is tired and "He's still better than Hillary" has become too absurd for even Obots to utter much anymore.

The five stages of Obot grief are unfolding with deliberate speed and it's worth a moment (and also fun) to observe them. The stages are: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance. Bush sucked too falls in the grey area between Anger and Bargaining. Denials of the death of the imaginary light bringer of 2008 are almost gone....except in Astrid Passionfroot's world. Anger broke out into the open in the Fall as it slowly...oh so slowly...dawned on the likes of Jane Hamsher and the Daily Kos that Obama was full of shit on issues like gay rights and health care. (It was a slow realization because, as a rule, the Obots are smart but not intelligent and Palin's book tour was a distraction they all savored.) Besides, Bush sucked too is an admission of complete defeat by Obots even if they don't realize it yet. Obama was different in their addled minds. An outlier. A saviour. Comparing him to any previous president, in any context, puts the lie to the entire Obama Festival of Light. That W is now the baseline must be devastating to the internal workings of any respectable Obot. (Is "respectable Obot" and oxymoron?)

We have moved, in one short year, into bargaining - the least comfortable - and most likely shortest - phase of Obot grief. The health care charade is too complete for any but the most sturdy Obot to defend. That Obama kept his campaign promise on Afghanistan shocked many as well. The double think on this point remains breathtaking. Our beloved Barry is sending more troops to war??? (He said he would all along - a non-idiot responds. Yes, but he opposed the Iraq war...in a speech...in a basement...in the olden times!!! How could he did this?? says the Obot. )

As Obama moves into the "jobs, jobs, jobs", portion of his burlesque the bargaining will get some traction. But not much. What a come down "work for grease monkeys on wind turbines" is from "the oceans have begun to recede."

Let us look to the last 2 stages of Obot grief, depression and acceptance, dull though they may be. Most Obots will simply vanish in these phases, moving into resigned contempt. Some will occasionally lash out when a random Republican is caught with his trousers on the floor. The Andrew Sullivan types will keep their battered spouse syndrome intact but on mute - meekly scrubbing floors when asked and otherwise staying in the horrific marriage with quiet agony.

Then we reach Post Grief...which will come for some but not all. Pretty soon, too. Obama will be demonized as broadly as he was deified. The anger will no longer be directed at the messengers but at Obama. If I'm correct, this part of the adventure will - ironically - be the most difficult to navigate for those who kept their wits about them all along regarding Obama. The blessing is that many of us gave up on the Democrats before the roof fell in. The curse is that for many of us there truly is nowhere to go without our fingers pinching our nostrils, the two party system being a vice grip for the time being.

Most Obots will process their grief all the way through and re-emerge. What is less certain is if any of them will have learned anything. Obama is vaporizing what was once called the "Democratic coalition". Unless the Obots look in the mirror and own their part in this disaster - before moving completely into vilification of the man - an alternative to right wing government will not possible. The reason is simple: We were right. They were wrong. If we'd been wrong then the situation would be reversed. If Obama had become the president they said he would, (an intelligent, left of center executive - at the very least) many - including me - would have to suck it up and admit we'd missed the mark in our assessment. Didn't happen. Likely never will.

For any real movement to be possible on the "alternative to the Republicans" front, the Obots must first own the duplicity of Obama's campaign, completely and without excuse.