COMMENTARY | Attacking your political opponent as a "flip-flopper" has been in vogue ever since George Bush hammered John Kerry with such accusations in the 2004 presidential election. These days the term has been in the news more than ever, with Michele Bachmann accusing Herman Cain of flip-flopping, and with the Obama re-election campaign insinuating that Mitt Romney is a flip-flopper. However, criticizing a politician for changing their mind is often not warranted. It can actually be the smartest thing to do.
Indeed, adjusting your opinion based on the best available evidence at the time not only makes sense, it's also a sign of serious analytical thinking. For example, President Obama was criticized as an indecisive flip-flopper when he visited Iraq in 2008. Before the trip, he announced that he wanted to go there to make a "thorough assessment" of the situation, and said "I'm sure I'll have more information and continue to refine my policy." Obama should have received nothing but praise for wanting to make an informed decision, regardless of his ultimate conclusions about Iraq.
However, when an elected official changes their mind for pure political motives, then charges of flip-flopping can be appropriate. Mitt Romney, for instance, once expressed viewpoints far more liberal than his fellow Republicans. He opposed some tax cuts, supported abortion rights, and was a big proponent of universal health care. That was when he was governor of left-leaning Massachusetts. Now that he is running for president and trying to appeal to the entire GOP, he has backpedaled on almost all of his positions. You don't have to be a cynic to realize this is nothing but political opportunism by Romney.
Ideally, no one would think less of an elected official who changes their mind if they have good reason to do so. In fact, a politician who holds steadfast to an old belief when new evidence suggests they are wrong should be criticized more than a flip-flopping one. After all, what's the point of being consistent if you are consistently wrong? Let's hope the voting public stops paying attention to the "flip-flopper" label, and only starts caring about why a politician changes their mind.
Sources:
Joel Roberts, "Bush's Top Ten Flip-Flops," CBS News
Gabriella Schwarz , "Cain 'flip-flops,' Bachmann says," CNN
Holly Bailey, "Obama team targets Romney but stops short of labeling him the GOP 'frontrunner'," The Ticket
The Bryant Park Project , "Politicians: Flip-Flopping Or Changing Their Minds?" NPR
Matt Latimer, "Romney a Flip-Flop? Used to Be More Liberal Than Ted Kennedy," The Daily Beast
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