Ever since the 2004 election, when George Bush and John Kerry were competing for the presidency, there’s been no lack of one candidate accusing another of “flip flopping.” It began with the famous quote attributed to John Kerry about his vote on the Congressional authorization to go to war in Iraq: “I voted for it, before I voted against it.”I don’t know your thinking about casually calling another person a “flip flopper,” but I don’t find it useful. Yet, I grant that it can be very effective and that it can even destroy a person’s credibility.
A vital consideration in evaluating the sincerity of a politician’s change of position is that of intent. Why did the politician change her or his mind? If it’s merely expedience, or yielding to inappropriate pressure from peers, lobbyists, or political hacks, then it may be valid to classify that politician as a “flip flopper.” Conversely, it could be the result of a well-thought-out change of mind undertaken after serious reflection.
Politicians should be given leeway to change their views as long as they adhere to the critical caveat of explaining logically and convincingly why they have done so.
When circumstances change, do we really want thoughtless elected officials to keep us in Iraq for 100 years, simply because of a prior vote to have gone to war there?
Note: Photo Source: http://www.undermars.com/gallery1.html
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