Battered Obama Syndrome

There is a phenomenon among those who supported Barrack Obama during the Democratic primary and continue to do so even after two years of the most underhanded, dishonest Democratic presidency in history, who suffer from what I call Battered Obama Syndrome.

After Obama lies, reneges,does violence to and beats up Democratic values because he has no integrity and cant deal with Republican criticism, he shows up at the door with candy and flowers and many of those who stupidly believed him in the first place, take him back. Only to get beat up again another time on another issue. Only to take him back again after he shows up with more candy, flowers and empty words.

Obama sold out the public option on healthcare reform, the most effective and fundamental change in healthcare in this country's history and the most far reaching legislation on an issue of justice since the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and he sold it out despite the fact that the votes were there in a Democratically controlled congress to pass it. Then blatantly lied in an interview on PBS when asked if he considered it a loss that he didnt get a public option and said he never campaigned for a public option.

Democratic supporters of Obama didn't get angry, didn't revolt, didn't threaten to leave, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid let him get away with it, and when Obama showed up with candy and flowers again making outrageously false claims about the four humped camel of a disastrous health care bill he did push through, ( "we got 32 million people insurance")  the Battered Obama Syndrome crowd actually tried to make it sound like he accomplished something and that it was wonderful.

The same was true when he gutted financial reform, and the same was true when he didn't close Gitmo and the same was true when he capitulated to Republicans and extended the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. Each time he beat up the values of those who supported him, each time he proved he was never what he pretended to be and each time those too stupid, naive or too blind to see him for what he really was and always had been, took him back even though by now they had two black eyes.

We are seeing BOS rear its head again after Obama's latest speech on the budget. This time he virtually swore, that yes, this time he will not extend the Bush tax cuts to the wealthy. He just wont. No, not this time. The Republicans are the ones responsible for the economic mess ( all true) and this time he's not giving in. Really. Promise.

The reaction by many from Rachel Maddow, to the Progressive Campaign Committee and MoveOn was predictable. Battered Obama Syndrome reared its head again.

Maddow called his speech " unexpectedly satisfying", the PCCC called it a "powerful speech" and MoveOn was moved. As if he had never said these things before, as if he had never made promises before, as if he never made pledges before, and as if he never looked people in the eye and lied through his teeth before, as he if never reneged on every promise he ever made every time.

They say the start to solving every problem is to admit you have a problem. When those Democrats finally admit they have a problem and their problem was both their own blindness and willingness to throw their own integrity out the window and look the other way in order to support a dishonest duplicitous and clearly unqualified politician simply because of his race, (not exactly what Martin Luther King had in mind), and they realize Obama is the product of their mistake and he will never be any different than what he has always been, then there will be real change. And it will start with Democrats finally walking out on Obama, looking for someone new, and not ever going back.